New National Point-of-Contact To Address Small Business Concerns with Federal Regulatory Agencies

Ms. Esther H. Vassar has been appointed National Ombudsman and assistant administrator for Regulatory Enforcement Fairness for the U.S. Small Business Administration.  The Office of the National Ombudsman helps small businesses when they experience excessive or unfair federal regulatory enforcement actions, such as repetitive audits or excessive fines by a federal agency.  Established in 1996 with the passage of the Small Business Regulatory Enforcement Fairness Act, the National Ombudsman's office collaborates with 10 regional fairness boards, served by 50 small business owners from across the country.  The National Ombudsman's office also works closely with more than 35 federal regulatory agencies to resolve complaints regarding excessive enforcement of federal rules.  The National Ombudsman acts as a liaison between small businesses and federal agencies by accepting business owners' complaints and then forwarding pertinent information along to the appropriate federal agency for a high level review concerning the "fairness" of the enforcement action in question.  A copy of the agency's response is sent back to the small business owner by the Office of the National Ombudsman. In some cases, fines have been lowered or eliminated and decisions changed in favor of the small business owner.  To file a complaint against a federal agency for an unfair regulatory enforcement action, click here. Additional information about the Office of the National Ombudsman is online at www.sba.gov/ombudsman or call (888) REG-FAIR (734-3247) or send an email to ombudsman@sba.gov.