Indiana small businesses get a voice in state regulatory process
19 May, 2005Washington, D.C. — Indiana's governor recently signed into law a "Small Business Regulatory Flexibility Bill" (HB 1822) that was championed by a coalition of small business stakeholders, including the Indiana National Federation of Independent Business (NFIB), Indiana Chamber of Commerce, Indianapolis Chamber of Commerce and Indiana Manufacturers Association.
"HB 1822 sends a positive message to Hoosier entrepreneurs and will assist in Indiana's economic development efforts," said Jason Shelley, Indiana State Director for the NFIB.
The bill requires state agencies examine the financial impact of proposed rules on small businesses and publish economic impact statements. It allows small business to sue a state agency over compliance with the process. FInally, each state agency must evaluate alternatives that would minimize the financial impact of proposed regulations on small businesses.
This year, 18 states have introduced similar legislation. The proposed legsilation is based in large part on model legislation drafted by the Small Business Administration's Office of Advocacy (SBA/OA). The state legislation from SBA/OA is itself modeled after the federal Regulatory Flexibility Act (RFA). Since the office's model legislation was released in late 2002, 37 states have enacted some form of legislation based on it.
These ten states currently have no active or proposed small business flexibility legislation:
- Alabama
- Alaska
- Idaho
- Kansas
- Montana
- Nebraska
- New Mexico
- Tennessee
- Virginia
- Wyoming
SBA/OA provides a map (PDF, 76k) charting the current status of flexibility legislation in each state and a fact sheet (PDF, 104k) with specifics about legislation in each U.S. state and territory.
For more, see: "Indiana Acts To Support Small Business," Office of Advocacy, U.S. Small Business Administration, May 11, 2005.
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