Government Information in the 21st Century

1
Government Information in the 21st Century

• Small Business, Demographics, and Consumer
  Information
• Gene Hayworth
• Mesa State College training on August 15th

2
Government Information in the 21st Century
The Government Information in the 21st Century
Program is made possible by a grant from the U.S.
Institute of Museum and Library Services. 
Additional support is provided by
the University of Colorado at Boulder as well
as Arizona State Library, Archives, and Public
Records New Mexico State Library Wyoming State
Library and the University of Utah.
3
Government Information in the 21st Century
Small Business Entrepreneurship
http//webjunction.org/196
The subject modules developed for the grant were
developed by depository librarians within
the five states. Most of the resources in the
Small Business and Entrepreneurship module
were created by Sandy Rizzo, City of Mesa Library
(Arizona), and Sylvia Ortiz, New Mexico
State University
4
Small Business Entrepreneurship

• Business Classifications
• Business Plans
• Financial Assistance
• Customer Demographics
• Business Statistics and Industry Research
• International Business
• Employment
• Procurement
• Regulations Compliance

5
Business Classifications
SIC (Standard Industrial Classification) In
1937 the Central Statistical Board established an
Interdepartmental Committee on Industrial
Classification to develop a plan of
classification of various types of statistical
data by industries and to promote the general
adoption of such classification as the standard
for the Federal Government. In June 1938 a list
of industries was accepted by the Interagency
Committee. It was last updated in 1987.
6
Business Classifications
NAICS is used by business and government to
classify and measure economic activity in Canada,
Mexico and the United States. Work began on
NAICS in the U.S. in 1992, when the Office of
Management and Budget (OMB) formed the Economic
Classification Policy Committee (ECPC), staffed
by the Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA), the
Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), and the Census
Bureau. The first version is NAICS 1997. The last
revision was completed in 2007.
NAICS (North American Industry Classification)
Each number identifies a line of business.
Businesses may have multiple numbers that apply.
7
Business Classifications
The Census Bureau has an online index to NAICS.
You can search all the versions (1997, 2002,
2007) and also look at tables comparing SIC and
NAICS codes for earlier data.
Visit www.census.gov. Look in the center of the
page under the heading Business Industry for
NAICS. Once clicked, look in the upper left part
of page. This is NAICS keyword search. Enter
word or words of the industry number being
searched.
Exercise Find the NAICS code for your assigned
product or service
8
Business Plans

• SBA (US Small Business Administration)
• Key government agency supporting and developing
  small business Provides planners, tools, local
  resources, and more. Their goal to support
  businesses at every stage of development, from
  start-up to expansion, as well as at critical
  junctures (disaster assistance).
• Detailed, step-by-step plans
• Online Workshops
• Business Plan FAQs
• Business Plan Samples
• Much more!
• http//www.sba.gov/smallbusinessplanner/plan/write
  abusinessplan/index.html
• Exercise
• Find a sample business plan for your assigned
  product or service. Identify one aspect of the
  plan that you had not considered and share it
  with the class.

9
Financial Assistance
At the SBA homepage http//www.sba.gov/index.html
click on the Services link. From there, click
on the Financial Assistance link. This will take
you to the very helpful resources available at
the SBA. From the right-hand column called
Financial Assistance, click on the Basics link.
10
Financial Assistance
The column called Financing Basics is an
introduction to the key terms and concepts
necessary to understanding why businesses often
fail. After youve read this column, refer to the
index of links on the right of the screen.
11
Financial Assistance
The next step will be to estimate your business
costs. Click on the link Estimating Costs. This
section provides an introduction to estimating
costs, but very importantly, also links you to
the Startup Cost Estimator Calculator. Proceed
to the calculator and calculate the startup costs
for your business.
12
Financial Assistance
Return to the SBA web site by clicking on your
back arrow and select Personal vs. Business from
the index on the right. We will now learn about
credit scores and link to the three sources that
provide credit scores.
13
Financial Assistance
The next two links, Capital for Growth and Equity
Financing, will introduce you to the basics of
financial management. Read through the columns
carefully.
14
Financial Assistance
The last link, Financial Statements, is
critically important in understanding the world
of finance. Clicking on this link will take you
to a column explaining Balance Sheets and Income
Statements. Review both columns make sure you
have a solid understanding of the concepts. Now
click on the tab called Tools at the top of your
screen. This tab will take you to the link for
Forms where you can begin to investigate the
necessary forms required for obtaining financial
assistance.
15
Financial Assistance

• Be sure to check out the Colorado state SBA
  offices for further information as each state
  will offer specific incentives
• Colorado http//www.sba.gov/localresources/distri
  ct/co/index.html
• While the SBA does not offer grants to potential
  new business owners, their web site does lead you
  to various organization and foundation web sites
  that might prove useful to those entrepreneurs
  who are looking for grants information.
• http//www.sba.gov/services/financialassistance/g
  rants/index.html

16
Business Statistics
Identify your Customers The Census Bureau The
Census is a great way to help small
businesspeople mine for information they need
for business plans and marketing.
Use the Census to research number of persons with
various characteristics Population Census
Age, Income, Housing, Race Use Population Finder
to enter County and State, and click Fact
Sheet. You can click map to see data! Scroll down
to see many more characteristics. Exercise Ident
ify features of the population that would
indicate the potential success of your business.
What part of the population might be the best
target for your product or service?
www.census.gov
17
Business Statistics
Overview of the Economic Census
Just as the ten-year population census measures
the nation's "people count," the Economic Census
attempts to measure the businesses of our nation.
This census is conducted every 5 years on the
years ending in 2 and 7, and while it takes
several years for collected data to be tabulated
and released, the census is a good and fairly
recent indicator of economic activity in the
United States. Further, the Census Bureau handles
additional surveys on specific industry segments.
All of this material beginning with the 1997
Economic Census can be found online at
http//www.census.gov/ . Select the "Business
Industry" heading, or select American FactFinder
in left menu to access data. The Economic Census
never mentions businesses by name, however, and
is merely for counts in industries, revealing
number of establishments, revenue, payroll, and
employee size. It's a great tool for a new
businessperson to use to determine what their
piece of the pie might be. Surveys of note
include the Survey of Manufacturers, County
Business Patterns, Retail Trade, and Services.
18
Business Statistics
Identify the Competition
The Census webpage is always a great place to go
for statistics and demographic information in the
area of business. Their Survey of Business
Owners, http//www.census.gov/csd/sbo/, is one
example of the detail a researcher can find on
the Census website. The front Business
Industry page of the site, at http//www.census.go
v/econ/www/index.html, features a wealth of areas
and products where you can find out about
business. Interesting to note The Census now
measures e-stats that is, measurements of the
electronic economy, or units sold in electronic
commerce. Find a link for these statistics on the
Census front page in the Business Industry
heading section.
19
Business Statistics
Economic Census versus County Business Patterns
Economic Census started in 1810, with complete
business coverage since 1954. Now conducted every
five years. County Business Patterns started in
1946, conducted every year.
Economic Census available in two
formats American Factfinder http//factfinder.ce
nsus.gov/servlet/DatasetMainPageServlet?_langen_
programECN_ds_nameE0200A1 (1997, 2002) Census
drill-down tables http//www.census.gov/econ/cens
us02/ (1992, 1997, 2002) Exercise Use Economic
Census to answer questions about how many
competitors there are for your potential business
your geographic area
20
Business Statistics
County Business Patterns
County Business Patterns (CBP) produced by the
U.S. Census Bureau "is an annual series that
provides sub-national economic data by industry."
Their web site goes on to report that the "series
is useful for studying the economic activity of
small areas analyzing economic changes over
time and as a benchmark for statistical series,
surveys, and databases between economic
censuses." The series provides data on the total
number of establishments, mid-March employment,
first quarter and annual payroll, and number of
establishments by nine employment-size classes by
detailed industry for all counties in the United
States and the District of Columbia. Available
in two formats American Factfinder
http//factfinder.census.gov/servlet/DatasetMainPa
geServlet?_programEAS_tabIdEAS2_submenuIddata
sets_5_langen_ts170929518769 (2004 and
2005) Drop-down boxes http//censtats.census.gov
/cbpnaic/cbpnaic.shtml (this has data back to
1998)
21
Business Statistics
County Business Patterns
The CBP allows the entrepreneur to analyze local
business establishments. Think of the CBP as a
business establishment counterpart to the
population census analysis of families and
individuals. Establishments are not necessarily
stand-alone companies, but more often outlets
for franchises. No names of franchises, however,
appear in the tables. In addition to the
Economic Census taken every 5 years, the CBP is
the only U.S. Census Bureau work to cover the
entire spectrum of economic activities listed in
the NAICS Code and is provided annually. CBP data
are extracted from the Business Register, the
Census Bureau's file of all known single and
multiestablishment companies. The Annual
Company Organization Survey and quinquennial
Economic Censuses provide individual
establishment data for multi-location firms. Data
for single-location firms are obtained from
various programs conducted by the Census Bureau,
such as the Economic Censuses, the Annual Survey
of Manufactures, and Current Business Surveys, as
well as from administrative records of the
Internal Revenue Service (IRS), the Social
Security Administration (SSA), and the Bureau of
Labor Statistics (BLS).
22
Business Statistics
County Business Patterns
The FAQ for County Business Patterns provides
answers to most commonly asked questions on the
type of data found in the reports. This is an
excellent place to learn about the usefulness of
this database. It is easy to access data from
the CBP database. In a later exercise we will go
through the process. Data is reported in two
separate tables for establishments. One table
covers establishment payroll by NAICS code. It
lists total dollar payrolls for the year and for
the first quarter of the year by the NAICS code
number. The second table covers employee size
by NAICS code in 11 employment-size classes
(annual totals, first quarter totals, and ranges
from 1-4 employees to 1000 or more
employees).
23
Business Statistics
County Business Patterns
Using a minimum of three years statistics to
study change in number of total establishments,
change in total number of employees, and change
in payroll totals for the proposed start-up to
create both an operating profile and to watch the
competition allows the entrepreneur to plot
future business expansion and contraction as well
as showing your banker you've done your homework.
Although the CBP series began in 1946, only the
last 15 years currently appear on-line. Consult
the nearest GPO depository library for paper
copies of these earlier years. GPO depository
libraries may also lend their CD-ROM versions to
library patrons, making its purchase unnecessary.
24
Business Statistics
County Business Patterns
Exercise Go to the CBP site at
http//www.census.gov/epcd/cbp/view/cbpview.html
Choose the link reading View in Hypertext Tables
(html) - U.S., States, Metro Areas, Counties, and
ZIPs Choose the desired geography. County
appears as a second choice after choosing state
in the first go box. A verification screen
appears for the geography. Make a choice and
click Submit. Each row of data allows two
choices for detailed data(a) A comparison for
all counties at the 2-digit level with the same
data. Click the Compare button.(b) A table for
one county for highly detailed NAICS codes
(6-digits) with the same data. Click the Detail
button.
25
Business Statistics
Small Business Economy A Report to the
President
This annual report reveals data about the state
of small business in the nation. Fact from the
2006 report Of the nearly 26 million firms in
the US in 2005, 97.5 of firms had fewer than 20
employees they have generated 60-80 of the net
new jobs over the past decade. http//www.sba.go
v/advo/research/sb_econ2007.pdf
26
Business Statistics
SBA's Office of Advocacy Research and Statistics,
Office of Economic Research
This is a one-stop shop for business statistics
and an excellent jumping-off point to information
about business performance and reports about the
state of business. http//www.sba.gov/advo/resea
rch/
27
Business Statistics

• FedStats

FedStats provides access to the full range of
official statistical information produced by the
Federal Government without having to know in
advance which Federal agency produces which
particular statistic. With convenient searching
and linking capabilities to more than 100
agencies, FedStats links to the full breadth of
Federal statistical information. You can go
through the topic links A-Z to find small
business, and this will include economic
indicators, establishments employees, state
profiles, and the full text of The Small Business
Economy. http//www.fedstats.gov/
28
International Business

• The Federal Government features several useful
  tools that can assist when seeking country and
  market information useful in expansion and
  business development.
• Export.gov Guide
• US Dept. of State
• STAT-USA
• The International Trade Administration
• International Business Additional Resources
• US Commercial Service Market Research Library
• Office of the US Trade Representative
• International Commodity Codes

29
International Business
Export.gov
Export.gov brings together resources from across
the U.S. Government to assist American businesses
in planning their international sales strategies
and succeed in todays global marketplace.
Resources include market research and trade
leads from the U.S. Department of Commerces
Commercial Service, export finance information
from Export-Import Bank and the Small Business
Administration, and agricultural export
assistance from USDA.
30
International Business
US Department of State http//www.state.gov/ ha
s the mission to "create a more secure,
democratic, and prosperous world for the benefit
of the American people and the international
community." They do this by helping Americans
conduct travel and business outside of the
country (in fact, they handle passports - the
major contact Americans have with this
department). Their Bureau of Economic and
Business Affairs has overall responsibility for
formulating and implementing policy regarding
international development and reconstruction,
trade, investment, intellectual property
enforcement, international energy issues,
terrorism financing and economic sanctions,
international communications and information
policy, and aviation and maritime affairs.
Business is spotlighted on the Travel and
Business page at http//www.state.gov/travelandbus
iness/ This page covers conduct of business
internationally and includes FAQs, Trade Policy
and Programs, Country Commercial Guides, and
information on visas, passports, and emergency
information for travelers including travel
warnings.
31
International Business
STAT-USA STAT-USA/Internet is a source for
economic statistics, international market
research, and trade leads from across the Federal
government, and it's designed to enable
businesses, particularly exporters, to perform
comprehensive market research and make informed
business decisions. It brings together
information from hundreds of separate offices and
divisions throughout the Federal Government and
provides it to the public via three websites
STAT-USA/Internet (domestic and international
business and trade opportunity information),
USA Trade Online (US merchandise trade
statistics resulting from foreign trade), and
EuroTrade Online (intra-and extra-EU trade
stats).
32
International Business
STAT-USA STAT-USA itself is comprised of State
of the Nation and GLOBUS/NTDB (National Trade
Data Bank). The database is rich with
information for someone who'd like to do business
with -other countries. http//www.stat-usa.gov/
NOTE The product conforms with a Congress
directive to recover operations costs by charging
users for access - however, Depository Libraries
have free access to this database. Find a
Depository Library by visiting
http//www.gpoaccess.gov/libraries.html
33
International Business
The International Trade Administration
http//trade.gov/index.asp A division of the US
Department of Commerce with a mission to "create
prosperity by strengthening the competitiveness
of U.S. industry, promoting trade and investment,
and ensuring fair trade and compliance with trade
laws and agreements." This agency and the next
office listed both handle disputes and problems
with trade and try to smooth the way for business
abroad.
34
International Business
International Business Additional Resources
US Commercial Service Market Research Library
http//www.buyusainfo.net/adsearch.cfm?search_ty
peintloadnavno
Users must be a US company or student/researcher,
and must register with Export.go
35
International Business
Office of the US Trade Representative
It may be helpful to know about other treaties
and trade agreements. The Office of the US Trade
Representative provides information on Global,
Regional, and Bilateral Trade agreements.
http//www.ustr.gov/Trade_Agreements/Section_Index
.html
36
International Business
International Commodity Codes
Similar to the way the NAICS/SIC codes classify
lines of the business in the US, the Harmonized
Tariff Schedule and Schedule B classify
commodities on the international market. When
dealing with a product internationally, the item
is categorized by the appropriate code.
Harmonized Tariff Schedule (HTS)
http//www.usitc.gov/tata/hts/index.htm is for
imports, administered by the International Trade
Commission. Schedule B - http//www.census.gov/f
oreign-trade/schedules/b/ is for exports,
administered by the Census Bureau.
37
Employment

• Employer ID Numbers (EIN)
• Wages and Wage Data
• Work Hours/Leave Benefits
• FMLA Compliance Assistance
• Job Posting/Searching Vocational Guidance
• CareerOneStop
• Occupational Outlook Handbook
• Career Guide to Industries
• Licenses/Boards
• Employment by Location

38
Employment
Employer ID Numbers (EIN)
An Employer Identification Number (EIN) is also
known as a Federal Tax Identification Number, and
is used to identify a business entity. Generally,
businesses need an EIN, and this is managed by
the IRS. http//www.irs.gov/businesses/small/arti
cle/0,,id98350,00.html
39
Employment
Wages and Wage Data
The Bureau of Labor Statistics offers much wage
data at http//www.bls.gov/bls/wages.htm. You
can learn about wages by occupation, industry,
employee benefits, and employment cost trends.
Wage information for the nation, regions, states,
and metropolitan areas is especially helpful.
Exercise Can you determine the wage you would
need to pay an employee in your business? What is
the median hourly rate for Colorado?
40
Employment
Work Hours/Leave Benefits
Employers must conform to various laws regarding
hours and leave. One well-known law is the Family
Medical Leave Act (FMLA), which provides
protection from job loss due to certain events
(care for a family member, serious medical
condition, birth of child or arrival of adopted
child) for a specified period of time. The
application of this law can tend to be confusing,
and the US Department of Labor has done a good
job of putting together explanatory pages for
this law and other employer-related areas.
41
Employment
FMLA Compliance Assistance

• http//www.dol.gov/esa/whd/fmla/
• Overview
• Covered employers must grant an eligible employee
  up to a total of 12 work weeks of unpaid leave
  during any 12-month period for one or more of the
  following reasons
• for the birth and care of the newborn child of
  the employee
• for placement with the employee of a son or
  daughter for adoption or foster care
• to care for an immediate family member (spouse,
  child, or parent) with a serious health
  condition or
• to take medical leave when the employee is unable
  to work because of a serious health condition.

42
Employment
Job Posting/Searching Vocational Guidance
America's Job Bank
Maintained by US Department of Labor, updated
daily. Listings from federal and state employment
services. Select job title and pinpoint location
within range from zipcode.
http//www.ajb.org/
43
Employment
Job Posting/Searching Vocational Guidance
CareerOneStop
Job resource site links together state employment
offices from all over the United States. In
addition to job banks, the site offers many other
tools to help job seekers, students, businesses,
and career professionals.  Users can explore
careers, training, resume preparation, salary and
benefits information, and link to local services.
Sponsored by the US Department of Labor.
http//www.careeronestop.org/COS_Aboutus.aspx
44
Employment
Job Posting/Searching Vocational Guidance
Occupational Outlook Handbook
From US Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS).
Describes job duties, working conditions,
required training, education, earnings, expected
job prospects in wide range of occupations.
Searchable by occupation or through A-Z index.
http//www.bls.gov/oco/ Partnered with
Occupation Outlook Quarterly (http//www.bls.gov/o
pub/ooq/ooqhome.htm), a periodical with more
in-depth treatment of recent trends in
occupations. Online archives for OOQ date back to
1999. Career articles from this source are
excellent sources of up-to-date career
information.
45
Employment
Job Posting/Searching Vocational Guidance
Career Guide to Industries
Also from the BLS. This publication explains the
nature of various industries and details the
occupational aspects of these industries. http//
www.bls.gov/oco/cg/home.htm
46
Employment
Licenses/Boards
This is done at the state level. License and
permit sites for each state include Arizona
http//az.gov/webapp/portal/topic.jsp?id1161,
http//az.gov/webapp/portal/subtopic.jsp?id1168n
ameBusiness Colorado http//www.colorado.gov/cs
/Satellite/CO-Portal/CXP/1165693060265 New
Mexico http//www.rld.state.nm.us/index.html Uta
h http//www.dopl.utah.gov/ Wyoming
http//plboards.state.wy.us/
47
Employment
Employment by Location
The Census also has a new tool called Local
Employment Dynamics (LED) that exists as a
partnership between the Census Bureau and many
state labor market information agencies. LED
supplies statistics on employment, job creation,
turnover, and earnings by industry, age and sex.
It is an excellent tool that shows where people
live and where they work, and this information is
helpful for city and transportation planners,
businesses, policy-makers, and others. In the
5-state region of this grant, Colorado is an "On
the Map" partner. The other 4 states (Utah,
Arizona, New Mexico, and Wyoming) are partner
states, but they're not involved to the level of
having data available yet. Data tools in LED
are located at http//lehd.dsd.census.gov/led/data
tools/datatools.html
48
Procurement
Overview of Government Procurement
Like any customer, the government needs items for
government agencies, offices, and the military to
use in conducting their business. Since the
government can't produce all of the products it
needs, it must contract with businesses,
including service and manufacturing companies, to
supply needed items and services. This is called
government procurement. Businesses like to do
business with the government (in other words,
"win" government contracts), because the
government is a reliable and often repeat
customer. The government awards contracts through
the process of posting solicitations and
accepting bids.
49
Procurement
Overview of Government Procurement
Businesses can learn about government contracts
up for bid which are over 25,000
through FedBizOpps, a government procurement and
contracting website https//www.fbo.gov/
There's also a site that has made the
information of FedBizOpps easier to find and use
- FBODaily.com. FBODaily.com lists and archives
sources, solicitations, modifications, documents,
awards, and special notices. (Note FBO Daily
isn't a federal website, but organizes and makes
the federal information easier to search.)
50
Procurement
Overview of Government Procurement
Opportunities less than 25,000 are done through
micro-purchases and simplified acquisitions. In
these cases, it's best for businesses to let
government agencies know they have a product or
service which might be of interest. This is
because the agencies are authorized to make these
buying decisions either with a government credit
card or purchase order, or through a more
informal and direct bidding process. Much
information about bids and contracts is also
available on many individual agency sites.
51
Procurement
Overview of Government Procurement
If a business wants to contract with state or
local municipal government agency, they should
examine that agency's website for information
about contracting or purchasing done through the
agency.
Business that want to contract with the
government are required to register at
CCR/PRO-Net (CCR stands for Central Contractor
Registration). Information about this process and
links to needed websites is available at
http//www.sba.gov/services/contractingopportuniti
es/register/index.html
52
Procurement
Overview of Government Procurement
In government contracting, preference is mandated
and often given to small business and
women/minority-owned businesses (this is what is
known as set-aside). In some situations, these
businesses may need to be certified. The Federal
Government features the 8(a) Small Business
Certification Program, which helps small and
disadvantaged businesses compete in the economy
and access the federal procurement market.
Businesses that desire to be a part of this
program must register. Information about this
program and about contracting with the Federal
Government can be found on the SBA website at
http//www.sba.gov/services/contractingopportuniti
es/index.html. Businesses also may want to
become certified through their state or city, if
this is available. See the Organizations/Agency
Resources part of this module to access resources
for this assistance. Last but not least, the SBA
offers online courses in a number of topics, and
for those on government contracting, visit
http//www.sba.gov/services/training/onlinecourses
/index.html.
53
Procurement
Business Leads (Export/Import)
Two ways that businesses can expand their markets
are through government procurement and by
identifying business leads. This page will share
information about business leads and Federal
information and tools to support this activity.
Another part of finding customers is when
businesses are looking for leads in markets, and
in this case, with international markets, the
Federal Government offers a way for businesses to
locate customers and/or to find suppliers of
needed materials. STAT-USA, with the NTDB
(National Trade Data Bank) features leads. Visit
the Using STAT-USA page in this submodule for
more information.
54
Procurement
Business Leads (Export/Import)
Using STAT-USA STAT-USA is a database featuring
business, trade, and economic information, and
the database is maintained by the US Department
of Commerce. Access is offered in two ways by
individual subscription, or through Federal
Depository Libraries which provide two free
simultaneous logins to library users
in-house. Financial and economic statistics,
leads and business opportunities throughout the
world, and information on international markets
can all be found on STAT-USA.
55
Procurement
Business Leads (Export/Import)
The database contains two major sections, and a
subsection State of the Nation - Tracks the
direction of the US economy and provides
repository for statistical releases of economic
indicators from a number of federal agencies.
Main page at http//www.stat-usa.gov/sotn.
Globus NTDB (National Trade Data Bank) -
Provides information on international commerce
from federal agencies and includes trade leads,
exchange rates, market and country research,
contact databases, and International Trade
Library. Main page at http//www.stat-usa.gov/ntdb
.
56
Procurement
Business Leads (Export/Import)
USA Trade Online - Official source for US
merchandise trade data, with current and
cumulative data on more than 18,000 export
commodities and 24,000 import commodities traded
between the US and all its trading partners. Main
page at http//www.usatradeonline.gov/ STAT-USA
has a Training Center with training materials at
http//home.stat-usa.gov/training. The experts
from STAT-USA also offer mediated training, with
information on the same page.
57
Regulations Compliance

• In the United States, businesses must observe
  rules and laws related to everything from the
  design of their buildings and the taxes they must
  pay to hiring and labor rulings and packaging and
  claims guidelines. Many of these rules and laws
  are federal and there are also state areas where
  compliance is required. A number of agencies can
  assist in this area of the business world.
• Business.gov
• USA.gov
• Federal Register
• Code of Federal Regulations
• Regulations.gov
• Federal Trade Commission (FTC)
• Occupational Safety and Health Administration
  (OSHA)
• US Dept. of Labor
• State Regulatory Offices

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Regulations Compliance
Business.gov http//www.business.gov An
excellent first stop for businesses looking for
information about business topics including
compliance required by various agencies.
Business.gov, the official business link to the
U.S. Government, is managed by the US Small
Business Administration (SBA) in a partnership
with 21 other federal agencies. This
partnership, known as Business Gateway, is
a Presidential E-government initiative that
provides a single access point to government
services and information to help the nation's
businesses with their operations. Business.gov
helps businesses save time and money spent on
regulatory compliance by providing quick and easy
access to business laws, government regulations,
forms and agency contacts. The site includes
forms, contacts, posters, and even links to state
agencies, as appropriate.
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Regulations Compliance
USA.gov http//www.usa.gov/ Has a section for
business and nonprofits, including getting
employer ID number, export license, state
business license, sections for special situations
(vets in business, minority businesses,
self-employed), business forms (forms.gov), and
workplace posters.
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Regulations Compliance
Federal Register http//www.gpoaccess.gov/fr/inde
x.html Published by the Office of the Federal
Register, National Archives and Records
Administration (NARA), the Federal Register is
the official daily publication for rules,
proposed rules, and notices of Federal agencies
and organizations, as well as executive orders
and other presidential documents. It is updated
daily by 6 a.m. and is published Monday through
Friday, except Federal holidays. GPO Access
contains Federal Register volumes from 59 (1994)
to the present.
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Regulations Compliance
Code of Federal Regulations
http//www.gpoaccess.gov/cfr/index.html The
codification of the general and permanent rules
published in the Federal Register. It is divided
into 50 titles that represent broad areas subject
to Federal regulation. Each volume of the CFR is
updated once each calendar.
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Regulations Compliance
Regulations.gov http//www.regulations.gov Regul
ations.gov, the public face of the U.S.
government's E-rulemaking initiative ,
facilitates public participation in the federal
regulatory process by improving the public's
ability to find, view, and comment on federal
regulatory actions. Businesses can visit
Regulations.gov to view notices and make comments
about proposed federal regulations.
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Regulations Compliance
Federal Trade Commission (FTC) http//www.ftc.gov/
The Federal Trade Commission's motto is
"Protecting America's Consumers" and the agency
provides a great deal of information about
regulations in the areas where businesses and
their products interact with consumers.
Warranties, product labels, energy stickers,
anti-trust laws, and more fall under their
umbrella. The agency is most recently known for
its involvement its campaign against identity
theft and its management of the "National Do Not
Call Registry." The FTC has enforcement and
administrative responsibilities under 46 laws.
Consumers can learn about credit, e-commerce,
telemarketing, and scam-prevention, and can file
complaints with the agency about companies.
Businesses can learn what they should and
should not do in their business practices. Visit
the FTC business page at http//www.ftc.gov/ftc/bu
siness.htm .
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Regulations Compliance
Occupational Safety and Health Administration
(OSHA) http//www.osha.gov OSHA is the main
federal agency charged with the enforcement of
safety and health legislation in the workplace.
They encourage small businesses to find and fix
hazards to prevent workplace injuries and
illnesses, and they assure the safety and health
of America's workers by setting and enforcing
standards, providing training, outreach, and
education, establishing partnerships, and
encouraging process improvement in workplace
safety affairs. They function with state partners
to keep workplaces in conformity with standards.
OSHA is one program administered by the US
Department of Labor Other OSHA pages of
note Fact Sheets http//www.osha.gov/OshDoc/toc_
fact.html Small business page
http//www.osha.gov/dcsp/smallbusiness/index.html

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Regulations Compliance
US Dept. of Labor http//www.dol.gov/ The
Department of Labor fosters and promotes the
welfare of the job seekers, wage earners, and
retirees of the United States by improving their
working conditions, advancing their opportunities
for profitable employment, protecting their
retirement and health care benefits, helping
employers find workers, strengthening free
collective bargaining, and tracking changes in
employment, prices, and other national economic
measurements. In carrying out this mission, the
Department administers a variety of Federal labor
laws including those that guarantee workers
rights to safe and healthful working conditions
a minimum hourly wage and overtime pay freedom
from employment discrimination unemployment
insurance and other income support.
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Regulations Compliance

• State Regulatory Offices
• Arizona - Industrial Commission of Arizona
  http//www.ica.state.az.us/
• Colorado - Colorado Department of Labor and
  Employment http//www.coworkforce.com/
• New Mexico - New Mexico Department of Labor
  http//www.dol.state.nm.us/
• Utah - Labor Commission of Utah
  http//laborcommission.utah.gov/indacc/indacc.htm
• Wyoming - Wyoming Department of Employment
  http//wydoe.state.wy.us/

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QUESTIONS?