[Congressional Record Volume 149, Number 141 (Wednesday, October 8, 2003)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1995]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

[[Page E1995]]


 TRANSFER TO PUBLIC PRINTER OF AUTHORITY OVER INDIVIDUALS RESPONSIBLE 
               FOR PREPARING CONGRESSIONAL RECORD INDEXES

                                 ______
                                 

                               speech of

                           HON. ROBERT W. NEY

                                of ohio

                    in the house of representatives

                        Tuesday, October 7, 2003

  Mr. NEY. Madam Speaker, the attached letter should have been 
submitted for the Record during consideration of H.R. 3229, a bill to 
amend Title 44, U.S. Code, to transfer authority over the individuals 
responsible for preparing indexes of the Congressional Record to the 
Public Printer, on October 7, 2003. Please submit this letter for the 
Record.

                                     Office of the Public Printer,


                                   Government Printing Office,

                                  Washington, DC, October 1, 2003.
     Hon. Robert W. Ney,
     Chairman, Joint Committee on Printing, Longworth House Office 
         Building, Washington, DC.

     Attn: Ms. Maria Robinson, JCP Staff Director.

       Dear Mr. Chairman: I am transmitting herewith legislative 
     language to amend section 902 of Title 44, U.S. Code, to 
     transfer control over the employees of the Congressional 
     Record Index Office from the Joint Committee on Printing 
     (JCP) to the Government Printing Office (GPO). The indexers 
     create the semimonthly and session indexes to the 
     Congressional Record.
       Under current law, which with only minor revisions 
     antedates GPO's organic legislation, the Printing Act of 
     1895, the JCP ``shall designate to the Public Printer 
     competent persons'' to prepare the index and ``shall fix the 
     compensation to be paid by the Public Printer for that work . 
     . .'' In addition to appointing the indexers and establishing 
     their pay, the JCP sets other employment rules, including 
     rules for promotions and the accumulation and use of leave, 
     and maintains sole authority to terminate the indexers as at-
     will employees and to fill any vacancies. The indexers are 
     under the congressional retirement system. Their 
     compensation, benefits, and related office expenses are 
     charged directly to the Congressional Printing and Binding 
     Appropriation, included in Title I of the annual Legislative 
     Branch Appropriations Acts.
       The indexers have long been recognized as congressional 
     employees. However, their work is not directly supervised by 
     the JCP. Instead, supervision of the indexers has been 
     provided by a director named by the JCP (the former director 
     retired in 2001, and since then the indexers have been 
     supervised by a deputy director with no clear line of 
     supervision above her). GPO provides administrative support 
     for the indexers. GPO pays the indexers from the GPO 
     Revolving Fund (the Fund is reimbursed by the Congressional 
     Printing and Binding Appropriation) and maintains records on 
     their employment as indexers. The indexers are housed in 
     buildings under GPO's control and subject to GPO rules and 
     regulations regarding security and related matters. GPO 
     provides equipment for the indexers, and they work on a 
     day-to-day basis directly with GPO's production staff in 
     compiling and publishing the Congressional Record Index.
       The JCP was able to manage the indexers while the Committee 
     itself was funded and maintained a professional staff. Since 
     fiscal year 1999, however, when the JCP was defunded, it has 
     been unable to manage them. The transfer we are requesting 
     will relieve the JCP of the administrative burden of managing 
     a daily production activity that more appropriately belongs 
     with GPO. At the same time, it will preserve the JCP's 
     control over the Congressional Record Index itself. Most 
     importantly, it will correct an anomalous employment 
     situation. We have taken care to craft legislative language 
     to accomplish the transfer with a minimal impact on the 
     Office employees. We have also taken care to ensure that the 
     transfer will be transparent to the users of the 
     Congressional Record Index in Congress, throughout the 
     Government, and among the public. We have briefed the Index 
     Office employees on this legislative proposal.
       Under section 1(a) of the accompanying language, the Public 
     Printer will continue to be responsible for the production of 
     the Congressional Record Index in the form and manner 
     directed by the Joint Committee on Printing, as provided in 
     current law.
       Section 1(b) will amend current law to transfer all of the 
     employees of the Congressional Record Index office to the 
     control of the GPO on the effective date of enactment. With 
     the transfer, the employees will be placed in the civil 
     service with the GPO and will be covered by the laws and 
     regulations governing GPO employment. Their contributions and 
     service time accumulated under retirement systems as 
     congressional employees will be fully credited. They will 
     retain their current rates of pay, and their future pay will 
     be subject to pay systems governing other GPO employees. They 
     will be allowed to carry accumulated annual and sick leave 
     with them with subsequent use subject to GPO regulations. The 
     Congressional Record Index Office will be assigned to the 
     appropriate GPO organization and subject to GPO management 
     direction, although any future changes to the form and 
     production of the Congressional Record Index will be subject 
     to the review and approval of the JCP. The indexers will 
     continue to be funded by the Congressional Printing and 
     Binding Appropriation, so there will be no appropriations 
     impact. There will be no interruption to their work on the 
     index; as a result, the effects of the transfer will be 
     invisible to Congressional Record Index users in Congress, 
     the Government, and throughout the public.
       I respectfully request the Committee's support for this 
     measure, and would be pleased to provide any additional 
     information you may need.
           Sincerely,
                                                   Bruce R. James,
     Public Printer.

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