According to a recent report by the Center for Effective Government (foreffectivegov.org), when small businesses made their case in the 1990s that federal rulemaking processes should pay attention to the special needs of small businesses, policymakers listened.

Now, by law, ever since the late 1990s, three federal agencies – the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), and the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB), are required to convene a small business review panel any time that they plan to issue a rule that could have a significant economic impact on small businesses.

The review panels include officials from the rulemaking agency itself, from the White House Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs, and from the Small Business Administration's Office of Advocacy. These agencies are expected to consult with a group of small business representatives.