The Small Business Protection Act is taking effect in Louisiana this week. Secretary of State Kyle Ardoin announced today his office has created the online database of current and proposed rules and regulations.
The site was mandated in a bill passed by the state Legislature last year in an effort to make business owners aware of regulations that could impact them. Businesses can register to be notified when the database is updated.
“Small businesses are the backbone of Louisiana’s economy, and we are always looking for ways to help businesses succeed in Louisiana. The Small Business Protection Act is the latest tool to help in this effort,” Ardoin says in the announcement. “Unfortunately, onerous government rules and regulations have often made it too difficult for small business owners to do what they do best—run their businesses.”
He says Louisiana small businesses are responsible for employing nearly 1 million residents and account for 99.5% of all state businesses.
Dawn Starns, director of the Louisiana NFIB, praised the new system today, saying it will help keep Louisiana businesses informed. On both a federal and state level, it’s difficult for small businesses to keep up with ongoing regulatory changes.
“So many of them are not attuned into what happens on a regulatory basis department by department,” Starns says. “They just don’t have the wherewithal to do that.”
NFIB supported the legislation as it made its way to the governor’s desk last year.
The database is live now at smallbiz.sos.la.gov, but the first documents won’t be posted until Feb. 15.
Documents are expected to include both current and pending regulatory changes, something that will give advocates the chance to step in if a proposed rule could hurt business.
“Regulators sometimes have the best intentions, but they just don’t know what they don’t know,” Starns says, adding the advanced notice helps both sides of the fence insert real-world scenarios into the regulatory process.
