Should Each Bill in Congress Only Address One Subject? (S. 1572)

What is S. 1572?

(Updated June 19, 2019)

This bill would require each bill or joint resolution introduced in Congress to embrace only one subject, and that subject must be descriptively expressed in the legislation’s title.

Appropriations bills would be prohibited from containing any general legislation or including any change of existing law requirements if the subject of a provision isn’t germane to the appropriation bill’s subject.

Legislation that meets the following criteria would be declared void:

• An entire Act or joint resolution if its title addresses two or more unrelated subjects;

• Provisions in legislation not clearly and descriptively expressed in the measure’s title;

• Appropriation provisions in legislation outside the relevant subcommittee’s jurisdiction;

• Provisions of appropriation bills not germane to their subject matter.

Aggrieved persons and members of Congress would have the right to sue the U.S. to seek relief, including an injunction, against the enforcement of a law passed in a manner that didn’t conform with the one subject requirement.

Argument in favor

For the sake of transparency, members of Congress need to stop writing and passing bills that address multiple unrelated policy issues. Multi-subject bills may deceptively include policies that lawmakers and the public overlook because of misleading titles.

Argument opposed

It’s not practical to expect Congress to only introduce bills that deal with one subject area, they only have a finite amount of time in session and need to address a wide variety of policies. Combining unrelated, unobjectionable bills saves time.

Impact

The American public; Congressional staffers; and members of Congress.

Cost of S. 1572

A CBO cost estimate is unavailable.

Additional Info

In-Depth: Sponsoring Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) introduced this bill to increase transparency in the lawmaking process by requiring that Congress only address one subject in a given piece of legislation:

“Too often in Congress, legislation is pushed through without hearings, amendments, or debate. I firmly believe the American people have a right to be part of the legislative process. My bills will allow citizens sufficient time to read and to give input to members of Congress as they consider legislation impacting the lives of all Americans. I will continue to stand by my pledge to increase transparency and accessibility in the U.S. Senate.”

Of Note: According to the National Conference of State Legislatures, 41 states have provisions within their state constitutions that require bills in their legislature to only deal with a single subject. There are also 15 states that require initiatives to only cover a single subject to receive a spot on the ballot.

Media:

• Sponsoring Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) Press Release
• The Hill
• Forbes (Op-Ed In Favor)

Summary by Eric Revell
(Photo Credit: Flickr user Circa Sassy)