New Help for Small Business Owners?

Earlier this week we received a press release from Council Speaker Christine Quinn, announcing a set of new initiatives to help make it easier for small businesses to comply with city rules and regulations.

These 14 measures are the result of the work of a Council Regulatory Review Panel in cooperation with Mayor Bloomberg.

The Panel's recommendations include:

• Establishing a Business Owner's Bill of Rights to help small business owners understand and exercise their rights with regard to inspections;



• Helping businesses avoid automatic fines if they quickly cure a low-risk violation;



• Making it possible for small business owners to settle or contest violations over the Internet or by telephone, saving them time and money;
and


• Changing the City's rule-making process so that rules are examined before enactment to help make sure they don't unduly burden small businesses.

The Council believes that the 14 measures will move the city away from enforcement-driven inspections to a more education and customer-service focused regulatory system for small businesses.

The full report is available here (.pdf).

Take a look and let us know what you think!