ADMINISTRATIVE NOTES

Newsletter of the Federal Depository Library Program

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March 15, 1998 Issue
GP 3.16/3-2:19/05
(Vol. 19, no. 05)

Prepared Statement before the Subcommittee on Legislative Appropriations
Committee on Appropriations
House of Representatives
On

Appropriations Estimates For Fiscal Year 1999

Mr. Chairman and Members of the Subcommittee, I am pleased to be here today to present the funding requirements of the Government Printing Office (GPO) for FY 1999.

An abiding commitment to public access to Government information is deeply rooted in our system of Government. GPO is one of the most visible demonstrations of that commitment. For more than a century, our mission under the public printing and documents statutes of Title 44, U.S. Code, has been to fulfill the needs of the Federal Government for information products and to distribute those products to the public.

Formerly, GPO’s mission was accomplished through the production and procurement of traditional printing technologies. However, a generation ago we began migrating our processes to electronic technologies, and in 1993 Congress amended Title 44 with the GPO Electronic Information Access Enhancement Act (P.L. 103-40), which requires us to disseminate Government information products online. This Act is the basis of GPO Access, our Internet information service.

Today, GPO is dedicated to producing, procuring, and disseminating Government information products in a wide range of formats—print, CD-ROM, and online. In GPO the Government has a unique asset that combines a comprehensive range of conventional production and electronic processing, procurement facilitation, and multi-format dissemination capabilities to support the information life cycle needs of Congress, Federal agencies, and the public:

• We provide print and electronic information products and services to Congress and Federal agencies through inplant processes and the purchase of information products from the private sector. For Congress, we maintain a capability to fully support the information product needs of the legislative process, working in close cooperation with leadership offices, committees, Members, and staffs in each Chamber.

• We disseminate Government information to the public in print and electronic formats through a low-priced sales program and a reimbursable program, and to Federal depository libraries nationwide where the information may be used by the public free of charge. We catalog and index Government information products so they can be identified and retrieved by users.

• We also disseminate a massive volume of information online via the Internet with GPO Access. Approximately 8 million documents are retrieved by the public every month using this system. We strongly support the increased dissemination of Government information in electronic formats, and GPO Access today is one of the leading Federal sites on the Internet. Our home page, at www.access.gpo.gov, provides free public access to more than 70 Federal databases from all three branches of the Government, a growing number of agency Government Information Locator Service (GILS) sites, and associated locator and Pathway aids.

We provide all of our services in a non-partisan, service-oriented environment that emphasizes the primacy of the customer’s requirements for timeliness, quality, security, and economy. We are committed to achieving the greatest access and equity in information dissemination through printed publications, CD-ROM, and online information technologies. Our electronic and traditional technologies simultaneously enable us to facilitate the re-engineering of information products to satisfy the Government’s changing information requirements, and to preserve and protect public access to Government information for all of our citizens.

More than a century ago, Congress in its wisdom designed a system in GPO for keeping America informed. That system continues to serve a vital purpose today.

For FY 1999, we are requesting $114.2 million for those programs that require annual appropriations directly to GPO. The request includes $84 million for the Congressional Printing and Binding Appropriation and $30.2 million for the Salaries and Expenses Appropriation of the Superintendent of Documents.

Our total request is an increase of $3.5 million, or 3.1 percent, over the level of funding approved for FY 1998. Our FY 1998 funding includes a one-time transfer of approximately $11 million from our revolving fund to the Congressional Printing and Binding Appropriation. As our budget submission shows on pages I-2 and I-3, GPO’s appropriations have remained relatively stable for several years and have declined substantially in real purchasing power.

The Congressional Printing and Binding Appropriation is critical to the maintenance and operation of our inplant capacity, which is structured to serve Congress’s information product needs. The appropriation covers the costs of congressional printing such as the Congressional Record, bills, reports, hearings, documents, and other products. Each year, a substantial volume of this work is requisitioned. In FY 1997, more than 1.3 billion copy pages of congressional products were produced at an average cost of less than 4 cents per page, inclusive of all prepress work, printing, binding, and delivery. This appropriation also covers database preparation work on congressional publications disseminated online via GPO Access.

The majority of the Superintendent of Documents Salaries and Expenses Appropriation is for the Federal Depository Library Program (FDLP). While some of the funding for this program is for salaries and benefits, most is for printing and distributing publications (including publications in CD-ROM and online formats) to depository libraries. This appropriation also provides the majority of funding for the operation of GPO Access.

Our request of $84 million for the Congressional Printing and Binding Appropriation is an increase of $2.3 million, or 2.9 percent, over the total amount approved for FY 1998, which includes the transfer from the revolving fund. The items covered by the request are as follows:

Product prices are anticipated to increase by approximately 4.7 percent overall due to the increased costs of employee compensation and benefits, utilities, maintenance, materials, and supplies. We are continuing to work to reduce these costs with savings from technological improvements and adjustments to staffing requirements.

The impact of price increases will be offset by a 1.8 percent reduction overall resulting from decreased workload volume in several product categories. Based on historical data, in the first session of the 106^th Congress we expect to see decreases in workload for the Congressional Record, business and committee calendars, details to Congress, document envelopes and franks, committee prints, hearings, and documents. Historical data suggest there will be increases in miscellaneous publications (because of the production of the Congressional Directory and other publications for the new Congress), miscellaneous printing and binding, bills, resolutions, and amendments, and committee reports. While these estimates are based only on historical factors and represent our best estimates as to the projected workload for the first session of the 106^th Congress, actual workload may vary.

Following the hearing before this Subcommittee last year, and at the request of the Chairman, I met with the Clerk of the House of Representatives, the Honorable Robin H. Carle, as well as Acting Chief Administrative Officer Jeff Trandahl, to discuss GPO’s role in ongoing plans to develop a House document management system. We have been assured that GPO will continue as a vital partner with the House and Senate through our well-established mission of support of the Congress.

We have been participating with both the House and the Senate in the development of new legislative information systems that will expand the capability to create and utilize electronic information products in Congress and potentially reduce GPO’s printing costs. One objective of these systems is the adoption of Standard Generalized Markup Language (SGML) to permit the submission of machine-readable keystrokes requiring less processing by GPO prior to final production. We support initiatives in both Chambers to facilitate the sharing of information.

Our request of $30.2 million for the Salaries and Expenses Appropriation of the Superintendent of Documents is an increase of $1.1 million, or 3.9 percent, over the amount approved for FY 1998. The increase is due to increases in mandatory pay and related costs, price level changes, and workload changes. The component programs covered by the request are as follows:

Price level changes and cost increases due to pay raises and related expenses represent $818,000, or about 73 percent of the requested increase of $1.1 million. The majority of this amount, $570,000, is for price level changes calculated at the assumed rate of inflation for the year, or 2.6 percent. Approximately $225,000 is for enhancements to GPO Access to facilitate the continuing transition of the FDLP to a predominantly electronic basis. The balance is for capital expenditures for GPO’s Library Programs Service.

House Report 104-657, accompanying H.R. 3754, the Legislative Branch Appropriations Act for 1997, directed GPO to reduce the distribution of paper copies of the bound Congressional Record beginning with the 105^th Congress, and to produce a new CD-ROM format for this publication. A total of $100,000 was earmarked for the FY 1997 Congressional Printing and Binding Appropriation for a more limited number of printed copies of the bound Record to be distributed at the direction of the Joint Committee on Printing (JCP).

The JCP has directed the distribution of about 205 sets of the bound Record to be funded from GPO appropriations, estimated to cost about $313,000. This includes $179,000 from the Congressional Printing and Binding Appropriation and $134,000 from the Salaries and Expenses Appropriation. In addition, we estimate that about 190 sets will be ordered and paid for by other Federal agencies and the public. Consistent with the direction of House Report 104-657, we plan to produce the sets on demand from an electronic database utilizing high-speed reproduction technology. This strategy will produce the relatively small number of copies required at a much greater savings. We have requested the approval of this Subcommittee to spend an additional $79,000 from our FY 1997 Congressional Printing and Binding Appropriation and $134,000 from the Salaries and Expenses Appropriation for this purpose. Sufficient funds are available for this purpose.

House Report 104-657 also directed us to reduce the production and distribution of bound Congressional Serial Sets beginning with the 105^th Congress. The direction was to convert most sets to CD-ROM format and to limit the distribution of bound sets to regional depository libraries, plus one depository in each state without a designated regional depository (including the District of Columbia), and to international exchange libraries.

We formulated a plan for the implementation of this directive that subsequently was approved by the JCP. The bound Serial Set will be distributed to all designated regional depository libraries and one library in each of seven states that do not have a designated regional depository. In addition, the international exchange libraries, the Library of Congress, the National Archives Library, the Senate Library, the House Library, and the Public Documents Library Collection (now housed within the National Archive and Records Administration) will continue to receive bound versions of the Serial Set. An estimated 105 copies of each volume of the set will be produced and distributed to these recipients. This quantity is 344 copies less per volume than was distributed prior to the 105^th Congress (a total of 128 volumes are estimated for a Serial Set for an entire Congress).

The Superintendent of Documents has surveyed depository libraries to allow them the opportunity to add the initial slip distribution of the documents and reports of the 105^th Congress in paper format, since the bound Serial Set will not be an option for most of them. In addition, we have accepted the suggestion of the Government Documents Roundtable of the American Library Association to make available copies of the Serial Set title pages (including the contents listing for each volume) to depository libraries that request them. We are also offering the bound Serial Set for the 105^th Congress for sale through the Superintendent of Documents sales program.

At this time, it is not possible to create a complete electronic Serial Set with all the requisite capabilities, since many documents and reports are not currently available electronically and are too graphically intense to convert to an electronic format. We will work with the Clerk of the House of Representatives and the Secretary of the Senate, as well as ongoing efforts associated with information systems planning in both Chambers, toward the eventual production of a complete electronic Serial Set.

We are continuing to transition the FDLP to a predominately electronic basis, as directed by the Legislative Branch Appropriations Act for 1996, and as set forth in the plans contained in the Study to Identify Measures Necessary for a Successful Transition to a More Electronic Federal Depository Library Program (June 1996). The transition process was estimated to require from five to seven years beginning in FY 1996. The transition includes the dissemination of both tangible electronic Government information products, such as CD-ROM’s, as well as online databases and locator services provided via GPO Access, our online Internet service. GPO Access is the principal delivery vehicle for online Government information to depository libraries and the public. Current trends indicate that online formats will eventually be the dominant means of electronic dissemination.

A key highlight of the transition process this past year was the development of the "collection management" concept for GPO Access, which establishes that we will manage the various electronic Government information products made permanently accessible via GPO Access as a library-like collection. When the FDLP only managed printed products, the responsibility for ensuring permanent public access was shared by GPO and the regional depository libraries. In a more electronic FDLP, the permanent collection consists of remotely accessible electronic Government information products (including core legislative and regulatory GPO Access products) that will reside permanently on GPO servers or at our remote site, and other products either maintained by GPO or other institutions, operating in a distributed networked environment, with which we have established formal agreements.

In 1997, we established the first partnerships under the collection concept with the University of Illinois-Chicago, the University of North Texas, and the Online Computer Library Center (OCLC) Inc., to handle permanent public access to databases originating with the State Department, the now-defunct Office of Technology Assessment, and the Education Department, respectively. We have also developed a partnership with the Department of Energy for the electronic dissemination of its reports in image format. In a related effort, we are piloting a project with the National Technical Information Service (NTIS) of the Commerce Department to make available certain NTIS image files to depository libraries.

We are pleased to report that GPO’s revolving fund generated consolidated net income from continuing operations of $11.6 million for FY 1997, compared with a loss of $16.9 million for FY 1996. However, the Department of Labor (DOL) has revised its estimate of GPO’s long-term liability for workers’ compensation, which could cause an increase of $23.9 million in accrued expenses for FY 1997. We have requested a clarification of this estimate from DOL. In addition, the General Accounting Office has stated, in decision B-259508 (April 4, 1996), that GPO, pursuant to section 8147c of Title 5, U.S.C., is not required to pay an additional fee to the DOL’s Office of Workers’ Compensation Programs (OWCP) to cover its administrative costs. We have been seeking to obtain a refund of the amounts erroneously collected by the OWCP.

We have been experiencing payment problems with one of our largest customer agencies, the Defense Department. In our view, these problems stem largely from the creation of the Defense Printing Service, now known as the Defense Automated Printing Service. At the end of FY 1992, GPO’s accounts receivable from DOD were about $32 million. Unpaid DOD invoices over 60 days old amounted to about $9 million, or 28 percent of the total. Since the creation of the Defense Printing Service in 1993, total receivables and delinquencies from DOD have been increasing. As of December 31, 1997, total DOD receivables reached $52.7 million with unpaid invoices over 60 days amounting to $24.3 million, or 46 percent. Although we have made several changes to our accounting system to assist DOD in improving their payment record, none of these initiatives has been fully implemented by DOD. DOD’s payment record is directly impacting our cash flow and creating the prospect of a cash shortage in our revolving fund.

We are currently cooperating within the GPO management audit ordered by Congress in House Report 105-254, accompanying H.R. 2209, the Legislative Branch Appropriations Act for 1998. The audit is being conducted by Booz-Allen & Hamilton, Inc., under contract with the General Accounting Office. We have also implemented reforms to our sales program to assure that all disposals of excess stock comply with established guidelines.

We are cooperating with the General Accounting Office in its efforts to assess the status of year 2000 readiness in all legislative branch agencies, following the direction of the Chairman of the Senate Subcommittee on Legislative Branch Appropriations dated October 30, 1997. Our proposal to the JCP to bring our mainframe operating system into year 2000 compliance has been approved. We have formed an internal year 2000 program management office to work with the GAO, and have appointed year 2000 coordinators throughout GPO. We are continuing to conduct a review of all GPO computer systems to determine which systems will be converted, replaced, or retired. We are confident that the steps we are taking now will ensure the continuity of product and service provision to Congress, Federal agencies, and the public.

For FY 1999, we are requesting the deletion of the statutory limitation on our full-time equivalent employment (FTE’s). GPO has reduced employment by more than 25 percent since early 1993. This reduction was accomplished through attrition and successfully lowered our costs while preventing interruptions in service to Congress, Federal agencies, and the public. However, some critical GPO areas, including those that serve Congress, are now fully reduced and cannot withstand further reductions without impairing performance and service provision. GPO is now at its lowest employment level in this century. Allowing us to manage our FTE resources within the constraints of our available funding, rather than under a statutory limit, will give us the flexibility necessary to continue providing essential services.

* * *

Mr. Chairman and Members of the Subcommittee, this concludes my prepared statement. I would be pleased to answer any questions you may have.

Schedule of Serial Set Volumes for 104th Congress
Published in Technical Supplement & WWW

The Schedule of Serial Set Volumes for the 104th Congress, 1st and 2nd sessions, has been published in Administrative Notes Technical Supplement, vol. 5, no. 2, Feb. 28, 1998. The contents of that issue, including the Schedule, also appear on GPO Access on the Web, at www.access.gpo.gov/su_docs/dpos/techsup.html.

The Schedule of Serial Set Volumes for 103d Congress, 2d Session, as printed in the Administrative Notes Technical Supplement, vol. 3, no. 10, 10/31/96, is amended as follows:

The material originally scheduled to be included in Serial no. 14219C (Senate Document no. 36, vol. 3) was bound in Serial no. 14219B (Senate Document no. 36, vol. 2). Senate Document no. 36 is complete in 2 volumes.

Senate Document no. 36, vol. 2, was sent to depository libraries selecting item 0996-C on shipping list 98-0004-S, SuDocs Y 1.1/2:SERIAL 14219B.

Information on LPS’s first online item number survey was mailed to depositories on February 24, 1998, in shipment boxes and by first class mail. Survey 98-001 is being conducted solely on the Web: all selections MUST be submitted using the Web application, as outlined in the mailed instructions. The survey began on Monday, March 2, 1998, and responses will be accepted until March 31, 1998. All libraries (regionals and selectives) must respond, as two items offered on this survey are optional for regional libraries.

The average item selection rates for selective depository libraries by size and type have been recalculated as of January 1998 and are shown on the next page. Regional depositories, which receive nearly 100% of all items distributed, have been omitted to avoid weighing the selections upward. Additionally, two new depositories were not included, as they had not yet completed their initial item selection process. Data on the item selection rates first appeared in Administrative Notes, v. 13, no. 22, 11/15/92, pp. 4-5.

Depository libraries should choose a sufficient number of item selections in all media in order to meet the Federal Government information needs of the public. "An appropriate level of selections should be at least half the average item selection rate of libraries of similar type and size" (Instructions to Depository Libraries, Chapter 2, E. Selection, p. 5).

Selecting at this rate will help fulfill the requirement that "Depository libraries, either solely or in conjunction with neighboring depositories, should make demonstrable efforts to identify and meet the Government information needs of the Congressional district or local area" ("Guidelines for the Federal Depository Library Program," in the Federal Depository Library Manual Supplement 2, Collection Development, 3-5).

Depository library collections which vary significantly from the average selection rate for their size and type of library often do not include useful items beneficial to the public. Depository staff should compare their actual item selections with similar depositories’ profiles using the "Item Lister" and the "Suggested Core Collection" accessible from the FDLP Administration Web page www.access.gpo.gov/su_docs/dpos/fdlppro.html

A library’s item selection rate is one of several criteria depository library inspectors use in assessing "Collection Development" during an on-site inspection and in evaluating self-studies.

Library Type	Total # Libraries	Average Selection % by Library Size
		Small # libs     %	Medium # libs     %	Large # libs     %
Academic, 4-year +	651	111     17	324     29	216     57
Academic, 2-year	70	65     14	4     21	1     26
Academic, Law	155	24     9	125     14	6     13
Federal Agency	50	28     10	12     13	10     28
Federal Court	16	15     5	1   11	0     0
Public	273	70     15	134     20	69     43
Service Academy	5	1     11	3     21	1     22
Special	22	13     9	6   12	3     4
State Court	37	26     5	10     9	1     6
State Library	31	10     20	15     30	6     35

There were 6710 items available for selection at the time of this tabulation.

Size designations are based on the number of volumes in the library’s entire depository and non-depository collection, as follows:

February 9, 1998

Dear Depository Librarian:

The Library Programs Service (LPS) was apprised by the Library of Congress that the Instructions for Short Form PA, September 1997 was defective. The Library of Congress, as the issuing agency, has provided the corrected version, Instructions for Short Form PA, November 1997, which was distributed to depository libraries on shipping list 98-0072-P, dated December 9, 1997.

Descriptive information on the defective publication:

I am requesting that you immediately withdraw the defective publication and destroy it by any means that will prevent disclosure of its erroneous contents. Thank you for your cooperation and prompt attention to this matter.

Sincerely,

FRANCIS J. BUCKLEY, JR.
Superintendent of Documents

Using Adobe Acrobat Reader with GPO Access

The Adobe Acrobat Portable Document Format (PDF) files that are available on-line via GPO Access are available as .cgi script files (for documents retrieved from the WAIS server after a search) and as filename.pdf files (for documents available for direct download on our Web pages).

The PDF files retrieved from GPO's WAIS servers have always been named as .cgi files. However, there seems to be a problem with the Internet Explorer browser, because the application looks at the part of the query string that says ".cgi" and assigns a filename based on this WAIS query string.

We have contacted Microsoft and reported the problem and are looking at the query strings created by our Web server. We hope to have a solution for you soon. In the meantime, saving the file to a local drive and then renaming it with the pdf extension seems to be the most practical option. For example, waisgate.cgi should be renamed to filename.pdf.

If you are having difficulty using the Adobe Acrobat Reader and would like to help us pinpoint the problem, please send the GPO Access User Support Team an e-mail message with the following information.

1. The type and version of the Web browser you are using.
2. The exact error you are getting.
3. The version of Adobe Acrobat you are using.
4. The database you are accessing.

The following are articles from the Adobe and Microsoft Web pages dealing with PDF files and Internet Explorer Browser.

>From Adobe: (http://www.adobe.com)

Internet Explorer 3.0 will not display a PDF file accessed by an URL which does not end in ".PDF" (or ".pdf"). Internet Explorer 3.0 will not display PDF files returned by Web search engines which support PDF search highlighting by returning PDF file names which do not end in ".PDF".

>From Microsoft: (http://www.microsoft.com) Frequently Asked Questions

If you are having Adobe Acrobat.pdf Files Appearing as a Blank Window or Frame the following information was listed on Microsoft's Web page about possible solutions.

The information in this article applies to: Microsoft Internet Explorer version 3.02, 4.0, 4.01 for Windows 95

SYMPTOMS

When you try to view a Portable Document Format (.pdf) file in Internet Explorer, you may see a blank window or frame instead of the .pdf file. This may occur even though you have installed the Adobe Acrobat Reader program, and you are normally able to view .pdf files in that program.

CAUSE

This behavior can be caused by any of the following situations:

An updated version of Adobe Acrobat Reader is required to use in-place activation. In-place activation is a function that opens a program file in Internet Explorer and displays the toolbars. The security level for this zone is set to High in Internet Explorer 4.0 or 4.01. For information about security zones in Internet Explorer, please see the following article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

ARTICLE-ID: Q174360

TITLE : How to Use Security Zones in Internet Explorer 4.0

Ratings are enabled in Internet Explorer 3.02, or the safety level is set to High. The .pdf file is being served from an early version of some Web servers (such as Microsoft Internet Information Server version 2.0).

RESOLUTION

To resolve this issue, follow the steps in the appropriate section below:

INTERNET EXPLORER 4.0 AND 4.01

If you are using Adobe Acrobat Reader version 3.0 or earlier, upgrade to version 3.01 or later. If you are already using version 3.01 or later, follow these steps:

INTERNET EXPLORER 3.02

If you are using Adobe Acrobat Reader version 3.0 or earlier, upgrade to version 3.01 or later. If you are already using version 3.01 or later, use one or both of the following methods:

Disable Ratings in Internet Explorer

To disable ratings in Internet Explorer, follow these steps:

Decrease the Safety Level

Change the security level used by Internet Explorer to medium or lower. To do so, follow these steps:

1. On the View menu, click Options.
2. On the Security tab, click Safety Level.
3. Click Medium, click OK, and then click OK again.
4. Quit Internet Explorer.
5. Download the .pdf file, and then open it using the Adobe Acrobat Reader program.

MORE INFORMATION

Internet Explorer makes it possible to use the Adobe Acrobat viewer as a control. Due to a change in the object model from Internet Explorer 3.0 to Internet Explorer 4.0, Adobe needed to update their viewer to work with the Internet Explorer 4.0 object model. To obtain an updated version of Adobe Acrobat, contact Adobe.

The third-party product discussed in this article is manufactured by a vendor independent of Microsoft; we make no warranty, implied or otherwise, regarding this product's performance or reliability.

Michael F. DiMario
Public Printer

Mr. Chairman and Members of the Committee, I am pleased to be here this morning to assist you in the Committee’s oversight of the Government Printing Office (GPO). My prepared statement summarizes GPO programs and operations and details our appropriations request for FY 1999, currently pending before the House and Senate.

GPO is one of the most visible demonstrations of our Government’s commitment to keeping the public informed. GPO’s mission under the public printing and documents statutes of Title 44, U.S.C., is to fulfill the needs of the Federal Government for information products and to distribute those products to the public.

For more than a century, GPO accomplished its mission solely through the production and procurement of traditional printing technologies. That is no longer true today. A generation ago we began migrating our processes to electronic technologies, and in 1993, following the leadership of this Committee, Congress amended Title 44 with the GPO Electronic Information Access Enhancement Act (P.L. 103-40). This landmark act established our online Internet Service, GPO Access at www.access.gpo.gov, and requires us to disseminate Government information products electronically. This service has enjoyed amazing public acceptance with more than 8 million documents now being downloaded monthly, and has become the vehicle for transitioning one of our most important programs—the Depository Library Program—to an electronic future.

GPO is dedicated to producing, procuring, and disseminating Government information products in a wide range of formats—print, microfiche, CD-ROM, and online. In GPO the Government has a unique asset that combines a comprehensive range of conventional production and electronic processing, procurement facilitation, and multi-format dissemination capabilities to support the information life cycle needs of Congress, Federal agencies, and the public:

• We provide print and electronic information products and services to Congress and Federal agencies through inplant processes and the purchase of information products from the private sector. For Congress, we maintain a capability to fully support the information product needs of the legislative process, working in close cooperation with leadership offices, committees, Members, and staffs in each Chamber.

• We disseminate Government information to the public in print, microfiche, and electronic formats through our sales program and a reimbursable program, and to Federal depository libraries nationwide where the information may be used by the public without charge. We catalog and index Government information products so they can be identified and retrieved by users. We also disseminate a massive volume of information online via the Internet with GPO Access. We strongly support the increased dissemination of Government information in electronic formats, and GPO Access today is one of the leading Federal sites on the Internet. GPO Access provides public access without charge to more than 70 Federal databases from all three branches of the Government, a growing number of agency Government Information Locator Service (GILS) sites, and associated locator and Pathway aids.

We provide all of our services in a non-partisan, service-oriented environment that emphasizes the primacy of the customer’s requirements for timeliness, quality, security, and economy. We are committed to achieving the greatest access and equity in information dissemination through printed and microfiche publications, CD-ROM, and online information technologies. Our electronic and traditional technologies simultaneously enable us to facilitate the re-engineering of information products to satisfy the Government’s changing information requirements, and to preserve and protect public access to Government information for all of our citizens. A recent news article on GPO by Media General News Service, "Venerable GPO Thrives in Cyberspace" (attached), provides a snapshot of how GPO’s services have changed to accommodate the changing publishing needs of Federal agencies in the Information Age.

At the bottom line, Mr. Chairman and Members of the Committee, our programs reduce the need for duplicative production facilities throughout the Government, achieve significant taxpayer savings through a centrally-managed production and procurement system, and provide essential public access to Government information, which is increasingly needed by all Americans in the Information Age. More than a century ago, Congress in its wisdom designed a system in GPO for keeping America informed. That system continues to serve a vital purpose today.

GPO AND CONGRESS

GPO was originally established to provide Congress with immediate, reliable service in a work environment under its direct control. That mission continues today. We produce the daily and permanent editions of the Congressional Record, bills, committee and business calendars, hearings, committee reports, committee prints, documents, stationery, and a wide variety of other products that are essential to the legislative process in Congress. We produce this work in our central office facility on North Capitol Street in Washington, DC, through the creation and storage of electronic databases of publications for printing and dissemination, as well as the provision of CD-ROM, online access, and print-on-demand services. All of this work is funded through an annual appropriation for Congressional Printing and Binding.

Our Congressional Printing Management Division (CPMD) serves as GPO’s liaison with the Congress for printing and information product needs. CPMD staff provide assistance to Members and officials of Congress as well as committees and support staffs regarding the printing and electronic availability of congressional information products. The CPMD is also responsible for managing approximately 53 GPO employees detailed to congressional committees and offices to assist with printing requirements. To ensure the timely delivery of printed materials, 19 congressional receiving clerks, who are part of the CPMD staff, are assigned to congressional buildings. In addition, the CPMD coordinates and maintains distribution lists for all agency requests for congressional products.

Support for the Cyber-Congress. We have built a core capability for electronic information and communications services to support Congress’s information needs. Today, our state-of-the-art electronic systems are characterized by a complex of direct electronic linkages via CAPNET to a variety of congressional offices on Capitol Hill for data interchange. Once considered only the by-product of the print production process, digital electronic databases of congressional information are now the primary product: they are the databases from which the official versions of documents are produced in print, CD-ROM, and online access formats and made available to the public through GPO Access, as well as other systems such as the Library of Congress’s THOMAS information system.

Our electronic systems provide a standardized system for use by both Houses of Congress, resulting in compatibility of production processes and uniformity in the resulting products. They provide for the interchangeable use of databases to produce different congressional publications, generating significant savings. Our systems are a resource where production and dissemination equipment and staffing can be concentrated, yielding significant economies of scale. Finally, they facilitate both production and dissemination. Databases prepared for printing are easily converted into databases suitable for CD-ROM distribution and for online dissemination via the Internet to libraries, schools, offices, and homes nationwide and around the world.

Our electronic systems and staff expertise position us to continue supporting the development of the cyber-Congress. We have been participating with both the House and the Senate in the development of new legislative information systems that will expand the capability to create and utilize electronic information products in Congress and potentially reduce GPO’s printing costs. One objective of these systems is the adoption of Standard Generalized Markup Language (SGML) to permit the submission of machine-readable keystrokes requiring less processing by GPO prior to final production. We support initiatives in both Houses of Congress to facilitate the sharing of information. We have been assured that GPO will continue as a vital partner with the House and Senate through our well-established mission of support of the Congress.

More than 60 percent of Congressional Record files from the Senate are currently submitted electronically. We are working with the Senate Appropriations Committee to provide online dissemination of appropriations hearings as well as hearings of other Senate committees. We operate a print-on-demand system in the Senate Document Room that has reduced the requirement for printing extra copies of legislative products, eliminating the need for storage space and providing for effective future distribution. This system, and two other print-on-demand systems located at our central office facility, are both networked to congressional databases resident at GPO.

Savings from the Use of Technology. Productivity increases resulting from technology have enabled us to make substantial reductions in staffing requirements while continuing to improve services for Congress. In the mid-1970's, on the threshold of our conversion to electronic photocomposition, we employed more than 8,200 persons. As of January 1998, we had 3,512 employees on board, fewer than at any time in this century. In the past 4 years our staffing has been reduced by 25 percent. The reduction was accomplished through attrition while at the same time modernizing and improving our services.

Electronic technologies have significantly reduced the cost, in real economic terms, of congressional publications. In FY 1978, the appropriation for Congressional Printing and Binding was $84.6 million, the equivalent in today’s dollars of $209.3 million. By comparison, our approved funding for FY 1998 is $81.7 million (of which $11 million is to be financed from GPO’s revolving fund), a reduction of 60 percent in real economic terms. This has yielded a savings to Congress and the taxpayer of well over $100 million per year. The vast majority of the reduction is due to productivity improvements and staffing reductions made possible through the use of improved technology.

On-Demand Production of the Bound Congressional Record. House Report 104-657, accompanying H.R. 3754, the Legislative Branch Appropriations Act for 1997, directed GPO to reduce the distribution of paper copies of the bound Congressional Record beginning with the 105^th Congress, and to produce a new CD-ROM format for this publication. A total of $100,000 was earmarked for the FY 1997 Congressional Printing and Binding Appropriation for a more limited number of printed copies of the bound Record to be distributed at the direction of the JCP.

The JCP has directed the distribution of about 200 sets of the bound Record to be funded from GPO appropriations, estimated to cost about $313,000. This includes $179,000 from the Congressional Printing and Binding Appropriation and $134,000 from the Salaries and Expenses Appropriation. In addition, we estimate that about 190 sets will be ordered and paid for by other Federal agencies and the public. Consistent with the direction of House Report 104-657, we plan to produce the sets on demand from an electronic database utilizing a high-speed print-on-demand system recently acquired following the approval of the JCP. This strategy will produce the relatively small number of copies required at a much greater savings. Earlier this month, the House Subcommittee on Legislative Appropriations approved our request to spend additional funds from our FY 1997 Congressional Printing and Binding Appropriation and Salaries and Expenses Appropriation for this purpose.

Congressional Serial Sets. House Report 104-657 also directed us to reduce the production and distribution of bound Congressional Serial Sets beginning with the 105^th Congress. The direction was to convert most sets to CD-ROM format and to limit the distribution of bound sets to regional depository libraries, plus one depository in each state without a designated regional depository (including the District of Columbia), and to international exchange libraries.

We formulated a plan for the implementation of this directive that subsequently was approved by the JCP. The bound Serial Set will be distributed to all designated regional depository libraries and one library in each of seven states that do not have a designated regional depository. In addition, the International Exchange Libraries, the Library of Congress, the National Archives Library, the Senate Library, the House Library, and the Public Documents Library Collection (now housed within the National Archive and Records Administration) will continue to receive bound versions of the Serial Set. An estimated 105 copies of each volume of the set will be produced and distributed to these recipients. This quantity is 344 copies less per volume than was distributed prior to the 105^th Congress. A total of 128 volumes are estimated for a Serial Set for an entire Congress.

The Superintendent of Documents has surveyed depository libraries to allow them the opportunity to add the initial slip distribution of the documents and reports of the 105^th Congress in paper format, since the bound Serial Set will not be an option for most of them. In addition, we have accepted the suggestion of the Government Documents Roundtable of the American Library Association to make available copies of the Serial Set title pages (including the contents listing for each volume) to depository libraries that request them for binding purposes. We are also offering the bound Serial Set for the 105^th Congress for sale through the Superintendent of Documents sales program.

At this time, it is not possible to create a complete electronic Serial Set, since many documents and reports are not currently available electronically and are too graphically intense to convert to an electronic format. We will work with the Clerk of the House of Representatives and the Secretary of the Senate, as well as ongoing efforts associated with information systems planning in both Chambers, toward the eventual production of a complete electronic Serial Set.

New Deputy Public Printer. I have appointed a new Deputy Public Printer,

Mr. Robert T. Mansker, who has an extensive background as a congressional staff member, including service with the JCP. Mr. Mansker is central to ensuring we provide the best possible support and customer service to Congress.

GPO's Printing Procurement Program. Approximately 75 percent of the printing and information products requisitioned from GPO are procured from the private sector. GPO historically has retained for inplant production only work which cannot be procured on a controlled, timely, and cost-effective basis. The vast majority of the work procured from the private sector is for Federal agencies in the executive branch. We provide procurement services through our central office facility and through a network of 20 regional and satellite procurement offices nationwide. All work for Federal agencies is paid for by the agencies themselves. The payments are processed through GPO’s revolving fund.

Our printing procurement program saves a significant amount of money for the taxpayers. The program operates on a highly competitive basis, driving prices down. Approximately 10,000 firms--or about a quarter of the nationwide printing industry, representing nearly 200,000 employees--are registered on GPO's Master Bid List according to their equipment, staffing, and production capabilities. About 3,500 of these firms do business with us on a regular basis, ensuring intense competition for Government printing and information product contracts.

By consolidating the Government's specialized printing procurement skills and resources in GPO, agencies save money in their printing programs. Moreover, agencies achieve savings without giving up essential controls when they work through us. Most of our printing procurements are conducted through direct deal term contracts, permitting agencies to place their printing orders directly with the contractor. Quality is assured through GPO’s Quality Attributes Through Testing Program, which assigns standardized quantifiable quality measures to printing jobs. Our centralized program utilizes a service infrastructure that allows agencies to directly control the vast majority of their printing needs from the point of origination. Electronic versions of printing procurement bid solicitations are now accessible from the Internet via GPO’s World Wide Web home page.

CD-ROM Services. Since 1988 we have been a leading Government producer of CD-ROM technology, providing agencies with a complete range of CD-ROM production services. We have received the annual CD-ROM Award from the Special Interest Group for CD-ROM Applications and Technology (SIGCAT), the largest CD-ROM user group in the world, in recognition of the CD-ROM services we provide. The General Accounting Office has cited our CD-ROM program as one of the most cost-effective in the Government, specifically noting that GPO’s CD-ROM products are among the least expensive for users.

World Wide Web Services. For the World Wide Web, we provide database development services, mounting on our servers, database maintenance, access based on agency needs, promotion of the service, training, and user support. GPO Access features a unique service in making most databases available not only in ASCII format but in Portable Document Format (PDF), which provides a searchable database that exactly replicates the printed product.

Commerce Business Daily. Last year we entered into an alliance with the Department of Commerce in the development of a new Commerce Business Daily (CBD). The new CBD has made it easier and more timely for agencies to electronically submit notices for inclusion in CBD, significantly reduced the cost per notice for these submissions (from $18.00 to $5.00), allowed for the continuation of a billing and reporting process for these charges, provided support to both agencies and users of the CBD, reduced the time necessary to typeset and compose the printed version, and enhanced the delivery of the final copy to the printing contractor for the production of the daily printed issues. It has also enabled commercial value-added providers who offer CBD products to receive the daily CBD information much faster, in an enhanced format, and at a 20 percent reduction in cost. In April 1997, our CBD partnership with the Commerce Department was the recipient of a "Hammer Award" from the National Performance Review.

Inplant Services. In addition to procuring printing for Federal agencies, GPO produces work in our central office plant and regional printing plant in Denver. A significant portion of the agency work produced inplant is associated with the Federal Register, and includes the List of Sections Affected and the Code of Federal Regulations. Other work includes U.S. passports, postal cards, the U.S. Budget, and other jobs that are performed by GPO due to concerns for cost, timeliness, and control over classified or sensitive Government information.

The continued need for GPO’s regional printing plants has declined. In response, we have closed plants in Chicago, Seattle, San Francisco, and New York, and previously a separate printing and reproduction facility at the Washington, DC, Navy Yard was consolidated with GPO’s central office facility. A facility in Alaska, transferred from the GSA, was also closed as soon as the same work could be obtained from local contracts at reduced cost. The remaining plant in Denver continues to satisfy regional production and security printing needs.

Marketing GPO Services to Agencies. In this period of increasing competition within the Federal Government, our commitment to marketing GPO’s services will be increasingly crucial. Our objective is to increase the visibility of GPO’s services to agencies, promote and expand service options and choices, and ensure the best possible combination of cost, quality, and performance for customer agencies.

Payment Issues. We have been experiencing payment problems with one of our largest customer agencies, the Defense Department (DOD). At the end of FY 1992, GPO’s accounts receivable from DOD were about $32 million. Unpaid DOD invoices over 60 days old amounted to about $9 million, or 28 percent of the total. Since 1993, total receivables and delinquencies from DOD have been increasing (while workload from DOD has fallen). As of December 31, 1997, total DOD receivables reached $52.7 million with unpaid invoices over 60 days amounting to $24.3 million, or 46 percent. Although we have made several changes to our accounting system to assist DOD in improving their payment record, none of these initiatives has been fully implemented by DOD. DOD’s payment record is directly impacting our cash flow and creating the prospect of a cash shortage in our revolving fund.

The Printing Act of 1895, which is the basis for the public printing and documents statutes of Title 44 of the U.S. Code, relocated the Superintendent of Documents function from the Interior Department to GPO. By linking the authority for the distribution of documents with GPO’s printing operations, Congress created an effective system for ensuring comprehensive public access to the publications produced by the Government. As the success of GPO Access demonstrates, this linkage continues to be an effective means for the development and dissemination of electronic databases in the Information Age. The various Superintendent of Documents programs distribute millions of copies of Government publications each year (not including information made available online).

The information dissemination programs of GPO’s Superintendent of Documents include the distribution of publications to 1,365 Federal depository libraries nationwide, cataloging and indexing, distribution to recipients designated by law, and distribution to foreign libraries designated by the Library of Congress which in turn agree to send copies of their official publications to the Library pursuant to international treaty. These programs are funded by the annual Salaries and Expenses Appropriation of the Superintendent of Documents.

The Superintendent of Documents also operates a nationwide sales program. This program, the Government’s single largest information dissemination network, operates 24 bookstores in major metropolitan areas around the U.S. as well as an order service equipped to receive mail, phone, fax, and Internet-based orders for publications nationwide and worldwide. It operates entirely on revenues from the sale of Government publications. In addition, the Superintendent of Documents distributes publications on behalf of Federal agencies. The agencies in turn reimburse GPO for warehousing and dissemination services.

Sales Management Policy Changes. In the wake of the 1996 disposal of excess sales publications, which resulted in the destruction of sales titles without prior notification to the publishing agencies as required by internal policy, several changes were made to Superintendent of Documents sales management policy and procedures. The GAO audit report on this matter, "Government Printing Office: Information on September 1996 Major Inventory Reduction," GAO/GGD-97-177 (September 1997), contained a number of recommendations for changes to sales program policy. As cited in the report of the conferees on H.R. 2209, the Legislative Branch Appropriations Act for 1998, these recommendations included:

• changing policy to require that certain publications, because of their historical significance, will remain in print and in the sales program indefinitely, and that inventory control documents for these publications must note this policy;

• developing a formal system for identifying the publications to remain in the program indefinitely;

• changing policy to explicitly provide that no exception can be made to the requirement to notify issuing agencies when excess stocks are to be surplused;

• changing policy to provide that excess inventory does not have to be physically removed from inventory before it can be charged as surplus publications expenses, and that excess inventory will be charged to surplus publications expense when it is determined to be excess;

• modifying the incoming Integrated Processing System to permit the designation of publications to be held in inventory indefinitely, to electronically designate excess inventories, and other appropriate notations; and

• consideration of holding costs in making determinations on excess inventory.

The Superintendent of Documents’ policy on "Excess, Obsolete, Damaged, and Destroyed Information Products" was revised on November 17, 1997, to provide that certain publications will be held in inventory indefinitely based on criteria to be developed by the Superintendent of Documents, and that such documents will be identified in the appropriate inventory system; that the requirement to notify issuing agencies before disposing of excess inventory cannot be waived; and that excess stock need not be physically removed from the inventory in order to be recorded in the financial statements as surplus publications expense. Earlier, in July and August 1997, notations for "indefinite" hold were made on the inventory records for congressional publications of historical significance. These records were physically separated from other sales inventory records to ensure the publications would not be discarded as excess.

In addition, the Superintendent of Documents has initiated the development of a collection plan for the sales program to include appropriate policies and procedures for the inclusion of materials in the sales program, particularly those considered to be historically significant; the length of forecasted life cycles for different types of publications; and GPO’s pricing structure and inventory cost accounting for stock held long term. We also will be implementing our new automated Integrated Processing System this Spring, which will support the recommendations set forth in the GAO audit report and the report of the conferees.

Congress, Federal agencies, and the American public have every right to expect that GPO will never permit the destruction of any Government publications in disregard of established policy. We have taken a number of actions to ensure that this does not happen again, and ongoing improvements to the sales program and its policies will enhance GPO’s stewardship of Government publications.

New Superintendent of Documents. I have appointed a new Superintendent of Documents, Mr. Francis J. Buckley, Jr., of Shaker Heights, Ohio, who has an extensive library background and is well known throughout the Government information community. Along with taking responsibility for Superintendent of Documents programs, I have charged him with being a spokesman for public access to Government information.

Joint Marketing Plan. GPO and the National Technical Information Service (NTIS) of the Department of Commerce recently agreed on a pilot project for the joint marketing of publications. Under this agreement, the specifics of which are still under development, GPO and NTIS each will initially market approximately 20 publications from the other’s sales inventory. Each entity will receive a fee for marketing and processing publication orders, while the income from the sale will go to the entity that fulfills the order. This arrangement could potentially expand the availability of Government publications within the statutory requirements of Title 44.

GPO Access. GPO Access (www.access.gpo.gov) provides free access to more than 70 Federal databases, including the Congressional Record, the Federal Register, the Commerce Business Daily, Supreme Court opinions, congressional bills and reports, and other publications, as well as Government Information Locator Service (GILS) records for a growing number of Federal agencies. The first online service of its kind established by Congress, GPO Access allows users to locate a wide variety of electronic products available via the Internet and to order Government publications online. GPO Access is the only Government online service providing access to a wide range of information from all three branches of the Federal Government, and the only service providing official access to this important Government information. In October 1997, monthly document retrievals topped 8 million.

A recent example of the growing use of GPO Access is the extent it is being used by the public to gain access to the President’s budget. A year ago, the budget documents, including the Budget, the Budget Appendix, Historical Tables, Analytical Perspectives, Citizen’s Guide, and Budget System and Concepts, were released online via GPO Access on the same day that paper copies went on sale from GPO. At that time, first day sales were 7,918 copies while GPO Access hits for the budget documents were 10,149. On February 2, 1998, the budget documents and the online version were again released the same day. This time, 7,390 paper copies were sold, a decrease of about 7 percent, while GPO Access hits for budget documents jumped to 64,428, an increase of 535 per cent. Clearly, electronic availability of the budget information has not ended the demand for the printed budget documents, but it has expanded the availability of this information to more persons than ever before.

GPO Access has drawn praise from a variety of sources, including the library community (which gave GPO Access the 1995 James Madison Award), the Federal technology community, the legal community, and others. The Congressional Accountability Project and the Heritage Foundation together have called GPO Access "an enormous success." In January 1997, OMB Watch released a report on Government Information Locator Services which noted that "GPO Access has become the largest single location for GILS services and records in the Federal Government," and that "GPO should be seen as an example to agencies that are struggling with their GILS implementation."

We recently released the second Biennial Report on the Status of GPO Access, as required by P.L. 103-40. Copies are available from GPO, and it is also available on GPO Access.

Principles. The dissemination of Government information to libraries for the use of the public began in 1813, making the FDLP America’s oldest "freedom of information" program. From its beginning, the FDLP has been built on several underlying principles:

• A well-informed citizenry, cognizant of the policies and activities of its representative Government, is essential to the proper functioning of democracy.

• The public has a right to Government information which has been prepared and published at public expense.

• The Government has an obligation to ensure the availability of, and access to, public information at no cost to the user.

• The publications provided through the FDLP are a permanent and official source of Government information.

• The public, participating libraries, and the Government all benefit from the efficiencies afforded by a centralized distribution system, such as the FDLP, which ensures the wide availability of Government publications at no charge to the user.

Statutory Requirements. Libraries are designated as depositories by Senators and Representatives as well as by law. Under the law, we send the libraries copies of all Government publications of public interest and educational value and that are not purely of an administrative nature, cooperatively sponsored, or classified for reasons of national security. These copies are paid for by the annual Salaries and Expenses Appropriation of the Superintendent of Documents. If Federal agencies themselves produce publications that belong in the FDLP, they are required by law to pay for the production of those copies sent to the depositories. In return for receiving Government information products at no cost, the libraries must make them available to the public without charge and provide appropriate assistance to users.

The majority of the depository libraries are selective depositories which tailor their Government publications acquisitions to local needs, choosing from among 7,000 organizational and series categories. On average, each item is selected by about 450 depository libraries. Fifty-three libraries, or roughly one per State (depending on size and resources, some States have no regionals while others have more than one), are regional depositories that receive every publication distributed by the FDLP. They are required to retain permanently every Government publication they receive.

Users. Based on 1995 data, we estimate that 750,000 to 950,000 persons use FDLP information each month, not counting online users via GPO Access. A 1989 study estimated a minimum of 670,000 depository users per month in academic and public libraries.

Workload. In FY 1997, nearly 13.4 million copies of about 44,800 titles were distributed to depository libraries in paper and microfiche. (This is a decline of approximately 11,700 titles from FY 1996, virtually all of which resulted from the Department of Energy terminating the sending of microfiche formats for its titles to the FDLP. However, we now have an interagency agreement with DOE to provide the public with access to electronic image files of these titles via the DOE Information Bridge and GPO Access). In addition, last year we distributed about 341,100 copies of 741 titles in tangible electronic formats, mostly CD-ROM. All GPO Access databases and services are available to depository users. Our locator services point to an additional 2,351 agency titles, and there are approximately 3,000 Monthly Catalog records hot-linked to agency Internet sites.

Library Participation. There are now 1,365 depository libraries, including the 53 regionals. Of these, 55 percent are academic libraries, making the FDLP a major component of the Nation’s education and research programs. Another 20 percent are public libraries, 11 percent are law school libraries, 6 percent are State libraries, 5 percent are Federal agency libraries, and the remaining 3 percent are special libraries. According to our 1997 biennial survey, approximately 89 percent of all Federal depositories now offer public users access to computer work stations with CD-ROM capability, Internet connections, and the ability to access Government information via the World Wide Web. Many of the remaining libraries offer mediated access to electronic information. Only 2 percent of the depositories cannot fully handle all electronic Government information offerings.

Continuing Justification for the FDLP. The FDLP will continue to be needed even as Federal agencies put more information on the Internet. The FDLP, funded out of legislative branch appropriations, is the means by which Congress asserts its historical role in keeping the American public informed about the activities of the Government.

Depository libraries have developed skills and collections based on the needs of their local constituents. This affords the public a local setting in which they can use Government information at no charge, regardless of whether they own or can operate a computer, and be assisted by trained Government information professionals.

As authorized by P.L. 103-40, GPO creates a variety of electronic locator services, which enable users to identify and connect to agency electronic resources. Since these activities are funded by the FDLP appropriation, the locator services sponsored by the FDLP may be used at no cost by the public. Within our suite of locator services, the Monthly Catalog on the Web is unique in how it locates both physical items in depository libraries and agency products on the Internet.

The FDLP is the vehicle which provides permanent public access to Government information. Copies of physical items are permanently held for public use in the regional depository libraries. GPO, acting in partnership with other Program stakeholders, has begun efforts to ensure that agency Internet products are permanently retained and made accessible to the public.

It will be many years, if ever, before all Government information is available electronically. In the meantime, it is essential to have a single program which is charged with acquiring and distributing the vast array of information products that the Government produces. Neither libraries nor the public would be well served by having to contact scores of individual agencies for the information they need.

Fugitive Documents. Many publications produced by the Government fail to be included in the FDLP. Documents that belong in the Program, but which are excluded, are known as fugitive documents. Their absence from depository library collections impairs effective public access to Government information. While many studies of the fugitive document problem have been conducted, the exact number of publications that are not in the FDLP has been difficult to isolate. Traditionally, documents have become fugitives from the Program due to their production outside GPO, such as in agency printing plants. Today, however, there is a growing number of fugitive documents due to increased agency use of electronic systems to produce and disseminate their own documents.

Although no study has resulted in a definitive answer, we have estimated that more than 50 percent of all tangible Government information products are not being made available to the FDLP. Of these, about 55,000 scientific and technical documents and reports are neither printed through GPO nor furnished by the issuing agencies to the FDLP as required by law. In addition, there is an unknown number of fugitives which are primarily general, public interest materials produced by agencies other than through GPO. It is extremely difficult to estimate the total number of these titles, but they include such publications as decisions of the Federal district courts and courts of appeals and Federal Election Commission financial disclosure statements.

Four major factors have contributed to losses of key general interest publications for the FDLP: (1) electronic information dissemination via agency web sites without notification to the FDLP; (2) decreasing compliance with statutory requirements for agencies to print through GPO or to provide copies of publications not printed through GPO to the FDLP; (3) the increasing trend for agencies to establish exclusive arrangements with private sector entities that place copyright or copyright-like restrictions on the products involved in such agreements; and (4) increasing use by agencies of language in 44 U.S.C. 1903 that permits publications to be excluded from the FDLP if they are "so-called cooperative publications which must necessarily be sold in order to be self-sustaining."

Fugitive documents defeat the purpose of the FDLP and undermine the public's ability to access information critical to their lives. Historically, the FDLP has relied heavily on the ability of the Program to automatically obtain material as it is produced or procured through GPO. With the growing emphasis on electronic dissemination, and decreasing compliance with statutory requirements for agencies to use GPO, identifying and obtaining information for the FDLP is becoming increasingly difficult.

FDLP Compliance Issues. When an agency uses GPO for production or procurement of a publication (defined in section 1901 of Title 44 as "informational matter which is published as an individual document at Government expense, or as required by law"), GPO ensures that distribution to the libraries is made. If a publication is produced elsewhere than GPO, the publishing agency is required by section 1903 to supply the requisite number of copies to GPO, at its own expense, for dissemination to depositories.

GPO is confronted with two kinds of compliance issues today. First, a number of Federal agencies are seeking new methods of printing information gathered at public expense. These methods do not involve GPO and, as a result, they impede or prevent effective public access to critical Government information. GPO has reported previously to Congress, including this Committee, on several such instances, including such publications as Big Emerging Markets, U.S. Export Administration Regulations, and U.S. Industrial Outlook.

Other efforts are ongoing by agencies that often involve allowing third parties to copyright the information or impose copyright-like restrictions on it. The result is that the information does not get produced or procured through GPO, the agencies do not provide copies to GPO for distribution to depositories, and the information cannot be made available through GPO’s sales program. One such instance involved the Journal of the National Cancer Institute, which has also been reported to this Committee.

The second compliance issue involves publications in electronic formats. Several agencies have taken the position that Title 44 does not apply to Government information in electronic formats. OMB’s Circular No. A-130, "Management of Federal Information Resources," requires agencies to cooperate with GPO for print publications, but only "encourages" cooperation for publications in electronic formats and provides agencies with a rationale for exempting electronic information products from the FDLP based on cost.

We believe that the spirit and intent of the law since the FDLP’s founding in 1813 has been to make information produced at taxpayer expense available to the public through depository libraries regardless of format. In a 1990 opinion, GPO's General Counsel stated, "[i]t is our opinion that Congress did not intend to carve a distinction based upon the technology employed to disseminate the Government publication and that Title 44 U.S.C. Sec. 1903 governs regardless of whether the publication is in the traditional ink-on-paper format or some new medium." Congress itself created GPO Access in large part to provide for online dissemination of Government information to depositories. While we make every effort to work closely with agencies to ensure the inclusion of their information products in the FDLP in all formats, the continuing agency practice of not providing electronic products to the FDLP is creating gaps in information availability to the public and creating potential problems for permanent public access to that Government information in the future.

Transitioning the FDLP to a More Electronic Basis. In spite of the contention that electronic information products are not required to be included in the FDLP, Congress has encouraged us to transition the Program to a more electronic basis. The Legislative Branch Appropriations Act for FY 1996 required GPO to conduct a study to identify measures necessary for a successful transition to a more electronic FDLP. In response to direction from Congress for broad consultation, GPO formed a group comprising representatives from GPO, the JCP, the Senate and House Appropriations Committees, the Senate Rules and Administration Committee, the House Oversight Committee, the House Government Reform and Oversight Committee, OMB, the Congressional Research Service of the Library of Congress, the National Archives and Records Administration, Federal publishing agencies, the Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts, the depository library community, and others. The final report, titled Study to Identify Measures Necessary for a Successful Transition to a More Electronic Federal Depository Library Program, was submitted to Congress in June 1996.

Study Conclusions. Two major conclusions emerged from the study. The first was strong support for retaining the authority for a broad-based public information program in the legislative branch. High value was placed on the presence of the FDLP in every congressional district to directly serve the public in local library settings.

There was also strong support for having a single entity in the Superintendent of Documents to coordinate library-related information dissemination activities. The depository library community has consistently affirmed the utility and cost-effectiveness of a "one stop shopping" approach to acquiring Government information. The study participants agreed that it is not only possible but desirable to increase the dissemination of electronic information to depository libraries within the overall structure of current law and program operations, and that having a central entity to assist libraries and the public in accessing electronic Government information in a distributed environment is more vital now than ever.

Strategic Plan. The Strategic Plan included in the final Study Report proposes a gradual transition during the period FY 1996-FY 2001. Under the plan, the FDLP will provide official Government information products in a variety of formats to depository libraries. Incorporating electronic Government information into the FDLP will augment the traditional distribution of tangible products with connections to Government electronic information services such as Internet sites. Electronic information will be accessible to the public directly or through depository libraries from a system of Government electronic information services administered by GPO, other Government agencies, or institutions acting as agents for the Government. The FDLP will identify and connect users to electronic information services of other agencies or, when appropriate, obtain electronic source files from agencies for mounting on GPO Access. Tangible Government information products will be distributed to libraries, including CD-ROMs, diskettes, paper, or microfiche, as appropriate to the needs of users and intended usage.

The FDLP will ensure that electronic Government information products are maintained for permanent public access, in the same spirit in which regional depositories provide permanent access to print products. Effective public use of Government information, especially in the less-structured environment of the Internet, also depends on the ability of users to identify and locate the desired information. Through continuation of its cataloging services, and the development of "Pathway" information locator services, the FDLP will meet this need.

Current Status of Transition. A key highlight of the transition process in 1997 was the development of the "collection management" concept for GPO Access, which establishes that we will manage the various electronic Government information products made permanently accessible via GPO Access as a library-like collection. When the FDLP only managed printed products, the responsibility for ensuring permanent public access was shared by GPO and the regional depository libraries. In a more electronic FDLP, the permanent collection consists of remotely accessible electronic Government information products (including core legislative and regulatory GPO Access products) that will reside permanently on GPO servers or at our remote site, and other products either maintained by GPO or other institutions, operating in a distributed networked environment, with which we have established formal agreements.

In 1997, we established the first partnerships under the collection concept with the University of Illinois-Chicago, the University of North Texas, and the Online Computer Library Center (OCLC) Inc., to handle permanent public access to databases originating with the State Department, the now-defunct Office of Technology Assessment, and the Education Department, respectively. We have also developed a partnership with the Department of Energy for the electronic dissemination of its reports in image format.

In a related effort, we are piloting a project with the National Technical Information Service (NTIS) of the Commerce Department to make available certain NTIS image files to depository libraries. One library is involved in this pilot project and it will soon expand to an additional library in the near future. The long-term objective of this project is to provide depository libraries with access to a large body of scientific and technical information that currently is fugitive from the program. There are a number of technological issues associated with this pilot that are impacting its implementation.

For FY 1999, we are requesting $114.2 million for those programs that require annual appropriations directly to GPO. The request includes $84 million for the Congressional Printing and Binding Appropriation and $30.2 million for the Salaries and Expenses Appropriation of the Superintendent of Documents. Our total request is an increase of $3.5 million, or 3.1 percent, over the level of funding approved for FY 1998. Our FY 1998 funding includes a one-time transfer of approximately $11 million from our revolving fund to the Congressional Printing and Binding Appropriation.

Congressional Printing and Binding Appropriation. GPO’s Congressional Printing and Binding Appropriation is critical to the maintenance and operation of our inplant capacity, which is structured to serve Congress’s information product needs. The appropriation covers the costs of congressional printing such as the Congressional Record, bills, reports, hearings, documents, and other products. Each year, a substantial volume of this work is requisitioned. In FY 1997, more than 1.3 billion copy pages of congressional products were produced at an average cost of less than 4 cents per page, inclusive of all prepress work, printing, binding, and delivery. This appropriation also covers database preparation work on congressional publications disseminated online via GPO Access. Our request of $84 million for the Congressional Printing and Binding Appropriation is an increase of $2.3 million, or 2.9 percent, over the total amount approved for FY 1998, which includes the one-time transfer from the revolving fund of $11 million.

Superintendent of Documents Salaries and Expenses Appropriation. The majority of the Superintendent of Documents Salaries and Expenses Appropriation is for the Federal Depository Library Program (FDLP). While some of the funding for this program is for salaries and benefits, most is for printing and distributing publications (including publications in CD-ROM and online formats) to depository libraries. This appropriation also provides the majority of funding for the operation of GPO Access. Our request of $30.2 million for the Salaries and Expenses Appropriation is an increase of $1.1 million, or 3.9 percent, over the amount approved for FY 1998. The increase is due to increases in mandatory pay and related costs, price level changes, and workload changes associated principally with the continuing transition of the FDLP to an electronic basis.

I am pleased to report that GPO generated consolidated net income from continuing operations of $11.6 million for FY 1997, compared with a loss of $16.9 million for FY 1996. This is the first consolidated net income generated by GPO since 1990, and occurred primarily as a result of GPO fully recovering its costs as required by law.

Department of Labor Issues. However, the Department of Labor (DOL) has revised its estimate of GPO’s long-term liability for workers’ compensation, which could cause an increase of $23.9 million in accrued expenses for FY 1997. We have requested a clarification of this estimate from DOL. In addition, the General Accounting Office (GAO) has stated, in decision B-259508 (April 4, 1996), that GPO, pursuant to section 8147c of Title 5, U.S.C., is not required to pay an additional fee to the DOL’s Office of Workers’ Compensation Programs (OWCP) to cover its administrative costs. We have been seeking to obtain a refund of the amounts erroneously collected by the OWCP.

GAO Management Audit. We are currently cooperating within the GPO management audit ordered by Congress in House Report 105-254, accompanying H.R. 2209, the Legislative Branch Appropriations Act for 1998. The audit is being conducted by Booz-Allen & Hamilton, Inc., under contract with the GAO. We have also implemented reforms to our sales program to assure that all disposals of excess stock comply with established guidelines.

Year 2000 Issues. We are cooperating with the GAO in its efforts to assess the status of year 2000 readiness in all legislative branch agencies, following the direction of the Chairman of the Senate Subcommittee on Legislative Branch Appropriations dated October 30, 1997. Our proposal to the JCP to bring our mainframe operating system into year 2000 compliance has been approved. We have formed an internal year 2000 program management office to work with the GAO, and have appointed year 2000 coordinators throughout GPO. We are continuing to conduct a review of all GPO computer systems to determine which systems will be converted, replaced, or retired. We are confident that the steps we are taking now will ensure the continuity of product and service provision to Congress, Federal agencies, and the public.

Future Capital Expenditure Requirements. Capital expenditures for major building repairs and maintenance, information systems, and production equipment will be a considerable drain on the revolving fund. GPO’s buildings are old and require substantial maintenance. These services are not provided by the Architect of the Capitol but are financed by GPO. Over the next two years, necessary capital investments include about $6 million for replacement of air conditioning equipment. Elevator, roof, and electrical systems need repair, which will cost additional millions of dollars over the next few years. Information systems also account for major capital investment requirements. This year we will be implementing an information processing system for the Superintendent of Documents, at a cost of about $10 million. We will replace our mainframe computer with an enterprise server that will be year 2000 compliant, at a cost of about $1.8 million. Other significant expenditures will be required to bring all GPO computers and software into compliance with year 2000 requirements. Production equipment requirements include $1.6 million for computer-to-plate systems and $3.6 million for a passport printing and binding line. These expenditures will have to be funded either through GPO’s revolving fund or through an alternative mechanism such as a line item appropriation, which was how GPO’s air conditioning improvements during the 1970’s were funded.

Removal of FTE Limitation. For FY 1999, we are requesting the House and Senate Appropriations Committees to remove the statutory limitation on our full-time equivalent employment (FTE’s). GPO has reduced employment by more than 25 percent since early 1993. This reduction was accomplished through attrition and successfully lowered our costs while preventing interruptions in service to Congress, Federal agencies, and the public. However, some critical GPO areas, including those that serve Congress, are now fully reduced and cannot withstand further reductions without impairing performance and service provision. GPO is now at its lowest employment level in this century. Allowing us to manage our FTE resources within the constraints of our available funding, rather than under a statutory limit, will give us the flexibility necessary to continue providing essential services.

At the hearing on Title 44 before this Committee on April 24, 1997, I offered to provide legislative language to achieve reform of the chapters of Title 44 pertaining to GPO. I conveyed these proposed changes to the Committee on May 29, 1997. The proposed changes can be grouped into three general categories: the transfer of JCP responsibilities to the Public Printer, the modernization of the chapter 19 provisions concerning the FDLP, and miscellaneous changes to provide GPO with greater flexibility in the management of its operations.

Transfer of JCP Responsibilities. As I discussed at the April 1997 hearing, I firmly believe the constitutional issue with respect to Title 44 can be remedied by eliminating any direct JCP control over the Public Printer or agency printing. Accordingly, we suggest amending 44 U.S.C. 103 to limit the responsibility of the JCP to congressional publications. The JCP would retain its responsibilities under chapters 7 and 9 of Title 44, which deal with congressional publications (however, the 44 U.S.C. 902 authority of the JCP to appoint Congressional Record indexers would be transferred to the Public Printer and the current appointees would be deemed GPO employees).

Throughout Title 44 and the remainder of the U.S. Code, any other reference to the JCP with respect to any activity beyond congressional publications would be replaced with a reference to the Public Printer or the Government Printing Office (or, as in the case of the JCP’s authority to resolve wage disputes under 44 U.S.C. 305, with a reference to some other appropriate mechanism). Some provisions that currently mention the JCP would simply be stricken wherever they are obsolete, as in the case of several provisions under chapter 5 dealing with paper contracts.

With the transfer of responsibilities, the Public Printer would be authorized under 44 U.S.C. 301 to "issue regulations, consistent with this title, [that he] considers necessary to carry out [his] duties and powers...and to remedy neglect, delay, duplication, and waste in the public printing and the distribution of Government publications." The Public Printer would exercise these authorities as an appointee of the President subject only to presidential removal, thereby remedying the separation of powers objection to control of the Public Printer by the JCP.

Suggested language is also provided to characterize GPO as "an instrumentality of the United States Government independent of the executive departments." This language is identical to the establishment clause of the GAO contained in the Budget and Accounting Act of 1921, as amended (31 U.S.C. 702). Its addition would clarify GPO’s mission to serve all of the Federal Government, as currently provided under 44 U.S.C. 501, independent of executive branch control.

Modernization of Chapter 19. These provisions are substantially the same as those conveyed to the Senate Committee on Rules and Administration by letter dated August 22, 1996. They are based on suggestions for legislative changes considered by the 1996 Study to Identify Measures Necessary for a Successful Transition to a More Electronic Federal Depository Library Program. These would:

• Create new definitions of "government information" to specifically include electronic formats and prevent restrictions on public access to public domain information;

• Set up a system of electronic public access to government information coordinated by the Superintendent of Documents;

• Combat fugitive documents by broadening the kinds of information going into the depository library program, including eliminating the exemption on "cooperative" publications;

• Modernize language covering statutory designations of depositories, inspection requirements, and cataloging and locator services; and

• Provide for permanent public access to electronic information.

Greater Management Flexibility. We have used this opportunity for statutory reform to supply you with miscellaneous provisions that would improve the management of GPO operations, including our printing procurement and sales programs. Among these are provisions that would:

• authorize appropriations to cover GPO’s administrative and overhead costs, including the administrative costs of the printing procurement program (this would reduce the cost of GPO products and services to Congress and Federal agencies);

• bring the guidelines for GPO’s procurement authority into line with guidelines observed by the rest of the Government, especially with respect to contract negotiation authority, although the exemption from the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) under the Federal Property and Administrative Procedures Act would be preserved (this would streamline and simplify GPO’s procurement procedures while preserving GPO’s open, competitive, and flexible printing procurement process); and

• eliminate the requirement for a 50 percent markup on the prices of sales publications in favor of providing GPO with authority for more flexible pricing and marketing of sales publications while still requiring all costs to be recovered. In addition, the draft language includes a provision that would permit GPO to donate or transfer surplus property, consistent with authorities provided to other agencies (this would allow GPO, for example, to donate unsalable publications to schools or similar institutions rather than being restricted to selling them for their value as scrap).

We also have suggested eliminating certain provisions of Title 44 that are obsolete or unnecessary.

Overall, the draft changes we have submitted are intended to respond to the objectives for Title 44 reform outlined at the April 1997 hearing. In addition, we recently met with the members of the Inter-Association Working Group on Government Information Policy (IAWG) to discuss their proposals for legislative reform of chapter 19. We provided them with comments on their draft bill, and we also sent our comments to all Members of the JCP, who earlier had been provided with copies of the IAWG’s proposed legislative language.

Mr. Chairman and Members of the Committee, this concludes my prepared statement. I would be pleased to answer any questions you may have.

ATTACHMENT

Venerable GPO thrives in cyberspace
By Mark Johnson
Media General News Service

WASHINGTON
The Government Printing Office, operating out of a 96-year-old red brick complex, receives copies of the latest government regulations through a high-tech laser beam receiver sitting on the roof. Inside, on the deep wooden floors built to hold vats of melted lead for hot metal presses, workers reproduce documents onto digital compact discs.

The only distribution method used to be hauling out boxes of papers. Now the GPO spews millions of documents on the Internet from a room filled with computers but no humans.

In a government scorned for a glacial pace and maddening inefficiency, the Government Printing Office is doing more work with half the employees of two decades ago and bucking the trend toward privatization.

The GPO, Uncle Sam's personal publisher, has used new technology to make information available to the public so effectively that members of Congress have considered changing the agency's name to reflect the cyberspace age.

The printing office has "been on the forefront of helping the government emerge from the classic printing environment to electronic information access," said Eric Peterson, staff director of Congress' Joint Committee on Printing.

Take, for instance, the Federal Register, the daily chronicle of new federal regulations. After Congress passes a law, executive branch agencies write regulations for enforcing it. As those regulations are proposed, changed or approved they appear in the Federal Register.

Before GPO made the Register available on the Internet in 1994, government presses cranked out 33,000 copies a night at an average of 225 pages per issue. Now they print 23,000 on paper, while 1 million copies are downloaded every month off the Internet.

Federal laws, the United States Code, fill 35 bound volumes that cost around $2,000. The same information fits on one compact disc that sells for $37. Not surprisingly, sales of the book version dipped after the CD was released in 1994. More recently, CD sales have fallen since the GPO made the U.S. Code available on the Internet for free.

Robert E. Schwenk, a 36-year veteran of the GPO who heads the electronic photocomposition division, has watched keyboards, fiber-optic cables and the Internet extend the agency’s reach.

"A lot of kids in school are getting information who didn’t get it before," Schwenk said.

Members of Congress even have suggested updating the office’s name by dropping the word "printing" for something more modern.

"That’s fine with us," said spokesman Andy Sherman. The job won't change. "We're in the business of producing information."

In the 1970s, the GPO employed about 8,500 pressmen, typesetters and assorted other workers. Now the work force totals about 3,500. Through changes in presidents and technology, the GPO maintained a reputation for rapid efficiency, working as late as the light in the Capitol dome remained on and still producing transcripts for Congress by the next morning.

Housed in three connected buildings and proclaimed by the Guinness Book of World Records as the largest printer under one roof, the GPO still churns out tons of paper products, including: White House invitations and menus; bills in Congress; phone books; passports; tax forms; statistical tables; national park brochures; and even gold-embossed books.

Security staff members monitor the printing of sensitive documents, such as the budget or Senate Watergate report; cordon off the printing area; and lock the final product in a security storage room.

The government’s printing and duplicating bill is around $1.5 billion, of which GPO handles more than $700 million and contracts out the rest.

"We have to have the capability to publish anything anybody wants from us," Sherman said. That answers the question of why the GPO still exists.

Congressional budget-cutters found that, since most printers specialize in a particular type of publication, it would be too expensive to contract privately for all the government's printing jobs.

Sen. John Warner, R-Va., who heads the printing committee and whose party normally tries to reduce the federal government's duties, wants the GPO to do even more. To ensure that all government documents are made accessib1e to the public, especially through electronic formats at public libraries, Warner wants to channel all federal government publications printed by a private business or other agencies through the GPO's superintendent of documents.

"Free and open access to information created at taxpayer expense is the principle which has enabled the United States to endure and prosper for over 200 years," Warner said.