United States Government Publishing Office

The U.S. Government Publishing Office (GPO) was created by an Act of Congress on June 23, 1860 and opened its doors nine months later on March 4, 1861. With 1,700 employees, GPO is the Federal GovernmentÕs primary centralized resource for gathering, cataloging, producing, providing, authenticating, and preserving published U.S. Government information in digital and tangible formats. GPO is responsible for the production and distribution of information products and services for all three branches of the Federal Government, including U.S. passports for the Department of State as well as the official publications of Congress, the White House, and other Federal agencies. In addition to publication sales, GPO provides for permanent public access to Federal Government information at no charge through GPOÕs Federal Digital System (www.fdsys.gov) and through partnerships with approximately 1,220 libraries nationwide participating in the Federal Depository Library Program. In December 2014, Congress passed legislation and President Barack Obama signed into law that the U.S. Government Printing Office would now be called the U.S. Government Publishing Office.