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.
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This bill would require the Library of Congress to publish the Constitution Annotated and its periodic supplements in digital form on a public website instead of printing them as hardbound books.
The change would phase in starting with the Supreme Court term beginning October 2025 for supplements and October 2031 for the full decennial edition, ending a decades-old print-only requirement.
What this bill would do
What it would do
The bill would amend Public Law 91-589 to end the requirement that the Library of Congress prepare hardbound editions of the Constitution Annotated (a reference volume annotating Supreme Court rulings on the Constitution) and its periodic pocket-part supplements. Instead, the Librarian of Congress would have to prepare digital versions and make them available on a public Library of Congress website. The digital pocket-part supplement requirement would begin after the Supreme Court's October 2025 term, and the digital decennial revised edition would begin after the October 2031 term and every ten years thereafter. The bill would also repeal a separate provision requiring additional printed copies to be produced pursuant to a concurrent resolution. It does not change the substantive legal content of the Constitution Annotated, only the format and mode of publication and distribution.
Key provisions
- 1Would require a digital decennial revised edition of the Constitution Annotated after the October 2031 Supreme Court term and every ten years after, replacing the hardbound edition.
- 2Would require a digital cumulative pocket-part supplement after the October 2025 Supreme Court term and subsequent odd-numbered terms, replacing hardbound supplements.
- 3Would require the digital editions and supplements to be made available on a public Library of Congress website and kept continuously available to Congress and the public.
- 4Would end mandatory printing of additional hardbound copies after the October 2025 term, requiring exclusively digital format going forward.
- 5Would repeal the provision allowing additional printed copies to be produced pursuant to a concurrent resolution.
Who would be affected
The Library of Congress and its Congressional Research Service staff, who prepare the Constitution Annotated; members of Congress, judges, lawyers, and researchers who rely on the publication; and the public, who would access the resource online rather than through printed hardbound volumes.
Why it matters
Ending the hardbound printing requirement would reduce printing costs and could make updated annotations available to researchers and the public more quickly online rather than waiting for periodic print runs, though it also ends the option of a bound physical reference copy.
What would change
Changes to existing law
Amends Public Law 91-589 (2 U.S.C. 168) (Sec. 1(a))
Replaces the hardbound decennial edition requirement with a digital decennial edition requirement starting after the October 2031 Supreme Court term.
Amends Public Law 91-589 (2 U.S.C. 168a) (Sec. 1(b))
Adds a requirement that digital editions and supplements be made available on a public Library of Congress website.
Amends Public Law 91-589 (2 U.S.C. 168b) (Sec. 1(c)(1))
Ends mandatory printing of additional hardbound copies after the October 2025 term, requiring exclusively digital publication.
Repeals Public Law 91-589 (2 U.S.C. 168c) (Sec. 1(c)(2))
Removes the provision allowing additional printed copies pursuant to a concurrent resolution.
Agencies directed to act
Effective dates
- Digital pocket-part supplement requirement begins
- Digital decennial revised edition requirement begins
- End of mandatory additional hardbound printing
How implementation would work
The Library of Congress would prepare digital versions of the Constitution Annotated and its supplements instead of hardbound copies, posting them on a public Library website and ensuring continued access for Congress and the public. The transition is phased: digital supplements begin after the October 2025 Supreme Court term, and digital decennial editions begin after the October 2031 term and every ten years thereafter. No new reporting, rulemaking, or enforcement mechanism is created beyond the publication and availability requirements themselves.
Legislative status & sources
Latest action
Received in the Senate and Read twice and referred to the Committee on Rules and Administration.
Official CRS summary
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This bill replaces the requirement for the Library of Congress to prepare hardbound versions of the Constitution Annotated and supplements with a requirement for the Library to instead prepare digital versions and publish them online.
The new requirement applies to the supplement after the Supreme Court term beginning October 2025 and all subsequent editions.
Legislative subjects
Books and print media; Congress; Constitution and constitutional amendments; Digital media; Government information and archives; Library of Congress