§ 501. — Government printing, binding, and blankbook work to be done at Government Printing Office.
[Laws in effect as of January 24, 2002]
[Document not affected by Public Laws enacted between
January 24, 2002 and December 19, 2002]
[CITE: 44USC501]
TITLE 44--PUBLIC PRINTING AND DOCUMENTS
CHAPTER 5--PRODUCTION AND PROCUREMENT OF PRINTING AND BINDING
Sec. 501. Government printing, binding, and blank-book work to
be done at Government Printing Office
All printing, binding, and blank-book work for Congress, the
Executive Office, the Judiciary, other than the Supreme Court of the
United States, and every executive department, independent office and
establishment of the Government, shall be done at the Government
Printing Office, except--
(1) classes of work the Joint Committee on Printing considers to
be urgent or necessary to have done elsewhere; and
(2) printing in field printing plants operated by an executive
department, independent office or establishment, and the procurement
of printing by an executive department, independent office or
establishment from allotments for contract field printing, if
approved by the Joint Committee on Printing.
Printing or binding may be done at the Government Printing Office
only when authorized by law.
(Pub. L. 90-620, Oct. 22, 1968, 82 Stat. 1243.)
Historical and Revision Notes
Based on 44 U.S. Code, 1964 ed., Sec. 111 and 116 (part) (Jan. 12,
1895, ch. 23, Secs. 86, 87, 28 Stat. 662; Mar. 1, 1919, ch. 86, Sec. 11,
40 Stat. 1270; July 5, 1949, ch. 296, 63 Stat. 405).
This section incorporates only the first sentence of former section
116. The balance will be found in section 1123 of the revision.
Vegetable Ink Printing
Pub. L. 103-348, Oct. 6, 1994, 108 Stat. 3133, provided that:
``SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
``This Act may be cited as the `Vegetable Ink Printing Act of
1994'.''
``SEC. 2. FINDINGS AND PURPOSES.
``(a) Findings.--The Congress finds the following:
``(1) More than 95 percent of Federal printing involving
documents or publications is performed using lithographic inks.
``(2) Various types of oil, including petroleum and vegetable
oil, are used in lithographic ink.
``(3) Increasing the amount of vegetable oil used in a
lithographic ink would--
``(A) help reduce the Nation's use of nonrenewable energy
resources;
``(B) result in the use of products that are less damaging
to the environment;
``(C) result in a reduction of volatile organic compound
emissions; and
``(D) increase the use of renewable agricultural products.
``(4) The technology exists to use vegetable oil in lithographic
ink and, in some applications, to use lithographic ink that uses no
petroleum distillates in the liquid portion of the ink.
``(5) Some lithographic inks have contained vegetable oils for
many years; other lithographic inks have more recently begun to use
vegetable oil.
``(6) According to the Government Printing Office, using
vegetable oil-based ink appears to add little if any additional cost
to Government printing.
``(7) Use of vegetable oil-based ink in Federal Government
printing should further develop--
``(A) the commercial viability of vegetable oil-based ink,
which could result in demand, for domestic use alone, for
2,500,000,000 pounds of vegetable crops or 500,000,000 pounds of
vegetable oil; and
``(B) a product that could help the United States retain or
enlarge its share of the world market for vegetable oil-ink.
``(b) Purpose.--The purpose of this Act is to require that all
lithographic printing using ink containing oil that is performed or
procured by a Federal agency shall use ink containing the maximum
amounts of vegetable oil and materials derived from other renewable
resources that--
``(1) are technologically feasible, and
``(2) result in printing costs that are competitive with
printing using petroleum-based inks.
``SEC. 3. FEDERAL PRINTING REQUIREMENTS.
``(a) General Rule.--Notwithstanding any other law, and except as
provided in subsection (b), a Federal agency may not perform or procure
lithographic printing that uses ink containing oil if the ink contains
less than the following percentage of vegetable oil:
``(1) In the case of news ink, 40 percent.
``(2) In the case of sheet-fed ink, 20 percent.
``(3) In the case of forms ink, 20 percent.
``(4) In the case of heat-set ink, 10 percent.
``(b) Exceptions.--
``(1) Exceptions.--Subsection (a) shall not apply to
lithographic printing performed or procured by a Federal agency,
if--
``(A) the head of the agency determines, after consultation
with the Public Printer and within the 3-year period ending on
the date of the commencement of the printing or the date of that
procurement, respectively, that vegetable oil-based ink is not
suitable to meet specific, identified requirements of the agency
related to the printing; or
``(B) the Public Printer determines--
``(i) within the 3-month period ending on the date of
the commencement of the printing, in the case of printing of
materials that are printed at intervals of less than 6
months, or
``(ii) before the date of the commencement of the
printing, in the case of printing of materials that are
printed at intervals of 6 months or more;
that the cost of performing the printing using vegetable oil-based
ink is significantly greater than the cost of performing the
printing using other available ink.
``(2) Notice to congress.--Not later than 30 days after making a
determination under paragraph (1)(A), the head of a Federal agency
shall report the determination to the Committee on Government
Operations [now Committee on Government Reform] and the Committee on
House Administration of the House of Representatives, and the
Committee on Rules of the Senate.
``(c) Federal Agency Defined.--In this Act, the term `Federal
agency' means--
``(1) an executive department, military department, Government
corporation, Government-controlled corporation, or other
establishment in the executive branch of the Government (including
the Executive Office of the President), or any independent
regulatory agency; and
``(2) an establishment or component of the legislative or
judicial branch of the Government.''
Government Publications: Printing; GPO Procurement; Executive Branch
Procurement of Certain Kinds of Printing; ``Printing'' Defined
Pub. L. 102-392, title II, Sec. 207(a), Oct. 6, 1992, 106 Stat.
1719, as amended by Pub. L. 103-283, title II, Sec. 207, July 22, 1994,
108 Stat. 1440; Pub. L. 104-201, div. A, title XI, Sec. 1112(e)(1),
Sept. 23, 1996, 110 Stat. 2683, provided that:
``(1) None of the funds appropriated for any fiscal year may be
obligated or expended by any entity of the executive branch for the
procurement of any printing related to the production of Government
publications (including printed forms), unless such procurement is by or
through the Government Printing Office.
``(2) Paragraph (1) does not apply to (A) individual printing orders
costing not more than $1,000, if the work is not of a continuing or
repetitive nature, and, as certified by the Public Printer, if the work
is included in a class of work which cannot be provided more
economically through the Government Printing Office, (B) printing for
the Central Intelligence Agency, the Defense Intelligence Agency,
National Imagery and Mapping Agency, or the National Security Agency, or
(C) printing from other sources that is specifically authorized by law.
``(3) As used in this section, the term `printing' includes the
processes of composition, platemaking, presswork, duplicating, silk
screen processes, binding, microform, and the end items of such
processes.''
Similar provisions were contained in the following prior
appropriation acts:
Pub. L. 101-520, title II, Sec. 206, Nov. 5, 1990, 104 Stat. 2274;
repealed by Pub. L. 102-392, title II, Sec. 207(b), Oct. 6, 1992, 106
Stat. 1720.
Pub. L. 101-163, title III, Sec. 308, Nov. 21, 1989, 103 Stat. 1065.
Pub. L. 100-458, title III, Sec. 309, Oct. 1, 1988, 102 Stat. 2184.
Pub. L. 100-202, Sec. 101(i) [title III, Sec. 309], Dec. 22, 1987,
101 Stat. 1329-310.
Section Referred to in Other Sections
This section is referred to in section 503 of this title; title 7
section 285; title 10 section 195; title 15 section 4051; title 16
sections 916l, 961; title 20 sections 954, 956; title 22 sections 272a,
280b, 280i, 280k, 287e, 287r, 290b, 290f, 1471, 2024, 2669, 3714b; title
33 section 1123; title 35 section 2; title 42 sections 299c-3, 284,
1870.
