On March 29, 1996, President Clinton signed into law the Small Business Regulatory Enforcement Fairness Act (Title II of Public Law 104-121). The purposes of this title are-

(1) to implement certain recommendations of the 1995 White House Conference on Small Business regarding the development and enforcement of Federal regulations;

(2) to provide for judicial review of chapter 6 of title 5, United States Code;

(3) to encourage the effective participation of small businesses in the Federal regulatory

process;

(4) to simplify the language of Federal regulations affecting small businesses;

(5) to develop more accessible sources of information on regulatory and reporting

requirements for small businesses;

(6) to create a more cooperative regulatory environment among agencies and small businesses that is less punitive and more solution-oriented;

(7) to make Federal regulators more accountable for their enforcement actions by

providing small entities with a meaningful opportunity for redress of excessive enforcement activities.

The National Ombudsman for Small Business and Agriculture Enforcement web site http://www.sba.gov/ombudsman/ contains links to detailed information on the act, agency contacts, fairness board contacts, guide to your rights, etc.

For additional information contact Bob Lantrip at 800-725-7232 (in Mississippi only) or 662-915-5001 or via e-mail.

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