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15 U.S. Code § 657. Oversight of regulatory enforcement
(a) DefinitionsFor purposes of this section, the term—
(1)
“Board” means a Regional Small Business Regulatory Fairness Board established under subsection (c); and
(2)
“Ombudsman” means the Small Business and Agriculture Regulatory Enforcement Ombudsman designated under subsection (b).
(b) SBA Enforcement Ombudsman
(1)
Not later than 180 days after March 29, 1996, the Administrator shall designate a Small Business and Agriculture Regulatory Enforcement Ombudsman, who shall report directly to the Administrator, utilizing personnel of the Small Business Administration to the extent practicable. Other agencies shall assist the Ombudsman and take actions as necessary to ensure compliance with the requirements of this section. Nothing in this section is intended to replace or diminish the activities of any Ombudsman or similar office in any other agency.
(2) The Ombudsman shall—
(A)
work with each agency with regulatory authority over small businesses to ensure that small business concerns that receive or are subject to an audit, on-site inspection, compliance assistance effort, or other enforcement related communication or contact by agency personnel are provided with a means to comment on the enforcement activity conducted by such personnel;
(B)
establish means to receive comments from small business concerns regarding actions by agency employees conducting compliance or enforcement activities with respect to the small business concern, means to refer comments to the Inspector General of the affected agency in the appropriate circumstances, and otherwise seek to maintain the identity of the person and small business concern making such comments on a confidential basis to the same extent as employee identities are protected under section 407 of title 5;
(C)
based on substantiated comments received from small business concerns and the Boards, annually report to Congress and affected agencies evaluating the enforcement activities of agency personnel including a rating of the responsiveness to small business of the various regional and program offices of each agency;
(D)
coordinate and report annually on the activities, findings and recommendations of the Boards to the Administrator and to the heads of affected agencies; and
(E)
provide the affected agency with an opportunity to comment on draft reports prepared under subparagraph (C), and include a section of the final report in which the affected agency may make such comments as are not addressed by the Ombudsman in revisions to the draft.