Small Business Regulatory Enforcement Fairness Act

In 1996, Congress passed the "Small Business Regulatory Enforcement Fairness Act" (SBREFA), in response to concerns expressed by the small business community that federal regulations were too numerous, complex and expensive to implement. SBREFA was designed to give small businesses assistance in understanding and complying with regulations and more voice in the development of new regulations.

If you represent a small business, you may comment on NLRB enforcement actions by calling the Small Business Administration's Ombudsman at (888) REG-FAIR or by sending email to: ombudsman@sba.gov .

The Office of the National Ombudsman of the Small Business Administration has asked all federal agencies to make clear that if a small business entity requests Ombudsman assistance on a federal agency matter, or complains about a federal agency action, the agency will not retaliate in response. The NLRB's policy on non-retaliation against small business entities is as follows:

The NLRB is committed to maintaining an environment in which small entities, and all other parties to its proceedings, are free to raise questions or concerns, or complain about NLRB actions or policies. No NLRB employee shall take any type of retaliatory action against a small entity or any other party solely for raising questions, concerns, or complaining about NLRB actions or policies. If you believe that this policy has been violated or if you wish to comment on the NLRB's enforcement and compliance processes, contact your local NLRB field office, the NLRB's Office of Inspector General or the National Ombudsman's office. Telephone numbers and addresses for local NLRB offices can be obtained on the NLRB website in the Contact Us folder. The Office of the Inspector General can be reached by telephone at 202-273-1960, by fax at 202-273-2344, or by e-mail at OIGHOTLINE@nlrb.gov. Information about the National Ombudsman is available online at www.sba.gov/ombudsman.