NEWSRELEASE
For Release: June 24, 2002
Contact:
Hawaii Gives A Permanent Voice To Small Business
Newly Signed Law Keeps Needed Protections
WASHINGTON, D.C. - Hawaiian small business owners can now pay more attention to creating jobs, and worry a little less about overburdening state regulations, with the recent signing of a new law by Governor Benjamin Cayetano. The law makes the Hawaii Small Business Regulatory Flexibility Act permanent.
Among other things, the Hawaii Small Business Regulatory Flexibility Act created the small business regulatory review board, the watchdog for small business within the Hawaii state government. Based on comments from small businesses, the board recommends to the Hawaiian legislature and state agencies that they review and modify overly burdensome regulations. The board also evaluates state agencies’ responsiveness to small business, and reports these findings to the legislature.
“I’m pleased that the governor and legislature of Hawaii have recognized the importance of small business to their state,” said Michael T. Hull, Region IX Advocate for the Office of Advocacy. “By removing the sunset portion of the Small Business Regulatory Flexibility Act, they have guaranteed small business a seat at the table when regulations are being written.”
Protection of small business is vital to the health of the Hawaiian economy. According to the Office of Advocacy of the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA), 97 percent of Hawaii’s employers are small businesses. These businesses employed 56 percent of non-farm private sector workers, and generated $2.7 billion in income 2001.
Hawaii is also home to the 2002 Small Businessperson of the Year, Thanh Quoc Lam, President of Ba-Le Sandwich & Bakery. Thanh is a successful retailer of Vietnamese-style sandwiches, pastries, and noodle dishes, and a wholesaler of baked goods and deli sandwiches to airlines, food caterers, hotels, supermarkets, and restaurants in Hawaii and internationally.
For more information, visit the Office of Advocacy website at http://www.sba.gov/advo.
###
Created by Congress in 1976, the Office of Advocacy of the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) is an independent voice for small business within the federal government. Appointed by the President and confirmed by the U.S. Senate, Chief Counsel for Advocacy Thomas M. Sullivan directs the office. The Chief Counsel advances the views, concerns, and interests of small business before Congress, the White House, federal agencies, federal courts, and state policy makers. Issues are identified through economic research, policy analyses, and small business outreach. The Chief Counsel’s efforts are supported by offices in Washington, D.C., and by Regional Advocates. For more information on the Office of Advocacy, visit http://www.sba.gov/advo, or call (202) 205-65 33.