SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Federal Register Mod-
ernization Act’’. 
SEC. 2. FEDERAL REGISTER MODERNIZATION. 
(a) REFERENCES TO PRINTING.—Chapter 15 of title 
44, United States Code, is amended— 
(1) in section 1502— 
(A) in the heading, by striking ‘‘print-
ing’’ and inserting ‘‘publishing’’; and 
(B) by striking ‘‘printing and distribution’’ 
and inserting ‘‘publishing’’; 
(2) in section 1507— 
(A) by striking ‘‘the duplicate originals or 
certified copies of the document have’’ and in-
serting ‘‘the document has’’; and 
(B) in paragraph (2), by striking ‘‘print-
ed’’ and inserting ‘‘published’’; and 
(3) in section 1509, in subsections (a) and (b), 
by striking ‘‘printing, reprinting, wrapping, binding, 
and distributing’’ and inserting ‘‘publishing’’, each 
place it appears. 
(b) PUBLISH DEFINED.—Section 1501 of title 44, 
United States Code, is amended— 
(1) by striking ‘‘; and’’ at the end of the defini-
tion for ‘‘person’’ and inserting a semicolon; and
(2) by inserting after the definition for ‘‘per-
son’’ the following: 
‘‘ ‘publish’ means to circulate for sale or dis-
tribution to the public; and’’. 
(c) FILING DOCUMENTS WITH OFFICE AMEND-
MENT.—Section 1503 of title 44, United States Code, is 
amended to read as follows: 
‘‘§ 1503. Filing documents with Office; notation of 
time; public inspection; transmission for 
publishing 
‘‘The original document required or authorized to be 
published by section 1505 shall be filed with the Office 
of the Federal Register for publication at times estab-
lished by the Administrative Committee of the Federal 
Register by regulation. The Archivist of the United States 
shall cause to be noted on the original of each document 
the day and hour of filing. Upon filing, the document shall 
be immediately available for public inspection in the Of-
fice. The original shall be retained by the National Ar-
chives and Records Administration and shall be available 
for inspection under regulations prescribed by the Archi-
vist, unless such original is disposed of in accordance with 
disposal schedules submitted by the Administrative Com-
mittee and authorized by the Archivist pursuant to regula-
tions issued under chapter 33; however, originals of proc-
lamations of the President and Executive orders shall be 
permanently retained by the Administration as part of the 
National Archives of the United States. The Office shall 
transmit to the Government Publishing Office, as provided 
by this chapter, each document required or authorized to 
be published by section 1505. Every Federal agency shall 
cause to be transmitted for filing the original of all such 
documents issued, prescribed, or promulgated by the agen-
cy.’’. 
(d) FEDERAL
REGISTER
AMENDMENT.—Section 
1504 of title 44, United States Code, is amended to read 
as follows: 
‘‘§ 1504. ‘Federal Register’; publishing; contents; dis-
tribution; price 
‘‘Documents required or authorized to be published 
by section 1505 shall be published immediately by the 
Government Publishing Office in a serial publication des-
ignated the ‘Federal Register’. The Director of the Gov-
ernment Publishing Office shall make available the facili-
ties of the Government Publishing Office for the prompt 
publication of the Federal Register in the manner and at 
the times required by this chapter and the regulations pre-
scribed under it. The contents of the daily issues shall be 
indexed and constitute all documents, required or author-
ized to be published, filed with the Office of the Federal
Register up to the time of the day immediately preceding 
the day of publication fixed by regulations under this 
chapter. There shall be published with each document a 
copy of the notation, required to be made by section 1503, 
of the day and hour when, upon filing with the Office, 
the document was made available for public inspection. 
Distribution shall be made at a time in the morning of 
the day of distribution fixed by regulations prescribed 
under this chapter. The prices to be charged for the Fed-
eral Register may be fixed by the Administrative Com-
mittee of the Federal Register established by section 1506 
without reference to the restrictions placed upon and fixed 
for the sale of Government publications by sections 1705 
and 1708.’’. 
(e) DOCUMENTS TO BE PUBLISHED IN FEDERAL 
REGISTER.—Section 1505 of title 44, United States Code, 
is amended— 
(1) in subsection (b)— 
(A) in the heading, by striking ‘‘COM-
MENTS’’ and inserting ‘‘NEWS COMMENTARY’’; 
and 
(B) by striking ‘‘comments’’ and inserting 
‘‘news commentary’’; 
(2) by redesignating subsection (c) as sub-
section (d);
(3) by inserting after subsection (b) the fol-
lowing new subsection: 
‘‘(c) ALTERNATIVE PUBLICATION.—In a continuity 
of operations event in which the Government Publishing 
Office does not fulfill the publication requirements of this 
chapter, the Office of the Federal Register may establish 
a website to publish the Federal Register until such time 
that the Government Publishing Office resumes publica-
tion.’’; and 
(4) in subsection (d), as so redesignated, in the 
matter following paragraph (2)— 
(A) by inserting ‘‘telecommunications, the 
Internet,’’ after ‘‘the press, the radio,’’; and 
(B) by striking ‘‘and two duplicate origi-
nals or two certified copies’’ and inserting ‘‘doc-
ument’’. 
(f) ADMINISTRATIVE COMMITTEE OF THE FEDERAL 
REGISTER AMENDMENT.—Subsection (a) of section 1506 
of title 44, United States Code, is amended to read as 
follows: 
‘‘(a) COMPOSITION; DUTIES.—The Administrative 
Committee of the Federal Register shall consist of the Ar-
chivist of the United States or Acting Archivist, who shall 
chair the committee, an officer of the Department of Jus-
tice designated by the Attorney General, and the Director