Regulatory Flexibility Act - Glossary

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Regulatory Flexibility Act

Complaints from small business that they were drowning in federal forms and going broke because of federal regulations led to the passage of the Regulatory Flexibility Act in 1980 (5 U.S.C. § 610). Agencies proposing rules that would have a "significant" economic impact on small business, small not-for-profit organizations, or small governmental entities must prepare a Regulatory Flexibility Analysis (RFA) and analyze whether there are simpler, less burdensome ways for such small organizations to comply with federal requirements. Section 610 also requires reviews every ten years of those rules for which agencies were required to prepare initial regulatory flexibility analysis.