[Congressional Record Volume 152, Number 134 (Thursday, December 7, 2006)]
[Senate]
[Pages S11486-S11487]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                       TRIBUTE TO BRUCE R. JAMES

  Mr. LOTT. Mr. President, as chairman of the Joint Committee on 
Printing, I want to commend and pay tribute to Bruce R. James, the 24th 
public printer, who has announced he will retire from his post as chief 
executive officer of the Government Printing Office on January 3, 2007.
  At the President's request, Bruce came out of retirement to take 
office at the GPO in December 2002. Since then, he has worked 
tirelessly to transform that venerable institution from a printing 
agency into a 21st century digital information processing facility. 
After a period of factfinding and consultation with GPO's stakeholders, 
he issued a strategic vision for the GPO's future that has guided the 
management of the agency ever since. Under the plan, he initiated the 
effort to construct a future digital system to organize, manage, and 
output authenticated Government information in a broad range of online 
and print formats. He led efforts to modernize the GPO's plant 
operations supporting Congress. He assisted the State Department's 
development and issuance of the new electronic U.S. passport and has 
led efforts to further enhance the GPO's security and intelligent 
documents operation. He worked with the library community to ensure the 
continued transition to predominately

[[Page S11487]]

electronic Federal Depository Library Program and began a pilot project 
to test the GPO's ability to digitize retrospective Government 
publications for online public access. Throughout his tenure, Bruce has 
ensured that we have the products and services we need to conduct our 
daily business in Congress.
  In carrying out this program of change, Bruce brought to the GPO a 
broad range of business principles and practices, earning him the title 
of 2006 Civilian Executive of the Year from Government Computer News. 
He instilled a new focus on customer service for Congress and the 
departments and agencies that depend on the GPO and has provided new 
service options that make it easier and more convenient to use the GPO. 
He turned around the financial status of the agency, posting a positive 
financial performance every year since 2004 and reversing a pattern of 
previous losses that has provided the agency with the capital to make 
much-needed investments in technology. He brought aboard a wide range 
of experts in technology and systems integration, finance, marketing, 
secure and intelligent documents, digital media, and related fields, to 
guide the GPO forward. And to his credit, Bruce brought before the 
Congress the issue of how best to utilize the GPO's aging and outsized 
buildings for its future operations.
  Mr. President, Congress, Federal departments and agencies, and all 
those among the public who rely on the GPO have been well served over 
the past 4 years by Public Printer Bruce James. His unceasing call for 
technology modernization and his steadfast adherence to business best 
practices will leave a legacy of continued improvement at the GPO for 
many years to come. As Bruce departs the GPO to return to retirement in 
his beloved Nevada, he leaves with our best wishes and the thanks of a 
grateful nation for a job well done.

                          ____________________