3.0.0 426 2023-01-11T13:28:22Z 2023-01-11T13:28:22Z Senate S 2015-02-10 114 ssga00 Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee Senate Standing Referred to 2015-02-10T17:34:17Z Small Business Regulatory Flexibility Improvements Act of 2015 114 527 HR 2015-02-09 Received in the Senate and Read twice and referred to the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs. Related bill CRS Small Business Regulatory Flexibility Improvements Act of 2015 114 1536 S 2016-04-27 Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship. Hearings held. Hearings printed: S.Hrg. 114-637. Related bill CRS 2015-02-10 ssga00 Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee Senate Read twice and referred to the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs. IntroReferral 2015-02-10 Introduced in Senate IntroReferral 10000 9 Library of Congress A000368 Sen. Ayotte, Kelly [R-NH] Kelly Ayotte R NH N Commerce Administrative law and regulatory procedures Administrative remedies Business records Competitiveness, trade promotion, trade deficits Congressional oversight Economic performance and conditions Federal appellate courts Federal-Indian relations Government information and archives Government studies and investigations Industrial policy and productivity Judicial review and appeals Jurisdiction and venue Land use and conservation Small Business Administration Small business Tax administration and collection, taxpayers Commerce 00 2015-02-10 Introduced in Senate 2015-03-26T14:21:46Z Small Business Regulatory Flexibility Improvements Act of 2015

This bill modifies the rule making requirements and procedures of federal agencies (excluding Congress, U.S. courts, U.S. territories and possession, and the District of Columbia) under the Regulatory Flexibility Act of 1980 (RFA) and the Small Business Regulatory Enforcement Fairness Act of 1996 (SBREFA). The definition of "rule" under RFA is expanded to include all agency rules, except for rules that pertain to the protection of the rights of, or benefits for, veterans or rules of particular (and not general) applicability relating to rates, wages, and other financial indicators. Under a new definition of "economic impact," agencies are required to consider any direct economic effect of a proposed rule on small entities and any indirect economic effect on small entities that is reasonably foreseeable and that results from such rule.

Under the bill, agencies are required to modify their rulemaking procedures to:

  • include within initial and final regulatory flexibility analyses a detailed statement of information relating to a proposed rule;
  • include in the agency regulatory flexibility agenda a description of the sector of the North American Industrial Classification System that is affected by a proposed agency rule that is likely to have a significant economic impact of a substantial number of small entities;
  • require each initial regulatory flexibility analysis to contain detailed information about a proposed rule, including an estimate of the additional cumulative economic impact of the proposed rule on small entities, any disproportionate economic impact on small entities, and any impairment of the ability of small entities to have access to credit;
  • eliminate waivers or delays of an initial regulatory flexibility analysis;
  • modify the procedures for participation of small entities in the promulgation of a proposed rule and the review panel advocacy process; and
  • publish a plan for the periodic review of existing rules and new rules that have a significant impact on a substantial number of small entities to determine whether such rules should be continued, changed, or rescinded.

Judicial review of an agency final rule for compliance with RFA requirements is allowed after the publication of such rule, instead of after completion of the rulemaking process.

The Small Business Act is amended to authorize the Chief Counsel for Advocacy of the Small Business Administration (SBA) to make small business size standard determinations for all purposes other than for the purposes of such Act or the Small Business Investment Act of 1958.

SBREFA is amended to require agencies, in preparing small entity compliance guides, to solicit input from affected small entities or associations of small entities.

The Comptroller General must complete and publish a study that examines whether the SBA Chief Counsel for Advocacy has the capacity and resources to carry out duties under this Act.

]]> Small Business Regulatory Flexibility Improvements Act of 2015 Display Title Small Business Regulatory Flexibility Improvements Act of 2015 Official Title as Introduced A bill to amend chapter 6 of title 5, United States Code (commonly known as the Regulatory Flexibility Act), to ensure complete analysis of potential impacts on small entities of rules, and for other purposes. Introduced in Senate IS Short Titles as Introduced Small Business Regulatory Flexibility Improvements Act of 2015 Introduced in Senate 2015-02-10T05:00:00Z https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/BILLS-114s426is/xml/BILLS-114s426is.xml 2015-02-10 Read twice and referred to the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs. text/xml EN Pursuant to Title 17 Section 105 of the United States Code, this file is not subject to copyright protection and is in the public domain. Congressional Research Service, Library of Congress This file contains bill summaries and statuses for federal legislation. A bill summary describes the most significant provisions of a piece of legislation and details the effects the legislative text may have on current law and federal programs. Bill summaries are authored by the Congressional Research Service (CRS) of the Library of Congress. As stated in Public Law 91-510 (2 USC 166 (d)(6)), one of the duties of CRS is "to prepare summaries and digests of bills and resolutions of a public general nature introduced in the Senate or House of Representatives". For more information, refer to the User Guide that accompanies this file.