[Federal Register Volume 66, Number 165 (Friday, August 24, 2001)]
[Rules and Regulations]
[Pages 44523-44525]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 01-21400]



 ========================================================================
 Rules and Regulations
                                                 Federal Register
 ________________________________________________________________________
 
 This section of the FEDERAL REGISTER contains regulatory documents 
 having general applicability and legal effect, most of which are keyed 
 to and codified in the Code of Federal Regulations, which is published 
 under 50 titles pursuant to 44 U.S.C. 1510.
 
 The Code of Federal Regulations is sold by the Superintendent of Documents. 
 Prices of new books are listed in the first FEDERAL REGISTER issue of each 
 week.
 
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 

  Federal Register / Vol. 66, No. 165 / Friday, August 24, 2001 / Rules 
and Regulations  

[[Page 44523]]



ADMINISTRATIVE COMMITTEE OF THE FEDERAL REGISTER

1 CFR Part 11

RIN 3095-ZA03


Prices and Availability of Federal Register Publications

AGENCY: Administrative Committee of the Federal Register.

ACTION: Final rule.

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SUMMARY: The Administrative Committee of the Federal Register announces 
increases in the prices charged for the paper and microfiche editions 
of Federal Register publications. The price changes apply to the daily 
Federal Register, the Federal Register Index and LSA (List of CFR 
Sections Affected), the Code of Federal Regulations, and the Weekly 
Compilation of Presidential Documents. The Administrative Committee has 
determined that it is necessary to increase prices to enable the 
Government Printing Office to recover more of the cost of producing and 
distributing Federal Register publications.

DATES: This final rule is effective September 24, 2001.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Michael White at 202-275-4292, ext. 
275.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Background

    Under the Federal Register Act (44 U.S.C. Chapter 15), the 
Administrative Committee of the Federal Register is responsible for 
establishing the prices charged for Federal Register publications. 
Federal Register publications are sold and distributed to the public by 
the Government Printing Office's (GPO) Superintendent of Documents. The 
Administrative Committee periodically reviews data submitted by the 
Superintendent of Documents to determine whether subscription rates and 
single copy prices of Federal Register publications produce sufficient 
revenue to keep pace with GPO's printing, handling and distribution 
costs, as well as postal rate increases. GPO receives no appropriation 
for any of the costs associated with producing Federal Register 
publications. Sales revenue supports the costs of the sales program.
    In January 2001, the Administrative Committee reviewed data 
submitted by the Government Printing Office (GPO). The data indicates 
that sales revenue is insufficient to cover the program costs of 
certain Federal Register publications. The shortfall in sales revenue 
is attributable to declining paper subscriptions, increases in GPO 
employee pay scales and benefits, higher paper prices, and a 12.7 
percent increase in postal rates in 2001. Although GPO has taken 
aggressive measures to achieve savings in its sales program, such as 
reducing full time equivalent employee costs by 29 percent since 1994, 
a number of other factors have combined to make it necessary to raise 
the price of paper publications. Part of the increased program costs 
can be attributed to a rise in the number of pages printed per 
subscription. The number of pages printed for each subscription to the 
Federal Register has increased by more than 10 percent since 1997 
(66,934 pages in 1997 as compared with 77,234 pages in 2000). A sharp 
decline in the number of paid subscriptions has also contributed to the 
need for price increases. Since 1994, when the Administrative Committee 
began providing online access to the Federal Register, subscriptions 
have fallen by 73 percent. The decline in paper subscription revenue 
far exceeds the savings realized from reduced production costs. As a 
result, handling costs must be allocated over a much smaller base of 
orders, forcing increases in the prices of paper publications.
    Based on this information, the Administrative Committee determined 
that it should propose price increases for certain publications to more 
accurately reflect the current costs of production and distribution. 
The Administrative Committee published a proposed rule on price changes 
for Federal Register publications on June 6, 2001 at 66 FR 30340. The 
proposed pricing schedule took into account the actual production, 
handling and distribution costs for paper publications over the past 
year and projected costs for the remainder of 2001. In this final rule, 
the Administrative Committee adopts without change the new subscription 
rates and single copy prices as set out in the proposed rule.
    The price changes issued in the final rule are reflected in 
amendments to 1 CFR part 11. The following rates will be effective 
September 24, 2001. The annual subscription rate for the daily Federal 
Register paper edition increases from $638 to $699. For a combined 
Federal Register, Federal Register Index and LSA (List of CFR Sections 
Affected) subscription, the rate increases from $697 to $764. The price 
of a single copy of the daily Federal Register paper edition increases 
from $9 to $10. The annual subscription rate for the microfiche edition 
of the Federal Register, which includes the Federal Register Index and 
LSA, increases from $253 to $264. The annual subscription price for the 
Federal Register Index increases from $28 to $30. The annual 
subscription price for the monthly LSA increases from $31 to $35. The 
annual subscription rate for a full set of the CFR paper edition 
increases from $1094 to $1195. The annual subscription rate for the 
microfiche edition of the CFR increases from $290 to $298. The annual 
subscription rates for the Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents 
increase from $92 to $103 for delivery by non-priority mail and from 
$151 to $169 for delivery by first-class mail.
    The changes to subscription rates for the paper editions amount to 
a 9.6 percent increase in the price of the Federal Register, a 9.2 
percent increase in the price of the CFR, and a 12 percent increase in 
the price of the Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents. The 
single copy prices for the Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents 
and the microfiche editions of the daily Federal Register and CFR will 
not change.
    In the proposed rule, the Administrative Committee acknowledged 
that subscribers who prefer the convenience of having the paper 
editions of Federal Register publications delivered to their places of 
business would incur additional expenses. However, the Committee also 
stated that individuals and small

[[Page 44524]]

businesses would not be substantially affected because of the free 
access that is provided to the online editions on GPO Access and to the 
paper editions at Federal Depository libraries.
    One person submitted a comment on the proposed rule. The commenter 
stated that the price increases did not adversely affect her ability to 
access Federal rules and policies. The commenter has relied on 
obtaining free access through a Depository library in the past and now 
uses the free online edition of the Federal Register on GPO Access. The 
commenter noted that having ready access to the online edition saves 
her the cost of driving at least 640 miles per year to a Depository 
library to do research and make photocopies.
    Use of online Federal Register publications on the GPO Access 
service (http://www.access.gpo.gov/nara) has expanded rapidly since 
free service was introduced in late 1995. Information retrievals from 
the online edition of the Federal Register grew from just under 15 
million documents in calendar year 1996 to over 61 million documents 
downloaded in calendar year 2000. Over the same period, information 
retrievals from the online edition of the CFR grew from about 725,000 
documents to more than 93 million documents downloaded. The success of 
the online publications demonstrates that the Administrative Committee 
is fulfilling its mission to provide the public with essential 
information on the functions, actions, and regulatory requirements of 
the Federal government. At the same time, the Administrative Committee 
is constantly engaged in efforts to improve the quality of our online 
publications, including investments in new technology applications that 
will enhance e-government services to the public. In addition, GPO 
recently took new steps to significantly increase server capacity to 
meet the growing demand for online access to Federal Register 
publications. For members of the public who prefer to read the printed 
editions, GPO continues to provide free access to Federal Register 
publications at Federal Depository libraries located throughout the 
nation under funding provided by Congress.

Regulatory Analysis

Executive Order 12866

    This rule has been drafted in accordance with Executive Order 
12866, section 1(b), ``Principles of Regulation.'' The Administrative 
Committee consulted with the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) and 
determined that the rule does not meet the criteria for a significant 
regulatory action under Executive Order 12866. The annualized cost of 
the rule will be far less than $100 million and it does not meet any of 
the other criteria of section 3(f) of Executive Order 12866. Therefore, 
this final rule is not subject to OMB review.

Regulatory Flexibility Act

    The Administrative Committee has determined that the Regulatory 
Flexibility Act, 5 U.S.C. 601 et seq., does not apply to rate increases 
necessary to recover the costs to the Government for printing and 
distributing Federal Register publications. This rule will not have a 
significant impact on a substantial number of small entities since it 
imposes no substantive requirements, and any increased costs can be 
avoided by accessing Federal Register publications through the free GPO 
Access service on the Internet or at a Federal depository library. 
Therefore, a regulatory flexibility analysis as provided in the 
Regulatory Flexibility Act, as amended, is not required.

Federalism

    This rule has no Federalism implications under Executive Order 
13132. It does not impose compliance costs on State or local 
governments or preempt State law.

Congressional Review

    This rule is not a major rule as defined by 5 U.S.C. 804(2). The 
Administrative Committee will submit a rule report, including a copy of 
this final rule, to each House of the Congress and to the Comptroller 
General of the United States as required under the congressional review 
provisions of the Small Business Regulatory Enforcement Fairness Act of 
1986.

List of Subjects in 1 CFR Part 11

    Code of Federal Regulations, Federal Register, Government 
publications, Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents.

    For the reasons discussed in the preamble, the Administrative 
Committee of the Federal Register amends part 11 of chapter I of title 
1 of the Code of Federal Regulations as set forth below:

PART 11--SUBSCRIPTIONS

    1. The authority citation for part 11 continues to read as follows:

    Authority: 44 U.S.C. 1506; sec. 6, E.O. 10530, 19 FR 2709, 3 
CFR, 1954-1958 Comp., p. 189.


    2. In Sec. 11.2, revise paragraph (a) to read as follows:


Sec. 11.2  Federal Register.

    (a) The subscription price for the paper edition of the daily 
Federal Register, including postage, is $699 per year. A combined 
subscription to the daily Federal Register, the monthly Federal 
Register Index, and the monthly LSA (List of CFR Sections Affected), 
including postage, is $764 per year for the paper edition, or $264 per 
year for the microfiche edition. Six-month subscriptions to the paper 
and microfiche editions are also available at one-half the annual rate. 
Limited quantities of current or recent issues may be purchased for $10 
per copy for the paper edition, or $2 per copy for the microfiche 
edition.
* * * * *

    3. In Sec. 11.3, revise paragraph (a) to read as follows:


Sec. 11.3  Code of Federal Regulations.

    (a) The subscription price for a complete set of the Code of 
Federal Regulations, including postage, is $1195 per year for the 
bound, paper edition, or $298 per year for the microfiche edition. The 
Government Printing Office sells individual volumes of the paper 
edition of the Code of Federal Regulations at prices determined by the 
Superintendent of Documents under the general direction of the 
Administrative Committee. The price of a single volume of the 
microfiche edition is $2 per copy.
* * * * *

    4. In Sec. 11.6, revise paragraph (a) to read as follows:


Sec. 11.6  Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents.

    (a) The subscription price for the paper edition of the Weekly 
Compilation of Presidential Documents is $103 per year for delivery by 
non-priority mail, or $169 per year for delivery by first-class mail. 
The price of an individual copy is $4.
* * * * *

    5. Revise Sec. 11.7 to read as follows:


Sec. 11.7  Federal Register Index.

    The annual subscription price for the monthly Federal Register 
Index, purchased separately, in paper form, is $30.

    6. Revise Sec. 11.8 to read as follows:


Sec. 11.8  LSA (List of CFR Sections Affected).

    The annual subscription price for the monthly LSA (List of CFR 
Sections

[[Page 44525]]

Affected), purchased separately, in paper form, is $35.

John W. Carlin,
Chairman.
Michael F. Di Mario,
Member.
Rosemary Hart,
Member.
John D. Ashcroft,
Attorney General.
John W. Carlin,
Archivist of the United States.
[FR Doc. 01-21400 Filed 8-23-01; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 1505-02-P