Bill Overview
Title: A bill to amend section 301 of title 44, United States Code, to establish a term for the appointment of the Director of the Government Publishing Office.
Description: This bill establishes a 10-year term of office for the Director of the Government Publishing Office.
Sponsors: Sen. Blunt, Roy [R-MO]
Target Audience
Population: People who consume government publications
Estimated Size: 330000000
- The Government Publishing Office (GPO) produces and distributes information products and services for all three branches of the Federal Government.
- The role of the Director of the GPO is crucial for managing federal document production and dissemination.
- A change in term length may influence the stability and long-term planning of the GPO, which can impact the efficiency and effectiveness of federal information distribution.
Reasoning
- Given that the target population is about 330 million Americans, a very small percentage would be directly impacted by this policy change, as it primarily affects those closely involved with government publications.
- The role of the Director of the GPO is relatively niche, so most individuals would have low direct impact but might see indirect effects if the changes affect document dissemination.
- The policy budget limitations suggest we should mostly focus on indirect effects, capturing a broad range of individual opinions and minimal impactful changes in wellbeing.
- Cantril wellbeing scores are used to approximate overall happiness or life satisfaction, not specific impacts like access to publications, so the scores might show minimal variation unless publication access is critical to the individual's life.
- We include interviews from a range of ages, occupations, and geographical locations to provide a cross-section of the likely minimal direct population effect but note broader potential systemic changes.
Simulated Interviews
Librarian (Washington, D.C.)
Age: 45 | Gender: female
Wellbeing Before Policy: 7
Duration of Impact: 5.0 years
Commonness: 4/20
Statement of Opinion:
- I believe the term extension could bring more stability to the GPO.
- A stable leadership might mean better planning and execution of document distribution.
Wellbeing Over Time (With vs Without Policy)
| Year | With Policy | Without Policy |
|---|---|---|
| Year 1 | 8 | 7 |
| Year 2 | 8 | 7 |
| Year 3 | 8 | 7 |
| Year 5 | 8 | 7 |
| Year 10 | 8 | 7 |
| Year 20 | 7 | 7 |
Journalist (New York)
Age: 34 | Gender: male
Wellbeing Before Policy: 6
Duration of Impact: 3.0 years
Commonness: 3/20
Statement of Opinion:
- I'm not significantly affected by who directs the GPO as long as the publications are reliable.
- If the tenure change leads to more efficiency, that's beneficial.
Wellbeing Over Time (With vs Without Policy)
| Year | With Policy | Without Policy |
|---|---|---|
| Year 1 | 6 | 6 |
| Year 2 | 6 | 6 |
| Year 3 | 6 | 6 |
| Year 5 | 6 | 6 |
| Year 10 | 6 | 6 |
| Year 20 | 5 | 5 |
Graduate Student (California)
Age: 28 | Gender: female
Wellbeing Before Policy: 5
Duration of Impact: 0.0 years
Commonness: 5/20
Statement of Opinion:
- A longer term could mean more consistent data availability if managed well.
- Not sure how this will directly impact me in the short-term
Wellbeing Over Time (With vs Without Policy)
| Year | With Policy | Without Policy |
|---|---|---|
| Year 1 | 5 | 5 |
| Year 2 | 5 | 5 |
| Year 3 | 5 | 5 |
| Year 5 | 5 | 5 |
| Year 10 | 6 | 6 |
| Year 20 | 6 | 6 |
Retired (Texas)
Age: 59 | Gender: male
Wellbeing Before Policy: 6
Duration of Impact: 0.0 years
Commonness: 7/20
Statement of Opinion:
- I don't think this affects me too much, as I get documents when I need them.
- Leadership doesn't matter much to the content I access.
Wellbeing Over Time (With vs Without Policy)
| Year | With Policy | Without Policy |
|---|---|---|
| Year 1 | 6 | 6 |
| Year 2 | 6 | 6 |
| Year 3 | 6 | 6 |
| Year 5 | 6 | 6 |
| Year 10 | 6 | 6 |
| Year 20 | 5 | 5 |
Government Employee (Illinois)
Age: 40 | Gender: other
Wellbeing Before Policy: 6
Duration of Impact: 10.0 years
Commonness: 2/20
Statement of Opinion:
- Extended tenure could mean fewer changes, which is good for operations.
- Consistency in policy and document flow is critical.
Wellbeing Over Time (With vs Without Policy)
| Year | With Policy | Without Policy |
|---|---|---|
| Year 1 | 7 | 6 |
| Year 2 | 7 | 6 |
| Year 3 | 7 | 6 |
| Year 5 | 7 | 6 |
| Year 10 | 8 | 7 |
| Year 20 | 7 | 6 |
High School Teacher (Ohio)
Age: 50 | Gender: female
Wellbeing Before Policy: 7
Duration of Impact: 2.0 years
Commonness: 6/20
Statement of Opinion:
- I'm not sure how this affects me or my students directly.
- If it can make educational resources more reliable, that's a plus.
Wellbeing Over Time (With vs Without Policy)
| Year | With Policy | Without Policy |
|---|---|---|
| Year 1 | 7 | 7 |
| Year 2 | 7 | 7 |
| Year 3 | 7 | 7 |
| Year 5 | 7 | 7 |
| Year 10 | 7 | 7 |
| Year 20 | 6 | 6 |
Freelance Researcher (Florida)
Age: 30 | Gender: male
Wellbeing Before Policy: 5
Duration of Impact: 7.0 years
Commonness: 4/20
Statement of Opinion:
- I hope this change means better quality control and easier access.
- Stability in leadership might improve publication processes.
Wellbeing Over Time (With vs Without Policy)
| Year | With Policy | Without Policy |
|---|---|---|
| Year 1 | 6 | 5 |
| Year 2 | 6 | 5 |
| Year 3 | 6 | 5 |
| Year 5 | 6 | 5 |
| Year 10 | 7 | 6 |
| Year 20 | 6 | 5 |
Paralegal (Massachusetts)
Age: 24 | Gender: female
Wellbeing Before Policy: 6
Duration of Impact: 0.0 years
Commonness: 5/20
Statement of Opinion:
- Tenure length doesn't matter as long as documents remain current.
- This policy might not have immediate practical change.
Wellbeing Over Time (With vs Without Policy)
| Year | With Policy | Without Policy |
|---|---|---|
| Year 1 | 6 | 6 |
| Year 2 | 6 | 6 |
| Year 3 | 6 | 6 |
| Year 5 | 6 | 6 |
| Year 10 | 6 | 6 |
| Year 20 | 5 | 5 |
IT Specialist (New Mexico)
Age: 55 | Gender: male
Wellbeing Before Policy: 8
Duration of Impact: 10.0 years
Commonness: 2/20
Statement of Opinion:
- The term change could lead to better tech development plans within the GPO.
- Long-term leadership might foster better system integration for publication distribution.
Wellbeing Over Time (With vs Without Policy)
| Year | With Policy | Without Policy |
|---|---|---|
| Year 1 | 8 | 8 |
| Year 2 | 8 | 8 |
| Year 3 | 9 | 8 |
| Year 5 | 9 | 8 |
| Year 10 | 9 | 8 |
| Year 20 | 8 | 7 |
Library Director (Georgia)
Age: 62 | Gender: female
Wellbeing Before Policy: 7
Duration of Impact: 8.0 years
Commonness: 3/20
Statement of Opinion:
- This could help with better budget planning and document acquisition for the library.
- It might stabilize leadership efforts across GPO functionalities.
Wellbeing Over Time (With vs Without Policy)
| Year | With Policy | Without Policy |
|---|---|---|
| Year 1 | 8 | 7 |
| Year 2 | 8 | 7 |
| Year 3 | 9 | 7 |
| Year 5 | 9 | 7 |
| Year 10 | 8 | 7 |
| Year 20 | 8 | 7 |
Cost Estimates
Year 1: $50000 (Low: $25000, High: $75000)
Year 2: $20000 (Low: $15000, High: $30000)
Year 3: $20000 (Low: $15000, High: $30000)
Year 5: $20000 (Low: $15000, High: $30000)
Year 10: $20000 (Low: $15000, High: $30000)
Year 100: $20000 (Low: $15000, High: $30000)
Key Considerations
- The role stability in the GPO leadership can ensure consistent output quality and adherence to information dissemination timeliness.
- Potential conflicts in GPO management could arise if new policies are introduced without aligned leadership objectives over a decade-long term.