I 

114TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. R. 3577 

To amend title 44, United States Code, to restrict the printing and 

distribution of paper copies of Congressional documents. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

SEPTEMBER 18, 2015 

Mr. PETERS (for himself and Mr. MURPHY of Florida) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on House Administration, and in addition to the Committee on Rules, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such 

provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned 

A BILL 

To amend title 44, United States Code, to restrict the printing and distribution of paper copies of Congressional 

documents. 

1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 

3 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

4 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Unnecessary Govern5 ment Printing Reform Act of 2015’’. 


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1 SEC. 2. RESTRICTIONS ON PRINTING AND DISTRIBUTION 

2 OF PAPER COPIES OF CONGRESSIONAL DOC3 UMENTS. 

4 (a) PRINTING AND DISTRIBUTION OF DOCUMENTS

5 BY DIRECTOR OF THE GOVERNMENT PUBLISHING OF6 FICE.— 

7 (1) RESTRICTIONS.—Chapter 7 of title 44, 

8 United States Code, is amended by adding at the 

9 end the following new section: 

10 ‘‘§ 742. Restrictions on printing and distribution of 

11 paper copies 

12 ‘‘(a) MANDATORY USE OF ELECTRONIC FORMAT FOR

13 DISTRIBUTION OF CONGRESSIONAL DOCUMENTS.—Not14 withstanding any other provision of this chapter, the Di15 rector of the Government Publishing Office shall make any 

16 document of the House of Representatives or Senate 

17 which is subject to any of the provisions of this chapter 

18 available only in an electronic format which is accessible 

19 through the Internet, and may not print or distribute a 

20 printed copy of the document except as provided in sub21 section (b). 

22 ‘‘(b) PERMITTING PRINTING AND DISTRIBUTION OF

23 PRINTED COPIES UPON REQUEST.—Notwithstanding 

24 subsection (a), at the request of any person to whom the 

25 Director of the Government Publishing Office would have 

26 been required to provide a printed copy of a document 


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1 under this chapter had subsection (a) not been in effect, 

2 the Director may print and distribute a copy of a docu3 ment or report for the use of that person, except that— 

4 ‘‘(1) the number of printed copies the Director 

5 may provide to the person may not exceed the num6 ber of printed copies the Director would have pro7 vided to the person had subsection (a) not been in 

8 effect; and 

9 ‘‘(2) the Director may print and distribute cop10 ies to the person only upon payment by the person 

11 of the costs of printing and distributing the copies, 

12 except that this paragraph shall not apply to an of13 fice of the House of Representatives or Senate (in14 cluding the office of a Member of Congress).’’. 

15 (2) CLERICAL AMENDMENT.—The table of sec16 tions of chapter 7 of such title is amended by adding 

17 at the end following new item: 

‘‘742. Restrictions on printing and distribution of paper copies.’’. 

18 (b) PROVISION OF DOCUMENTS IN ELECTRONIC

19 FORMAT DEEMED TO MEET REQUIREMENTS OF HOUSE

20 AND SENATE RULES REGARDING DISTRIBUTION OF

21 PRINTED COPIES.— 

22 (1) IN GENERAL.—If any rule or regulation of 

23 the House of Representatives or Senate requires a 

24 Member or committee to provide printed copies of 

25 any document (including any bill or resolution) for 


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1 the use of the House or Senate or for the use of any 

2 office of the House or Senate, the Member or com3 mittee shall be considered to have met the require4 ment of the rule or regulation if the Member or com5 mittee makes the document available to the recipient 

6 in an electronic format. 

7 (2) EXERCISE OF RULEMAKING AUTHORITY OF

8 SENATE AND HOUSE.—This subsection is enacted by 

9 Congress— 

10 (A) as an exercise of the rulemaking power 

11 of the Senate and House of Representatives, re12 spectively, and as such it is deemed a part of 

13 the rules of each House, respectively, and it su14 persedes other rules only to the extent that it 

15 is inconsistent with such rules; and 

16 (B) with full recognition of the constitu17 tional right of either House to change the rules 

18 (so far as relating to the procedure of that 

19 House) at any time, in the same manner, and 

20 to the same extent as in the case of any other 

21 rule of that House. 

22 (c) EFFECTIVE DATE.—This section and the amend23 ments made by this section shall apply with respect to docVerDate Sep 11 2014 03:41 Sep 24, 2015 Jkt 049200 PO 00000 Frm 00004 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H3577.IH H3577

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1 uments produced after the expiration of the 30-day period 

2 which begins on the date of the enactment of this Act. 

Æ 


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