Sponsor
H. Morgan Griffith
Representative · R-VA
Representative · R-VA
The bill standardizes and speeds staffing, succession, and personnel rules for the Library of Congress, GPO, and Copyright Office—improving continuity and civil‑service alignment—while trading broader Senate/public oversight and some procedural safeguards for concentrated congressional leadership control and faster, more centralized decisionmaking.
Federal employees at the Library of Congress and the Government Publishing Office (GPO) — and Congress’ oversight committees — get clearer, codified appointment, removal, and succession rules (including deputy roles and fallback timelines) that should reduce prolonged vacancies and operational disruption.
GPO employees and applicants gain alignment with standard civil‑service and merit principles (merit-based hiring, hiring preferences, whistleblower/retaliation protections), providing more consistent workforce protections and fairer hiring/promotions.
Copyright Office oversight and operations are strengthened by creating a dedicated Inspector General with budget protections and by consolidating rulemaking responsibility in the Register, which can improve accountability and speed decisionmaking.
Library and GPO staff, taxpayers, and the public face concentrated appointment and removal power in four congressional leaders with Senate advice‑and‑consent largely removed, increasing the risk of politicized hires and diminished broader oversight.
Employees and taxpayers may see weakened accountability because acting officials and deputies can exercise full authorities without Senate confirmation, and certain safeguards (including some IG appointment/independence concerns) are reduced.
Library and GPO management and staff risk increased politicization and short‑term instability when congressional leaders can install acting or deputy officials by majority vote, which can change priorities and disrupt programs during transitions.
Based on analysis of 11 sections of legislative text.
Reforms leadership selection and HR rules at the Library of Congress, GPO, and Copyright Office; creates Deputy offices and IG; and makes GPO printing authority discretionary.
Official title: To modify the appointment and removal process for certain legislative branch officers, and for other purposes.
Introduced September 1, 2026 by H. Morgan Griffith · Last progress September 15, 2026
Makes wide-ranging changes to how several legislative branch agencies are governed and staffed. It reworks appointment and removal processes for the Librarian of Congress and the GPO Director (removing Senate advice-and-consent), creates statutory Deputy offices with deadlines and contingency appointment steps, shifts many supervisory authorities over the Copyright Office to the Register of Copyrights and creates an independent Copyright Office Inspector General, modernizes GPO personnel authorities and systems, and converts the statutory mandate that GPO must perform government printing into a discretionary authorization. Most provisions take effect on enactment, but some personnel/pay rules have staggered applicability, one transition (copyright/GPO human capital changes) is delayed or phased with a 180-day delay for a GPO human capital rule and transition authorities that extend through September 30, 2029. The Act also includes standard severability and citation language.