FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                             98-60

          SEC TO HOST ANNUAL GOVERNMENT BUSINESS FORUM

     Washington, D.C., June 19, 1998 -- The Commission today
announced that the Seventeenth Annual Government Business Forum
on Small Business Capital Formation will be held on Thursday,
September 24, and Friday, September 25, 1998 in Chicago at The
University of Chicago Downtown Conference Center, just east of
Michigan Avenue on the north bank of the Chicago River.

     The Forum offers small business an opportunity to articulate
its views and needs.  The Forum's participants discuss ways to
eliminate unnecessary governmental impediments to raising
capital.  Afterwards, a final report of the Forum's activities is
prepared, which includes recommendations for governmental action.

     This report is provided to Congress and those governmental
agencies that can craft the relief sought by the Forum.  Over the
years, many Forum recommendations have resulted in legislative
and regulatory reform in the areas of taxation, securities
regulation, financial services regulation, and state assistance
programs.

     This year's Forum will focus on current issues in taxation,
international and transactional financing, the impact of
financial services/consolidation on small businesses, and early
stage dealmaking/exit strategies and their impact on securities
regulation.  Sessions will be comprised of two parts, following a
basic format that has been used in recent years.  The morning
sessions will offer a variety of roundtable discussions, each
devoted to one of the four targeted topics.  The remainder of
each morning and the afternoon sessions will be devoted to
discussion in small interactive break-out groups to permit Forum
participants sufficient time to develop thoughtful
recommendations.  An opening general session panel will focus on
the use of the Internet by small businesses.

     Participation at the Forum must be limited to 150 persons.
Nonetheless, in view of its purposes, every effort will be made
to ensure that each small business owner seeking to participate
will be able to do so.  In order to defray certain costs of the
Forum, including the group luncheons and the welcoming reception,
each participant will be charged $170.

     For further information, contact Barbara Jacobs or David
Burton in the Office of Small Business in the Division of
Corporation Finance at (202) 942-2950.  Or, please send an e-mail
message to the small business electronic mailbox at
"e-prospectus@sec.gov".



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