Federal Register Printing Savings Act of 2016

Floor Speech

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Mr. GOSAR. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 5384) to amend title 44, United States Code, to restrict the distribution of free printed copies of the Federal Register to Members of Congress and other officers and employees of the United States, and for other purposes.

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Mr. GOSAR. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on the bill under consideration.

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Mr. GOSAR. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. I rise today in support of H.R. 5384, the Federal Register Printing Savings Act of 2016, introduced by my colleague on the Oversight and Government Reform Committee, the gentleman from Oklahoma (Mr. Russell).

This commonsense legislation will help curb government waste.

The Federal Register is aptly described as the official newspaper of the Federal Government. Its daily editions include copies of proposed and final regulations, requests for comment, executive orders, and information concerning other government activities.

Today, virtually every Member of Congress, the White House, and many Federal agencies receive printed copies of the Federal Register. It is important to note that Members of Congress do not proactively request, or pay for this service. However, for the public, an annual subscription costs $929 annually.

In the days before the Internet, this paper-based service brought great value to Members, agencies, and the White House, allowing them to keep track of activity across the government. Today, though, the full Federal Register is available online in a completely searchable and downloadable format. As a result, offices on Capitol Hill and across the government throw away the paper version every morning, often unopened, resulting in hundreds of thousands of dollars of waste.

This legislation, H.R. 5384, would change this dynamic by banning automatic subscriptions to the Federal Register by the Federal Government. Instead, Members of Congress and offices across the Federal Government who still want to receive printed copies would be required to request individual copies, or an annual subscription.

This is a simple, good government piece of legislation that will save the American taxpayer potentially hundreds of thousands of dollars every year.

I urge my colleagues to support this legislation. I reserve the balance of my time.

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Mr. GOSAR. Mr. Speaker, I urge the adoption of the bill. I yield back the balance of my time.

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