Is printed legislation soon to be extinct?
The House has passed a bill that would keep the Government Printing Office from churning out hundreds of printed copies of each piece of legislation.
The government’s printing presses may slow down in the near future.
The House passed the Stop the Over Printing Act (H.R. 292) on Jan. 18.
The bill would stop the presses from churning out hundreds of hard copies of each piece of legislation unless a member of Congress requests a copy. Instead, members woulds receive pages digitally via the Internet.
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"With technological advancements, we have become a paperless world," said Rep. Chris Lee (R-N.Y.). "It is a waste of taxpayer dollars to automatically print and send multiple unsolicited copies of something that is readily available online."
Supporters say the bill could save up to $7 million that the Government Printing Office is expected to spend on congressional printing this year.
The measure is now in the Senate.