One Subject at a Time Act
Sponsored By: Senator Paul, Rand [R-KY]
Introduced
Summary
One-subject limit on legislation. This bill would require each bill or joint resolution to cover no more than one subject, clearly state that subject in its title, and stop appropriations bills from adding general laws or changes to existing law that are not germane to the bill's subject.
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- Members of Congress and staff would face new drafting limits because a title that names multiple unrelated subjects would void the entire law.
- Appropriations bills would lose any provisions that fall outside the relevant subcommittee's jurisdiction or that change law unrelated to the bill's subject.
- Any person or Member of Congress who is aggrieved could sue the United States for relief, including injunctions, and courts would review such suits de novo.
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Bill Overview
Analyzed Economic Effects
3 provisions identified: 1 benefits, 0 costs, 2 mixed.
Right to sue over noncompliant laws
If enacted, any person harmed by enforcement or the threat of enforcement of a law passed without following the one-subject or title rules could sue the United States in federal court. A Member of Congress could also sue if their House failed to follow the rules. Courts would review these cases de novo, and there would be no amount-in-controversy limit. This would take effect upon enactment.
One subject rule for all bills
If enacted, the bill would require every bill or joint resolution to cover only one subject and to state that subject clearly in the title. If a title lists two unrelated subjects, the entire law would be void. If the title names one subject but the law adds unrelated parts, only those unrelated parts would be void. This would take effect upon enactment.
Ban on unrelated appropriations riders
If enacted, appropriations bills could not include general legislation or changes to existing law unless the subject is clearly germane to that spending bill. The bill would still allow rules that limit how appropriated funds are spent if those limits match the bill's subject. Any unrelated or out-of-jurisdiction parts of an appropriations Act would be void. This would take effect upon enactment.
Sponsors & CoSponsors
Sponsor
Paul, Rand [R-KY]
KY • R
Cosponsors
There are no cosponsors for this bill.
Roll Call Votes
No roll call votes available for this bill.
View on Congress.gov