Sponsors (4)
Replaces required hardbound editions and pocket-part print runs of the Constitution Annotated with digital-only publications hosted on a Library of Congress public website.
The bill shifts the Annotated Constitution to digital-first distribution, expanding free online access and saving printing costs while reducing guaranteed physical copies and imposing digital-preservation and access challenges for those without reliable internet.
Students, researchers, and the general public gain free, continuous online access to the Annotated Constitution via the Library of Congress website, making the resource widely and immediately available.
Taxpayers save money because mandatory hardbound print runs end after the October 2025 term, reducing printing and distribution expenses.
The Library of Congress and congressional staff can publish and update the Annotated Constitution faster and at lower recurring cost by relying on digital-only editions.
People and institutions without reliable internet or who depend on physical books—such as some rural or low-income users, certain libraries, and courts—will face reduced accessibility to the Annotated Constitution.
Libraries, courts, or individuals that previously received guaranteed free hardbound copies by statute may lose that entitlement, reducing guaranteed availability of physical copies for some institutions and users.
The Library of Congress will assume ongoing responsibility and potential costs for long-term digital preservation and website maintenance to ensure continued availability of the Annotated Constitution.
Based on analysis of 2 sections of legislative text.
Official title: To direct the Librarian of Congress to promote the more cost-effective, efficient, and expanded availability of the Annotated Constitution and pocket-part supplements by replacing the hardbound versions with digital versions.
Introduced February 12, 2025 by Stephanie I. Bice · Last progress April 1, 2025
Replaces the statutory requirement to produce and distribute hardbound editions and pocket-part supplements of the Constitution Annotated with digital-only publications hosted on the Library of Congress website. The bill directs the Librarian of Congress to produce digital cumulative pocket-part supplements beginning after the October 2025 Supreme Court term and digital decennial revised editions beginning after the October 2031 term, and ends the statutory mandatory print run and distribution requirements after the October 2025 term.