Sponsors (4)
The bill modernizes distribution of the Annotated Constitution—saving taxpayer money and expanding free online access—while shifting access burdens to those without reliable internet and transferring ongoing preservation and maintenance costs to the Library of Congress, which may reduce availability of free print copies for some institutions.
Members of the public—including researchers, students, and educators—gain free, continuous online access to the Annotated Constitution via the Library of Congress website, improving availability for education and research.
Taxpayers and the public 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 Constitution Annotated more quickly and at lower operational cost by using digital-only editions, improving timeliness for lawmakers and staff.
People and institutions without reliable internet, or those who require or prefer physical books—particularly in rural and low-income communities—will face reduced access when distribution shifts to digital-only.
Some libraries, courts, schools, and individuals that previously received guaranteed free hardbound copies may lose that statutory entitlement, potentially increasing costs or reducing access for institutions that rely on print editions.
The Library of Congress will assume responsibility for long-term digital preservation and website maintenance, creating ongoing operational and potential unfunded costs for the institution.
Based on analysis of 2 sections of legislative text.
Replaces statutorily required printed Constitution Annotated and pocket‑part supplements with digital-only editions available on the Library of Congress website, ending mandatory print runs and distributions.
Replaces the current statutory requirement to print and distribute hardbound editions of the Constitution Annotated and its cumulative pocket‑part supplements with digital-only publications available on the Library of Congress public website. The change ends mandatory federal printing and statutory distribution allocations after the October 2025 Supreme Court term for pocket‑part supplements and shifts the next decennial hardbound edition to a digital format after the October 2031 term. Requires the Librarian of Congress to prepare and maintain digital decennial revised editions and cumulative supplements, ensure continuing availability to Congress and the public via the Library of Congress website, and repeals the prior statutory authority that authorized printing and distribution under a concurrent resolution.
Introduced February 12, 2025 by Stephanie I. Bice · Last progress April 1, 2025