Hearings Announced on Small Biz Patent Protection
October 18, 2011The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) recently published two public notices regarding issues of potential concern to the small-business community. The notices announced three upcoming hearings and two requests for comment on the issues of prior user rights and international patent protection for small firms. All three hearings will...
READ MORESenate Small-Biz Cmte. Approves Sargeant Nom.
October 12, 2011The U.S. Senate Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship yesterday voted 17-2 to approve the nomination of Dr. Winslow Sargeant to be the next Chief Counsel for Advocacy at the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) Office of Advocacy. His nomination will now await a full Senate vote. Dr. Sargeant has been...
READ MORENSBA Provides Comments on SEC Reg Review
October 6, 2011On Oct. 6, 2011, NSBA submitted comments to the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) regarding their retrospective review of their current, existing regulations, and urged closer attention to small-business concerns. In its comments, NSBA commended President Barack Obama and the SEC for undertaking this review to determine which SEC regulations...
READ MOREDetails on Health Exchange Regs
July 27, 2011As previously reported, the Department of Health and Human Resources (HHS) proposed regulations governing the development of health insurance exchanges. The 224-page proposal was published in the Federal Register on July 15, and comments are due Sept. 28. NSBA is continuing to study and evaluate the rules, and will submit...
READ MOREObama Signs Another Reg Reform Executive Order
July 19, 2011In the wake of his January Memoranda and Executive Order 13563, which required executive branch agencies to reduce regulations that placed unnecessary burdens on U.S. businesses and the public, President Barack Obama signed July 11 a new Memoranda and Executive Order aimed at independent agencies. According to the Obama Administration,...
READ MOREHealth Exchange Regulations Forthcoming
July 13, 2011This week, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) proposed a set of rules to govern the development of health insurance exchanges. Starting in 2014, these exchanges will be available to small businesses and individuals to shop for health insurance, learn about tax credits and other premium assistance, and...
READ MOREObama Administration Continues Reg Reform Efforts
June 1, 2011In January, President Barack Obama announced that he was signing a new Executive Order and a new Presidential Memoranda aimed at ridding the federal regulatory process of absurd and unnecessary paperwork requirements that waste time and money. The Memoranda was directly addressed at reducing the regulatory burden on small firms....
READ MOREObama Administration Tackling Reg Reform
January 18, 2011As previously noted, regulatory reform will be on the political agenda in the coming year. With the U.S. Congress already signaling its intent, the administration of President Barack Obama also has announced its intention to tackle regulatory reform. Yesterday, Obama penned an essay in the Wall Street Journal, outlining his administration’s plan to...
READ MOREReg Reform on the Agenda of the 112th Congress
January 11, 2011When the work of the 112th Congress commences, it is clear that one item high on its agenda will be regulatory reform. Lawmakers in both the U.S. House of Representatives and the Senate have indicated their intent to focus on the subject. Both Republican and Democratic Members of Congress already have...
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