On May 19, 2014, the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) published a proposed rule to increase employee based size standards in 46 industries in North American Industry Classifcation System (NAICS) Sector 42, Wholesale Trade, and in one industry in Sector 44-45, Retail Trade.  As a part of its comprehensive size standards review required by the Small Business Jobs Act of 2012, SBA reviewed all 71 industries in Sector 42 and two industries with employee based size standards in Sector 44-45 to determine whether their size standards should be retained or revised. The proposed revisions, if adopted, will primarily affect eligibility for SBA's financial assistance programs.  This is one of the rules that will examine industries grouped by an NAICS Sector. SBA has applied its "Size Standards Methodology," which is available on its website at http://www.sba.gov/size, to this purposed rule.  SBA expects to publish the final rule in the near future. 

NOTE: The title for this rule has been changed since the rule was first reported in the Regulatory Agenda on January 8, 2013, from "Small Business Size Standards for Wholesale Trade" to "Small Business Size Standards: Employee Based Size Standards for Wholesale Trade and Retail Trade." The title was changed to make it clear that the rule also addresses industries with employee based size standards in Retail Trade.