The Joint Committee on Printing hereby transmits its budget estimate of $1,165,000 covering our operations and oversight activities for Fiscal Year 1989.

JURISDICTION, AUTHORITY AND RESPONSIBILITIES

The Joint Committee on Printing's jurisdiction, authority and responsibilities are derived from Title 44, United States Code. Section 103 empowers the Committee to "use any measures it considers necessary to remedy neglect, delay, duplication, or waste in the public printing and binding and the distribution of Government publications." Other sections of the law identify specific actions or assignments that are subject to the control of, or must be approved by, the Joint Committee on Printing. The responsibilities of the Committee include:

I. Establishment of policy and oversight of the printing, binding and distribution of federal publications. The Joint Committee also promotes cooperation among executive departments in addressing mutual printing, binding and distribution problems or requirements.

II. Oversight of the Government Printing Office's (GPO's) policies and operations. This includes the Joint Committee serving as a final board of appeal in GPO labor/management negotiations pertaining to wage matters.

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Printing Procurement Program.

III. Oversight of the Federal Through this program approximately 70 percent of the Federal Government's printing is procured by GPO from the private sector. The Program's objectives are to improve service, effect cost savings and reduce unnecessary Government competition with private industry.

IV. Compilation, publication and distribution of certain Congressional publications, including the Congressional Directory and Congressional Pictorial Directory.

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V. Establishment of standards and specifications for printing papers procured and used by Federal departments. The Joint Committee is designated by law as the final arbiter for the United States settling all differences between GPO and contractors regarding the quality of paper.

VI. Oversight of the public's right of access to government publications. The oversight is performed by monitoring the Superintendent of Documents' Depository Library Program, general sales program, by-law distribution program, and cataloging and indexing programs.

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VII. Promotion of cooperation between Senate and House Representatives information entities in such areas as automated production of Congressional publications and automated indexing.

I.

ESTABLISHMENT OF POLICY AND THE FORMULATION OF REGULATIONS FOR THE PRINTING, BINDING AND DISTRIBUTION OF FEDERAL PUBLICATIONS.

The March 20, 1987, issue of the Federal Register contained final rules to amend the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) with respect to the "acquisition of printing and related supplies" by executive branch entities. The amendment would have allowed Federal departments and agencies to circumvent the Government Printing Office while ignoring the strict language of Section 501 of Title 44, United States Code, the law that controls printing. The proposed revision to the FAR was prompted by a 1984 Department of Justice finding that the current statutory provisions governing printing are unconstitutional under the Supreme Court's ruling in Immigration and Naturalization Service v. Chadha, 103 U.S. 2764 (1983). When the FAR Secretariat refused to withdraw the changes, the Joint Committee sought assistance from the

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At the urging of the Joint Committee, H.J. Res. 395 (P.L. 100-202), the Continuing Appropriations Act for Fiscal Year 1988, included a provision that prohibits the use of funds by Executive Branch departments and agencies "for the procurement from commercial sources of any printing related to the production of Government publications (including forms), unless such procurement is by or through the Government Printing Office". While there are some exceptions for small purchases and for departments whose primary mission relates to national security, this new provision of law will preserve GPO's prominent role in the production, procurement, and dissemination of Federal information.

The Joint Committee strongly supports the continued existence of a stable and efficient Government Printing Office. As the central printing agent of the government, the GPO is able to maximize private sector competition resulting in lower prices paid for printed products. Furthermore, if the production of government publications were accomplished elsewhere, large amounts of information would likely escape the GPO sales program and the Depository Library System. Both of these GPO-run programs are intended to provide citizens with low cost or free access to government information that has been generated by their tax dollars.

Unless and until the laws governing Federal printing are amended by Congress, the Joint Committee will discharge its designated duties responsibly and will resist attempts by others to thwart the existing statutes.

2. Electronic Printing and Publishing Developments

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As early as 1979, the Joint Committee recognized that changes in printing technology and the needs and demands of information users would radically alter the Federal printing establishment. recognition resulted in the introduction of policies and programs that sought to include printing as a vital partner in information resource management, integrated fully with data processing and communications. By according printing its proper role in such modern information systems, organizations are able to optimize the benefits of technological progress.

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Various successes have resulted from this approach. In the past, have reported on savings derived from the introduction of high volume electronic printing systems as replacements for outdated mechanical computer line printers, and Department of Defense programs aimed at the more efficient use of technical information [i.e., technical manuals, engineering drawing/documentation repositories, training literature, and the Computer-Aided Logistics System (CALS)].

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More recently, similar initiatives non-defense departments and agencies, in inter-departmental sharing of knowledge and the Committee. These have included:

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have taken place with many cases through the resources as promoted by

The Bureau of the Census and U.S. Geological Survey have collaborated on an automation program wherein a common electronic data base serves a variety of purposes. The Bureau of the Census expects to achieve $5 million in savings on the 1990 Decennial Census and an additional $45 million in savings on the 2000 Decennial Census.

The Department of Defense has begun to mandate the delivery of electronic technical data from weapons contractors as was directed by the 1986 Defense Appropriations Act. This need was identified by the Joint Committee in 1981 during the earliest stages of JCP/DOD Technical Information group proceedings. This allows the production of more efficient technical information products tailored to meet demands and needs of information users.

The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has completed a full year's implementation of a printing automation initiative. Under this initiative, FCC creates a generic full-text data base of "master images" from which a variety of information products can be printed on demand, based on user needs. This concept reduces or eliminates the need to print, warehouse, and inventory, advance copies based upon

mere estimates of user demand.

The Navy has developed a 24-hour on-demand electronic printing service to provide specifications and standards to private sector contractors who expect to bid on Defense requirements. The concept for this system was reviewed and approved by the Joint Committee in 1982, and virtually eliminates the need to search a 50,000 square foot storage facility to locate appropriate specifications in advance of printing copies for distribution to contractors. Previously, this process typically took seven to ten working days. While the Navy is unable to quantify the anticipated savings, the new system is certain to provide more bid-preparation time to bidders, thereby increasing the level of competition.

The latest electronic printing technology also has been installed in support of office automation projects for the Departments of Energy and Justice, as well as tested by the Navy in support of ship maintenance and repair functions as part of a "paperless ship"

On September 23, 1985, the Joint Committee initiated a governmentwide printing and publishing planning program designed to lend broader perspective to the Joint Committee's oversight responsibility. Every department and agency was requested to submit an annual comprehensive printing program plan to the Joint Committee. Fiscal Year 1988 will mark the third submission from many departments.

At this point, the Joint Committee has seen substantial evidence of improved internal management of individual department and agency programs, as well as new opportunities for inter-departmental and government-wide program cooperation. The Joint Committee anticipates that in Fiscal Year 1988 even greater emphasis will be placed on this program.

II. OPERATIONS

OVERSIGHT OF THE GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE'S POLICIES AND

The Joint Committee is directly responsible for overseeing the Government Printing Office to ensure that the printing needs of Congress and the Executive Branch are met expeditiously and cost-effectively and that the public has the widest possible access to government-published information. The Joint Committee fulfills this role by setting policy for GPO to execute, by providing continuity in GPO programs through all Presidential administrations, and by encouraging the application of new technologies to GPO's functions.

In recent years, rapid and remarkable advances have occurred through the merger of printing and computer technology. In addition, the growing Federal deficit will require ever greater efforts to economize and promote efficiencies wherever possible. As such, the role of the Joint Committee will be even more comprehensive and demanding than ever before. Through a professional and realistic analysis of Federal printing and information needs, the Joint Committee will continue to formulate policies for GPO that ensure its utility and vitality. In fulfilling that role many specific projects are ongoing. They include:

1. Long Range Study of the Government Printing Office

The Joint Committee has been working with a multi-agency study group to evaluate GPO's role in the decades ahead and to recommend ways to improve service, modernize equipment, and communicate (both personally and electronically) with its customers. The other members of the study group are the General Accounting Office, the Government Printing Office, and the Office of Technology Assessment (OTA). The final report, which will be written by OTA, is expected in early 1988.