The distribution of Congressional publications, printed according to law on a regular basis, is the responsibility of the JCP. Publications of this kind include the daily, bi-weekly, and permanent Congressional Record, the Congressional Record Index, the Serial Set, the U.S. Code, Statutes at Large, Treaties and International Agreements, Foreign Relations of the U.S., and the Constitution Annotated. Smaller publications, such as Our American Government and Our Flag, are printed and distributed according to resolution. However, no resolutions for publishing these publications have been introduced in the 98th Congress.

As

An ongoing consideration of the JCP is the improvement of printing services provided by the GPO for the Congressional publications under the Joint Committee's jurisdiction. Toward that end, the Congressional Record Index has begun the transformation to automation. soon as practible, this effort will produce a daily Congressional Record Index. Also, an electronically-formatted Digest of the Congressional Record is being investigated by the JCP. Other publications in digitized or microform format are being reviewed by the JCP staff for possible distribution by and for the Congress. On a similar level, microfiche services are being made available to committees for publications too bulky to store in limited Congressional space. These technical developments in Congressional publishing are coordinated with the offices of the Clerk of the House and Secretary of the Senate, as well as the House Administration and Senate Rules Committees.

Oversight of the Federal Printing Procurement Program which the JCP initiated over 15 years ago to improve service, effect cost savings and reduce unnecessary government competition with private industry.

The JCP established the mission of the Federal printing program in March 1965. At that time, the Committee decided that the Federal Government should rely to the greatest practicable extent on the private commercial sector for its printing requirements. As Chairman, I established a Regional Printing Procurement Task Force in June 1983, to review the policies and practices for purchasing the Federal Government's printing and distribution services from the private commercial sector.

The Task Force endorsed the continuation of the JCP policies made in 1965, in implementing the Federal Printing Program to channel more Federal printing to commercial printers. The Task Force believed that the GPO's Regional Printing and Procurement Office should provide quality printing and distribution services for the Government through the private commercial sector in the most timely and costeffective manner. Also agreed upon was that, to the greatest extent possible, agency customer printing requirements originating in, or to be delivered in a geographical region, should be procured through the RPPO in that region unless insufficient competition is available to procure the products in a timely, qualitative, and cost-effective

The Task Force affirmed the JCP's objectives, specifically:

(1) The creation of a nationwide program administered by the GPO under the policy direction of the Joint Committee to coordinate and to ensure the competitive procurement of the Government's printing and distribution needs from the private commercial sector;

(2) The establishment of strategically located GPO regional printing and distribution procurement offices and printing plants operated pursuant to Joint Committee on Printing authorization;

(3) The steady reduction, to the degree that GPO can assume the functions and workload, of both the capability of department-operated printing plants and the volume of workload retained in-house;

(4) The commitment to the increased efficiency and economy resulting from the consolidation of Government printing, distribution, and printing procurement into a well-staffed, technologically advanced, service-oriented GPO; and

(5) The support of more effective public dissemination of Government publications through the Depository Library Program and the Superintendent of Documents' General Sales Program.

V.

Establishment of standards and specifications for printing papers procured and used by Federal Departments.

Under Section 509, 44 USC, the Joint Committee on Printing has the responsibility to "fix upon standards of paper for the different descriptions of public printing and binding...". Unless waived

by the JCP, these paper quality standards are mandatory for use by all Federal Government departments and agencies and their field activities in preparing procurement documents for paper stocks and in specifying paper stocks to be used for Government printing, binding, copying and duplicating.

Title 44 also requires that the Public Printer compare every lot of paper and envelopes delivered by a contractor with those standards of quality set by the Joint Committee. If a difference of opinion occurs between the Public Printer and a paper contractor regarding a paper's quality, the Joint Committee is by law the arbitor in the dispute, and its decision "is final as the to the United States".

The JCP meets its obligation to set standards by publishing the Government Paper Specification Standards, which define minimum standards for the paper that the Federal Government uses for normal public printing, including that procured from the private sector. The standards also explain testing and acceptance criteria and indicate the availability of standard paper samples from the Government Printing Office.

It is the responsibility of the JCP's Committee on Paper Specifications to make policy recommendations to the Members of the Joint Committee as to the need for particular standards. The Paper Committee, which is composed of experts in the field of paper from various Federal agencies, also has a Technical Subcommittee. The Subcommittee, along with GPO's paper laboratory, performs technical analysis and evaluations in the development of standards. Additionally, the Paper Committee actively consults with and solicits advice on needed changes in the specifications from the commercial paper industry, private printers who perform Government printing, and Federal agency users of paper. Existing JCP paper standards are constantly reviewed and updated depending on changing needs in Federal printing, within the graphic arts industry, or in the paper industry.

The last edition (No. 9) of the Government Paper Specification Standards was published in December 1981. This 9th edition contains specifications for approximately 80 types of paper. The major changes incorporated in the 9th edition were aimed at reducing government costs, clarifying the specifications, and conforming to industry standards or norms.

VI. Oversight of the public's right of access to government publications by monitoring the Superintendent of Documents depository library program, sales program and cataloging and indexing programs.

The Congress established the Depository Library Program to make government publications available free for use by the public in libraries across the country. The Joint Committee on Printing is responsible for the oversight of this program. Over the last year the Committee has take several steps to help improve the program. Specifically, the JCP has:

Authorized GPO to move the Library Programs Service to
the main GPO, so that Library staff will be able to work
more closely with other staff at GPO, particularly those
who are responsible for ordering publications selected
by the libraries.

Authorized GPO to purchase equipment that will modernize
the distribution system at the Library Programs Service.
Worked with the Appropriations Committee to assure that
the Department of Energy will provide their publications
to the depository libraries.

(4) Worked with the GPO, Defense Mapping Agency and the U.S.
Geological Survey to establish a cooperative map distribu-
tion program, in which each of the agencies pays part of
the cost of the operation and assumes part of the work,
thus eliminating duplication.

(5)

2.

Established an Ad Hoc Committee on Depository Library Access to Federal Automated Data Bases. The purpose of the Committee is to evaluate the feasibility and desirability of providing access to Government information in electronic formats to Federal depository libraries. The Committee membership consists of representatives from the major library and information associations, executive branch agencies and Senate Rules and House Administration Committees.

General Sales Program

The JCP unanimously voted on February 9, 1982, to request that the General Accounting Office (GAO) undertake a comprehensive review of the policies, procedures, and management of the Government Printing Office's General Sales program. The JCP further resolved to "reaffirm Congressional support for the distribution of publications through Government bookstores".

This review was requested because the Committee was concerned about (1) the Public Printer's proposal to reduce the number of GPO bookstores in Washington, D.C., and to close all of the out-of-town stores; (2) reductions in the number of documents selected for sale by the program; (3) complaints from the Federal agencies and the public about increases in the prices of government documents; and (4) the trend of the losses incurred by the General Sales Program in the three years ending in fiscal year 1981.

The GAO issued its findings and recommendations on November 16, 1983. The GAO review of the 1982 financial results of the bookstore program showed that "it was financially viable and contributed $2.3 million to absorbing other General Sales program operating costs". The GAO further concluded that "sufficient management attention to a variety of current problems and needs of the bookstores should favorably impact the bookstores financial performance. As Chairman of the Joint Commimttee on Printing, I plan to have the Committee meet to discuss the GAO report soon after the Congress reconvenes from the Christmas recess.

Comparison between the JCP's Budget Request for FY-1985 and the Appropriation recommended/Approved by the Congress for FY-1983

During Fiscal Year 1983, certain Joint Committee on Printing staff positions were not filled for varying periods of time due to retirement or resignation. Currently, however, all authorized positions are filled. The FY-1984 Supplemental of $21,000 is due entirely to the cost-of-living increase which becomes effective January 1, 1984. The FY-1985 request of $918,000 contains one new position. This position of Publications Distribution Specialist is sorely needed to aid the JCP in monitoring the proper distribution of voluminous governmnent documents to the libraries and to the public. Currently only one JCP staff member is assigned to the task of ensuring that Government departments comply with the law and regulations

concerning cataloging, indexing, and distribution of these documents. The revised JCP regulations in this area will require more oversight responsibility, and an additional staff member is vital to the proper exercise of our obligations.

As has been the practice for the past four years, I will elaborate in greater detail in the Committee's next statement supporting our FY-1985 appropriation request.

Respectfully submitted,

Augustus F. Hawking

Hawkins