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Published hearings are the official record of committee hearings proceedings. Hearings, which are usually open to the public, are held to enable committees to gather opinions and information to help Members make decisions regarding proposed legislation or to help them fulfill their oversight and investigation responsibilities. Most hearings are published from six months to a year after the hearing is held, but some hearings are published following a gap of two or more years. The timing of the publication depends solely on the schedule of the individual committee. Official hearings publications, which are printed by the Government Printing Office (GPO), usually include: Written and oral statements of witnesses, transcripts of the verbal question-and-answer session between the committee and witnesses, reports, exhibits, and other materials submitted for the record by witnesses, and correspondence and other materials submitted by interested parties.