Bill · S.Res. 18· Senate(119-SRES-18)
A resolution providing for sufficient time for legislation to be read.
- Introduced
- 1/9/2025
- Last activity
- 1/9/2025 — Referred to the Committee on Rules and Administration. (text: CR S80)
- Sponsored by
- Rand Paul
- Cosponsors
- None
- Introduced
- In Committee
A Senate resolution is the Senate speaking for itself: stating a position, honouring someone, or setting its own rules. Adopting it is the whole process. Once the Senate agrees to it, it is officially the Senate's word; it is not a law, so the House and the President have no part in it.
What this bill would do
This resolution aims to provide more time for the Senate to read legislative measures. It proposes that no bill, resolution, message, or treaty can be considered until a specific amount of time has passed following its introduction. The required time is one session day for every 20 pages, plus an additional day for any remaining pages. Senators can raise a point of order if these time requirements are not met. To bypass these rules, an affirmative vote of three-fifths of the members is required.
Yes
Does this make what the government does easier for the public to see?+3
The bill mandates a period of time for the public and legislators to review the text of a measure before it is considered.
The opposite
No question was scored the opposite.
Who it would affect, and how
Potential Positive Impacts for People
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Ensures Time for Review: According to Section 1(a), the Senate cannot consider a measure until one session day has passed for every s 20 pages, plus one day for any remaining pages. This ensures that officials have a set amount of time to read the full text of a measure before it is considered.
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Accountability Through Points of Order: Under Section 1(b)(1), any Senator may raise a point of order if the required reading time has not passed. This provides a mechanism to ensure the rules are followed before a measure moves forward.
Potential Negative Impacts for People
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Restrictions on Legislative Speed: Section 1(a) creates a mandatory waiting period based on the page count of a bill, resolution, message, conference report, amendment, or treaty. This could prevent the Senate from considering important matters immediately.
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High Threshold for Waivers: Section 1(b)(2) states that any waiver of the time requirement can only be done by an affirmative vote of three-fifths of the Members. This high threshold, combined with a debate period of up to three hours, could delay the legislative process.
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+3
- 1/9/2025
- Referred to the Committee on Rules and Administration. (text: CR S80)
- Introduced in Senate