99 -- SBA (SMALL BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION) MODIFIES

The U.S. Small Business Administration has made revisions to its Small Business Size Regulations, specifically 13 CFR §121.103, What is affiliation?; and §121.105, How does SBA define "business concern or concern"?. The following two revisions were published in the August 30. 2005, Federal Register as an Interim Final Rule, which included changes to SBA's HUBZone Program, and were effective immediately: 1. member shareholders of a small agricultural cooperative, as defined in the Agricultural Marketing Act (12 U.S.C. 1141j), are no longer considered affiliated with the cooperative by virtue of their membership in the cooperative; and, 2. small agricultural cooperatives are now treated as small business concerns. It is important to read the entire revised regulations (§121.103 and §121.105). Go to SBA's website for the full information at http://www.sba.gov/size/indexwhatsnew.html#coopsIFR.