To modify the appointment process for the Librarian of Congress, the Comptroller General, and the Director of the Government Publishing Office, and for other purposes.
Summary
What This Bill Does
This bill restructures appointments for three legislative-branch offices. For the Librarian of Congress, appointment would occur by congressional concurrent resolution appointing the individual selected by a commission made up of the Speaker and House minority leader, Senate majority and minority leaders, and one Republican and one Democratic Member from the Joint Committee on the Library. The Librarian would serve a 10-year term and could be removed by a three-fifths vote of both the Senate and House; the Librarian of Congress Succession Modernization Act of 2015 would be repealed. For the Comptroller General, the bill amends title 31 so the Comptroller General is appointed by concurrent resolution of Congress, while the Deputy Comptroller General remains under a separate process. It changes the vacancy commission so Congress or the President can be involved as specified, and the commission recommends one individual, with Congress able to request more names. Removal wording is changed so the Comptroller General is removed by concurrent resolution and the Deputy by joint resolution. For the Government Publishing Office Director, the bill rewrites 44 U.S.C. section 301 so the Director is appointed by concurrent resolution after recommendation by a commission consisting of House leaders, Senate leaders, and Republican and Democratic Members from the Joint Committee on Printing, with removal by a three-fifths vote of both chambers.
Who Benefits and How
Congressional leaders benefit because the House and Senate would directly control final appointments for the Librarian of Congress, Comptroller General, and GPO Director through concurrent resolutions. Joint Committee on the Library Members and Joint Committee on Printing Members benefit from formal seats on recommendation commissions. The legislative branch benefits from appointment processes that do not rely on presidential nomination for these offices. Candidates for these offices benefit from clearer commission-based recommendation paths.
Who Bears the Burden and How
The President loses appointment influence over offices that currently involve executive nomination or appointment. Congressional leaders and committee Members must organize commissions, select candidates, and move concurrent resolutions. The Library of Congress, GAO, and GPO must manage leadership transitions under new appointment and removal rules. Senate and House floor managers may need to handle three-fifths removal votes if removal is pursued.
Key Provisions
- Requires the Librarian of Congress to be appointed by congressional concurrent resolution after commission selection.
- Creates a Librarian recommendation commission and sets a 10-year Librarian term with three-fifths bicameral removal.
- Repeals the Librarian of Congress Succession Modernization Act of 2015.
- Requires the Comptroller General to be appointed by congressional concurrent resolution and modifies commission and removal procedures.
- Requires the GPO Director to be appointed by congressional concurrent resolution after a Joint Committee on Printing commission process.
- Provides three-fifths bicameral removal for the GPO Director.
Evidence Chain:
This summary is generated from the full bill text using AI analysis. Expand "Detailed Analysis" below for identified beneficiaries/burden bearers with clause-level evidence links.
At a Glance
What This Bill Does
Moves appointment authority for the Librarian of Congress, Comptroller General, and Government Publishing Office Director to congressional concurrent resolutions based on commission recommendations, sets or preserves removal procedures, and repeals the Librarian succession modernization statute.
Key Policy Areas
Government, Congress, Appointments
Primary Purpose
Moves appointment authority for the Librarian of Congress, Comptroller General, and Government Publishing Office Director to congressional concurrent resolutions based on commission recommendations, sets or preserves removal procedures, and repeals the Librarian succession modernization statute.
Policy Domains
Substantive provisions
Identified Gains
- Congressional leaders
- Joint Committee on the Library Members
- Joint Committee on Printing Members
- Legislative branch offices
- Office candidates
Identified Costs
- President of the United States
- Congressional leaders
- Library of Congress transition staff
- GAO transition staff
- GPO transition staff
- House floor managers
- Senate floor managers
Sponsors
Legislative Progress
In CommitteeMr. Case (for himself, Ms. Norton, and Mr. Tonko) introduced …
Referred to the Committee on House Administration, and in addition …
Introduced in House
Stakeholder Effects
cui bono?How this legislation distributes effects. Mention counts reflect frequency, not effect magnitude.
Comptroller General candidates, Congressional leaders, GAO transition staff
Bill Structure & Actor Mappings
Who is "The Secretary" in each section?
We use a combination of our own taxonomy and classification in addition to large language models to assess meaning and potential beneficiaries. High confidence means strong textual evidence. Always verify with the original bill text.
Learn more about our methodology