Cutting the regulatory tape

By BRIAN WALKER

Staff Writer

If you believe your business has been run ragged in regulations, here's a chance to air your concerns about it.

The Office of Advocacy of the Small Business Administration will host a free regulatory roundtable at the Best Western Plus Coeur d'Alene Inn, 506 W. Appleway Ave., Thursday from 8 a.m. to noon.

Sen. Jim Risch, R-Idaho and chairman of the Senate Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship, said he's pleased that agency is hearing business regulatory concerns in Idaho.

"With small businesses accountant for more than 99 percent of all Idaho businesses, it is extremely important for their voices to be heard," Risch said. "I encourage small businesses of all backgrounds and industries to attend … and voice their opinions on which federal regulations burden them the most."

The purpose of the roundtable is to see which federal regulatory burdens present the biggest barriers to small business growth.

"We are trying to get feedback from local small businesses and find out what regulations are most harmful or prevent them from growing," said Emily Williams, Advocacy's spokeswoman. "Our agency will make a suggestion list on which regulations to get rid of."

To register for the event, visit http://bit.ly/2tyvVMo.

If you are unable to attend, but would still like to inform Advocacy of a regulatory issue that is important to you, visit http://bit.ly/2uT9Mrq.

With the input, Advocacy can better assist federal agencies in complying with President Donald Trump’s directives to reduce burdensome regulations, Williams said.

Information from the roundtable and others will help Advocacy generate a report to inform Congress and the public of the top regulatory issues for small businesses.

"A main priority of the Office of Advocacy is to become increasingly accessible to all small businesses," said Major Clark III, Advocacy's acting chief counsel.

"Holding these regional roundtables to hear concerns directly from small business owners is a key component in our efforts to help lessen the heavy regulatory burden on small business."

Input from the agriculture, timber, logging and mining industries will be taken from 8:45 to 9:45 a.m.; real estate and financial services, 9:45 to 10:45 a.m.; and all other industries, 11 to 11:45 a.m.

Regulatory roundtable

To register for Thursday’s regulatory roundtable hosted by the Small Business Administration at the Best Western Plus Coeur d’Alene Inn, visit http://bit.ly/2tyvVMo.