GPO Puts Congressional Bills Online

[James Love <love@tap.org>]

Distributed to TAP-INFO, a free Internet Distribution List
(subscription requests to listproc@tap.org) 

TAXPAYER ASSETS PROJECT - INFORMATION POLICY NOTE
CROWN JEWELS CAMPAIGN - LEGISLATIVE INFORMATION

This is a press release from GPO regarding the availability of the bills 
online.  Now everything (both House and Senate bills) is available from 
GPO, at a price, while the House of Representatives provides free access 
to the House bills on the House gopher.  

As noted in the release, everything on GPO Access is free at 1,400 federal 
depository libraries.  TAP has asked GPO provide make its 
GPO Access collections "free after six" pm EST, and Michael DiMario, the 
Public Printer, has promised to make a decision on a pilot project this 
fall.  On tuesday, October 4, Wayne Kelly, the Superintendent of 
Documents, will meet with the Telecommunications Policy Roundtable in 
Washington DC to discuss "free after six" and the future of GPO.

  jamie love (610/658-0880; jamie@tap.org)



NEWS RELEASE - U.S. Government Printing Office - no. 94-9

For release: immediate                  Contact: John Berger
              September 27, 1994                 202-512-1525

                                             Internet e-mail
                                    John@eids06.eids.gpo.gov



GPO PUTS CONGRESSIONAL BILLS ONLINE

     The U.S Government Printing Office (GPO) now has all
Congressional Bills available online.  The Congressional Bills
database contains all published versions of House and Senate
bills introduced since the start of the 103d Congress.

     The Congressional Bills database joins the official
Government versions of the Congressional Record and the Federal
Register that have been offered in electronic format over the
Internet through the GPO Access service since June 1994.

     The Bills database is updated by 6 a.m. each day bills are
published.  Bills are available as ASCII text files and in Adobe
Acrobat Portable Document Format (PDF) file format.  Users with
Acrobat viewers will be able to display and print typeset page
facsimiles.

     The Federal Register and the Congressional Record are
available online by 6 a.m. and by 11 a.m. e.s.t. daily,
respectively.  Documents in the Register and Record databases are
available as ASCII text files with all graphics in TIFF file
format.

     Organizations or individuals may subscribe directly from GPO
for each of the three databases for $35 per month, $200 for 6
months, or $375 for 1 year for a single workstation.  Special
2rates are available for multiple workstations.

     Information about how to subscribe to the Congressional
Bills, Record, or Register databases is available by calling GPO
at 202-512-1530 or by fax at 202-512-1262.  Internet E-mail
should be sent to help@eids05.eids.gpo.gov.

     Users with full Internet access and local WAIS client
software will be able to receive both ASCII text and all graphics
as individual TIFF files or PDF files in the Congressional
Record, Congressional Bills, and Federal Register databases.
This is the first time that both text and graphics have been made
available electronically via an online service.  GPO's customized
WAIS client software, a user-interface program specifically
designed for GPO's application, is available from GPO for $15.

     Those who do not have full Internet connections can access
ASCII text files, but not the PDF files or graphics, by using a
phone modem to dial directly into GPO without additional
software.  These subscriptions provide for unlimited use for a
stand alone workstation or an individual SWAIS user ID.

     The Congressional Bills and the Record and Register
databases are also available for free electronic searches to
walk-in patrons of many of the Nation's 1,400 depository
libraries under a "GPO Access" program authorized by law and
launched in June 1994.  The Depository Library System includes
academic, public, law, and Federal libraries.  There is at least
one Federal depository library in every Congressional district.

     The Superintendent of Documents is the official source for
the sale of information published by more than 100 Federal
agencies.  Approximately 12,000 books or documents, 600
periodicals, and a growing number of CD-ROMS, diskettes, and
online services are available.

                                  - 30 -

************************************************************
Posted by Gil Baldwin
GPO/Library Programs Service
202-512-1002
<manage@access.digex.net>


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