Advisory Committee At the Joint Committee's suggestion, GPO established a small advisory committee of depository librarians to assist GPO in reviewing the various identification numbers assigned to government publications by GPO. Their task is to simplify and expedite the classification, acquisition and distribution of these publications. This committee has made a number of useful recommendations and will continue to work with GPO during the next year as a resource in GPO's work on improving the ACSIS system. Court and Agency Decisions The Joint Committee persuaded all of the Federal circuit courts to provide their decisions to depository libraries over GPO's electronic Federal Bulletin Board (FBB). GPO has been working with the Courts to implement this agreement. The decisions of the Merit Systems Protection and Federal Labor Relations Authority have recently been added to the FBB. B. Sales Program The Congress established the Superintendent of Documents sales program to sell publications to the public on a cost-recovery basis at a reasonable price. In order to improve the operation of this program, the Joint Committee authorized GPO to purchase a new telephone system and upgrade automation support and equipment. These improvements were all implemented when GPO moved from rented space into newly renovated quarters at the main GPO building in 1994. GPO has already seen a dramatic improvement in their ability to respond to customers. The Joint Committee also recently approved the acquisition of new integrated processing software which will be implemented in 1995. Bookstores The Joint Committee on Printing continues to support the public's easy access to sales publications through the GPO bookstore program. The Joint Committee asked the GPO to evaluate the program and develop a strategic plan for improvements and as a result, the bookstores continue to make a profit. As provided by law (44 USC 1719), the Library of Congress conducts official exchanges of Government publications with a number of foreign governments as determined by the Brussels Conventions of 1886, executive agreements, or treaties. Under the resulting International Exchange Service program, the Superintendent of Documents assembles and distributes the official exchange sets for the United States. The Library of Congress receives and houses the official publications of the other nations. The Joint Committee on Printing and the Joint Committee on the Library provide oversight. While there have been ongoing problems with the exchange program, in January 1994, the cost of the program and have improved the dissemination of publications to the exchange libraries. These new policies include reduction of the total number of classes of publications provided from 1700 to 170, and the provision of lists to recipient libraries of expected publications. The reduction in the number of classes has allowed certain important publications to be sent in paper rather than in microfiche. As a result of improved contracting and these new policies the microfiche backlog has been reduced to zero. D. United States Congressional Serial Set The Public Printer established a working group to explore ways of preserving the Serial Set while cutting costs. The group recommended incremental steps that would reduce the costs in the near and the long term. These recommendations included using machine binding rather than hand binding for about 90% of the contents, storing reports and documents electronically in the GPO storage facility with subsequent printing-on-demand at the time of binding in order to save on storage and collation costs. 12. Overall Management of GPO FY 1994 GPO Expenditures The Joint Committee on Printing concurred in October 1993, with GPO's FY 1994 estimates for expenditures relating to their annual purchase order requirements and contracts for a total of $45,644,704. The Joint Committee reduced the original request by $303,260 after JCP staff determined an overstated amount for the acquisition of magnetic tapes. The FY 1994 estimate was increased by $582,606 over the approved FY 1993 total of $45,062,098. Following is a summary of these expenditures which also includes the FY 1993 figure for all paper purchases. The Joint Committee on Printing approved various actions requested by GPO during FY 1994, totalling $3,781,511. Capital equipment requests amounted to $3,440,796 and repairs/renovations projects totalled $340,715. $1.9 million of the funds approved for capital equipment was for the procurement of an Integrated Processing System for the modernization of the Superintendent of Documents Sales Program. The hardware and software to be purchased will replace 18 current but different systems, will enhance operational efficiency and place a greater priority on customer service. In addition, GPO conservatively estimates more than $1 million a year in cost savings will be realized from this action. The Joint Committee approved other projects and equipment requests and received from GPO a total estimated cost savings of $1,624,924 by approving these actions. GPO will also realize cost savings of $351,124 for reduced lease amounts attributed to the closing of the Seattle Regional Printing Plant and reducing the space for the New York Regional Printing plant. Due to GPO's financial situation and other considerations, the Public Printer made a decision in August 1994, not to purchase vacant land adjacent to the main GPO building. This was a matter which had been under consideration for several years and provides a cost avoidance for the Agency of $9 million. III. 1. ESTABLISHMENT OF STANDARDS AND SPECIFICATIONS FOR Government Paper Specification Standards The law requires the Joint Committee to set standards for printing and writing papers for the Federal Government. These standards must be used by all Federal Government publishers unless an exception is granted by the Joint Committee. The JCP publishes the Government Paper Specification Standards, which define the Government's minimum needs for the various types of printing papers used by the Federal Government. The standards also explain testing and acceptance criteria and indicate the availability of standard paper samples from the Government Printing Office. To incorporate the recycling requirements in the October 1993 Executive Order on Recycling, and to address a number of needs such as permanence, occupational safety, and requirements for new grades and uses for all printing and writing papers, the Joint Committee has revised the Government Paper Specification Standards and published a totally new edition as Volume 10 in July of this year. As there continues to be a great deal of change in products and technology in the paper industry, further revisions to the paper specifications will be necessary to ensure that the Government can obtain printing, writing, and office papers as economically as possible. 2. Recycled Papers In FY 1994, the Joint Committee on Printing continued to oversee the successful implementation of the Government Printing Office's comprehensive recycled paper purchase program. This program was initiated in June 1989, at the JCP's direction, based on the Since the program began, more than 95 percent of the paper and envelopes included in the EPA guidelines and bought by GPO for in-house production of Congressional materials and for sales to Federal agencies, has contained a minimum of 50 percent recovered material content. In many cases, JCP has directed GPO to acquire papers with a higher percentage of recycled fibers, particularly post consumer fibers, than suggested by these EPA guidelines. After President Clinton issued his Executive Order on recycling in October 1993, the JCP immediately reviewed the requirements of on-going quarterly paper procurements and incorporated the 20 percent post consumer recycled fiber content provision wherever practical. As a result, most of the paper that was shipped to GPO beginning in January 1994, contained the desired 20 percent post consumer waste content as part of the 50 percent total recovered materials content. The JCP also made available a new 100 percent recycled, 50 percent post consumer waste content paper for use in copy machines and duplicators. This new paper costs less than the virgin fiber paper now widely utilized by Federal agencies and is even significantly less expensive than the 20% post consumer grades of copier paper now available. However, many agencies have been reluctant to use this sheet due to its "natural" shade and its groundwood content that requires collection for recycling as a newsprint. The General Services Administration has resisted adopting the sheet, even with its lower costs, because they feel it decreases the value of their recycling programs. During FY 1994, GPO continued using newsprint with 100 percent post consumer fiber content. This newsprint is used to print the Congressional Record and the Federal Register. This paper has posed no production problems and provides a 4.6 percent savings over the previous virgin newsprint used. Based on this performance, the Joint Committee recently directed GPO to establish a new contract that will provide the same newsprint for calendar year 1995. 3. Passport Paper Working closely with the Department of State and the Government Printing Office, JCP has successfully initiated a 5-year contract for new passport paper. This new passport paper contains several new and unique devices to provide a much higher level of security for America's passports. The contract was competitively bid with significant competition, and as a result, a very competitive price was obtained. During 1994, the State Department issued a new passport format using this security paper as a central part of new methodology to deter fraud and illegal entry into the Country. JCP and GPO efforts in new security papers and security printing has been very well received by all Government organizations involved with this project. IV. COMPILATION, PUBLICATION AND DISTRIBUTION OF CERTAIN Congressional Publications The Joint Committee establishes policies, standards and procedures for the printing of prints, the Congressional Record, the Congressional Record Index, calendars, documents and other publications printed by resolution. In addition, the Joint Committee oversees the distribution of the following Congressional publications to Members of Congress and Committees: Congressional Record; Congressional Record Index; U.S. Congressional Serial Set; U.S. Code; Statutes-at-Large; Treaties and International Agreements; Foreign Relations of the United States; Jefferson's Manual and Rules of the House; Deschler's Precedents; The Capitol: A Pictorial History of the Capitol and the Congress; Our Flag; the US Constitution Annotated; How Our Laws Are Made; The Constitution; and the high school and college debate topics. The Congressional Directory for the 104th Congress is currently in the process of being prepared for printing and delivery to the Congress in the Spring of 1995. An updated electronic data base of the publication is being provided to the Government Printing Office for sales to the public and agencies in electronic as well as print format. The Congressional Pictorial Directory for the 104th Congress is currently being compiled for distribution to the House and Senate by early 1995. The text and photographs for this edition are being stored digitally by GPO with these images available in electronic format for sale to the public by the Superintendent of Documents. The images have been used previously for other products as required by Congress, the White House and other Federal agencies without the necessity of incurring the costs of resizing and recapturing images. In addition, flashcard sets of newly elected Members of Congress were prepared and distributed in early December 1994, for use by police, doorkeepers and pages. C. Other Printing Activity by the Joint Committee The Joint Committee in 1994, published pursuant to statute, eulogies for Senator John Heinz of Pennsylvania, Senator John Tower of Texas, Representative Walter Jones of North Carolina, Representative Ted Weiss of New York and Representative Paul Henry of Michigan. The Joint Committee also compiled and printed as a House Document, tributes offered by Members of Congress in honor of Associate Justice Thurgood Marshall as well as tributes in honor of former First Lady Patricia Ryan Nixon. The Joint Committee currently has approval to publish and is in the process of compiling, five other tribute and eulogy books in honor of Representative Jamie Whitten, Former First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, President Richard Nixon, Representative |