[Congressional Record Volume 163, Number 85 (Wednesday, May 17, 2017)]
[House]
[Pages H4267-H4268]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




             FEDERAL REGISTER PRINTING SAVINGS ACT OF 2017

  Mr. RUSSELL. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the 
bill (H.R. 195) 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. 195

       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 2017''.

     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 for purposes of paragraph (1)(B), except that such 
     regulations shall limit the period for such a subscription to 
     not longer than 1 year.''.
       (b) Effective Date.--The amendment made by subsection (a) 
     shall take effect January 1, 2018.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from 
Oklahoma (Mr. Russell) and the gentleman from Virginia (Mr. Connolly) 
each will control 20 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Oklahoma.


                             General Leave

  Mr. RUSSELL. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members 
have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and to 
include any extraneous material in the Record on the bill under 
consideration.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentleman from Oklahoma?
  There was no objection.
  Mr. RUSSELL. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  My bill, H.R. 195, the Federal Register Printing Savings Act of 2017, 
will save taxpayers dollars while providing needed reform in how we 
conduct day-to-day business in Congress.
  The Federal Register contains a large amount of information, 
including proposed rules and public notices, regulations, executive 
orders, and Presidential documents. This information is compiled by the 
National Archives and published daily by the Government Publishing 
Office, or the GPO. Often described by the National Archives as ``the 
daily newspaper of the Federal Government,'' this service enables 
Members, staffs, and agencies to keep track of activity across 
government.
  In 1994, the GPO began publishing the Federal Register online. To 
improve user experience, the digital version has been enhanced over 
time to provide navigational aids that include links to related 
content.
  The Federal Register is now fully searchable and downloadable, making 
for quick access to any document. But sadly, Mr. Speaker, despite the 
advance of technology, Members of Congress and Federal offices across 
the entire government still receive printed copies of the Federal 
Register every day.
  In the course of a year, this stack of Registers would be 16-feet 
high. This results in thousands of copies going directly into the trash 
each week, unless occasionally used as doorstops. Subscriptions to the 
Federal Register cost about $1,000 annually, meaning hundreds of 
thousands of taxpayer dollars are wasted each year. This same money 
could pay for the salaries of 50 soldiers who defend our Republic in a 
given year.
  Mr. Speaker, H.R. 195 makes a small but significant change to fix the 
problem and ensure that we operate in the 21st century. Instead of 
automatically receiving printed copies, Members or offices of the 
Federal Government who want to continue to receive copies need only 
submit a request. There will be an opt-in, instead of an opt-out.
  Current print and on-demand technologies make this possible. The 
subscriptions will last for 1 year to ensure Members and offices are 
able to evaluate if they want to continue the service. For Members in 
offices that do not use or want the printed version, they will not 
receive it and will still have full access to the searchable digital 
version which most Members use.

[[Page H4268]]

  This change will reduce unnecessary printing and, in context, will 
prevent 96 Americans from having to work each year so that we can throw 
Registers in the trash.
  Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this efficient bill, and 
I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. CONNOLLY. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 195, the Federal Register 
Printing Savings Act. My friend, Mr. Russell, is going to develop a 
reputation around here for being just too commonsense. This bill would 
prohibit the Government Publishing Office from sending printed copies 
of the Federal Register to Members of Congress and other Federal 
offices unless they wanted them.
  The Federal Register includes rules, regulations, executive orders, 
and other Federal documents. It is a very important and useful 
publication. It does not make sense, however, as my friend from 
Oklahoma has pointed out, for GPO automatically to send it to offices 
that don't want it and end up putting it in the garbage, hopefully 
recycling.
  The Federal Register is available online, as my friend has pointed 
out, which significantly cuts down on the need for printed copies for 
most of us. This bill would reduce waste both in paper and in Federal 
dollars.
  The Congressional Budget Office says this bill would reduce Federal 
spending by $1 million a year. It was the late Everett Dirksen of 
Illinois who said: ``A billion here, a billion there, pretty soon it 
adds up to real money.'' CBO also estimates this bill would result in 
1,000 fewer copies of the Federal Register being printed each day.
  This bill is good for the environment, good for taxpayers, and a 
useful discipline for us all in terms of excess we don't need.
  Mr. Speaker, I thank Mr. Russell for his leadership, his common 
sense, and his collaboration on this committee, and I urge all Members 
to support the bill.
  Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
  Mr. RUSSELL. Mr. Speaker, I urge adoption of the bill, and I yield 
back the balance of my time.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the 
gentleman from Oklahoma (Mr. Russell) that the House suspend the rules 
and pass the bill, H.R. 195.
  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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