Bill Overview
Title: Hearing Small Businesses Act of 2022
Description: 22 This bill requires the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the Internal Revenue Service to seek and consider the advice of small entities about a proposed or interim final rule before publishing the rule if the rule will have a significant economic impact on a substantial number of small entities.
Sponsors: Sen. Rubio, Marco [R-FL]
Target Audience
Population: Small business owners and operators
Estimated Size: 33000000
- The bill is designed to require U.S. federal agencies, specifically the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the IRS, to consult with small entities before implementing rules that could impact them economically.
- Small businesses in the United States make up a significant portion of the economy, with the Small Business Administration reporting over 33 million small businesses.
- Not all of these businesses will be directly impacted by regulations from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the IRS, but a substantial number could be, especially those in industries affected by wildlife regulations or specific IRS codes.
- Globally, businesses outside the U.S. will not be directly affected by this bill, as it pertains to U.S. federal agencies' rules.
Reasoning
- Since the policy targets a diverse group of small businesses potentially affected by specific rulings from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the IRS, we must include a variety of small businesses across industries and regions.
- Small businesses are crucial to the local economies, especially in rural and semi-urban areas, so the potential impact of federal regulations needs thorough understanding.
- We will consider small businesses from industries such as retail, agriculture, hospitality, and services to represent the population affected by this policy.
- The project's budget must focus on covering as many businesses as possible initially with available funds ($15,000,000 in year 1), considering the ongoing educational and resource needs involved in continuous engagement over 10 years ($150,000,000).
Simulated Interviews
Owner of an organic farming business (Portland, Oregon)
Age: 45 | Gender: female
Wellbeing Before Policy: 6
Duration of Impact: 10.0 years
Commonness: 12/20
Statement of Opinion:
- I think having a say in new rules, especially from agencies that overlook our agricultural practices, would be beneficial.
- Being consulted might help us tailor regulations to our actual operational needs.
Wellbeing Over Time (With vs Without Policy)
| Year | With Policy | Without Policy |
|---|---|---|
| Year 1 | 7 | 6 |
| Year 2 | 7 | 6 |
| Year 3 | 7 | 6 |
| Year 5 | 8 | 5 |
| Year 10 | 8 | 5 |
| Year 20 | 6 | 4 |
Owner of a construction company (Austin, Texas)
Age: 52 | Gender: male
Wellbeing Before Policy: 5
Duration of Impact: 10.0 years
Commonness: 8/20
Statement of Opinion:
- My main concern is IRS regulations that could complicate tax processes further without our input.
- If these agencies actually start considering feedback before issuing rules, it could save us a lot of bureaucracy.
Wellbeing Over Time (With vs Without Policy)
| Year | With Policy | Without Policy |
|---|---|---|
| Year 1 | 6 | 5 |
| Year 2 | 7 | 5 |
| Year 3 | 7 | 4 |
| Year 5 | 7 | 4 |
| Year 10 | 8 | 4 |
| Year 20 | 6 | 3 |
Manager of a small hotel (Miami, Florida)
Age: 34 | Gender: female
Wellbeing Before Policy: 7
Duration of Impact: 5.0 years
Commonness: 10/20
Statement of Opinion:
- I'm skeptical about whether we'll actually see changes. Rules from these bodies don't usually consider our region-specific diversities.
- But, if it happens, I see nothing but positive outcomes.
Wellbeing Over Time (With vs Without Policy)
| Year | With Policy | Without Policy |
|---|---|---|
| Year 1 | 7 | 7 |
| Year 2 | 7 | 7 |
| Year 3 | 8 | 7 |
| Year 5 | 8 | 7 |
| Year 10 | 6 | 5 |
| Year 20 | 5 | 4 |
Owner of a wildlife tour company (Billings, Montana)
Age: 29 | Gender: male
Wellbeing Before Policy: 8
Duration of Impact: 10.0 years
Commonness: 5/20
Statement of Opinion:
- Being in direct contact with the Fish and Wildlife Service is instrumental for our business.
- Direct advice to them could prevent unnecessary guidelines that might hurt our tourism.
Wellbeing Over Time (With vs Without Policy)
| Year | With Policy | Without Policy |
|---|---|---|
| Year 1 | 8 | 8 |
| Year 2 | 8 | 8 |
| Year 3 | 9 | 8 |
| Year 5 | 9 | 8 |
| Year 10 | 8 | 7 |
| Year 20 | 7 | 5 |
Owner of a small manufacturing firm (Cleveland, Ohio)
Age: 57 | Gender: male
Wellbeing Before Policy: 5
Duration of Impact: 10.0 years
Commonness: 7/20
Statement of Opinion:
- The IRS's rules are constantly a cause of paperwork and difficulties in our sector.
- Advice from small businesses could streamline inefficient processes.
Wellbeing Over Time (With vs Without Policy)
| Year | With Policy | Without Policy |
|---|---|---|
| Year 1 | 6 | 5 |
| Year 2 | 7 | 5 |
| Year 3 | 7 | 5 |
| Year 5 | 8 | 4 |
| Year 10 | 7 | 4 |
| Year 20 | 6 | 3 |
Restaurant owner (Birmingham, Alabama)
Age: 40 | Gender: female
Wellbeing Before Policy: 7
Duration of Impact: 10.0 years
Commonness: 15/20
Statement of Opinion:
- I believe the policy will include voices from small kitchens like ours before generalizing rules.
- It could definitely help restaurants like ours get a fair say in food safety regulations.
Wellbeing Over Time (With vs Without Policy)
| Year | With Policy | Without Policy |
|---|---|---|
| Year 1 | 8 | 7 |
| Year 2 | 8 | 7 |
| Year 3 | 9 | 8 |
| Year 5 | 9 | 7 |
| Year 10 | 8 | 6 |
| Year 20 | 7 | 5 |
Owner of a digital marketing startup (Brooklyn, New York)
Age: 31 | Gender: other
Wellbeing Before Policy: 6
Duration of Impact: 5.0 years
Commonness: 16/20
Statement of Opinion:
- The influence of policies by these agencies is less on us, but tax rules from the IRS matter a lot.
- I hope participating in advisory roles actually leads to less arbitrary regulation.
Wellbeing Over Time (With vs Without Policy)
| Year | With Policy | Without Policy |
|---|---|---|
| Year 1 | 6 | 6 |
| Year 2 | 6 | 6 |
| Year 3 | 7 | 6 |
| Year 5 | 7 | 6 |
| Year 10 | 6 | 5 |
| Year 20 | 5 | 4 |
Owner of a family grocery business (Salt Lake City, Utah)
Age: 39 | Gender: female
Wellbeing Before Policy: 7
Duration of Impact: 10.0 years
Commonness: 14/20
Statement of Opinion:
- The policy seems promising if the scopes of advice result in regulations that understand retail environments like ours.
- This could improve our relationship with regulators.
Wellbeing Over Time (With vs Without Policy)
| Year | With Policy | Without Policy |
|---|---|---|
| Year 1 | 8 | 7 |
| Year 2 | 8 | 7 |
| Year 3 | 8 | 7 |
| Year 5 | 9 | 7 |
| Year 10 | 8 | 6 |
| Year 20 | 6 | 4 |
Owner of a craft brewery (Des Moines, Iowa)
Age: 26 | Gender: male
Wellbeing Before Policy: 6
Duration of Impact: 10.0 years
Commonness: 9/20
Statement of Opinion:
- Being new in the industry, any regulatory insight beforehand would mean benefit in planning our operations.
- We hope for flexibility by influencing both IRS policies and any wildlife considerations in our state.
Wellbeing Over Time (With vs Without Policy)
| Year | With Policy | Without Policy |
|---|---|---|
| Year 1 | 7 | 6 |
| Year 2 | 7 | 6 |
| Year 3 | 7 | 5 |
| Year 5 | 8 | 5 |
| Year 10 | 7 | 5 |
| Year 20 | 6 | 3 |
Co-owner of an eco-friendly cleaning service (Phoenix, Arizona)
Age: 48 | Gender: female
Wellbeing Before Policy: 5
Duration of Impact: 20.0 years
Commonness: 6/20
Statement of Opinion:
- Concerns about regulations impacting our service offering in both residential and commercial sectors are ever-present.
- Direct input might actually allow us to prevent unfriendly policies that otherwise might penalize eco-friendly initiatives unintentionally.
Wellbeing Over Time (With vs Without Policy)
| Year | With Policy | Without Policy |
|---|---|---|
| Year 1 | 6 | 5 |
| Year 2 | 6 | 5 |
| Year 3 | 7 | 4 |
| Year 5 | 7 | 4 |
| Year 10 | 8 | 3 |
| Year 20 | 8 | 3 |
Cost Estimates
Year 1: $15000000 (Low: $10000000, High: $20000000)
Year 2: $15000000 (Low: $10000000, High: $20000000)
Year 3: $15000000 (Low: $10000000, High: $20000000)
Year 5: $15000000 (Low: $10000000, High: $20000000)
Year 10: $15000000 (Low: $10000000, High: $20000000)
Year 100: $15000000 (Low: $10000000, High: $20000000)
Key Considerations
- The success of the bill hinges on effective agency engagement with small businesses and the quality of input received in the rulemaking process.
- The breadth of impact will vary greatly depending on the frequency and scope of rules affecting small entities.
- Potential attempts to streamline agency processes could mitigate associated costs.