H.R. 9885: Maintaining Small Business Engagement Act of 2026

This bill would make the Small Business Administration (SBA) follow the normal federal rulemaking procedures in the Administrative Procedure Act (APA) when it issues rules about certain topics. In plain terms, the SBA would generally have to provide notice of proposed rules and give the public a chance to comment before finalizing rules that relate to:

• public property
• loans
• grants
• benefits
• contracts

Current law generally exempts some agency actions involving these kinds of matters from APA rulemaking requirements. This bill would remove that exemption for the SBA in these areas. As a result, the SBA would be required to use the usual public process before adopting rules on these subjects.

The practical effect would be to increase public participation and formal review for SBA rules in these categories. People or organizations affected by those rules would have more opportunity to see proposed changes, submit comments, and potentially influence the final version of the rules.

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