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REGULATORY RUNDOWN | Jan. 21

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Regulatory Rundown: Jan. 06-20


NOTE: This issue of the Regulatory Rundown covers the final actions under the Biden administration.


SBA announces record-breaking FY24 small-business contract awards. On Jan. 10, the Small Business Administration (SBA) announced that small businesses received over $183 billion in prime contracts from the federal government, accounting for 28.8% of all federal contracting dollars in fiscal year (FY) 2024. More information on the small-business FY24 contract data is available here.


SBA advisory committees release annual reports. On Jan. 8 and Jan. 10, respectively, SBA’s Invention, Innovation, and Entrepreneurship Advisory Committee (IIEAC) and Investment Capital Advisory Committee (ICAC) released their annual reports detailing various recommendations to SBA. The IIEAC report includes 12 recommendations to strengthen U.S. innovation, focusing on the Small Business Innovation Research and Small Business Technology Transfer (SBIR/STTR) programs. The ICAC report identifies various challenges small businesses face when seeking financing.


SBA highlights new MySBA digital platform. On Jan. 17, SBA announced its new single sign-on MySBA platform. Under the new platform, the SBA’s loans, certifications, and learning platforms are now housed under a centralized customer interface.


SBA announces additions to CA SBLC program. On Jan. 16, SBA announced additions to the Community Advantage Small Business Lending Company (CA SBLC) program. The additions include more nonprofit organizations to assist underserved markets.


SBA awards $26M for new WBCs. On Jan. 16, SBA announced it has awarded over $26 million to create 13 new Women’s Business Centers (WBCs) and support 17 existing WBCs nationwide. The investment marks the first SBA-awarded grants to provide specialized services for childcare and support government contracting efforts for women-owned small businesses.


SBA announces availability of federal disaster loans to Southern CA businesses. On Jan. 10, SBA announced that low-interest federal disaster loans are now available to Southern California businesses, homeowners, renters, and private nonprofit organizations (PNPs) due to the wildfires that began on Jan. 7. Loans are available to businesses of all sizes and PNP organizations to repair or replace damaged or destroyed real estate, machinery, equipment, inventory, and other business assets.


Treasury releases recommendations on small-business financing. On Jan. 10, the Treasury Department released recommendations summarizing the Office of Financial Institutions Policy’s September roundtable on small business finance and financial institutions. In addition to providing recommendations, the report covers trends in small-business capital access and the growth of non-bank financial technology providers in the small-business market. The full report is available here.


Nat’l Taxpayer Advocate releases ’24 Annual Report to Congress. On Jan. 8, National Taxpayer Advocate Erin Collins released her 2024 Annual Report to Congress, which found “overall improvement in IRS taxpayer service” while also highlighting “persistent challenges, particularly delays in processing Employee Retention Credit (ERC) claims and resolving Identity Theft Victim Assistance cases.” In the announcement, the IRS also noted the National Taxpayer Advocate’s 2025 Purple Book, which proposes nearly 70 legislative recommendations “intended to strengthen taxpayer rights and improve tax administration.”


DoD publishes names of first cohort of funds approved under SBICCT Initiative. On Jan. 17, the Department of Defense (DoD) published the names of the entire first cohort of Licensed and Green Light Approved funds under the Small Business Investment Company Critical Technologies Initiative (SBICCT Initiative). The first cohort is projected to invest over $4 billion into over 1,700 portfolio companies focused on DoD Critical Technology Areas (CTAs).


FTC finalizes consent order on no-hire agreement. On Jan. 17, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) finalized a consent order requiring building services contractor Guardian Service Industries, Inc. to stop enforcing a no-hire agreement. The final consent order stems from the FTC’s Dec. 2024 complaint alleging that Guardian’s agreements prohibit building owners and competing build service contractors from hiring Guardian employees.

The consent order comes as the FTC and Department of Justice (DOJ), in their jointly-issued antitrust guidelines, included the use of noncompetes as a specific type of agreement or business practice that may violate the antitrust laws.


EDA awards $25M to support Good Jobs Challenge program grantees. On Jan. 14, the Commerce Department announced that its Economic Development Administration (EDA) is awarding $25 million in Good Jobs Challenge program funding to eight grantees to support workforce training programs across the country. The awards expand the program to 35 states and one territory.


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