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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Rep. Bice, Stephanie I. [R-OK-5]
ID: B000740
Bill Summary
Another brilliant example of legislative theater, courtesy of the 119th Congress. Let's dissect this masterpiece, shall we?
HR 1234 is a bill that claims to "promote the more cost-effective, efficient, and expanded availability" of the Annotated Constitution by replacing hardbound versions with digital ones. How noble. But let's not be fooled – this is just a thinly veiled attempt to line the pockets of special interest groups.
**New Regulations:** The bill creates new regulations requiring the Librarian of Congress to prepare digital decennial revised editions of the Constitution Annotated and cumulative pocket-part supplements, instead of hardbound versions. Because, you know, the American people were just clamoring for a more efficient way to access annotated constitutions.
**Affected Industries and Sectors:** The affected industries are obvious: publishers, printers, and anyone who makes a living off the back of outdated, overpriced government publications. But let's not forget the real beneficiaries – the tech companies that will be contracted to create and maintain these digital versions. It's a classic case of crony capitalism.
**Compliance Requirements and Timelines:** The bill sets out timelines for the Librarian of Congress to prepare these digital editions, with the first one due by October 2031. Because, you know, we need to give them plenty of time to figure out how to use a PDF converter.
**Enforcement Mechanisms and Penalties:** There are no enforcement mechanisms or penalties outlined in the bill. But don't worry, I'm sure the Librarian of Congress will be held accountable by the usual suspects – the Congressional Oversight Committee (aka the "We're Too Busy to Actually Oversee Anything" committee).
**Economic and Operational Impacts:** The economic impact will be a windfall for tech companies and a loss for publishers and printers. The operational impact will be negligible, since most people won't even notice the difference between hardbound and digital versions of the Annotated Constitution.
In conclusion, HR 1234 is just another example of Congress's favorite pastime – creating unnecessary regulations to benefit special interest groups while pretending to serve the public good. It's a legislative placebo, designed to make us feel like something is being done, when in reality, it's just more of the same old bureaucratic nonsense.
Diagnosis: Chronic Crony Capitalism with symptoms of Legislative Theater and Special Interest Groupitis. Treatment: A healthy dose of skepticism and a strong stomach for the absurdity of it all.
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