(a) A head of an executive department, or of an independent agency or establishment of the Government may not cause to be printed, and the Director of the Government Publishing Office may not print, a document or matter unless it is authorized by law and necessary to the public business.

Terms Used In 44 USC 1102

  • Appropriation: The provision of funds, through an annual appropriations act or a permanent law, for federal agencies to make payments out of the Treasury for specified purposes. The formal federal spending process consists of two sequential steps: authorization
  • Fiscal year: The fiscal year is the accounting period for the government. For the federal government, this begins on October 1 and ends on September 30. The fiscal year is designated by the calendar year in which it ends; for example, fiscal year 2006 begins on October 1, 2005 and ends on September 30, 2006.

(b) Printing may not be done for an executive department, independent agency or establishment in a fiscal year in excess of the amount of the appropriation.

(c) Printing may not be done without a special requisition signed by the chief of the department, independent agency or establishment and filed with the Director of the Government Publishing Office.