[Congressional Record Volume 141, Number 11 (Thursday, January 19, 1995)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E127]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

[[Page E127]]THE GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE: AN INDISPENSABLE SERVICE

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                          HON. STENY H. HOYER

                              of maryland

                    in the house of representatives

                       Thursday, January 19, 1995

  Mr. HOYER. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize the outstanding 
service the U.S. Government Printing Office provides for this body, the 
other body, the Federal Government, and the citizens of the United 
States.
  The service GPO provides in making the Congressional Record available 
in a quick and efficient manner would be difficult to beat. The 
employees of the GPO are dedicated and hard working and I applaud their 
efforts.
  The U.S. Government Printing Office provided key printing and 
information database support to the 104th Congress on its historic 
opening day session, January 4, 1995.
  For January 4, the Congressional Record, containing the public 
proceedings of each House of Congress, totaled 603 pages. Manuscript 
copy for the Record began arriving in the early evening, with the final 
receipt of copy by 4:30 a.m. on January 5. Because of its size, the 
Record was printed in three parts to ensure at least partial delivery 
by the opening of Congress the next day. Part I, 128 pages, was 
delivered before the House and Senate came in at 10 a.m. Part II, 126 
pages, was delivered at approximately 1 p.m. The rest of the 
proceedings, 349 pages, were combined, printed, and distributed with 
the January 5 issue.
  By comparison, the Congressional Record for the opening day of the 
103d Congress, January 5, 1993, contained 338 pages. In all the 103d 
Congress generated over 63,500 printed pages of the Congressional 
Record. The largest issue of the Congressional Record last year was 
over 700 pages.
  The Congressional Record is the most important congressional 
publication produced at GPO's central office plant in Washington, DC. 
The Record is printed and bound overnight and delivered the next day 
before Congress convenes.
  Approximately 18,300 copies of the Record are printed daily. Of these 
5,800 copies are printed for congressional use and 6,800 copies are 
printed for the recipients designated by law. The remaining 5,700 
copies are printed for agencies which requisition them and for GPO's 
Superintendent of Documents distribution programs.
  The average Congressional Record contains slightly more than 200 
pages, about as much type as four to six metropolitan daily newspapers. 
The actual size of each Record can vary significantly, however, 
depending on how much business Congress transacts.
  The Congressional Record is available from GPO's bookstores and by 
mail order in paper microfiche. In addition, the GPO access service 
provides online access to the Record, along with the Federal Register, 
congressional bills, and the U.S. Code, via the Internet.
  In addition to providing printing support, GPO worked with the 
Library of Congress to provide Congressional Record and congressional 
bills database files for the Library's new THOMAS information service, 
which provides public access to congressional information.
  Mr. Speaker, as you can see the U.S. Government Printing Office is 
crucial because it preserves the history made on the floor of the House 
and the Senate. It is crucial because it is efficient and provides a 
vital information service to the American public.

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