Focus is hosting a small business roundtable for small business owners, navigating relentless regulatory and legal issues can often make focusing on day-to-day management a frustrating, uphill battle.
The Office of the National Ombudsman (ONO) can provide relief.
On Wednesday, Oct. 3, Focus Telecommunications and the Atlantic States Telephone Answering Association (ASTAA) will host a roundtable discussion to field concerns and comments from small businesses regarding federal regulatory enforcement and compliance assistance.
An ombudsman from the Small Business Administration will be present at the event, which will be held from 2:30-4:30 p.m. at the Governor Calvert House – Historic Inns Annapolis.
Established in 1996 as part of the Small Business Regulatory Enforcement Fairness Act, ONO assists small businesses who are experiencing excessive or unfair regulatory enforcement actions. These can include repetitive audits or investigations, excessive fines, penalties, threats, and more.
Core services provided by the ONO include:
- Serving as a “troubleshooter” between small businesses and Federal agencies.
- Conducting public hearings and roundtables to address concerns from the small business community.
- Rating Federal agencies on their responsiveness to small businesses and reporting all findings to Congress.
- Ensuring that federal regulatory enforcement is effective, but not excessive.
Perhaps most importantly, ONO provides an impartial and confidential channel through which to report concerns with regulatory compliance and enforcement involving Federal agencies. It also saves small business owners time and money by helping them to:
- Obtain compliance assistance
- Clarify compliance questions
- Reduce fines and/or penalties
- Resolve regulatory enforcement matters
- Connect small business owners with government officials
If you would like to attend the roundtable event, e-mail your name, address, and company name to Admin@astaa.org.
For more information on the Office of the National Ombudsman, visit their website.