A BILL
Reading edition
To provide stationery for Congress and the several departments, and for other purposes.
1Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives
2of the United States of America in Congress assembled,
3That upon the passage of this act the heads of each of the
4executive and judicial departments at Washington, District of
5Columbia, shall immediately cause estimates to be made of
6the amount of stationery and other articles which will be
7required by them for the ensuing year, which are now furnished
8as stationery or under stationery contracts, and forward
9the same to the Congressional Printer, who shall immediately
10issue proposals for such articles and stationery and make
11purchases of the same, in the manner and under the regulations
12 provided for in this act.
1Sec. 2. And be it further enacted, That the Congressional
2Printer shall, at the beginning of each session of Congress,
[p2] 3submit to the Joint Committee on Public Printing estimates
4of the quantity of paper, of all descriptions, which will, in his
5opinion, be required for the public printing during the ensuing
6year; and also estimates of the quantity and articles of
7stationery required for each and all of the executive and judicial
8departments at Washington, and for the Senate and House of
9Representatives and the Congressional printing office.
1Sec. 3. And be it further enacted, That the heads of
2the several executive and judicial departments, and the Secretary
3of the Senate and Clerk of the House of Representatives,
4shall, on or before the twentieth day of November, in
5each year, furnish, or cause to be furnished, to the Congressional
6Printer estimates of the articles and the quantity of each
7which will be required for their several departments for the
8year following.
1Sec. 4. And be it further enacted, That the Joint Committee
2on Public Printing shall then fix upon standards of
3paper for the different descriptions of public printing, and for
4all stationery and articles required, and the Congressional
5Printer shall, under their direction, advertise in two newspapers
6published in each of the cities of Boston, New York,
7Philadelphia, Baltimore, Washington, and Cincinnati, and in
8any other city where in their judgment it may become necessary,
9for sealed proposals to furnish the government with
10paper and all other articles of the quality and in the quantities
[p3] 11specified in the advertisement, which shall specify the
12quantity and quality of all the articles required; and he shall
13furnish to the applicants samples of the standard articles
14which have been adopted.
1Sec. 5. And be it further enacted, That the advertisements
2for sealed proposals shall specify the minimum portion
3of each article required for either three months, six months,
4or one year, as the Joint Committee on Public Printing may
5determine; but when the minimum portion so specified exceeds
6in any case one thousand reams of paper, the advertisements
7shall state that proposals will be received for one
8thousand reams or more.
1Sec. 6. And be it further enacted, That all sealed proposals
2to furnish any article shall be opened in the presence
3of the Joint Committee on Printing, and the contracts shall be
4awarded by the committee to the lowest and best bidder for
5each article or class for the interest of the government; but
6they shall not consider any proposal which is not accompanied
7by satisfactory evidence that the person making it is a manufacturer
8or dealer in the articles which he proposes to furnish,
9and the said joint committee shall, in their award of each contract,
10allow and designate a reasonable time for filling it.
1Sec. 7. And be it further enacted, That no contract
2for furnishing paper or any other article shall be valid until it
3has been approved by said joint committee, (if made under
[p4] 4their direction, or by the Secretary of the Interior, if made
5under his direction,) according to the provisions of section
6nine.
1Sec. 8. And be it further enacted, That the Congressional
2Printer shall compare all articles delivered by any contractor
3with the standard of quality, and shall not accept any
4article which does not conform to it; and in case of a difference
5of opinion between the Congressional Printer and any
6contractor with respect to the quality of any article furnished,
7the matter of difference shall be determined by the Joint Committee
8on Printing, or in the recess of Congress by the Secretary
9of the Interior.
1Sec. 9. And be it further enacted, That in default of
2any contractor to furnish the articles contracted for at the
3proper time, or of the proper quality or weight, the Congressional
4Printer shall report such default to the Joint Committee
5on Public Printing if Congress is in session, or to the
6Secretary of the Interior if Congress is not in session; and
7he shall, under the direction of the Joint Committee on
8Public Printing, or of the Secretary of the Interior, as the
9case may be, enter into a new contract with the lowest and
10best bidder for the interest of the government among those
11whose proposals were rejected at the last opening of bids, or
12he shall advertise for new proposals, under the regulations
13concerning advertisements for proposals hereinbefore stated;
[p5] 14and during the interval which may thus occur he shall, under
15the direction of the Joint Committee on Public Printing, or
16of the Secretary of the Interior, as above provided, purchase
17in open market, at the lowest market price, all such articles
18necessary for use.
1Sec. 10. And be it further enacted, That in case of any
2contractor's default to comply with this contract he and his
3securities shall be charged with and held responsible for any
4increase of cost to the government in procuring the supply
5which may be consequent upon such default.
1Sec. 11. And be it further enacted, That when any
2such default occurs the Congressional Printer shall report it,
3with a full statement of all the facts in the case, to the
4Solicitor of the Treasury, who shall prosecute the defaulting
5contractor and his securities upon their bond in the circuit
6court of the United States in the district in which such
7defaulting contractor resides.
1Sec. 12. And be it further enacted, That the Joint
2Committee on Public Printing, or during the recess of Congress
3the Secretary of the Interior, may authorize the Congressional
4Printer to make purchases in open market whenever,
5in their opinion, the quantity required is so small, or the
6want is so immediate, as not to justify advertisement for proposals
7and the award of a contract therefor.
1Sec. 13. And be it further enacted, That the Congressional
[p6] 2Printer shall charge himself in a book, to be kept for
3that purpose, with all paper and other articles or material
4received for the public use, and he shall furnish the same to
5the foremen of printing and binding, and to the officers of
6the executive and judicial departments, and of the Senate and
7House of Representatives authorized to receive them, on
8their written requisitions as the public service may require
9them, taking a receipt from each officer for such article, which
10shall be entered to his credit; and accounts shall be kept
11with each department, and all articles delivered charged to
12them. And to carry out the provisions of this act the
13Congressional Printer may employ one clerk of the fourth class,
14one of the second class, and one messenger, and shall give an
15additional bond of forty thousand dollars, and receive, in
16addition to his present salary, one thousand dollars.
1Sec. 14. And be it further enacted, That from and
2after the passage of this act it shall be unlawful to make further
3contracts or purchases or payment for any stationery
4or article furnished as such, except under existing contracts
5and in accordance with the regulations hereinbefore provided.
1Sec. 15. And be it further enacted, That all acts and
2parts of acts inconsistent with the foregoing provisions are
3hereby repealed.