[Congressional Record Volume 143, Number 2 (Thursday, January 9, 1997)]
[House]
[Pages H85-H86]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




 RESIGNATION OF LAW REVISION COUNSEL FOR THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
                       AFTER SINE DIE ADJOURNMENT


                                 U.S. House of Representatives

                               Washington, DC, September 16, 1996.
     Hon. Newt Gingrich,
     Speaker, U.S. House of Representatives, Washington, DC.
       Dear Mr. Speaker: This past April, I completed 26 years of 
     service with the House of Representatives, first as Assistant 
     Law Revision Counsel and later as Law Revision Counsel for 
     the Committee on the Judiciary and, since the establishment 
     of the Office of the Law Revision Counsel in 1975, as Law 
     Revision Counsel for the House of Representatives. Together 
     with prior executive branch service, my total service is 
     nearing 38 years. Accordingly, I have concluded it is time to 
     retire. I am most grateful for having had the privilege of 
     serving the House as Law Revision Counsel. With your approval 
     my termination as Law Revision Counsel will become effective 
     November 30, 1996.
       Permit me to provide a brief overview of the Office of the 
     Law Revision Counsel. Functions of the Office include the 
     classification of new laws to the United States Code, the 
     preparation and publication of the Code, the preparation of 
     bills to enact titles of the Code into positive law and to 
     repeal obsolete and superseded statutes, and the provision of 
     advice and assistance to the Committee on the Judiciary in 
     carrying out its functions with respect and codification.
       The Office functions with a staff of 18, all of whom have 
     been appointed without regard to political affiliation and 
     solely on the basis of fitness to perform the duties of the 
     position. All have expressed the desire for career service in 
     the Office. This has resulted in low turnover and in a highly 
     motivated, productive staff. My Deputy and the two Senior 
     Counsels have accumulated 60 years of service with the 
     Office. Accumulated service of the seven Assistant Counsels 
     totals 74 years and that of the seven support staff 69 years.
       Methods and procedures for the preparation and publication 
     of the United States Code have been modernized. Working with 
     the Government Printing Office, the transition from hot metal 
     to electronic typesetting and composition for printing of the 
     Code was implemented commencing with the 1976 main edition. A 
     computer system was installed in the Office for use in 
     maintaining the code database and updating it to include 
     newly enacted laws. The system permits the text of new laws 
     to be extracted from the bills database and efficiently 
     incorporated into the Code database. Benefits resulting from 
     modernization include increased productivity, virtually 
     error-free text, timelier publication, and substantial 
     reduction in typesetting costs. Main editions of the code 
     were published for 1976, 1982, 1988, and 1994, and annual 
     cumulative Supplements were published for each of the 
     intervening years.
       The Code database is also utilized for a computerized Code 
     Research and Retrieval system for the legislative branch and 
     for the annual production of the Code on CD-ROM. Response to 
     the availability of the Code on CD-ROM has been exceptional, 
     with thousands being purchased from the Superintendent of 
     Documents at a unit cost of about $35. Commencing in January 
     1995, the Code and the Code classifications of new laws have 
     been made available (utilizing the Code database) on the 
     House Internet Law Library and on the Government Printing 
     Office Internet access. Usage of the House Internet Law 
     Library to access the Code is increasing significantly each 
     month, with user totals for August in excess of 100,000. The 
     Internet Law Library has been the subject of numerous good 
     reviews and comments from both user groups and individual 
     users.
       As a result of bills prepared by the Office and transmitted 
     to the Committee on the Judiciary, three titles of the Code 
     have been enacted into positive law without substantive 
     change and numerous obsolete and superseded laws repealed. 
     Assistance was provided to the Committee in connection with 
     the substantive revision and enactment into positive law of a 
     fourth title of the Code. Bills to enact three other titles 
     have been transmitted to the Committee and a bill relating to 
     another title is in preparation.
       What has been accomplished could not have been done without 
     the assistance and expertise of an outstanding staff. I am 
     truly indebted to them. The Office has enjoyed a close 
     working relationship with the Committee on the Judiciary with 
     regard to its consideration of bills to enact titles of the 
     Code into positive law, for which I am most appreciative. I 
     also gratefully acknowledge the assistance of the support 
     offices of the House,

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     particularly House Information Resources and the Office of 
     the Legislative Counsel, and of the Government Printing 
     Office.
           Respectfully yours,
     Edward F. Willett, Jr.

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