    [Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: William J. Clinton (1993, Book I)]
    [June 8, 1993]
    [Page 820]
    [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]

    [[Page 820]]

    Statement on Signing the Government Printing Office Electronic
    Information Access Enhancement Act of 1993
    June 8, 1993

        It is with great pleasure that I sign into law S. 564, the
    ``Government Printing Office Electronic Information Access Enhancement
    Act of 1993,'' which will enhance electronic access by the public to
    Federal information. Under this Act, the public will have on-line
    computer access to two of the major source documents that inform us
    about the laws and regulations that affect our daily lives: the
    Congressional Record and the Federal Register. With recent advances in
    information technology, we can go beyond the costly printing of tons of
    paper documents without diminishing the quick and accurate delivery of
    important information to the public.
        As Vice President Gore and I announced in our February 22nd
    statement, Technology for America's Economic Growth, A New Direction to
    Build Economic Strength, we are committed to working with the private
    sector to use technology to make Government information available to the
    public in a timely and equitable manner. Federal agencies can make
    Government information more accessible to the public, and enhance the
    utility of Government information as a national resource, by
    disseminating information in electronic media.
        For many years, Vice President Gore has been a leader in this area.
    He introduced the Senate version of this Act last year and worked
    closely with Chairmen Charlie Rose and Wendell Ford and others on both
    sides of the aisle to refine the Act.
        This important step forward in the electronic dissemination of
    Federal information will provide valuable insights into the most
    effective means of disseminating all public Government information. The
    system to be established by the Government Printing Office (GPO) will
    complement, not supplant, commercial information services and Federal
    agency information dissemination programs. Likewise, it should not
    supplant existing GPO mechanisms of information dissemination to the
    private sector. Indeed, the lessons learned from this program will be
    used by Federal agencies to develop the most useful and cost-effective
    means of information dissemination. To do this, the GPO initiative must
    be coordinated with related projects in the Executive branch.

                                                          William J. Clinton

    The White House,
    June 8, 1993.

    Note: S. 564, approved June 8, was assigned Public Law No. 103-40.