United States Government Publishing Office publisher pbl distributor dst United States Government Accountability Office Resources, Community, and Economic Development Division author aut Government Organization text government publication eng GAOREPORTS Legislative Agency Publications gao legislative 2010-08-12 U.S. Government Printing Office 1994-09-06 monographic deposited born digital GA 1.13:RCED-94-240 https://www.govinfo.gov/app/details/GAOREPORTS-RCED-94-240 P0b002ee180380dea f:rc94240 DGPO 2010-08-12 2011-03-23 GAOREPORTS-RCED-94-240 machine generated eng fdlp REPORT GAOREPORTS-RCED-94-240 RCED-94-240 Proposed legislation Health care services Health insurance Small business assistance Lobbying activities Government publications Information dissemination operations Telephone communications operations Health care costs American Health Security Act of 1993 Health Security Act Clinton Health Care Plan National Health Care Reform Initiative Managed Competition Act of 1993 Affordable Health Care Now Act of 1993 Health Equity and Access Reform Today Act of 1993 Business Assistance Trust Fund Letter Report RCED

In late September 1993, anticipating strong interest in the administration's health care reform proposal, the Small Business Administration (SBA) and the Commerce Department jointly produced a brochure describing how health insurance would be provided and what role small employers would play in financing insurance for their workers under the proposed Health Security Act. GAO concludes that SBA did not violate the statutory prohibition on lobbying by preparing and distributing the brochure. The brochure did not unlawfully lobby for the President's plan because it did not urge businesses to contact Members of Congress to support the plan. Furthermore, SBA has the authority under the Small Business Act to publish and distribute the brochure. When SBA distributed copies of the brochure to the Democratic National Committee (DNC)--one of many recipients of the document--it did not follow customary government procedures for distributing large quantities of agency publications. Government agencies usually do not give large quantities of free publications to private sector organizations; however, SBA initially gave the DNC 10,000 free copies of the brochure. DNC officials later paid SBA $5,000 for copies of the brochure. https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/GAOREPORTS-RCED-94-240/html/GAOREPORTS-RCED-94-240.htm GAO/RCED-94-240 https://www.govinfo.gov/app/details/GAOREPORTS-RCED-94-240 Letter Report GAO/RCED-94-240; Small Business: SBA's Health Care Reform Activities; Proposed legislation Health care services Health insurance Small business assistance Lobbying activities Government publications Information dissemination operations Telephone communications operations Health care costs American Health Security Act of 1993 Health Security Act Clinton Health Care Plan National Health Care Reform Initiative Managed Competition Act of 1993 Affordable Health Care Now Act of 1993 Health Equity and Access Reform Today Act of 1993 Business Assistance Trust Fund Title 18 Section 1913 18 U.S.C. 1913 Volume 93 Page 559 93 Stat. 559 Volume 106 Page 1828 106 Stat. 1828 Volume 107 Page 1153 107 Stat. 1153 Public Law 96-74 Public Law 102-395 Public Law 103-121