ALAWON v2n52 (November 16, 1993) URL = http://hegel.lib.ncsu.edu/stacks/serials/alawon/alawon-v2n52 *****Begin File******************Begin File*******************BeginFile**** *************************************************************************** ISSN 1069-7799 ALAWON ALA Washington Office Newsline An electronic publication of the American Library Association Washington Office Volume 2, Number 52 November 16, 1993 In this issue: (278 lines) AMENDMENT TO HR 3400 APPROVED RESCISSION AND BUDGET CUTS - UPDATE ON DEVELOPMENTS *************************************************************************** AMENDMENT TO HR 3400 APPROVED The House of Representatives is scheduled to vote on November 19 or 20 on H.R. 3400, the Government Reform and Savings Act, the bill that would implement some of the Administration's "reinventing government" recommendations. The bill may be combined with the House rescission package of spending cuts offered by President Clinton at the end of October, and the package of budget cuts proposed by Reps. Tim Penny (D-MN) and John Kasich (R-OH). Details of the introduced version of Title XIV of HR 3400 were covered in the November 8 ALAWON, Vol. 2, Number 50. On November 10, 1993, the Committee on House Administration, chaired by Rep. Charlie Rose (D-NC), approved an amendment to HR 3400, Title XIV, Reinventing Support Services, that would replace the introduced version. The text of the amendment follows this article. Although the Committee on House Administration amendment would transfer the functions of the Public Printer to the executive branch, it also would require a central access point in the legislative branch to all government publications through the Superintendent of Documents system of electronic access provided for in the GPO Access Act, PL 103-40. The language in the introduced bill that encouraged privatization of government information has been eliminated in the House Administration amendment. In H.Report 130-366, part 5, filed on November 15, the Committee on House Administration summarized their amendment: The purpose of this legislation is to improve Government performance in the areas of printing, high speed duplicating, and information dissemination. The Amendment allows the Executive Branch maximum control over publishing, and procurement of publishing, for the Executive and Judicial Branches of Government. The Government Printing Office production and procurement functions will be transferred to the President. The Congress will maintain its traditional role as disseminator of information to the public through the statutory requirements of Title 44 for both the Depository Library and the Superintendent of Documents Sales Programs. Title XIV of H.R. 3400, as amended, places new statutory requirements on the Superintendent of Documents (SUDOCS), who remains inside the Legislative Branch and will report to the Librarian of Congress. These provisions recognize and require that SUDOCS assure that no documents are "fugitive" from the Sales and Depository Library Programs, and gives SUDOCS the responsibility to identify any matter that is published by an agency, in whatever form, and make that information available to the public through the programs the SUDOCS oversees. The House Committee on Rules, chaired by Rep. John Joseph Moakley (D-MA), will decide which of the various versions of Title XIV of HR 3400 will go the House floor for a vote. The ALA Washington Office is posting this information today, before we have a clear picture of what is likely to happen on HR 3400, because indications are that the House is determined to vote on the Administration's package later this week. ACTION NEEDED: The action needed given in Issue 50 of ALAWON still holds. Alert your Representative and Senators that HR 3400, Title XIV as introduced would adversely affect the ability of depository and other libraries to serve their constituents. Amendments to protect free and equitable access to government information should be supported. The following is the text of the amendment to HR 3400 approved by the Committee on House Administration on November 10, 1993. AMENDMENT TO HR 3400 Page 150, strike out line 1 and all that follows through page 157, line 8 (title XIV), and insert in lieu thereof the following new title: TITLE XIV--REINVENTING SUPPORT SERVICES SEC. 14001. SHORT TITLE. This title may be cited as the "Government Information Dissemination and Printing Improvement Act of 1993". SEC. 14002. TRANSFER OF FUNCTIONS. (a) PUBLIC PRINTER.--The position of Public Printer and all functions of the position of Public Printer (other than functions of the Superintendent of Documents) under title 44, United States Code, or any other provision of law are transferred from the legislative branch of the Government to the executive branch of the Government. (b) SUPERINTENDENT OF DOCUMENTS.--The position of Superintendent of Documents and all functions of the position of Superintendent of Documents under title 44, United States Code, or any other provision of law are transferred to the Library of Congress and shall be carried out by the Superintendent of Documents under the direction of the Librarian of Congress. The Superintendent of Documents shall be appointed by, and serve at the pleasure, of the Librarian of Congress. (c) REVOCATION OF CHARTERS.--All printing plant charters authorized under section 501 of title 44, United States Code, are revoked. (d) EFFECTIVE DATE.--The transfer under subsection (a) and the revocation under subsection (c) shall each take effect 2 years after the date of the enactment of this title. The transfer under subsection (b) shall take effect one year after the date of the enactment of this title. SEC. 14003. GOVERNMENT PUBLICATIONS TO BE AVAILABLE THROUGHOUT THE GOVERNMENT. All Government publications shall be available throughout the Government to any department, agency, or entity of the Government for use or redissemination. SEC. 14004. INVENTORY AND FURNISHING OF GOVERNMENT PUBLICATIONS. Each department, agency, and other entity of the Government shall-- (1) establish and maintain a comprehensive inventory of its Government publications; (2) make such inventory available through the electronic directory under chapter 41 of title 44, United States Code; and (3) in the form and manner prescribed by the Superintendent of Documents, furnish its Government publications to the Superintendent of Documents. SEC. 14005. ADDITIONAL RESPONSIBILITIES OF THE PUBLIC PRINTER. (a) IN GENERAL.--The Public Printer shall, with respect to the executive branch of the Government and the judicial branch of the Government-- (1) use all necessary measures to remedy neglect, delay, duplication, and waste in the public printing and binding of Government publications, including the reduction and elimination of internal printing and high-speed duplicating capacities of departments, agencies, and entities; (2) prescribe Government publishing standards, which, to the greatest extent practicable, shall be consistent with the United States Government Printing Office Style Manual; (3) prescribe Government procurement and manufacturing requirements for printing paper and writing paper, which, to the greatest extent practicable, shall be consistent with Government Paper Specification Standards; (4) authorize the acquisition and transfer of equipment requisitioned by publishing facilities authorized under section 501 of title 44, United States Code; (5) authorize the disposal of such equipment pursuant to section 312 of title 44, United States Code; and (6) establish policy for the acquisition of printing, which, to the greatest extent practicable, shall be consistent with (A) Printing Procurement Regulation (GPO Publication 305.3), (B) Government Printing and Binding Regulations (JCP No. 26), and (C) Printing Procurement Department Instruction (PP304.1B). (b) POLICY STANDARDS.--The policy referred to in subsection (a)(6) shall be formulated to maximize competitive procurement from the private sector. Government in-house printing and duplicating operations authorized under section 501 of title 44, United States Code, or otherwise authorized by law, may be used if they provide printing at the lowest cost to the Government, taking into consideration the total expense of production, materials, labor, equipment, and general and administrative expense, including all levels of overhead. SEC. 14006. ADDITIONAL RESPONSIBILITIES OF THE SUPERINTENDENT OF DOCUMENTS. (a) GOVERNMENT PUBLICATIONS TO BE FURNISHED TO THE SUPERINTENDENT OF DOCUMENTS.--If a department, agency, or other entity of the Government publishes a Government publication, the head of the department, agency, or entity shall furnish the Government publication to the Superintendent of Documents not later than the date of release of the material to the public. (b) DISSEMINATION OR REPUBLICATION.--In addition to any other dissemination provided for by law, the Superintendent of Documents shall disseminate or republish Government publications, if, as determined by the Superintendent, the dissemination by the department, agency, or entity of the Government is inadequate. The Superintendent shall have authority to carry out the preceding sentence by appropriate means, including the dissemination and republication of Government publications furnished under subsection (a), with the cost of dissemination and republication to be borne by the department, agency, or entity involved. (c) COST.--The cost charged to the public by the Superintendent of Documents under subsection (b) for any Government publication (whether such Government publication is made available to the public by a department, agency, or entity of the Government, or by the Superintendent of Documents) may include the incremental cost of dissemination, but may not include any profit. SEC. 14007. DEPOSITORY LIBRARIES. In addition to any other distribution provided for by law, the Superintendent of Documents shall make Government publications available to designated depository libraries and State libraries. The Superintendent shall have authority to carry out the preceding sentence by appropriate means, including the dissemination of republication of Government publications furnished under section 14006(a), with the cost of dissemination of republication to be borne by the department, agency, or entity involved. SEC. 14008. DEFINITIONS. As used in this title-- (1) the term "Government publication" means any informational matter that is published at Government expense, or as required by law; and (2) the term "publish" means, with respect to informational matter, make available for dissemination. *************************************************************************** RESCISSION AND BUDGET CUTS - UPDATE ON DEVELOPMENTS On November 16, the Committee for Education Funding, a coalition of some 100 education organizations to which ALA belongs, organized delivery of letters and visits to House offices. CEF representatives, including ALA Washington Office staff, alerted Representatives to the effects of the proposed Penny-Kasich budget cut amendment on education and library programs. Visits were made to speak with staff of new members of Congress to inform them of the consequences of further cuts in the caps on domestic discretionary program funding. Alice Rivlin, Office of Management and Budget, had testified on November 10 before the House Budget Committee as to the dire effect of the Penny-Kasich package on the President's proposed Health Care Reform plan. In spite of Administration opposition, it is expected that the Penny-Kasich amendment will be offered when the bill reaches the floor on November 19 or 20. The bill itself will be a blend of the Administration's proposals and the Appropriations Committee's suggested cuts. Since Congress still plans to adjourn by Thanksgiving, the Senate may not have time to consider the package before adjournment. Besides eliminating all funding for LSCA Title II (Public Library Construction, Renovation, and Technology Enhancement), the Penny-Kasich proposal would impose a 7.5 percent across-the-board cut in Legislative Branch appropriations. Such a reduction would have a direct effect on the Library of Congress and the Government Printing Office and their services to depository and all libraries across the country. *************************************************************************** *************************************************************************** ALAWON (ISSN 1069-7799) is an irregular publication of the American Library Association Washington Office, 110 Maryland Avenue, N.E., Washington, DC 20002-5675. Internet: alawash@alawash.org; Phone: 202-547-4440; Fax: 202-547-7363. Editor: Carol C. Henderson (cch@alawash.org). All or part of ALAWON may be redistributed, with appropriate credits. ALAWON is available free of charge and is available only in electronic form. To subscribe, send the message "subscribe ala-wo [your name]" to listserv@uicvm (Bitnet) or listserv@uicvm.uic.edu (internet). Back issues and other documents are available from the list server. 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