Panel backs greater role for small business watchdog office

The Senate Small Business Committee passed a measure last week designed to increase the independence of the Office of Advocacy in the Small Business Administration.

The bill (S. 395) was sponsored by Committee Chairman Christopher "Kit" Bond, R-Mo., and passed on a voice vote Wednesday. An identical piece of legislation passed the Senate by unanimous consent on Nov. 5, 1999, but failed to pass the House before the end of the 106th Congress.

"In 1976, Congress established the Office of Advocacy in the SBA to be the eyes, ears and voice for small business within the Federal government," Bond said during the floor debate in 1999. "Over time, it has been assumed that the Office of Advocacy is the 'independent' voice for small business. While I strongly believe that the Office of Advocacy and the chief counsel should be independent and free to advocate or support positions that might be contrary to the Administration's policies, I have come to find that the office is not as independent as necessary to do the job for small business."

According to Bond, the reform bill would give the Office of Advocacy more control over its budget and staffing practices, and build a "firewall" to keep political interference out of its operations.