As part of the upcoming release for XPub, GPO will roll out a new, responsive HTML format for Congressional Bills, Resolutions, and Amendments, as well as Public Laws and the Statutes at Large. This format replaces plain ASCII text file that are currently on govinfo and that were created as a by-product of the Microcomp process. The format is optimized for any device, including mobile devices, tablets, and traditional desktops/laptops, and it uses modern, easy to read fonts that are optimized for screen usage and search engines. The responsive HTML files also include metadata in HTML tags for re-use by data providers.
GPO is making a set of sample HTML and CSS files available for public comment.
GPO’s XPub Program (formerly known as GPO’s Composition System Replacement (CSR)) is in the process of replacing Microcomp and associated applications, and it is a major initiative in furthering GPO's transformation to an all-digital workflow. Successful development and deployment of XPub will enable the GPO to create, edit, proof, approve and simultaneously publish legislative and regulatory documents in both print and digital formats from a variety of sources—including digital documents and hard-copy manuscripts—in a high-volume production environment, while continuing the GPO’s legacy of quality and typographic excellence. The digital versions of these documents must identify the semantic legal structure of these documents, so as to help facilitate intelligent online search and retrieval, using a markup language called XML (Extensible Markup Language). The successful implementation of XPub will help ensure GPO’s position as the primary publisher for Congress and the Federal Government.
XPub is intended to:
- Replace GPO's current composition system (Microcomp)
- Move GPO to a composition model that is based on XML
- Match the typographical style and page layout of current printed publications, as well as support enhanced search, retrieval, data formats, and repurposing of data
XPub will:
- Be implemented incrementally on a product by product basis
- Integrate with internal and external systems, such as FDsys and XML authoring tools utilized by external customers (e.g., customized XMETAL implementations in the House and Senate)
- Allow GPO and its users to employ XML while maintaining the current functionality available via Microcomp
In 2019, GPO took a major step forward by publishing the entirety of the 2018 Main Edition of the United States Code through XPub. Through XPub, GPO was able to compose the nearly 60,000-page publication in less than a year. GPO is well underway in efforts to bring additional publications into production through XPub, including Congressional Bills, Resolutions, and Amendments; Public Laws; the Statutes at Large; House and Senate calendars; the Congressional Record, and the Federal Register.