PRIA, Government Policy, Made Personal

Summary

When either the House or the Senate orders a document printed, that order sets the "usual number" of copies for binding and handing out. The usual number is 1,682 copies. No more copies may be printed unless one of the Houses orders more or the law allows it. If a special larger run is ordered, the usual 1,682 copies must still be printed unless they were already ordered. The law says how those copies are split up. Unbound House documents go to the Senate document room (150), Secretary of the Senate (10), House document room (up to 500), Clerk of the House (20), and the Library of Congress (10). Unbound Senate documents go to the Senate document room (220), Secretary of the Senate (10), House document room (up to 500), Clerk of the House (10), and the Library of Congress (10). The Government Publishing Office must bind enough copies to send to libraries and to the Superintendent of Documents for state libraries and depositories. For bound copies, each House and Senate set sends 15 to the other chamber’s library, copies to the Library of Congress as the law allows (House up to 150), and as many as needed to the Superintendent for depositories. State libraries may ask to get unbound copies before each Congress. For private bills or simple/concurrent resolutions, Senate reports get 345 extra copies (220 to the Senate document room; 15 to the Secretary; 100 to the House document room; 10 to the Superintendent) and House reports get 260 extra copies (135 to the Senate document room; 15 to the Secretary; 100 to the House document room; 10 to the Superintendent). Certain officials may request one nicely bound copy of each public document they are entitled to. At least 12 copies of reports about claims against the government must stay in the Senate document room.

Title 44, §701

Public Printing and Documents, Source: USLM XML via OLRC

(a)The order by either House of Congress to print a document or report shall signify the “usual number” of copies for binding and distribution among those entitled to receive them. A greater number may not be printed unless ordered by either House, or as provided by this section. When a special number of a document or report is ordered printed, the usual number shall also be printed, unless already ordered.

(b)The “usual number” of documents and reports shall be one thousand six hundred and eighty-two copies, which shall be printed at one time and distributed as follows: Of the House documents and reports, unbound—to the Senate document room, one hundred and fifty copies; to the office of the Secretary of the Senate, ten copies; to the House document room, not to exceed five hundred copies; to the office of the Clerk of the House of Representatives, twenty copies; to the Library of Congress, ten copies, as provided by section 1718 of this title. Of the Senate documents and reports, unbound—to the Senate document room, two hundred and twenty copies; office of the Secretary of the Senate, ten copies; to the House document room, not to exceed five hundred copies; to the Clerk’s office of the House of Representatives, ten copies; to the Library of Congress, ten copies, as provided by section 1718 of this title.

(c)Of the number printed, the Director of the Government Publishing Office shall bind a sufficient number of copies for distribution as follows: Of the House documents and reports, bound—to the Senate library, fifteen copies; to the Library of Congress, not to exceed one hundred and fifty copies, as provided by section 1718 of this title; to the House of Representatives library, fifteen copies; to the Superintendent of Documents, as many copies as are required for distribution to the State libraries and designated depositories. Of the Senate documents and reports, bound—to the Senate library, fifteen copies; to the Library of Congress, copies as provided by section 1718 and 1719 of this title; to the House of Representatives library, fifteen copies; to the Superintendent of Documents, as many copies as may be required for distribution to State libraries and designated depositories. In binding documents the Director of the Government Publishing Office shall give precedence to those that are to be distributed to libraries and to designated depositories. But a State library or designated depository entitled to documents that may prefer to have its documents in unbound form, may do so by notifying the Superintendent of Documents to that effect prior to the convening of each Congress.

(d)The usual number of reports on private bills, concurrent or simple resolutions, may not be printed. Instead there shall be printed of each Senate report on a private bill, simple or concurrent resolution, in addition to those required to be furnished the Library of Congress, three hundred and forty-five copies, which shall be distributed as follows: to the Senate document room, two hundred and twenty copies; to the Secretary of the Senate, fifteen copies; to the House document room, one hundred copies; to the Superintendent of Documents, ten copies; and of each House report on a private bill, simple or concurrent resolution, in addition to those for the Library of Congress, two hundred and sixty copies, which shall be distributed as follows: to the Senate document room, one hundred and thirty-five copies; to the Secretary of the Senate, fifteen copies; to the House document room, one hundred copies; to the Superintendent of Documents, ten copies. This section does not prevent the binding of all Senate and House reports in the reserve volumes bound for and delivered to the Senate and House libraries, nor abridge the right of the Vice President, Senators, Representatives, Resident Commissioner, Secretary of the Senate, and Clerk of the House to have bound in half morocco, or material not more expensive, one copy of every public document to which he may be entitled. At least twelve copies of each report on bills for the payment or adjudication of claims against the Government shall be kept on file in the Senate document room.

Notes & Related Subsidiaries

Historical and Revision Notes

Based on 44 U.S. Code, 1964 ed., § 131 (Jan. 12, 1895, ch. 23, § 54, 28 Stat. 608; Mar. 2, 1901, No. 16, §§ 1, 2, 31 Stat. 1464; Jan. 20, 1905, ch. 50, § 1, 33 Stat. 610; Mar. 1, 1907, ch. 2284, § 4, 34 Stat. 1014; Jan. 15, 1908, No. 3, § 2, 35 Stat. 566; Mar. 4, 1909, ch. 317, 35 Stat. 1067;

June 25, 1910, ch. 439, 36 Stat. 868; Mar. 3, 1925, ch. 421, §§ 6, 7, 43 Stat. 1106;

June 20, 1936, ch. 630, title IV, § 6, 49 Stat. 1550; Proc. No. 2695,

July 4, 1946, 11 F.R. 7517, 60 Stat. 1352).

Editorial Notes

Amendments

2014—Subsec. (c). Pub. L. 113–235 substituted “Director of the Government Publishing Office” for “Public Printer” in two places.

Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries

Congressional Printing and Binding Services For the House of Representatives—Appropriations and Study Pub. L. 106–554, § 1(a)(2) [title I, § 111], Dec. 21, 2000, 114 Stat. 2763, 2763A–110, provided that: “(a) Congressional Printing and Binding For the House Through Clerk of House.—“(1) In general.—Notwithstanding any provision of title 44, United States Code, or any other law, there are authorized to be appropriated to the Clerk of the House of Representatives such sums as may be necessary for congressional printing and binding services for the House of Representatives. “(2) Preparation of estimates.—Estimated expenditures and proposed appropriations for congressional printing and binding services shall be prepared and submitted by the Clerk of the House of Representatives in accordance with title 31, United States Code, in the same manner as estimates and requests are prepared for other legislative branch services under such title, except that such requests shall be based upon the results of the study conducted under subsection (b) (with respect to any fiscal year covered by such study). “(3)

Effective Date

.—This subsection shall apply with respect to fiscal year 2003 and each succeeding fiscal year. “(b) Study.—“(1) In general.—During fiscal year 2001, the Clerk of the House of Representatives shall conduct a comprehensive study of the needs of the House for congressional printing and binding services during fiscal year 2003 and succeeding fiscal years (including transitional issues during fiscal year 2002), and shall include in the study an analysis of the most cost-effective program or programs for providing printed or other media-based publications for House uses. “(2) Submission to committees.—The Clerk shall submit the study conducted under paragraph (1) to the Committee on House Administration of the House of Representatives, who shall review the study and prepare such

Regulations

or other materials (including proposals for legislation) as it considers appropriate to enable the Clerk to carry out congressional printing and binding services for the House in accordance with this section. “(c) Definition.—In this section, the term ‘congressional printing and binding services’ means the following services:“(1) Authorized printing and binding for the Congress and the distribution of congressional information in any format. “(2) Preparing the semimonthly and session index to the Congressional Record. “(3) Printing and binding of Government publications authorized by law to be distributed to Members of Congress. “(4) Printing, binding, and distribution of Government publications authorized by law to be distributed without charge to the recipient.”

§701 “usual Number” of Documents and Reports; Distribution of House and Senate Documents and Reports; Binding; Reports on Private Bills; Number of Copies Printed; Distribution