[Congressional Record Volume 161, Number 37 (Wednesday, March 4, 2015)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E304-E305]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                         HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO GPO

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                          HON. ROBERT A. BRADY

                            of pennsylvania

                    in the house of representatives

                        Wednesday, March 4, 2015

  Mr. BRADY of Pennsylvania. Mr. Speaker, on March 4, 1861, the 
Government Printing Office (GPO), as it was then known, opened its 
doors and began fulfilling an essential mission for the American 
people. On March 4, 2015, 154 years later, the newly renamed Government 
Publishing Office continues to perform that mission: producing and 
disseminating the official documents of this Congress and the executive 
and judicial branches to keep America informed. This is not merely my 
opinion as a proud supporter of the GPO and its talented workforce, but 
also the conclusion of a 2013 report of the National Academy of Public 
Administration (NAPA) requested by Congress.
  As I noted in the House Administration Committee's activities report 
for 2014 (H. Rept. 113-721), I was pleased that Congress honored the 
request of Public Printer Davita Vance-Cooks, first made to the 
Committee in 2013, for statutory redesignation of GPO as the Government 
Publishing Office. This long-overdue change rightly proclaims to the 
American people how Congress and the President view the agency.
  The proud men and women of GPO do not fulfill their mission solely by 
applying ink to paper. For decades GPO's employees have been in the 
vanguard of the Government's shift toward electronic publishing. The 
agency's former name, focused on the technological limits available at 
its birth, no longer reflected the breadth of its abilities and 
importance. GPO's work publishing and distributing information in 
multiple formats assures Americans perpetual access to the documents of 
our democracy. This change gives GPO and its employees the recognition 
they have earned.
  During 2014 GPO has continued making significant strides under the 
stewardship of Ms. Vance-Cooks, who has now become the first Director 
of the Government Publishing Office. Evidence of the Director's strong 
management and sound judgment abounds there.
  For example, the Partnership for Public Service listed GPO as one of 
the Best Places to Work and among the top 10 most innovative mid-sized 
federal agencies. The Partnership compiled its list based on the 
results of the OPM Federal Viewpoint Survey for 2013. Along a similar 
vein, a survey of over 500 customer agencies found 90% are generally 
satisfied with the goods and services GPO provides.
  GPO's improved electronic gateway to the growing expanse of 
Government information, the Federal Digital System, or ``FDsys'', has 
recorded its one-billionth document retrieval. FDsys users can now 
browse among over one million titles as routine as daily editions of 
the Federal Register and as historic as President Nixon's Watergate 
grand-jury testimony. GPO is already taking steps to create the next 
generation FDsys with improved search and retrieval capabilities. GPO 
is also collaborating with the Clerk of the House, the Secretary of the 
Senate, the Library of Congress and others to make legislative data 
available to users in bulk form.
  Although the Director and her management team have much to be proud 
of, challenges remain. The Director has embraced the NAPA report, 
especially its recommendation that GPO increase revenues through lease 
of surplus space. GPO has redoubled efforts to attract office tenants, 
including Legislative agencies for which proximity to the Congress 
offers a premium. With the support of the Joint Committee on Printing, 
GPO solicited the private

[[Page E305]]

sector's input with a Request for Information on how to make better use 
of several acres of land now devoted to parking. The Director 
successfully completed a new round of wage agreements with GPO's 
employee unions, prudently setting future wage increases at the rate 
proposed by the President and Congress for all other federal civil-
service employees. In addition, a successful employee buy-out conducted 
last year will improve the agency's financial condition. I am greatly 
encouraged by the Director's eagerness to work constructively with her 
earnest and talented Inspector General, Michael Raponi, and to 
incorporate his valuable recommendations into her strategic planning.
  Mr. Speaker, I urge all Members to join in congratulating the 
Government Publishing Office on the agency's 154th birthday. I thank 
Director Vance-Cooks and her dedicated workforce for their 
extraordinary service to this country and wish them well in the years 
ahead.

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