H.R. 9342

GPO Modernization Act of 2026

Sponsor: Stephanie I. Bice · 0 cosponsors

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Official summary

Written by the Congressional Research Service.

GPO Modernization Act of 2026

This bill revises certain programs and operations of the Government Publishing Office (GPO). The bill also revises a Library of Congress (LOC) requirement related to the publication of the Constitution Annotated.

Specifically, the bill revises the Federal Depository Library Program (FDLP) through which GPO provides long-term public access to federal publications. Among other changes to the FDLP, the bill (1) updates statutory references within the FDLP to include references to government public information in all formats, including digital; and (2) removes a requirement that a depository library must maintain a specified minimum number of books.

Additionally, the bill requires GPO's Superintendent of Documents to (1) provide descriptive cataloguing records for government public information, which must include metadata; and (2) protect the privacy of individuals using the digital repository system.

Among other changes to GPO operations, the bill

  • redesignates the Joint Committee on Printing (which oversees GPO) as the Joint Committee on Publishing and updates the relevant statutory references,
  • specifies that GPO may provide publishing services,
  • allows GPO to accept gifts,
  • increases the statutory simplified acquisition threshold for GPO purchases, and
  • updates certain employee leave carryover and compensation rules.

The bill also replaces the requirement for LOC to prepare hardbound versions of the Constitution Annotated and supplements with a requirement for LOC to instead prepare digital versions and publish them online. The new requirement applies to the supplement after the Supreme Court term beginning October 2026 and all subsequent editions.

Text of the bill

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I Sales programs

II Public information programs

Sec. 211. National Collection of United States Public Information Changed · Sep 10

Where this section came from

  1. Jun 18, 2026 · Introduced in House Referred to House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, Jun 18 Referred to House Committee on House Administration, Jun 18
  2. Sep 10, 2026 · Reported in House Marked up by House Committee on House Administration, Jun 24 Reported by House Committee on House Administration, Sep 10 Committee members' individual votes aren't in our records.
What changed in the text

(a) In general. Chapter 19 of title 44, United States Code, is amended by adding at the end the following new section : (and by conforming the table of sections of such chapter accordingly):

… 22 unchanged passages …

(b) Conforming amendment. Chapter 41 of title 44, United States Code, is and the item relating to such chapter in the table of chapters at the beginning, are hereby repealed.

What is a markup?

A markup is a committee meeting where members go through a bill and vote on changes before sending it to the full chamber.

(a) In general. Chapter 19 of title 44, United States Code, is amended by adding at the end the following new section (and by conforming the table of sections of such chapter accordingly):

Text this section adds to the law

1918. National Collection of United States Public Information

(a) Establishment and purpose

(1) Establishment. There is hereby established a National Collection of United States Government Public Information (referred to in this chapter as the National Collection).

(2) Purpose. The Federal Government’s publications and information are national assets and resources. Their availability and accessibility ensures an informed citizenry and an improved quality of life for them while spurring innovation. The National Collection is established to ensure the public’s right to free, equitable, and convenient access to Government public information.

(b) Scope of the National Collection. The content included in the National Collection is the corpus of Government public information.

(c) Responsibilities of the Superintendent of Documents. The Superintendent of Documents shall administer the National Collection and shall—

(1) guarantee free permanent public access to the geographically distributed National Collection;

(2) apply information lifecycle management best practices to the National Collection;

(3) acquire and bring under bibliographic control public Government information products, regardless of format, in scope of the National Collection;

(4) ensure a minimum of four tangible copies of distributed publications exist in the depository library program distributed geographically in four National Collection service areas; and

(5) collaborate with stakeholders, including the Library of Congress, libraries of the United States, Federal agencies, Congress, the Judiciary, and Federal Depository Library Program member libraries in as much as is practicable, to ensure preservation, comprehensiveness, and accessibility of the National Collection.

(d) Responsibilities of the Director of the Government Publishing Office. The Director of the Government Publishing Office, acting through the Superintendent of Documents, shall—

(1) operate a digital repository system that functions as the Government Publishing Office’s online system of access through which members of the public may obtain, at no charge, information that is included in the National Collection;

(2) develop and enhance such system as needed;

(3) digitize, authenticate, manage, preserve, and provide a permanent means of accessing information;

(4) provide access to information in an open format to the extent practicable;

(5) provide funding for system development, operational support, and infrastructure; and

(6) have the ability to provide services to Federal agencies for the purpose of carrying out this title.

(e) Protecting user privacy. The Director of the Government Publishing Office, acting through the Superintendent of Documents, shall implement measures to protect the privacy of individuals using the digital repository described in subsection (d), and shall ensure that such measures provide users with at least the same level of privacy as provided under section 552a of title 5 (commonly known as the Privacy Act of 1974) and section 208 of the E-Government Act of 2002 (Public Law 107–347).

(f) Removal of public Government information from National Collection. The Superintendent of Documents shall publicly disclose online, not less than annually, a list of any public Government information removed from public access in the National Collection or the digital repository described in subsection (d), and the reasons for such removals.

(b) Conforming amendment. Chapter 41 of title 44, United States Code, and the item relating to such chapter in the table of chapters at the beginning, are hereby repealed.

III GPO Operational Modernization

IV Preparation of Constitution Annotated