CHAPTER 17 —DISTRIBUTION AND SALE OF PUBLIC DOCUMENTS
Editorial Notes
Amendments
2014—
Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries
Federal Records Management Provisions Without Effect on Chapter
Authority and responsibilities under chapter not limited or repealed by Federal Records Management Amendments of 1976, see section 5(b) of
1 Section catchline amended by
§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.
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"House of Representatives Publications Distribution Service" is substituted for "House Folding Room" because of the change of name under authority of
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
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
§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.
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This section incorporates only part of former section 73. The balance will be found in section 308 of the revision.
"House of Representatives Publications Distribution Service" is substituted for "House Folding Room" because of the change of name under authority of
Editorial Notes
Amendments
2014—
§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.
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§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
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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
§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.
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§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.
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§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.
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Amendments
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§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.
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1993—
1977—
Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries
Effective Date of 1993 Amendment
Amendment by
Effective Date of 1977 Amendment
§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.
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§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.
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Amendments
2014—
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
§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.
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§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.
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Amendments
2014—
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
§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.
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§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.
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1984—
Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries
Effective Date of 1984 Amendment
Amendment by
§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.
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The last clause of this section is eliminated, as superseded by former section 85, now found in section 1903 of the revision.
Editorial Notes
Amendments
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§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.
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§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.
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§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.
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Reference to the Official Register is omitted as obsolete. The authorization for its compilation was repealed by
Editorial Notes
Codification
The 1982 amendment by
Amendments
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§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.
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References in Text
There were two conventions concluded at Brussels on Mar. 15, 1886, and proclaimed by the President on Jan. 15, 1889: one was a convention "for the international exchange of official documents, scientific, and literary publications"; the other was "for the immediate exchange of the official journals, parliamentary annals, and documents."
Codification
The 1986 amendment is based on section 306 of title III of H.R. 5203 (see House Report 99–805 as filed in the House on Aug. 15, 1986), and incorporated by reference in section 101(j) of Pub. L.
The 1982 amendment by
Amendments
1986—Pub. L.
1982—
§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.
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§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.
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§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
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