The Government Printing Office is offering the newest edition of the U.S. Government Manual, the official handbook of the federal government.

Published by the Office of the Federal Register, the book includes details about legislative, judicial and executive branch agencies, as well as agencies and international organizations in which the United States is a participant.

[IMGCAP(1)] The manual is available at no charge on the Internet at www.gpoaccess.gov/ gmanual. Copies may also be purchased for $52 from GPO at bookstore.gpo.gov or (866) 512-1800.

The Next Visitors Center? The House Resources Committee unanimously approved legislation Wednesday authorizing the design and construction of a visitor center on or adjacent to the Vietnam Veterans Memorial.

If constructed, the center — to be funded through the nonprofit Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund — would facilitate self-guided tours for visitors and serve as a repository for remembrances of those veterans whose names are inscribed on the memorial.

“I can think of no better way to honor the contribution of our Vietnam veterans than to educate the younger generations about the importance of their sacrifice,” the bill’s sponsor, Resources Chairman Richard Pombo (R-Calif.), said in a statement.

Legislation authorizing an education center at or near the memorial passed the Senate in July, but obstacles remain due to an amendment included in the Senate bill that would prohibit the construction of additional monuments on the National Mall.

Honoring Women in Transportation. Transportation Secretary Norman Mineta will be a featured guest at a reception today on Capitol Hill honoring women in transportation. The gathering, organized by a number of transportation associations, along with the Congressional Women’s Issues Caucus, is set to begin at 5 p.m. in Room 121 of the Cannon House Office Building.

The reception will honor the four women administrators of various Transportation Department agencies, including Marion Blakey of the Federal Aviation Administration, Jennifer Dorn of the Federal Transit Administration, Mary Peters of the Federal Highway Administration and Annette Sandberg of the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration.

— Jennifer Yachnin, Bree Hocking and Michael E. Grass