[Congressional Record Volume 162, Number 171 (Wednesday, November 30, 2016)]
[House]
[Pages H7010-H7011]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




             FEDERAL REGISTER PRINTING SAVINGS ACT OF 2016

  Mr. GOSAR. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill 
(H.R. 5384) to amend title 44, United States Code, to restrict the 
distribution of free printed copies of the Federal Register to Members 
of Congress and other officers and employees of the United States, and 
for other purposes.
  The Clerk read the title of the bill.
  The text of the bill is as follows:

                               H.R. 5384

       Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of 
     the United States of America in Congress assembled,

     SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

       This Act may be cited as the ``Federal Register Printing 
     Savings Act of 2016''.

     SEC. 2. RESTRICTIONS ON DISTRIBUTION OF FREE PRINTED COPIES 
                   OF FEDERAL REGISTER TO MEMBERS OF CONGRESS AND 
                   FEDERAL EMPLOYEES.

       (a) Restrictions.--Section 1506 of title 44, United States 
     Code, is amended--
       (1) by striking ``The Administrative Committee'' and 
     inserting ``(a) Composition; Duties.--The Administrative 
     Committee'';
       (2) in subsection (a)(4), by striking ``the number of 
     copies'' and inserting ``subject to subsection (b), the 
     number of copies''; and
       (3) by adding at the end the following new subsection:
       ``(b) Restrictions on Distribution of Free Printed Copies 
     to Members of Congress and Officers and Employees of the 
     United States.--
       ``(1) Prohibiting subscription to printed copies without 
     request.--Under the regulations prescribed to carry out 
     subsection (a)(4), the Director of the Government Publishing 
     Office may not provide a printed copy of the Federal Register 
     without charge to any Member of Congress or any other office 
     of the United States during a year unless--
       ``(A) the Member or office requests a printed copy of a 
     specific issue of the Federal Register; or
       ``(B) during that year or during the previous year, the 
     Member or office requested a subscription to printed copies 
     of the Federal Register for that year, as described in 
     paragraph (2).
       ``(2) Administration of subscriptions.--The regulations 
     prescribed to carry out subsection (a)(4) shall include--
       ``(A) provisions regarding notifications to offices of 
     Members of Congress and other offices of the United States of 
     the restrictions of paragraph (1);
       ``(B) provisions describing the process by which Members 
     and other offices may request a specific issue of the Federal 
     Register for purposes of paragraph (1)(A); and
       ``(C) provisions describing the process by which Members 
     and other offices may request a subscription to the Federal 
     Register

[[Page H7011]]

     for purposes of paragraph (1)(B), except that such 
     regulations shall limit the period for such a subscription to 
     not longer than one year.''.
       (b) Effective Date.--The amendment made by subsection (a) 
     shall take effect January 1, 2017.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from 
Arizona (Mr. Gosar) and the gentleman from Massachusetts (Mr. Lynch) 
each will control 20 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Arizona.


                             General Leave

  Mr. GOSAR. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may 
have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and 
include extraneous material on the bill under consideration.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentleman from Arizona?
  There was no objection.
  Mr. GOSAR. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  I rise today in support of H.R. 5384, the Federal Register Printing 
Savings Act of 2016, introduced by my colleague on the Oversight and 
Government Reform Committee, the gentleman from Oklahoma (Mr. Russell).
  This commonsense legislation will help curb government waste.
  The Federal Register is aptly described as the official newspaper of 
the Federal Government. Its daily editions include copies of proposed 
and final regulations, requests for comment, executive orders, and 
information concerning other government activities.
  Today, virtually every Member of Congress, the White House, and many 
Federal agencies receive printed copies of the Federal Register. It is 
important to note that Members of Congress do not proactively request, 
or pay for this service. However, for the public, an annual 
subscription costs $929 annually.
  In the days before the Internet, this paper-based service brought 
great value to Members, agencies, and the White House, allowing them to 
keep track of activity across the government. Today, though, the full 
Federal Register is available online in a completely searchable and 
downloadable format. As a result, offices on Capitol Hill and across 
the government throw away the paper version every morning, often 
unopened, resulting in hundreds of thousands of dollars of waste.
  This legislation, H.R. 5384, would change this dynamic by banning 
automatic subscriptions to the Federal Register by the Federal 
Government. Instead, Members of Congress and offices across the Federal 
Government who still want to receive printed copies would be required 
to request individual copies, or an annual subscription.
  This is a simple, good government piece of legislation that will save 
the American taxpayer potentially hundreds of thousands of dollars 
every year.
  I urge my colleagues to support this legislation.
  I reserve the balance of my time.
         House of Representatives, Committee on Oversight and 
           Government Reform,
                                Washington, DC, November 29, 2016.
     Hon. Candice S. Miller,
     Chairman, Committee on House Administration, Washington, DC.
       Dear Madam Chairman: On November 16, 2016, the Committee on 
     Oversight and Government Reform ordered reported without 
     amendment H.R. 5384, the Federal Register Printing Savings 
     Act of 2016. The bill was referred primarily to the Committee 
     on Oversight and Government Reform, with an additional 
     referral to the Committee on House Administration.
       I ask that you allow the Committee on House Administration 
     to be discharged from further consideration of the bill so 
     that it may be scheduled by the Majority Leader. This 
     discharge in no way affects your jurisdiction over the 
     subject matter of the bill, and it will not serve as 
     precedent for future referrals. In addition, should a 
     conference on the bill be necessary, I would support your 
     request to have the Committee on House Administration 
     represented on the conference committee. Finally, I would be 
     pleased to include this letter and any response in the bill 
     report filed by the Committee on Oversight and Government 
     Reform, as well as in the Congressional Record during floor 
     consideration, to memorialize our understanding.
       Thank you for your consideration of my request.
           Sincerely,
                                                   Jason Chaffetz,
     Chairman.
                                  ____

                                         House of Representatives,


                            Committee on House Administration,

                                Washington, DC, November 29, 2016.
     Hon. Jason Chaffetz,
     Chairman, Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, 
         Washington, DC.
       Dear Mr. Chairman: Thank you for your letter regarding H.R. 
     5384. As you know, the bill was received in the House of 
     Representatives on June 3, 2016, and referred primarily to 
     the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform and in 
     addition to the Committee on the Committee on House 
     Administration. The bill seeks to restrict the distribution 
     of free printed copies of the Federal Register to Members of 
     Congress and other officers and employees of the United 
     States. On November 16, 2016 your Committee ordered H.R. 5384 
     to be reported without amendment.
       I realize that discharging the Committee on House 
     Administration from further consideration of H.R. 5384 will 
     serve in the best interest of the House of Representatives 
     and agree to do so. It is the understanding of the Committee 
     on House Administration that forgoing action on H.R. 5384 
     will not prejudice the Committee with respect to appointment 
     of conferees or any future jurisdictional claim. I request 
     that your letter and this response be included in the bill 
     report filed by your Committee, as well as in the 
     Congressional Record.
           Sincerely,
                                                Candice S. Miller,
                                                         Chairman.

  Mr. LYNCH. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 5384, the Federal Register 
Printing Savings Act of 2016. I agree with the gentleman from Arizona 
(Mr. Gosar) that this is a commonsense, good government bill about 
cutting waste.
  This bill would allow the Government Publishing Office to avoid 
sending printed copies of the Federal Register to Members of Congress 
and other Federal offices, unless those offices actually want the 
printed copies. Of course, the Federal Register would continue to be 
available online.
  This bill would be good for the environment and good for taxpayers. 
The Congressional Budget Office estimates that this bill would save 
about $1 million a year.
  I urge my colleagues to support H.R. 5384.
  I yield back the balance of my time.
  Mr. GOSAR. Mr. Speaker, I urge the adoption of the bill.
  I yield back the balance of my time.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the 
gentleman from Arizona (Mr. Gosar) that the House suspend the rules and 
pass the bill, H.R. 5384.
  The question was taken; and (two-thirds being in the affirmative) the 
rules were suspended and the bill was passed.
  A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.

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