Bill · S. 59· Senate(119-S-59)
One Subject at a Time Act
- Introduced
- 1/9/2025
- Last activity
- 1/9/2025 — Read twice and referred to the Committee on Rules and Administration.
- Sponsored by
- Rand Paul
- Cosponsors
- None
- Introduced
- In Committee
What this bill would do
The "One Subject at a Time Act" aims to end the practice of combining multiple subjects into a single bill. It requires that every bill or joint resolution embrace no more than one subject. Additionally, the subject of a bill must be clearly and descriptively expressed in its title. For appropriation bills, the law prohibits including general legislation or changes to existing laws that are not germane to the bill's subject. The Act also establishes specific enforcement mechanisms and judicial review standards to ensure compliance.
Yes
Does this make what the government does easier for the public to see?+8
The act enhances transparency by requiring that a bill's subject be clearly and descriptively expressed in its title.
Does this make the government pay for what it commits to?+5
The bill increases fiscal responsibility by preventing non-germane legislation from being attached to appropriation bills.
Does this protect the right to fair treatment by the courts?+4
The bill provides a cause of action for aggrieved persons to seek relief through judicial review if a law violates these standards.
The opposite
No question was scored the opposite.
Who it would affect, and how
Potential Positive Impacts for People
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Increased Transparency: Under Section 2(b), the subject of a bill must be "clearly and descriptively expressed in the title," which ensures people know exactly what a bill is about.
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Prevention of Hidden Legislation: Section 2(c) prevents appropriation bills from containing "general legislation or change to a provision of existing law" that is not related to the bill's actual subject.
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Legal Recourse for Non-compliance: Section 3(e) allows "any person aggrieved" by a law passed in violation of these rules to take legal action against the United States to seek relief, such as an injunction.
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Clear Standards for Lawmakers: Section 3(b) ensures that if a bill contains provisions not clearly expressed in the title, those specific provisions are considered void, preventing unexpected legislative changes.
Potential Negative Impacts for People
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Risk of Voided Legislation: Under Section 3(a), if a title addresses "two or more unrelated subjects," the "entire Act or joint resolution is void," which could nullify entire pieces of legislation.
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Loss of Specific Provisions: According to Section 3(b) and Section 3(c), specific provisions within an act may be declared void if they are not clearly expressed in the title or fall outside the jurisdiction of the relevant subcommittee.
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Limitation on Appropriation Bills: Section 3(d) states that any provision of general legislation or changes to existing law that are not germane to the subject matter of an appropriation bill shall be void.
Groups and Interests Ranking
Every group the model scored this bill for, from -10 to +10. Hover a score for the reason it gave.
- Governance And Ideology
- Improves Government Transparency+8Improves Due Process+4
- Economy And Finance
- Improves Fiscal Responsibility+5
- 1/9/2025
- Read twice and referred to the Committee on Rules and Administration.
- Introduced in Senate
One bill Congress.gov lists as related to this one — companions in the other chamber, earlier versions, and bills this one absorbed or was folded into.