SEC TO HOST ANNUAL GOVERNMENT BUSINESS FORUM

The Commission today
announced that the Sixteenth Annual Government Business Forum on
Small Business Capital Formation will be held on Thursday,
September 18, and Friday, September 19, 1997 in San Francisco at
the Hotel Nikko, which is two blocks off Union Square.

     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,
credit and 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 three 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.  In a variation this year, there will be an
opening panel on the issues arising from the use of the Internet
to raise capital.  

     Participation at the Forum must be limited to 125 persons.
Nonetheless, in view of its purposes, every effort will be made
to ensure that each small business owner seeking at 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 $160.

     For further information, contact Barbara Jacobs or Edsel
Guydon 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”.