NSBA remembers and celebrates President Jimmy Carter, especially his work and legacy for Small Business.
As the nation mourns the passing of President Jimmy Carter and remembers his grace, humility and never-ending commitment to service, NSBA remembers him also as a friend to small business.
President Carter had a special relationship with NSBA and its leadership. When it was time for him to appoint the SBA Office of Advocacy’s first Chief Counsel, Carter tapped Milton Stewart, a tremendous advocate for small business who came to national prominence as the Board Chair for NSBA.
Throughout his administration, President Carter enacted a series of landmark, NSBA-supported laws that took significant steps to help America’s smallest businesses, including:
The Equal Access to Justice Act – established the right to legal remedy and repayment if the federal government unfairly imposes regulations that violate its own policies.
The Regulatory Flexibility Act – required, for the first time, federal agencies to consider the unique small business impacts of federal regulations. The law also empowered the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) Office of Advocacy to monitor and comment on federal regulations impacting smaller businesses.
The Paperwork Reduction Act – created the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs (OIRA) to centralize federal agencies’ regulatory processes and to restrain the growing federal regulatory burden.
Not only did he oversee these critical laws that small businesses continually rely on today, President Carter also hosted the first White House Conference on Small Business in 1980.
This highly-touted and deeply successful Conference was a convening of small-business leaders from across the country to address the key priorities of the small-business community. NSBA was instrumental in that first White House Conference on Small Business and subsequent ones, and continues to this day to urge policymakers to follow in President Carter’s footsteps and hold another one.
Additionally, President Carter enacted legislation to amend the Small Business Investment Act of 1958 that directed federal agencies award certain contracts to small businesses, particularly those that are economically or socially disadvantaged. He also heralded in a reduction to what was then an astronomically high Capital Gains tax rate—a major relief for countless family-run businesses.
NSBA will hold fondly our memories of President Carter and his support of small business. We will honor his legacy by continuing to push for policies that help individuals live the American dream—including one very special peanut farmer from Georgia.
