Contract with America Advancement Act of 1996/Title II

TITLE II — SMALL BUSINESS REGULATORY FAIRNESS

Sec. 201. Short Title.

This title may be cited as the ``Small Business Regulatory Enforcement Fairness Act of 1996´´.

Sec. 202. Findings.

Congress finds that—

(1) a vibrant and growing small business sector is critical to creating jobs in a dynamic economy;

(2) small businesses bear a disproportionate share of regulatory costs and burdens;

(3) fundamental changes that are needed in the regulatory and enforcement culture of Federal agencies to make agencies more responsive to small business can be made without compromising the statutory missions of the agencies;

(4) three of the top recommendations of the 1995 White House Conference on Small Business involve reforms to the way government regulations are developed and enforced, and reductions in government paperwork requirements;

(5) the requirements of chapter 6 of title 5, United States Code, have too often been ignored by government agencies, resulting in greater regulatory burdens on small entities than necessitated by statute; and

(6) small entities should be given the opportunity to seek judicial review of agency actions required by chapter 6 of title 5, United States Code.

Sec. 203. Purposes.

The purposes of this title are—

(1) to implement certain recommendations of the 1995 White House Conference on Small Business regarding the development and enforcement of Federal regulations;

(2) to provide for judicial review of chapter 6 of title 5, United States Code;

(3) to encourage the effective participation of small businesses in the Federal regulatory process;

(4) to simplify the language of Federal regulations affecting small businesses;

(5) to develop more accessible sources of information on regulatory and reporting requirements for small businesses;

(6) to create a more cooperative regulatory environment among agencies and small businesses that is less punitive and more solution-oriented; and

(7) to make Federal regulators more accountable for their enforcement actions by providing small entities with a meaningful opportunity for redress of excessive enforcement activities

Subtitle A − Regulatory Compliance Simplification

Sec. 211. Definitions.

Sec. 212. Compliance Guides.

Sec. 213. Informal Small Entity Guidance.

Sec. 214. Services of Small Business Development Centers.

Sec. 215. Cooperation on Guidance.

Sec. 216. Effective Date.

Subtitle B − Regulatory Enforcement Reforms

Sec. 221. Definitions.

Sec. 222. Small Business and Agriculture Enforcement Ombudsman.

Sec. 223. Rights of Small Entities in Enforcement Actions.

Sec. 224. Effective Date.

Subtitle C − Equal Access To Justice Act Amendments

Sec. 231. Administrative Proceedings.

Sec. 232. Judicial Proceedings.

Sec. 233. Effective Date.

Subtitle D − Regulatory Flexibility Act Amendments

Sec. 241. Regulatory Flexibility Analyses.

Sec. 242. Judicial Review.

Sec. 243. Technical and Conforming Amendments.

Sec. 244. Small Business Advocacy Review Panels.

Sec. 245. Effective Date.

Subtitle E − Congressional Review

Sec. 251. Congressional Review of Agency Rulemaking.

Sec. 252. Effective Date.

Sec. 253. Technical Amendment.