Where do I find the SBA Office of Advocacy small-business impact statements?

The SBA Office of Advocacy is an independent voice for small business within the federal government, established by Public Law 94-305 in 1976. Its regulatory work product lives at advocacy.sba.gov and includes: weekly Reg Alert emails (free subscription), formal comment letters Advocacy submits to other agencies on small-business impact, SBAR panel reports for major OSHA, EPA, and CFPB rules, and the annual Report on the Regulatory Flexibility Act.

The most useful artifacts for small businesses: (1) Advocacy's public comment letters — they're written by economists and attorneys who specifically analyze small-entity impact, and they often cite specific cost figures and propose alternatives, making them excellent source material for your own comments; (2) SBAR (Small Business Advocacy Review) panel reports — convened under SBREFA before EPA, OSHA, and CFPB issue rules with significant small-entity impact, these reports include direct input from small-entity representatives (SERs) and typically precede a proposed rule by 6 to 18 months; (3) the Office's Quarterly Reports on regulatory activity.

Advocacy does not enforce rules or represent individual businesses in disputes — that's a common misconception. For enforcement issues, the SBA's National Ombudsman handles small-business complaints about excessive federal regulatory enforcement at sba.gov/ombudsman.