[Congressional Record Volume 165, Number 120 (Wednesday, July 17, 2019)]
[Senate]
[Page S4903]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




         HELPING ENTREPRENEURS AFFECT REGULATORY DECISIONS ACT

  Ms. COLLINS. Mr. President, I rise to introduce legislation with my 
friend and colleague from New Hampshire, Senator Shaheen. The Helping 
Entrepreneurs Affect Regulatory Decisions Act or the HEARD Act is a 
straightforward bill that would make our government agencies more 
accessible to our Nation's small business owners and improve 
participation in the regulatory process.
  When Federal agencies, including the Environmental Protection Agency, 
the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, or Consumer 
Financial Protection Bureau, propose a new regulation with a potential 
large economic impact, these agencies must convene Small Business 
Advocacy Review panels. These panels allow for the views of small 
business owners to be heard. The small businesses provide input on how 
a particular regulation may affect their business and have a chance to 
work with the regulators to address challenges and concerns.
  As it stands, these panels are open to invitees, but participating is 
often a challenge, especially when small businesses are often asked to 
go to these panels at their own expense. Small businesses owners in 
Maine and other parts of our country can little afford to shut down for 
the day or use their own money to travel to these panels. Business will 
not stop because of a meeting held hundreds of miles away. To address 
these barriers, the HEARD Act would allow a small business to 
participate remotely. Small businesses, which are the backbone of the 
American economy, deserve to be heard, especially when we ask for their 
input, and this bill would help facilitate that.
  Small businesses and their advocates support this effort. In my 
State, the Maine Chamber of Commerce has endorsed this bill because it 
would allow Mainers to give their input on new regulations more easily. 
Nationally, the NFIB, which advocates for America's small businesses, 
supports this bill because it would ensure that Main Street has a voice 
in the regulatory process.
  Our bipartisan legislation would allow small businesses to be a part 
of the process by providing input and recommendations on regulations 
that would affect them. I encourage my colleagues to support the HEARD 
Act to ensure that the Federal Government hears from our small 
businesses, the backbone of our economy.

                          ____________________