Federal Register Modernization Act
This bill revises provisions regarding the Federal Register or the Code of Federal Regulations, including to replace requirements that the documents be printed with requirements that the documents be published.
[Congressional Bills 116th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 1654 Introduced in House (IH)]
<DOC>
116th CONGRESS
1st Session
H. R. 1654
To amend title 44, United States Code, to modernize the Federal
Register, and for other purposes.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
March 8, 2019
Mr. Meadows introduced the following bill; which was referred to the
Committee on Oversight and Reform, and in addition to the Committee on
the Budget, for a period to be subsequently 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 modernize the Federal
Register, and for other purposes.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the
United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ``Federal Register Modernization
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 ``printing'' 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 inserting
``the document has''; and
(B) in paragraph (2), by striking ``printed'' and
inserting ``published''; and
(3) in section 1509, in subsections (a) and (b) of, 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 definition for
``person'' and inserting a semicolon; and
(2) by inserting after the definition for ``person'' the
following:
```publish' means to circulate for sale or distribution to
the public; and''.
(c) Filing Documents With Office Amendment.--Section 1503 of title
44, United States Code, is amended to read as follows:
``Sec. 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 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 Office. The
original shall be retained by the National Archives and Records
Administration and shall be available for inspection under regulations
prescribed by the Archivist, unless such original is disposed of in
accordance with disposal schedules submitted by the Administrative
Committee and authorized by the Archivist pursuant to regulations
issued under chapter 33 of this title; however, originals of
proclamations 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 of this
title. Every Federal agency shall cause to be transmitted for 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:
``Sec. 1504. `Federal Register'; publishing; contents; distribution;
price
``Documents required or authorized to be published by section 1505
of this title shall be published immediately by the Government
Publishing Office in a serial publication designated the `Federal
Register'. The Director of the Government Publishing Office shall make
available the facilities 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 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 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 Federal Register may be fixed by the
Administrative Committee of the Federal Register established by section
1506 of this title without reference to the restrictions placed upon
and fixed for the sale of Government publications 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 ``Comments'' 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 originals or
two certified copies'' and inserting ``document''.
(f) Administrative Committee of the Federal Register Amendment.--
Section 1506 of title 44, United States Code, is amended to read as
follows:
``Sec. 1506. Administrative Committee of the Federal Register;
establishment and composition; powers and duties
``The Administrative Committee of the Federal Register shall
consist of the Archivist of the United States or Acting Archivist, who
shall chair the committee, an officer of the Department of Justice
designated by the Attorney General, and the Director of the Government
Publishing Office or Acting Director of the Government Publishing
Office. 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 carrying 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 copies of,
and subscriptions to, the Federal Register and any reprints and
bound volumes of it;
``(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 Amendment.--Section 1510 of title
44, United States Code, is amended to read as follows:
``Sec. 1510. Code of Federal Regulations
``(a) Special Edition for Codification of Agency 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
Federal Register a complete codification of the documents of each
agency of the Government having general applicability 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 codification prepared under
subsection (a) of this section shall be published and shall be
designated as the `Code of Federal Regulations'. The Administrative
Committee shall regulate the manner and forms of publishing this
codification.
``(c) Supplementation, Collation, and Republication.--The
Administrative Committee shall regulate the supplementation and the
collation and republication of the codification with a view to keeping
the Code of Federal 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 Register 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 Federal 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 documents of the several
agencies published in the Code of Federal Regulations under this
section, as amended by documents subsequently filed with the Office and
published in the daily issues of the Federal Register, shall be prima
facie evidence of the text of the documents and 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 published 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; transmission for publishing.
``1504. `Federal Register'; publishing; contents; distribution;
price.''.
SEC. 3. DETERMINATION OF BUDGETARY EFFECTS.
The budgetary effects of this Act, for the purpose of complying
with the Statutory Pay-As-You-Go Act of 2010, shall be determined by
reference to the latest statement titled ``Budgetary Effects of PAYGO
Legislation'' for this Act, submitted for printing in the Congressional
Record by the Chairman of the House Budget Committee, provided that
such statement has been submitted prior to the vote on passage.
<all>
Introduced in House
Introduced in House
Referred to the Committee on Oversight and Reform, and in addition to the Committee on the Budget, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.
Referred to the Committee on Oversight and Reform, and in addition to the Committee on the Budget, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.
Ms. Norton moved to suspend the rules and pass the bill, as amended.
Considered under suspension of the rules. (consideration: CR H2671-2673)
DEBATE - The House proceeded with forty minutes of debate on H.R. 1654.
At the conclusion of debate, the Yeas and Nays were demanded and ordered. Pursuant to the provisions of clause 8, rule XX, the Chair announced that further proceedings on the motion would be postponed.
Considered as unfinished business. (consideration: CR H2675-2676)
Passed/agreed to in House: On motion to suspend the rules and pass the bill, as amended Agreed to by the Yeas and Nays: (2/3 required): 426 - 1 (Roll no. 123).(text: CR H2671-2672)
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On motion to suspend the rules and pass the bill, as amended Agreed to by the Yeas and Nays: (2/3 required): 426 - 1 (Roll no. 123). (text: CR H2671-2672)
Roll Call #123 (House)Motion to reconsider laid on the table Agreed to without objection.
Received in the Senate and Read twice and referred to the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs.
Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs. Ordered to be reported without amendment favorably.
Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs. Reported by Senator Johnson without amendment. With written report No. 116-57.
Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs. Reported by Senator Johnson without amendment. With written report No. 116-57.
Placed on Senate Legislative Calendar under General Orders. Calendar No. 149.