The U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) aids, counsels, assists, and protects the interests of small business concerns, and advocates on their behalf within the Government. It also helps victims of disasters. It provides financial assistance, contractual assistance, and business development assistance. For a more detailed description of the functions of SBA see The United States Government Manual, a special publication of the Federal Register, which is available from Superintendent of Documents, P.O. Box 371954, Pittsburgh, PA 15250-7954.

(a) An Administrator, appointed by the President with the advice and consent of the Senate, manages SBA. The Administrator—

(1) Is responsible to the President and Congress for exercising direction, authority, and control over SBA.

(2) Determines and approves all policies covering SBA's programs to aid, counsel, assist, and protect the interests of the nation's small businesses.

(3) Employs or appoints employees necessary to implement the Small Business Act, as amended, the Small Business Investment Act, as amended, and other laws and directives.

(4) Delegates certain activities, by issuing regulations or otherwise, to Headquarters and field positions.

(b) A Deputy Administrator, appointed by the President with the advice and consent of the Senate, serves as Acting Administrator during the absence or disability of the Administrator or in the event of a vacancy in the Office of the Administrator.

The Headquarters of SBA is at 409 3rd Street, SW., Washington, DC 20416.

A list of SBA's field offices with addresses, phone numbers and jurisdictions served is periodically published in the Federal Register. You can also obtain the address and phone number of an SBA office to serve you by calling 1-800-8-ASK-SBA or 1-800-827-5722.

(a) Regional offices. Regional offices are managed by a Regional Administrator who is responsible to the Administrator and to the Associate Administrator for Field Operations. They are located in major cities and have geographical boundaries which cover multi-state areas. Regional offices exercise limited authority over field activities within their region.

(b) District offices. District offices are managed by a District Director and are located in cities within a region. District offices are responsible to Headquarters, the Associate Administrator for Field Operations, and to a regional office. Within their delegated authority, district offices have authority for—

(1) Conducting all program delivery activities within the district boundaries;

(2) Supervising all branch offices located within the district boundaries; and

(3) Providing subordinate branch offices with the technical capability necessary to execute assigned programs.

(c) Branch offices. Branch offices are managed by a Branch Manager and are located in cities within a district. Branch offices are responsible to the district office within whose boundaries it is located. Branch offices execute one or more elements of the business or disaster loan programs and have limited authority for program execution.

(d) Disaster assistance offices. The Office of Disaster Assistance maintains five permanent field offices which are named according to the particular functions they perform in the disaster loan making process. The office names are: Disaster Assistance Customer Service Center, Disaster Assistance Processing and Disbursement Center, Disaster Assistance Field Operations Center East, Disaster Assistance Field Operations Center West, and the Disaster Assistance Personnel and Administrative Services Center. Each office is managed by a Center Director who reports to the Deputy Associate Administrator for Disaster Assistance. The offices provide loan services to victims of declared disasters, or support the efforts of the other offices to do so. Temporary disaster offices may be established in areas where disasters have occurred.

(e) Responsibilities. Each field office has responsibilities within a defined geographical area as periodically set forth in the Federal Register.

(a) General. This section describes the official seal of the SBA and prescribes rules for its use.

(b) Official Seal. The official seal of the SBA is illustrated below.

(c) Authorized Use. The official seal and reproductions of the seal may only be used as follows:

(1) Certify and authenticate originals and copies of any books, records, papers or other documents on file within SBA or extracts taken from them or to provide certification for the purposes authorized in 28 U.S.C. 1733;

(2) SBA award certificates and medals;

(3) SBA awards for career service;

(4) Security credentials and employee identification cards;

(5) Business cards for SBA employees;

(6) Official SBA signs;

(7) Plaques; the design of the SBA seal may be incorporated in plaques for display in Agency auditoriums, presentation rooms, lobbies, offices and on buildings occupied by SBA;

(8) The SBA flag;

(9) Officially authorized reports or publications of the SBA; or

(10) For such other purposes as determined necessary by the Administrator.

(d) Unauthorized use. The official seal shall not be used, except as authorized by the Administrator, in connection with:

(1) Contractor operated facilities;

(2) Souvenir or novelty items;

(3) Toys or commercial gifts or premiums;

(4) Letterhead design, except on official SBA stationery;

(5) Clothing or equipment; or

(6) Any article which may disparage the seal or reflect unfavorably upon SBA.

(e) SBA's seal will not be used in any manner which implies SBA endorsement of commercial products or services or of the user's policies or activities.

(f) Reproduction of Official Seal. Requests for permission to reproduce the SBA seal in circumstances other than those listed in paragraph (c) of this section must be made in writing to the Administrator. The decision whether to grant permission will be made in writing on a case-by-case basis, in consultation with the General Counsel, with consideration of any relevant factors which may include the benefit or cost to the Agency of granting the request; the unintended appearance of endorsement or authentication by SBA; the potential for misuse; the reputability of the use; the extent of control by SBA over the use; and the extent of control by SBA over distribution of any products or publications bearing the SBA seal.

(g) Penalties for Unauthorized Use. Fraudulent or wrongful use of SBA's seal can lead to criminal penalties under 18 U.S.C. 506 or 18 U.S.C. 1017.

(a) SBA makes loans and provides other services that are authorized and executed under Federal programs to achieve national purposes.

(b) The following are construed and enforced in accordance with Federal law—

(1) Instruments evidencing loans;

(2) Security interests in real or personal property payable to or held by SBA or the Administrator such as promissory notes, bonds, guarantee agreements, mortgages, and deeds of trust;

(3) Other evidences of debt or security;

(4) Contracts or agreements to which SBA is a party, unless expressly provided otherwise.

(c) To the extent feasible, SBA uses local or state procedures, especially for recordation and notification purposes, in implementing and facilitating SBA's loan programs. This use of local or state procedures is not a waiver by SBA of any Federal immunity from any local or state control, penalty, tax, or liability.

(d) No person, corporation, or organization that applies for and receives any benefit or assistance from SBA, or that offers any assurance or security upon which SBA relies for the granting of such benefit or assistance, is entitled to claim or assert any local or state law to defeat the obligation incurred in obtaining or assuring such Federal benefit or assistance.

(a) SBA uses forms approved by the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) under the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (44 U.S.C. 3501 et seq.), as amended. You may obtain approved forms for use by the public when applying for or obtaining SBA assistance, or when providing services for SBA, from any field office (see § 101.103). You may also use forms which you have prepared yourself, or have obtained from another source, if those forms are identical in every respect to the forms approved by OMB for the same purpose.

(b) Any member of the public who has reason to believe any SBA office or agent is in violation of the Public Protection Clause of the Paperwork Reduction Act (44 U.S.C. 3512 and see 5 CFR 1320.6) should notify SBA. Direct such comments to the Director, Office of Business Operations at 409 3rd Street, SW., Washington, DC 20416.

Yes. Despite these exemptions, SBA will follow the public participation requirements of the Administrative Procedure Act, 5 U.S.C. 553,in,loans,grants,benefits,or.

Yes. All SBA regulations must be interpreted as including the section headings.