Patrick should think even bigger on aid to small business

October 21, 2009

MATT VISER’S story “Patrick to try to aid small businesses’’ (Metro, Oct. 20) raises an

important question.

If insurance rates for small businesses deserve special attention, why not small business regulations?

The Patrick administration has blocked legislation that would require state agencies to more carefully examine the cost of proposed state regulations on small firms.

The bill would require that agencies estimate the costs of a proposed regulation on small businesses. State law already requires agencies to produce a small-business impact assessment. However, at present that assessment is conducted after the regulation has been adopted.

The bill would merely require the analysis to be conducted at the beginning of the regulatory process, giving small businesses a chance to suggest less costly approaches to proposed regulation.

If the governor wants to use “all the power that we have to alleviate the cost pressures that the small business community has been feeling,’’ he will give his full support to this modest amendment, already adopted by Connecticut, Maine, and Rhode Island.

If it’s good enough for insurance companies, it should be good enough for state government.

Steve Adams

The writer is former New England regional advocate with the US Small Business Administration’s Office of Advocacy.