USC Chapter 17

in effect

44 U.S.C. § 1701 Publications for public distribution to be distributed by the Director of the Government Publishing Office; mailing lists

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.

44 U.S.C. § 1702 Superintendent of Documents; sale of documents

The Director of the Government Publishing Office shall appoint a competent person to act as Superintendent of Documents who shall be under the control of the Director of the Government Publishing Office. When an officer of the Government having in his charge documents published for sale desires to be relieved of them, he may turn them over to the Superintendent of Documents, who shall receive and sell them under this section. Moneys received from the sale of documents shall be returned to the Director of the Government Publishing Office on the first day of each month and be covered into the Treasury monthly. The Superintendent of Documents shall also report monthly to the Director of the Government Publishing Office the number of documents received by him and the disposition made of them. He shall have general supervision of the distribution of all public documents, and to his custody shall be committed all documents subject to distribution, excepting those printed for the special official use of the executive departments, which shall be delivered to the departments, and those printed for the use of the two Houses of Congress, which shall be delivered to the Senate Service Department and House of Representatives Publications Distribution Service and distributed or delivered ready for distribution to Members upon their order by the superintendents of the Senate Service Department and House Publications Distribution Service, respectively.

44 U.S.C. § 1703 Superintendent of Documents: assistants, blanks, printing and binding

The Director of the Government Publishing Office, upon the requisition of the Superintendent of Documents, shall appoint necessary assistants, furnish blanks, and do the printing and binding required by his office. The Director of the Government Publishing Office shall provide convenient office, storage, and distributing rooms for the use of the Superintendent of Documents.

44 U.S.C. § 1704 Superintendent of Documents: pay of employees for night, Sunday, holiday, and overtime work

Employees in the office of the Superintendent of Documents may be paid for night, Sunday, holiday, and overtime work at rates not in excess of the rates of additional pay for this work allowed other employees of the Government Publishing Office under section 305 of this title.

44 U.S.C. § 1705 Printing additional copies for sale to public; regulations

The Director of the Government Publishing Office shall print additional copies of a Government publication, not confidential in character, required for sale to the public by the Superintendent of Documents, subject to regulation by the Joint Committee on Printing and without interference with the prompt execution of printing for the Government.

44 U.S.C. § 1706 Printing and sale of extra copies of documents

The Director of the Government Publishing Office shall furnish to applicants giving notice before the matter is put to press, not exceeding two hundred and fifty to any one applicant, copies of bills, reports, and documents. The applicants shall pay in advance the price of the printing. The printing of these copies for private parties may not interfere with the printing for the Government.

44 U.S.C. § 1707 Reprinting of documents required for sale

The Superintendent of Documents may order reprinted, from time to time, public documents required for sale, subject to the approval of the Secretary or head of the department in which the public document originated. The Revolving Fund shall be reimbursed for the cost of reprints from the moneys received by the Superintendent of Documents from the sale of public documents.

44 U.S.C. § 1708 Prices for sales copies of publications; crediting of receipts; resale by dealers; sales agents

The price at which additional copies of Government publications are offered for sale to the public by the Superintendent of Documents shall be based on the cost as determined by the Director of the Government Publishing Office plus 50 percent. A discount may be allowed as determined by the Superintendent of Documents, but the printing may not interfere with prompt execution of work for the Government. The Superintendent of Documents may prescribe terms and conditions under which he authorizes the resale of Government publications by book dealers, and he may designate any Government officer his agent for the sale of Government publications under regulations agreed upon by the Superintendent of Documents and the head of the respective department or establishment of the Government.

44 U.S.C. § 1709 Blank forms: printing and sale to public

The Director of the Government Publishing Office may print for sale by the Superintendent of Documents to the public, upon prepayment, additional copies of approved Government blank forms.

44 U.S.C. § 1710 Index of documents: number and distribution

The Superintendent of Documents, at the close of each regular session of Congress, shall prepare and publish a comprehensive index of public documents, upon a plan approved by the Joint Committee on Printing. The Director of the Government Publishing Office shall, immediately upon its publication, deliver to him a copy of every document printed by the Government Publishing Office. The head of each executive department, independent agency and establishment of the Government shall deliver to him a copy of every document issued or published by the department, bureau, or office not confidential in character. He shall also prepare and print in one volume a consolidated index of Congressional documents, and shall index single volumes of documents as the Joint Committee on Printing directs. Two thousand copies each of the comprehensive index and of the consolidated index shall be printed and bound in addition to the usual number, two hundred for the Senate, eight hundred for the House of Representatives and one thousand for distribution by the Superintendent of Documents.

44 U.S.C. § 1711 Catalog of Government publications

On the first day of each month the Superintendent of Documents shall prepare a catalog of Government publications which shall show the documents printed during the preceding month, where obtainable, and the price. Two thousand copies of the catalog shall be printed in pamphlet form for distribution.

44 U.S.C. § 1712 Documents for use of the Director of the Government Publishing Office

The Director of the Government Publishing Office may retain out of all documents, bills, and resolutions printed the number of copies absolutely needful for the official use of the Government Publishing Office, not exceeding five of each.

44 U.S.C. § 1713 Documents to be delivered to the Executive Mansion

The Director of the Government Publishing Office shall deliver to the Executive Mansion two copies of each document, bill, and resolution as soon as printed and ready for distribution.

44 U.S.C. § 1714 Publications for use of National Archives and Records Administration

The Director of the Government Publishing Office shall print and deliver to the National Archives and Records Administration for use by the Archivist of the United States, including use by the Presidential Library established for the President during whose term the documents were issued, which shall be chargeable to Congress three copies each of the following publications: House documents and public reports, bound; Senate documents and public reports, bound; Senate and House journals, bound; United States Code and Supplements, bound; United States Statutes at Large, bound; the United States Reports, bound; all other documents bearing a congressional number, or printed upon order of a committee in either House of Congress, or of a department, independent agency or establishment, commission, or officer of the Government, except confidential matter, blank forms, and circular letters not of a public character; and public bills and resolutions in Congress in each parliamentary stage. The Superintendent of Documents shall furnish, without cost, copies of publications available for free distribution.

44 U.S.C. § 1715 Publications for department or officer or for congressional committees

When printing not bearing a congressional number, except confidential matter, blank forms, and circular letters not of a public character, is done for a department or officer of the Government, or not of a confidential character, is done for use of congressional committees, two copies shall be sent, unless withheld by order of the committee, by the Director of the Government Publishing Office to the Senate and House of Representatives libraries, respectively, and one copy each to the document rooms of the Senate and House of Representatives, for reference; and these copies may not be removed.

44 U.S.C. § 1716 Public documents for legations and consulates of United States

Only books published by the Government, and usually known by the name of “Public Documents,” may be supplied to a legation or consulate of the United States as are first designated by the Secretary of State, by an order to be recorded in the State Department, as suitable for and required by the legation and consulate.

44 U.S.C. § 1717 Documents and reports for foreign legations

Documents and reports may be furnished to foreign legations to the United States upon request stating those desired and requisition upon the Director of the Government Publishing Office by the Secretary of State. Gratuitous distribution may only be made to legations whose Governments furnish to legations from the United States copies of their printed and legislative documents desired.

44 U.S.C. § 1718 Distribution of Government publications to the Library of Congress

There shall be printed and furnished to the Library of Congress for official use in the District of Columbia not to exceed twenty-five copies of: House documents and reports, bound; Senate documents and reports, bound; Senate and House journals, bound; public bills and resolutions; the United States Code and supplements, bound; and all other publications and maps which are printed, or otherwise reproduced, under authority of law, upon the requisition of a Congressional committee, executive department, bureau, independent office, establishment, commission, or officer of the Government. Confidential matter, blank forms, and circular letters not of a public character shall be excepted. In addition, there shall be delivered as printed to the Library of Congress: ten copies of each House document and report, unbound; ten copies of each Senate document and report, unbound; and ten copies of each private bill and resolution and fifty copies of the laws in slip form.

44 U.S.C. § 1719 International exchange of Government publications

For the purpose of more fully carrying into effect the convention concluded at Brussels on March 15, 1886, and proclaimed by the President of the United States on January 15, 1889, there shall be supplied to the Superintendent of Documents not to exceed one hundred and twenty-five copies each of all Government publications, including the daily and bound copies of the Congressional Record, for distribution to those foreign governments which agree, as indicated by the Library of Congress, to send to the United States similar publications of their governments for delivery to the Library of Congress. Confidential matter, blank forms, circular letters not of a public character, publications determined by their issuing department, office, or establishment to be required for official use only or for strictly administrative or operational purposes which have no public interest or educational value, and publications classified for reasons of national security shall be exempted from this requirement. The printing, binding, and distribution costs of any publications distributed in accordance with this section shall be charged to appropriations provided the Superintendent of Documents for that purpose.

44 U.S.C. § 1720 Documents not needed by departments to be turned over to Superintendent of Documents

Public documents accumulating in the several executive departments, bureaus, and offices, not needed for official use, shall be turned over to the Superintendent of Documents annually for distribution or sale.

44 U.S.C. § 1721 Exchange of documents by heads of departments

Heads of departments may exchange surplus documents for other documents and books required by them, when it is to the advantage of the public service.

44 U.S.C. § 1722 Departmental distribution of publications

Government publications printed for or received by the executive departments, whether for official use or for distribution, except those required by section 1701 of this title to be distributed by the Director of the Government Publishing Office, shall be distributed by a competent person detailed to this duty in each department by the head of the department. He shall prevent duplication and make detailed report to the head of the department.