BusinessLaw.gov Wins E-Gov Award, Announces Partnership With Cornell University 7/25/2002
From: David J. Hall of the U.S. Small Business Administration, 202-205-6697; Web site: www.sba.gov/news/indexheadline.html WASHINGTON, July 25 -- The U.S. Small Business Administration has announced an alliance with Cornell University to enhance the services provided to America's small businesses by BusinessLaw.gov, the agency's premier online resource guide to legal and regulatory information and recent winner of the E-Gov Pioneer Award. The E-Gov Awards recognize public sector professionals who have developed innovative e-government programs that increase productivity, save limited public resources, and improve the quality, timeliness and accuracy of citizen services. The winning applications are models for effective e-government, and the scope and capabilities they provide offer an exciting glimpse at the future of electronic government. This was the fourth such award given to BusinessLaw.gov since its rollout in December 2001. Through the partnership, the SBA will combine its resources with Cornell's Law Library to provide high quality content to BusinessLaw.gov users. In particular, Cornell will help provide information specific to the state of New York. "Local economies, no matter how large or small, are the building blocks of our nation's financial health," said SBA Deputy Administrator Melanie Sabelhaus at the signing ceremony. "In order for communities to retain a vibrant business marketplace, we have to make it easy for them to thrive. One way we can help is to provide localized information and tools that help reduce the burden of regulatory compliance on America's small businesses." According to SBA statistics, last year citizens spent nearly $800 billion finding, understanding and complying with laws and regulations at every level of government. Nearly $500 billion of this burden was carried by businesses, translating to roughly $7,000 per employee in firms with less than 20 employees. Among those in attendance at the signing ceremony with Deputy Administrator Sabelhaus were SBA's Chief Counsel for Advocacy Tom Sullivan, General Counsel David A. Javdan, members of SBA's e-government team and field legal staff that created the site. Cornell Law Library's Head Reference Librarian, Jean Callihan, signed on behalf of the University. Cornell University ranks among the world's leading academic institutions in the fields of legal research and information technology. "The Cornell Law Library recognizes the importance of public access to legal information in the digital age," said Callihan. "We are committed to working with the SBA to provide small businesses with the information they need to succeed." BusinessLaw.gov offers information on federal, state and local business laws, regulatory compliance guides in 17 business topics ranging from advertising to transportation, and access to existing online G2B transactions. It is the first step in the development of a Business Compliance One Stop. In the second phase of development, the SBA intends to add more information and web services including 25 to 30 interactive regulatory compliance guides and a prototype national business registry. ------ For more information about all of the SBA's programs for small businesses, call the SBA Answer Desk at 1-800-U-ASK-SBA or TDD 704-344-6640, or visit the SBA's Web site at www.sba.gov. To receive all of the SBA's News Releases via email, visit http://web.sba.gov/list and select "Press Office." |