What if each bill Congress debated only dealt with one topic?
Often it’s the only way that legislation will get passed anymore — bits and pieces from various forms of legislation will be cobbled together into one package. Even if a representative or senator disagrees with some provision, they might still vote for the overall bill as a compromise.
Rep. Mia Love (R-UT4) and Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) think it’s time for that famous (or infamous) tradition in Congress to end. They have introduced the One Subject at a Time Act, H.R. 4335 and S. 1572, to stop the practice. The legislation would require all bills in Congress to only deal with a single topic, to be clearly expressed in the bill’s title (so no more confusing titles). More controversially, it would also void any act that deals with two or more subjects, or any provisions not clearly expressed in the bill’s title.
What supporters say
Supporters say it would bring much-needed transparency and simplification to the legislative process. They also note that 41 states, both blue and red and purple, currently have such “single-subject rules” in their state constitutions.
“There has been legislation passed that might not otherwise pass on its own merits. It’s become a way for lawmakers to ‘game the system,’ and for lobbyists to manipulate the system,” Love wrote in an op-ed. “By passing this bill, Congress would be taking a big step toward accomplishing a major goal for us: To make the legislative process more transparent to the public. Bad legislation would be more vulnerable to public opposition.”
Reasons why it might not be a good idea
GovTrack Insider was unable to locate any sitting members of Congress voicing their opposition to this bill, likely because they recognize the bad optics of vocally opposing such a measure. But political scientists have noted several potential flaws.
One is that a single-subject rule creates a roadblock to legislative compromise, since a bill on a solely-conservative or solely-liberal issue would face steep odds of being enacted into law. Another is that it creates far more litigation in the courts, with Louisiana alone having faced more than 300 challenges to enacted bills or initiatives on single-subject grounds. Third is the grey area in defining what exactly constitutes a “subject,” with much dispute over how “unrelated” a provision would have to be before it’s no longer considered relevant to the main topic.
The One Subject at a Time Act has attracted 17 House cosponsors, all Republicans, and awaits a vote in the House Judiciary Committee. No cosponsors have signed on in the Senate. Previous versions introduced in 2013 and 2012 never received votes.
This article was written by GovTrack Insider staff writer Jesse Rifkin.
