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Title 44, Public Printing and DocumentsRelease 119-102

§1701 Publications for Public Distribution to Be Distributed by the Director of the Government Publishing Office; Mailing Lists

Title 44 › CHAPTER 17 — DISTRIBUTION AND SALE OF PUBLIC DOCUMENTS › § 1701

Last updated Aug 21, 2026|Official source

Summary

Federal agencies and offices in Washington, D.C. cannot use government money to prepare and send out publications to the public (like addressing, wrapping, mailing, or buying supplies for that work), except for maps, weather reports, and weather cards. The Government Publishing Office (GPO) must do that work instead. Heads of those agencies must give the GPO mailing lists, updates, or penalty-mail slips it needs. The GPO may send copies only under the law or the agency head’s instructions. The rule does not apply to internal orders or notices, to distribution by Senators or House members, or to the Senate Service Department, House of Representatives Publications Distribution Service, and the Senate and House document rooms.

Full Legal Text

Title 44, §1701

Public Printing and Documents, Source: USLM XML via OLRC

Money appropriated by any Act may not be used for services in an executive department or other Government establishment at the District of Columbia, in the work of addressing, wrapping, mailing, or otherwise dispatching a publication for public distribution, except maps, weather reports, and weather cards issued by them or for the purchase of material or supplies to be used in this work. The Director of the Government Publishing Office shall perform this work at the Government Publishing Office. The head of an executive department, independent office, and establishment of the Government at the District of Columbia, shall furnish from time to time to the Director of the Government Publishing Office mailing lists, in convenient form, and changes in them, or penalty mail slips, for use in the public distribution of publications issued by the department or establishment. The Director of the Government Publishing Office may furnish copies of a publication only in accordance with law or the instruction of the head of the department or establishment issuing the publication. This section does not apply to orders, instructions, directions, notices, or circulars of information printed for and issued by an executive department or other Government establishment or to the distribution of public documents by Senators or Members of the House of Representatives or to the Senate Service Department, House of Representatives Publications Distribution Service, and document rooms of the Senate or House of Representatives.

Legislative History

Notes & Related Subsidiaries

Historical and Revision Notes

Based on 44 U.S. Code, 1964 ed., § 95 (Aug. 23, 1912, ch. 350, § 8, 37 Stat. 414; July 2, 1954, ch. 455, title I, § 101, 68 Stat. 397). “House of Representatives Publications Distribution Service” is substituted for “House Folding Room” because of the

Change of Name

under authority of Public Law 88–652. The term “executive department, independent office, and establishment of the Government” is substituted for “executive department and other Government establishment” for uniformity.

Editorial Notes

Amendments

Pub. L. 113–235, § 1301(c), substituted “Director of the Government Publishing Office” for “Public Printer” wherever appearing in section catchline and text.

Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries

Change of Name

“Government Publishing Office” substituted for “Government Printing Office” in text on authority of section 1301(b) of Pub. L. 113–235, set out as a note preceding section 301 of this title.

Reference

Citations & Metadata

Citation

44 U.S.C. § 1701

Title 44, Public Printing and Documents

Last Updated

Aug 21, 2026

Release point: 119-102