I 
113TH CONGRESS 
2D SESSION 
H. R. 4195 
To amend chapter 15 of title 44, United States Code (commonly known 
as the Federal Register Act), to modernize the Federal Register, and 
for other purposes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
MARCH 11, 2014 
Mr. ISSA (for himself, Mr. CUMMINGS, and Mr. CONNOLLY) introduced the 
following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Oversight and 
Government Reform 
A BILL 
To amend chapter 15 of title 44, United States Code (com-
monly known as the Federal Register Act), to modernize 
the Federal Register, and for other purposes. 
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 ‘‘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— 
VerDate Mar 15 2010 
01:30 Mar 14, 2014
Jkt 039200
PO 00000
Frm 00001
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6201
E:\BILLS\H4195.IH
H4195
smartinez on DSK6TPTVN1PROD with BILLS
(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 is amended— 
(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) 
of, by striking ‘‘printing, reprinting, wrapping, bind-
ing, 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; 
(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: 
VerDate Mar 15 2010 
01:30 Mar 14, 2014
Jkt 039200
PO 00000
Frm 00002
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6201
E:\BILLS\H4195.IH
H4195
smartinez on DSK6TPTVN1PROD with BILLS
‘‘§ 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 of this title shall be filed with 
the Office of the Federal Register for publication at times 
established by the Administrative Committee of the Fed-
eral Register by regulation. The Archivist of the United 
States shall cause to be noted on the original of each docu-
ment the day and hour of filing. Upon filing, the document 
shall be immediately available for public inspection in the 
Office. 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 of this title; however, origi-
nals of proclamations of the President and Executive or-
ders shall be permanently retained by the Administration 
as part of the National Archives of the United States. The 
Office shall transmit to the Government Printing Office, 
as provided by this chapter, each document required or 
authorized to be published by section 1505 of this title. 
Every Federal agency shall cause to be transmitted for 
VerDate Mar 15 2010 
01:30 Mar 14, 2014
Jkt 039200
PO 00000
Frm 00003
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6201
E:\BILLS\H4195.IH
H4195
smartinez on DSK6TPTVN1PROD with BILLS
filing the original of all such documents issued, prescribed, 
or promulgated by the agency.’’. 
(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 of this title shall be published immediately 
by the Government Printing Office in a serial publication 
designated the ‘Federal Register’. The Public Printer shall 
make available the facilities of the Government Printing 
Office for the prompt publication of the Federal Register 
in the manner and at the times required by this chapter 
and the regulations prescribed under it. The contents of 
the daily issues shall constitute all documents, required 
or authorized 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 this title, of the day and hour when, upon filing 
with the Office, the document was made available for pub-
lic inspection. Distribution shall be made at a time in the 
morning of the day of distribution fixed by regulations 
VerDate Mar 15 2010 
01:30 Mar 14, 2014
Jkt 039200
PO 00000
Frm 00004
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6201
E:\BILLS\H4195.IH
H4195
smartinez on DSK6TPTVN1PROD with BILLS
prescribed under this chapter. The prices to be charged 
for the Federal Register may be fixed by the Administra-
tive Committee of the Federal Register established by sec-
tion 1506 of this title without reference to the restrictions 
placed upon and fixed for the sale of Government publica-
tions by sections 1705 and 1708 of this title.’’. 
(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’’; and 
(2) in subsection (c), 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.—Section 1506 of title 44, 
United States Code, is amended to read as follows: 
VerDate Mar 15 2010 
01:30 Mar 14, 2014
Jkt 039200
PO 00000
Frm 00005
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6201
E:\BILLS\H4195.IH
H4195
smartinez on DSK6TPTVN1PROD with BILLS
‘‘§ 1506. Administrative Committee of the Federal 
Register; establishment and composition; 
powers and duties 
‘‘The Administrative Committee of the Federal Reg-
ister shall consist of the Archivist of the United States 
or Acting Archivist, who shall chair the committee, an offi-
cer of the Department of Justice designated by the Attor-
ney General, and the Public Printer or Acting Public 
Printer. The Director of the Federal Register shall act as 
secretary of the committee. The committee shall prescribe, 
with the approval of the President, regulations for car-
rying out this chapter. The regulations shall provide for, 
among other things— 
‘‘(1) the documents which shall be authorized 
under section 1505(b) of this title to be published in 
the Federal Register; 
‘‘(2) the manner and form in which the Federal 
Register shall be published; 
‘‘(3) the manner of distribution to Members of 
Congress, officers and employees of the United 
States, or Federal agency, for official use, and the 
number which shall be available for distribution to 
the public; 
‘‘(4) the prices to be charged for individual cop-
ies of, and subscriptions to, the Federal Register 
and any reprints and bound volumes of it; 
VerDate Mar 15 2010 
01:30 Mar 14, 2014
Jkt 039200
PO 00000
Frm 00006
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6201
E:\BILLS\H4195.IH
H4195
smartinez on DSK6TPTVN1PROD with BILLS
‘‘(5) the manner and form by which the Federal 
Register may receive information and comments 
from the public, if practicable and efficient; and 
‘‘(6) special editions of the Federal Register.’’. 
(g) CODE
OF
FEDERAL
REGULATIONS
AMEND-
MENT.—Section 1510 of title 44, United States Code, is 
amended to read as follows: 
‘‘§ 1510. Code of Federal Regulations 
‘‘(a) SPECIAL EDITION FOR CODIFICATION OF AGEN-
CY DOCUMENTS.—The Administrative Committee of the 
Federal Register, with the approval of the President, may 
require, from time to time as it considers necessary, the 
preparation and publication in a special edition of the Fed-
eral Register a complete codification of the documents of 
each agency of the Government having general applica-
bility and legal effect, issued or promulgated by the agency 
by publication in the Federal Register or by filing with 
the Administrative Committee, and which are relied upon 
by the agency as authority for, or are invoked or used by 
it in the discharge of, its activities or functions, and are 
in effect as to facts arising on or after dates specified by 
the Administrative Committee. 
‘‘(b) CODE OF FEDERAL REGULATIONS.—A codifica-
tion prepared under subsection (a) of this section shall be 
published and shall be designated as the ‘Code of Federal 
VerDate Mar 15 2010 
01:30 Mar 14, 2014
Jkt 039200
PO 00000
Frm 00007
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6201
E:\BILLS\H4195.IH
H4195
smartinez on DSK6TPTVN1PROD with BILLS
Regulations’. The Administrative Committee shall regu-
late the manner and forms of publishing this codification. 
‘‘(c) SUPPLEMENTATION, COLLATION, AND REPUBLI-
CATION.—The Administrative Committee shall regulate 
the supplementation and the collation and republication 
of the codification with a view to keeping the Code of Fed-
eral Regulations as current as practicable. Each unit of 
codification shall be supplemented and republished at least 
once each calendar year. The Office of the Federal Reg-
ister may create updates of each unit of codification from 
time to time and make the same available electronically 
or may provide public access using an electronic edition 
that allows a user to select a specific date and retrieve 
the version of the codification in effect as of that date. 
‘‘(d) PREPARATION AND PUBLICATION BY THE FED-
ERAL REGISTER.—The Office of the Federal Register 
shall prepare and publish the codifications, supplements, 
collations, and user aids authorized by this section. 
‘‘(e) PRIMA FACIE EVIDENCE.—The codified docu-
ments of the several agencies published in the Code of 
Federal Regulations under this section, as amended by 
documents subsequently filed with the Office and pub-
lished in the daily issues of the Federal Register, shall 
be prima facie evidence of the text of the documents and 
VerDate Mar 15 2010 
01:30 Mar 14, 2014
Jkt 039200
PO 00000
Frm 00008
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6201
E:\BILLS\H4195.IH
H4195
smartinez on DSK6TPTVN1PROD with BILLS
of the fact that they are in effect on and after the date 
of publication. 
‘‘(f) REGULATIONS.—The Administrative Committee, 
with approval of the President, shall issue regulations for 
carrying out this section. 
‘‘(g) EXCEPTION.—This section does not require 
codification of the text of Presidential documents pub-
lished and periodically compiled in supplements to title 3 
of the Code of Federal Regulations.’’. 
(h) TECHNICAL AND CONFORMING AMENDMENTS.— 
The table of sections for chapter 15 of title 44, United 
States Code, is amended by striking the items related to 
sections 1502, 1503, and 1504 and inserting the following: 
‘‘1502. Custody and publishing of Federal documents; appointment of Director. 
‘‘1503. Filing documents with Office; notation of time; public inspection; trans-
mission for publishing. 
‘‘1504. ‘Federal Register’; publishing; contents; distribution; price.’’. 
Æ 
VerDate Mar 15 2010 
01:30 Mar 14, 2014
Jkt 039200
PO 00000
Frm 00009
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6301
E:\BILLS\H4195.IH
H4195
smartinez on DSK6TPTVN1PROD with BILLS