2 Mr. Chairman and Members of the Subcommittee, I am pleased to be here today to present the results of Government Printing Office (GPO) operations for the past year and to request appropriations for FY 2002. RESULTS OF 2000 GPO began the fiscal year with its second consecutive annual designation as the Nation's leading in-plant printing operation, a tribute to the continuing efforts and dedication of its skilled workforce. Noting that 2000 marked GPO's 139th year, the December 1999 issue of In-Plant Graphics magazine reported that “GPO has drastically changed itself over the past few years from a strictly ink-on-paper provider to a high-tech digital data delivery organization." We earned our third consecutive designation as the Nation's leading in-plant in the December 2000 issue of In-Plant Graphics. In between these two designations, GPO engaged in a number of high-tech online and print activities that supported Congress and Federal agencies, and which helped keep America informed. Improving public access to electronic Government information was a major focus of our activities in 2000. By arrangement with the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, GPO was the outlet for all documents issued by the Court during the Microsoft case in both online and print formats. GPO provided technical support and hosting technology for the Supreme Court's new Web site, which later in the year was the focus of intense public scrutiny with the release of the Court's decisions in the Florida election case. Following the direction of the conferees on the FY 2001 Legislative Branch Appropriations bill, we set new policies for accelerating the transition of GPO's Federal Depository Library Program to an increasingly online basis-a transition that has been underway since 1996. Earlier this year, GPO Access, our Internet information service (www.gpo.gov/gpoaccess), was used to release the President's budget documents for FY 2002. GPO also launched new partnerships with the Department of Energy and the National Library of Medicine to create new online links to scientific and technical as well as medical information, and continued talks with legislative, executive, judicial branch agencies toward the development of effective strategies for ensuring permanent public access in this electronic age. Technology improvements included installing a new T3 fiber optic Internet connection to handle the increased demand for public access to Government information on GPO Access, and investigation of public key infrastructure (PKI) technology to enhance security. Currently, GPO Access is being used by the public each month to retrieve about 30 million documents published by all three branches of the Government. GPO's printing functions had a strong year in 2000. We continued to support Congress with the daily production-in both print and electronic formats of the Congressional Record as well as the bills, reports, hearings, and other documents needed by the legislative process. Daily production of essential executive publications such as the Federal Register, Code of Federal Regulations, passports, and other items continued as well. Our printing procurement program was a major participant in Census 2000, placing more than 80 contracts worth more than $65 million with dozens of private sector printing contractors across 17 states for the forms and other 3 During the year, we worked closely with the Joint Congressional Committee on the Inauguration to prepare the programs, tickets, and other materials needed for the inaugural ceremony in January 2001, and on behalf of the Senate Committee on Governmental Affairs we produced the 2000 edition of U.S. Government Policy and Supporting Positions--the so-called "Plum Book"-that draws a great deal of attention with the change of Administrations. We also revised and published a new edition of the GPO Style Manual, meeting public demand for this widelyused document. GPO received an “unqualified opinion" on its financial statements for FY 2000 following a comprehensive, independent audit of its financial operations by KPMG LLP. This is the highest level of assurance that an audit firm can give on an organization's financial statements. FY 2000 was the fourth consecutive year that we have received such an opinion since an annual audit requirement for GPO was enacted by Congress in 1996. Our financial statements reflect that GPO completed FY 2000 with a consolidated underrecovery of $115,000 on total revenues of $807.5 million, a margin of about one-one hundredth of 1 percent, a significant improvement over the previous year. GPO undertook a major costreduction effort in 2000 with the consolidation of warehouse facilities for publications and paper, a move that will save more than $5 million over the next 5 years. Staffing levels also continued to decline through attrition, falling by 121 full-time equivalents (FTE's) during the year. After eight years of service as Public Printer, I am pleased to report that GPO has come a long way over the past decade, successfully transitioning itself from a conventional printing and hardcopy distribution facility staffed by nearly 5,000 employees to a "high-tech digital data delivery organization" with 3,100 staff serving Congress, Federal agencies, the courts, and the public. Along the way, we developed one of the Government's early online dissemination efforts, GPO Access, into a comprehensive service that today links millions of Americans in their offices, homes, schools, and libraries with information provided by all three branches of their Federal Government. GPO's traditional operations have changed, too. An independent management review by BoozAllen & Hamilton, Inc. in 1998 found that GPO "effectively satisfies its priority congressional customers and meets the variable demands and outputs requested by Congress," provides a printing procurement service that customer agencies view as "an example of 'government at its best," and successfully meets Government and public expectations for electronic information dissemination. The scope of the transition at GPO over the past ten years has marked the 1990's as perhaps the single most dramatic decade of change in this agency's history. However, the successes of the past decade have come at a price. There has been an ongoing decline in GPO's sales of publications, due principally to the increasing availability of titles on the Internet. GPO proposed a consolidation of the Government's publications dissemination functions in 1999 for economy purposes, but in the absence of any action on that proposal we have been compelled to begin downsizing actions for our sales program. In another area, decade-long employment reductions combined with demands for new services have forced Increased recruitment, training, and investment will be necessary in the coming years to ensure adequate succession and the continued strength of GPO's workforce. Finally, while the drive to make more Government publications available electronically has benefited millions, it has also raised new issues with respect to security, authenticity, permanence, and equity that have yet to be resolved. Addressing these will require the effective use of technology, the development of innovative partnerships with both Government and nongovernmental organizations, and broad consultation and cooperation with Congress, Federal agencies, and the public. Fortunately, these are strategies that GPO has already begun deploying based on our commitment to keeping America informed. We look forward to continuing to serve Congress, Federal agencies, and the public. GPO's FY 2002 APPROPRIATIONS REQUEST For FY 2002, the Government Printing Office (GPO) is requesting a total of $126.5 million: $90.9 million for the Congressional Printing and Binding Appropriation, $29.6 million for the Salaries and Expenses Appropriation of the Superintendent of Documents, and $6 million for GPO's revolving fund, to remain available until expended, for the replacement of our airconditioning system. Our request represents an increase of $27.3 million, or 27.6 percent, over the amount approved for FY 2001 (net of the .22 percent rescission for all programs covered by the Legislative Branch Appropriations Act for FY 2001). While in excess of the President's targeted 4 percent increase for FY 2002, our requested increase is primarily to ensure that sufficient Congressional Printing and Binding funds are available to cover work charged against that appropriation. The requested increase includes $9.9 million for Congressional Printing and Binding to fund a prior year (FY 2000) shortfall in that appropriation, and a $9.5 million adjustment to the FY 2001 base to ensure that sufficient funding is available for FY 2002. The requested increase also includes $6 million for air conditioning and lighting improvements that were recommended last year in an energy audit of GPO conducted by the General Accounting Office at the request of the Joint Committee on Printing. The balance of the requested increase, or $1.9 million, is for projected price level and workload increases. Fiscal Year 2001 Supplemental. Last month, I submitted a supplemental appropriations request for FY 2001. I requested the $9.9 million for the FY 2000 shortfall and the $6 million for GPO air conditioning and lighting systems. If these amounts are included in the FY 2001 supplemental, they would no longer be needed as part of the FY 2002 request. As a result, our FY 2002 request would be for $110.6 million, an increase of 11.5 percent. Congressional Printing and Binding Appropriation. The Congressional Printing and Binding Appropriation covers the costs of congressional printing such as the Congressional Record, bills, reports, hearings, documents, and other products. It is critical to the maintenance and operation of our in-plant capacity, which is structured to serve Congress's information product needs. This appropriation also covers database preparation work on congressional publications disseminated 5 Salaries and Expenses Appropriation of the Superintendent of Documents. The Superintendent of Documents Salaries and Expenses Appropriation pays for those documents distribution programs and related functions mandated by law. The majority of the appropriation is for the Federal Depository Library Program (FDLP), under which congressional and other Government publications and information products are disseminated to more than 1,300 academic, public, Federal, law and other libraries nationwide where they are available for the free use of the public. While some of the funding for the FDLP is for salaries and benefits, most is for printing and disseminating publications (including publications in CD-ROM and online formats, which are now the majority of items in the program) to depository libraries. Related statutory functions covered by this appropriation are cataloging and indexing, by-law distribution, and the international exchange distribution of U.S. Government publications. Finally, through the FDLP, this appropriation provides the majority of funding for the operation of GPO Access. GPO's other major documents distribution functions--the sales program and agency distribution services--are funded by revenues earned and receive no appropriated funds. CONGRESSIONAL PRINTING AND BINDING APPROPRIATION Our request for $90.9 million for the Congressional Printing and Binding Appropriation consists of two primary components: funding to cover Congress's estimated printing requirements for FY 2002, and funding to cover a prior year shortfall in this appropriation. The shortfall occurred in FY 2000. |