SBA holds hearing on business concerns

Small businesses owners from Iowa and surrounding states will be given a chance to sound-off about troubles they’ve had with the federal government at a Thursday hearing that’ll be carried to several cities via the Iowa Communications Network. Michael Barrera, national ombudsman with the U.S. Small Business Administration, will be heading up the hearing which will cover things like what people see as unfair fines, audits, inspections or simply too much government regulation. Barrera says “The primary purpose of this hearing is really to hear from the small businesspeople throughout the state, to find out what are some of the issues that are affecting them. In order for small business to be successful, we basically have to get out of their way.” He says regulations are important and they serve a purpose but they also have to be fair and enforced fairly. Barrera says he expects to hear complaints from Iowa small business owners about a variety of federal agencies.He says when he comes to the Midwest, he hears more concerns about the U-S-D-A or the Department of Transportation. Out west, it’s more about the Bureau of Land Management. In the northeast, it might be Fisheries. A few of the constants, he says, are the I-R-S and the Department of Labor, as they touch every single business. Barrera says small business owners who would like to speak at the hearing can, but don’t have to, preregister. The hearing is slated to run Thursday from 8:30 AM to noon. The hearing will originate in Des Moines and will be carried to I-C-N sites in: Sioux City, Council Bluffs, Fort Dodge, Cedar Rapids and Bettendorf. For more information, call your local S-B-A office or 888-REG-FAIR, or surf to “www.sba.gov/ombudsman.”