SBA's National Ombudsman works for small businesses to assist them with excessive federal regulatory issues.
We help small businesses when they experience excessive or unfair federal regulatory enforcement actions.
Congress established the Office of the National Ombudsman in 1996 to assist small businesses, small government entities, and small nonprofits when they are subject to excessive enforcement by a federal agency. Excessive enforcement may include repetitive audits or investigations, excessive fines, penalties, threats, retaliation or other unfair enforcement action.
As an impartial liaison, we refer comments submitted by a small business to the appropriate agency for high-level fairness review, and we work across the federal government to address those concerns to help small businesses succeed.
On an annual basis, we rate federal agencies using feedback received from the agency questionnaire and criteria such as timeliness and quality of responses.
You can file a comment if you’re a small business (or you represent one), a non-profit organization, or a small government entity (population 50,000 or less) and your issue involves a federal agency and federal regulation. There is no charge to file a comment.
Once we have received your comment and supporting documentation, we will try to get a response from the federal agency within 30 business days. Complex comments may take longer.
If you prefer to email or mail in your comment, download the PDF and submit it to:
Mail: U.S. Small Business Administration
Office of the National Ombudsman
409 Third St., SW
Mail code: 2120
Washington, DC 20416
Be sure to describe your issue in detail, state the outcome you’re seeking, and include any supporting documentation, if available.
The Small Business Regulatory Enforcement Fairness Act of 1996 (SBREFA) ensures that small businesses will be heard by federal agencies as they go through the regulatory compliance and enforcement process. The Office of the National Ombudsman submits annual reports to Congress, rating federal agencies on:
SBA's Administrator is required to appoint 10 small business Regional Regulatory Fairness Boards. The boards are comprised of five volunteer small business owners.
The Regulatory Fairness Boards advise the Ombudsman on matters of federal regulatory concern to small businesses. The Ombudsman coordinates activities of the Regulatory Fairness Boards that help connect small businesses with resources available through the National Ombudsman’s Office.
To apply to become a Regional Regulatory Fairness Board member, email the Office of the National Ombudsman at ombudsman@sba.gov for an application.
(Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont)
Nicole Carrier
Throwback Brewery
Heather Cuzzi
Cairn Event Consulting
Melissa Florio
Ambix Manufacturing
Dr. Deborah A. Osgood, PhD
Knowledge Institute
Craig Pickell
Bullard Abrasives, Inc.
(New Jersey, New York, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands)
Lisa Coppola
The Coppola Firm
Janna Patricia Rodriguez
The Innovative Daycare
Dr. Kia Grundy
Kia Calhoun Grundy Consulting, LLC
(Delaware, Maryland, Pennsylvania, Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia)
Marilyn D. Landis
Basic Business Concepts, Inc.
Cynthia Towers
JURISolutions
Ronald Eagle
HQ Aero Management, Inc.
Everett Browning Sr.
COMBO Solutions, LLC
Kimberly Daniels
Mercantile Logistics & International Trade, Inc.
(Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Tennessee)
Ken Taunton
The Royster Group
Larry Turnley
The Refuse Engineers
Erick Valderrama
CDC Group & Associates, Inc.
Riaz Merchant
Mertech Data Systems
Andre Booker
Ridge Pest Control, LLC
(Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Ohio, and Wisconsin)
Clifford Bailey
TechSoft System
Cathy Koch
K-Tec Systems
Brian Tretter
Seufert Construction & Supply
Siuyuan Katherine Hill
Dakonte Product Group, Inc.
Jacqueline Jackson
Kilwins Chocolates
(Arkansas, Louisiana, New Mexico, Oklahoma, and Texas)
Albert C. "Tre" Black
On-Target Supplies & Logistics, Ltd.
Beverly Thompson
Brooks Thompson Consulting
Mark Wingate
Maxi Volt Corporation
(Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, and Nebraska)
Paul Licausi
LS Commerical Real Estate
Mindy Rocha
CJ Industries, LLC
Claudia Schabel
Shabel Solutions
Tameka Stigers
Locs of Glory Salon Spa
(Colorado, Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota, Utah, and Wyoming)
Matt Greene
MAVericks Aligned
Ashley Korenblat
Western Spirit Cycling
Reanna Werner
HR Branches
Todd Baldwin
Red Leg Brewing Company
(Arizona, California, Hawaii, Nevada, and the territories of Guam and American Samoa)
Jacky Dilfer
Business Finance Capital
Amy Nguyen
Aviva Pharmacy
(Alaska, Idaho, Oregon, and Washington)
Haydee Alejandra Alarcon
My Little Universe
Colleen Echohawk
Eighth Generation
Marshall Doyle
Beck Investment Group
Douglas Hackler Sr.
American Semiconductor
Ombudsman speakers can help small businesses understand how to deal with excessive or unfair regulation. Small business groups, chambers of commerce, schools, colleges, trade associations, local governments, and similar groups can request that staff from SBA’s National Ombudsman speak at an event.
Email ombudsman-events@sba.gov with your event details, including:
Be sure to include your contact information and any other relevant details about the event.
If a small business requests Ombudsman assistance about SBA regulatory enforcement actions, the agency will not retaliate. SBA will investigate all allegations of retaliation or threats and will refer all allegations to the Inspector General and/or appropriate Management Board Member. Any retaliatory action taken by an SBA employee against a small business will be dealt with according to SBA policy.
The Small Business Paperwork Relief Act of 2002 (SBPRA) requires each federal agency to establish a point of contact to act as a liaison between the agency and small business concerns.
U.S. Small Business Administration
Office of the National Ombudsman
409 Third St., SW
Washington, DC 20416