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Small Business Polls Reject Anti-Regulation Rhetoric

Wed, 01 Feb 2012 08:00:00 PST

Washington, D.C. (The Hill) -- With Congress back in session, the Senate will have several bills to consider that seek to make it nearly impossible for federal agencies to implement regulations. The REINS Act, the Regulatory Flexibility Improvements Act and the Regulatory Accountability Act have already passed in the House.

Advocates for these radical measures claim they are primarily needed because regulations are the top reason for small businesses not hiring. But a new nationwide poll of small business owners released today adds to numerous other surveys that refute this position.

Does SBA plan go far enough?

Wed, 25 Jan 2012 08:00:00 PST

NEW YORK (NY Times) -- Advocates for small business - including those in Congress - are hearing mixed reactions to President Obama's proposal to temporarily elevate the Small Business Administration to a cabinet agency, but then fold the SBA into a super trade and commerce department.

Small businesses split over SOTU

Wed, 25 Jan 2012 08:00:00 PST

(Reuters) -- Last night’s State of the Union address from President Barack Obama left small business owners divided over his plans for economic recovery which included eliminating tax perks for companies that offshore jobs and beefing up training stimulus for technology jobs. Here is a roundup of what stakeholders are saying around the blogosphere:

Among Small-Business Advocates, Reaction to President's Plan is Mixed

Sat, 14 Jan 2012 08:00:00 PST

NEW YORK (NY Times) -- Advocates for small business — including those in Congress — had near uniformly mixed reactions to President Obama’s proposal Friday to temporarily elevate the Small Business Administration to a cabinet agency but then fold the S.B.A. into a super trade and commerce department. Uniformly mixed in that most people The Agenda contacted praised the decision to make the S.B.A. part of the cabinet but expressed caution about the consolidation proposal.

Obama Plan: What Do Small-Business Advocates Think?

Fri, 13 Jan 2012 08:00:00 PST

(Huffington Post) -- Is President Obama's announcement that he plans to consolidate the Small Business Administration with five other government offices into one agency and to elevate the SBA Administrator to a Cabinet-level position good news or bad news for small business? It may be too early to tell, but several small-business advocacy groups and associations did weigh in with some immediate reactions. Here are excerpts of what they had to say, starting with the SBA administrator herself:

Small Business committees, advocates hesitant to back Obama's restructuring proposal

Fri, 13 Jan 2012 08:00:00 PST

(Washington Post) -- Lawmakers and small business advocacy groups Friday applauded President Obama’s decision to add a cabinet seat for the head of the Small Business Administration, but many were hesitant to back his broader proposal to restructure part of the federal government.

Obama Proposes to Consolidate Commerce, SBA and Other Departments

Fri, 13 Jan 2012 08:00:00 PST

NEW YORK (Accounting Today) -- President Obama proposed Friday to consolidate six major federal departments and agencies that oversee various aspects of business in the U.S., including the Commerce Department and the Small Business Administration.

Obama Proposes Big Change for Small Business Administration

Fri, 13 Jan 2012 08:00:00 PST

(Central Valley Business Times) -- ‘They’re not trying to save money; they’re trying to close the agency’

Some Businesses Worry About Obama's SBA Move

Fri, 13 Jan 2012 08:00:00 PST

NEW YORK (CNNMoney) -- President Barack Obama's proposal to consolidate several agencies, including the Small Business Administration, aims to streamline government, but some worry about tossing big and small corporations together.

Obama Ignores Small Business in State of the Union

Wed, 25 Jan 2012 08:00:00 PST

Tuesday President Barack Obama delivered his third State of the Union address to an economically strained nation. At a time when the U.S. economy is in need of sweeping reforms, the President failed to mention rampant government contracting abuse that is costing the middle class upwards of $100 billion annually.

Reauthorization of Federal Program Reduces Opportunities for Small Business Contractors

Tue, 10 Jan 2012 08:00:00 PST

The American Small Business League (ASBL) is crying foul over the Obama administration's reauthorization of the Comprehensive Subcontracting Plan Test Program (CSPTP), a program initially established in 1990 to reduce the administrative workload of monitoring SMB federal contracting goals.

Small Business Group Launches Campaign Opposing Obama's Plan to Wind Down Federal Small Business Programs

Mon, 16 Jan 2012 08:00:00 PST

Today the American Small Business League (ASBL) is launching a national campaign to educate the media, the public and members of Congress about the negative ramifications of President Obama’s plan to combine the Small Business Administration with the Department of Commerce, which will ultimately lead to the elimination of federal small business programs.

Obama Set to Eliminate Programs Established Through the Efforts of Martin Luther King Jr

Mon, 16 Jan 2012 08:00:00 PST

On September 9, 2011 the Obama administration announced plans to dismantle a federal contracting program originally established through the efforts of Martin Luther King Jr., and the passage of the Civil Rights Act, a move that could economically devastate minority communities.

SBA Merger Will Destroy Small Business Programs

Fri, 13 Jan 2012 08:00:00 PST

The Obama administration is proposing to merge the Small Business Administration with the Department of Commerce, a move that small business advocates like the American Small Business League (ASBL) maintain is aimed at eliminating small business programs under the guise of saving money.

Obama Extends Program that Reduces Opportunities for Small Business

Mon, 02 Jan 2012 08:00:00 PST

President Obama has extended a 21-year-old defense program that allows large defense contractors to withhold subcontracting information from the public, media and Congress.

With 2012 NDAA, Obama will Approve Loopholes That Cheat Small Businesses

Wed, 21 Dec 2011 08:00:00 PST

President Obama’s signature on the 2012 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) will reauthorize a Department of Defense program that allows the federal government to cheat small businesses out of billions of dollars a year.

Hey, Small Business Job Creators, Republicans Just Aren't That Into You

Tue, 20 Dec 2011 08:00:00 PST

I'll bet a lot of small businesses are owned by people who vote for Republicans. Well, folks, I have some news for you. Republicans are not your friends.

IGs Recommend Harsher Deterrents For Small Biz Fraud

Fri, 04 Nov 2011 08:00:00 PST

The federal government does not have strong enough deterrents to fight small business contracting fraud, said two inspectors general before a House committee hearing.

Feared gridlock aftermath: Less help for small business

Thu, 01 Dec 2011 08:00:00 PST

Although politicians share broad consensus about how important small businesses are to the economic recovery, potential congressional spending cuts could impact the agency that helps these businesses take root and expand in Utah and elsewhere.

Affirmative Action Under Assault

Tue, 01 Nov 2011 08:00:00 PST

Former President Bill Clinton adopted a mend-it-don’t-end-it posture toward affirmative action in 1995, refusing to placate white conservatives at war with this equity initiative even if it cost him votes. According to an alarming column by National Black Chamber of Commerce president/CEO Harry Alford published in The Philadelphia Tribune recently, the affirmative action posture of America’s first president of clear African ancestry apparently is: pretend-it-to-end-it.

Fraud and Loopholes Deliver Small-Business Contracts to Big Firms

Tue, 01 Nov 2011 08:00:00 PST

It’s been a busy season for combating fraud in government contracts for small business, for prosecutors enforcing the law as well as the legislators trying to improve it. But for both, it appears to be an uphill battle.

President Obama Solution; Kill Minority Owned Businesses…

Sun, 30 Oct 2011 08:00:00 PST

It all looked so good in the beginning. There has been a change, but not what we expected. Unemployment is higher than ever for African-Americans. While there are many reasons, there is one direct correlation.

Bill would increase oversight of small-business contracts

Thu, 20 Oct 2011 08:00:00 PST

Newly proposed legislation would increase oversight of federal small-business contracts, which in recent years have gone to several large companies.

Sizing Up the Small-Business Jobs Machine

Sat, 15 Oct 2011 08:00:00 PST

Praise of small businesses as the engine of the American economy is as much a part of political campaigns as bus tours, small-town diners and recycled stump speeches.

Contracts worth billions set aside; who qualifies?

Mon, 26 Sep 2011 08:00:00 PST

According to news reports, Lloyd Chapman, founder of the American Small Business League, has sued SBA several times claiming that corporate giants such as Halliburton, Boeing, Rolls Royce and Lockheed-Martin have managed to masquerade as small businesses, as defined by SBA online at tinyurl.com/5uyly6q.

Commentary: Don’t abolish incentives for minority-owned contractors

Fri, 16 Sep 2011 08:00:00 PST

Less than 24 hours after addressing the nation with a new jobs bill titled the American Jobs Act, the Obama administration released plans to eliminate the oldest and most successful program to create jobs for minorities. This seems ill-timed and ill-advised, considering the jobless rate for African Americans alone is at 16.7 percent.

Burr Bill Harms Small Business

Fri, 02 Sep 2011 08:00:00 PST

U.S. Sen. Richard Burr (R-N.C.) has introduced legislation that could devastate small businesses in his home state and nationwide. The Department of Commerce and the Workforce Consolidation Act, S.B. 1116, could eliminate federal programs to assist small businesses, costing the nation millions of jobs.

Look to Small, Minority Businesses for Job Creation

Thu, 01 Sep 2011 08:00:00 PST

Reducing the deficit is necessary for the nation's long-term fiscal health, but the main focus of Congress and the president should be creating jobs. The American people realize this. A CBS News/New York Times poll conducted June 24-28 reported that 53 percent of those surveyed said jobs and the economy are the No. 1 issue; only 7 percent cited the budget deficit and national debt as their top concern.

Starbucks CEO to the Rescue?

Thu, 01 Sep 2011 08:00:00 PST

"The most effective economic stimulus President Barack Obama and Congress could implement would be to direct more existing federal infrastructure spending to small businesses, our nation's chief job creators," writes Lloyd Chapman, the president of the American Small Business League, in this open letter to Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz.

Senate Grills SBA Over Federal Contracts

Wed, 27 Jul 2011 08:00:00 PST

Billions of dollars in federal contracts that are intended for U.S. small business might actually be awarded to large companies -- and the Senate isn't happy about it.

Senate inquiry finds big companies taking small business contracts

Tue, 26 Jul 2011 08:00:00 PST

WASHINGTON -- Federal contracts intended for small business are being awarded to large corporations, according to a Senate inquiry.

How to help the drivers of job growth

Sat, 16 Jul 2011 08:00:00 PST

If the entire economy could have fit into the room at Houston's Lakeside Country Club, it would be fixed.

60 percent of small-business contracts go to large firms, analysis finds

Thu, 30 Jun 2011 08:00:00 PST

Of the top 100 firms awarded small-business contracts in fiscal 2010, 61 were large businesses or owned by large companies, according to an analysis by the American Small Business League.

Obama: No Friend of Small Business?

Tue, 28 Jun 2011 08:00:00 PST

In his 2010 State of the Union address, President Obama called small business growth key to the economic recovery. "We should start where most new jobs do—in small businesses, companies that begin when an entrepreneur takes a chance on a dream, or a worker decides it's time she became her own boss," he said then.

Small business group says Obama Administration misleads the public

Tue, 28 Jun 2011 08:00:00 PST

Sixty-one out of the top 100 recipients of federal small business contracts for fiscal year 2010 were large firms, not small businesses, says the American Small Business League (ASBL), pointing to its own analysis of a recent SBA report.

Report: Administration misleads on small-business contracts

Mon, 27 Jun 2011 08:00:00 PST

The Obama administration reports it has nearly met Congress’s goal of giving 23 percent of federal contracts to small businesses, but a new analysis shows that claim is significantly overstated.

Economic Policies Of Obama Administration Ignoring Small Businesses

Wed, 22 Jun 2011 08:00:00 PST

The American Small Business League released a statement on June 21st criticizing the Obama Administration about their failure to implement economic policies to help small businesses succeed. In fact, the US Census Bureau indicates that over 90% of all new jobs in America come from small businesses.