Public Printing Reorganization Act of 1979
Latest action. Referred to House Committee on House Administration.
Public Printing Reorganization Act of 1979 - Reestablishes the Government Printing Office (GPO) as an independent establishment of the Government. Abolishes the Joint Committee on Printing. Creates within the GPO a ten member Board of Directors composed of seven voting and three nonvoting members. Grants such Board overall responsibility for office policies and operations. Provides for the appointment of the voting members by the President with the advice and consent of the Senate. Lists the duties of the Board which include: (1) appointing and monitoring the performances of the Public Printer and the Superintendent of Documents; (2) furnishing GPO supplies to Government entities; and (3) setting standards for materials used to produce public documents. Specifies the composition, administrative procedures, and compensation of the Board. Requires the Board to prescribe and submit to specified committees of Congress such regulations as necessary to carry out its duties. States that such regulations shall take effect within ten legislative days after submission unless either committee adopts a resolution disapproving them. Authorizes the Chairman of the Board to appoint and fix the pay of necessary staff personnel, including special police officers, without regard to existing provisions governing appointments in the competitive service or classification and pay rates under the General Schedule. Requires labor-management relations in the GPO to be: (1) in accordance with provisions governing such relations for executive branch employees; and (2) based on principles of Federal law regarding collective bargaining over wages, hours, and working conditions for private sector employees. Prohibits GPO employees from striking. Requires the Board to submit any budget requests concurrently to the President, or the Office of Management and Budget, and to Congress. States that the Public Printer shall be under the supervision of the Board and that he or she shall be responsible for the provision of public printing services for the GPO. Eliminates provisions regarding a Deputy Public Printer. Requires that all public printing services for Government be provided through the GPO, with specified exceptions. Requires materials which are printed as permanent public documents or at Government expense, to bear notice of such information. States that the superintendent of Documents shall be: (1) responsible for the maintenance, distribution, and international exchange of public documents; and (2) under the Board's supervision. Requires that public documents be distributed through the GOP unless the Superintendent deems another method of distribution to be in the Government's interest. Declares that the price of a public document shall not be less than the cost of production and distribution of such document. Authorizes each Member of Congress to designate two libraries within the Member's congressional district for the deposit of public documents. Permits the head of each Government agency to designate a depository library within the agency. Designates specified libraries as depository libraries, and authorizes the Board to designate not over 100 other depository libraries. Authorizes the Committee on House Administration of the House of Representatives and the Committee on Rules and Administration of the Senate to regulate public printing services and the distribution of public documents for Congress. Stipulates that such documents shall be distributed through the GPO whenever practicable. Directs the GPO to prepare: (1) the Congressional Record in both daily and permanent form; and (2) the Congressional Directory. Requires the Board to prescribe regulations regarding the sale of the Congressional Record. Directs the head of each Government entity to designate one employee as an information resources manager to: (1) coordinate public printing services and the distribution of documents for such entity; (2) certify the legality and necessity of a requested public printing service; (3) furnish the Superintendent of Documents with information concerning the publications of such entity; and (4) oversee compliance with this Act. Prohibits the Public Printer from providing public printing services without receiving a certification of the need and legality of such service from an information resources manager. Eliminates specified provisions governing the public printing of particular reports and documents. States that this Act shall take effect on January 1, 1981.
Written by analysts at the Congressional Research Service and published on Congress.gov, not by Civibrief. Summarized at the "Introduced in House" stage on June 21, 1979. It describes the bill, it is not the legal text.
Where is it in the process, and what happens next?
4 steps remain before this bill could become law.
The record's latest action, on June 21, 1979: Referred to House Committee on House Administration.
- Clearing the committees it was referred to, and being scheduled for a floor vote
- Passage by the House
- Passage by the Senate
- The President's signature. If the President vetoes it, two-thirds of both chambers must vote to override.
How likely is it to become law?
Civibrief does not forecast outcomes and this page has no opinion about this one. What the record supports is a base rate, which is a fact about the whole pile, not a prediction about this measure.
In the 96th Congress (1979-80), 613 of the 12,581 bills and joint resolutions introduced became law, about 4.9 percent. That count covers every measure at every stage, including the many that never left committee.
This one is not there yet: 4 steps are still outstanding, listed above.
Has anyone actually voted on it?
No. No roll call in this Congress cites this measure. That is the ordinary outcome: most measures never reach a recorded floor vote, and a committee ends most of them simply by not acting.
A vote is not the only thing that happens to a measure. Hearings, markups, and referrals are all recorded actions, and none of them is a vote of the full chamber.
Who is behind it?
FRANK THOMPSON (D-NJ) introduced it on June 21, 1979, and 17 members have since signed on as cosponsors.
They come from both major parties: 13 Democrats, 4 Republicans.
Cosponsoring is a formal signature on the text. It is not a commitment to vote for the measure, it does not bind anyone's party, and a long list of cosponsors is a measure of attention rather than of prospects.
How long has it been in play?
It was introduced on June 21, 1979, 17248 days ago. The most recent recorded action was 17248 days ago, on June 21, 1979.
Measures do not carry over. Anything the 96th Congress has not finished by January 3, 1981 dies when the term ends, and has to be introduced again from the start in the next Congress.
Every answer above is assembled from this measure's own record on Congress.gov and from published counts of what Congress has passed before. Civibrief does not predict outcomes and takes no position on any measure.
Vote history
- HouseIn committee, no floor vote yet
- SenateAwaits House passage
- PresidentAwaits both chambers