Summary: The activities of the Library of Congress and the Government Printing Office (GPO), which are of a public service and general governmental function unrelated to Congress as an institution, are included in Congress' budget, which is misleading to the public.
GPO prints and binds the Federal Register and the Code of Federal Regulations at the fiscal year (FY) 1978 cost of $17 million, as well as sells government publications to the general public, for which receipts do not offset the entire cost. The Library of Congress distributes bibliographic data to other libraries and the general public, at an unreimbursed cost of some $3 million for FY 1978, and records copyright and supplies copyright information to the public ($6 million). If financing of all four of these public service activities were changed to shift the costs to the executive programs and receipts were offset against costs now being absorbed by Congress, Congress' 1978 budget would be reduced by $55.7 million. Even so, some $300 million public service or general government costs would still be financed by Congress.
