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 fol-
lowing bill; which was referred to the Committee on House Administra-
tion, and in addition to the Committee on Rules, for a period to be subse-
quently 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 print-
ing and distribution of paper copies of Congressional 
documents. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Unnecessary Govern-
ment Printing Reform Act of 2015’’. 
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SEC. 2. RESTRICTIONS ON PRINTING AND DISTRIBUTION 
OF PAPER COPIES OF CONGRESSIONAL DOC-
UMENTS. 
(a) PRINTING AND DISTRIBUTION OF DOCUMENTS 
BY DIRECTOR OF THE GOVERNMENT PUBLISHING OF-
FICE.— 
(1) RESTRICTIONS.—Chapter 7 of title 44, 
United States Code, is amended by adding at the 
end the following new section: 
‘‘§ 742. Restrictions on printing and distribution of 
paper copies 
‘‘(a) MANDATORY USE OF ELECTRONIC FORMAT FOR 
DISTRIBUTION OF CONGRESSIONAL DOCUMENTS.—Not-
withstanding any other provision of this chapter, the Di-
rector of the Government Publishing Office shall make any 
document of the House of Representatives or Senate 
which is subject to any of the provisions of this chapter 
available only in an electronic format which is accessible 
through the Internet, and may not print or distribute a 
printed copy of the document except as provided in sub-
section (b). 
‘‘(b) PERMITTING PRINTING AND DISTRIBUTION OF 
PRINTED
COPIES
UPON
REQUEST.—Notwithstanding 
subsection (a), at the request of any person to whom the 
Director of the Government Publishing Office would have 
been required to provide a printed copy of a document 
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under this chapter had subsection (a) not been in effect, 
the Director may print and distribute a copy of a docu-
ment or report for the use of that person, except that— 
‘‘(1) the number of printed copies the Director 
may provide to the person may not exceed the num-
ber of printed copies the Director would have pro-
vided to the person had subsection (a) not been in 
effect; and 
‘‘(2) the Director may print and distribute cop-
ies to the person only upon payment by the person 
of the costs of printing and distributing the copies, 
except that this paragraph shall not apply to an of-
fice of the House of Representatives or Senate (in-
cluding the office of a Member of Congress).’’. 
(2) CLERICAL AMENDMENT.—The table of sec-
tions of chapter 7 of such title is amended by adding 
at the end following new item: 
‘‘742. Restrictions on printing and distribution of paper copies.’’. 
(b) PROVISION
OF DOCUMENTS
IN ELECTRONIC 
FORMAT DEEMED TO MEET REQUIREMENTS OF HOUSE 
AND
SENATE
RULES
REGARDING
DISTRIBUTION
OF 
PRINTED COPIES.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.—If any rule or regulation of 
the House of Representatives or Senate requires a 
Member or committee to provide printed copies of 
any document (including any bill or resolution) for 
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the use of the House or Senate or for the use of any 
office of the House or Senate, the Member or com-
mittee shall be considered to have met the require-
ment of the rule or regulation if the Member or com-
mittee makes the document available to the recipient 
in an electronic format. 
(2) EXERCISE OF RULEMAKING AUTHORITY OF 
SENATE AND HOUSE.—This subsection is enacted by 
Congress— 
(A) as an exercise of the rulemaking power 
of the Senate and House of Representatives, re-
spectively, and as such it is deemed a part of 
the rules of each House, respectively, and it su-
persedes other rules only to the extent that it 
is inconsistent with such rules; and 
(B) with full recognition of the constitu-
tional right of either House to change the rules 
(so far as relating to the procedure of that 
House) at any time, in the same manner, and 
to the same extent as in the case of any other 
rule of that House. 
(c) EFFECTIVE DATE.—This section and the amend-
ments made by this section shall apply with respect to doc-
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uments produced after the expiration of the 30-day period 
which begins on the date of the enactment of this Act. 
Æ 
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