House Committee Slashes GPO,
CRS, Copyright Office Budgets
The House Appropriations Committee passed a legislative-branch appropriations bill May 9 that makes major cuts to the Government Printing Office and the Library of Congress’s Congressional Research Service and Copyright Office.
The GPO cut, targeting the Federal Depository Library Program, would eliminate paper and other tangible documents and focus the program’s efforts on electronic information. A fact sheet from the GPO says that the 25.3% reduction in the agency’s budget, from $103.2 million to $77.1 million would “effectively disestablish GPO’s statutory printing and distribution mission.” The cuts would result in the elimination of 435 employees, including 85 staff from GPO’s Library Programs Service.
The legislation also targets the Library of Congress’s Congressional Research Service, as well as the Copyright Office. Democratic legislators opposing the measure contended that CRS would be cut by 114 employees, disabling a major support system of the legislative branch. The Copyright Office would also receive a major cut that could eliminate some 130 of its 520 employees.
Posted May 15, 2000.
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