H.R. 4324: One Subject at a Time Act

The proposed bill, known as the One Subject at a Time Act, aims to regulate the content and structure of bills passed by Congress. Here’s a breakdown of its main provisions:

Single Subject Requirement

The bill stipulates that each bill or joint resolution must focus on only one subject. This means that lawmakers cannot combine unrelated topics into a single piece of legislation.

Descriptive Titles

For clarity, the subject of the bill must be clearly and descriptively expressed in the title. This aims to inform lawmakers and the public about the content and intent of the legislation at a glance.

Restrictions on Appropriations Bills

In relation to appropriations bills, which are used to allocate government funding, the bill specifies that:

• Appropriations bills cannot include general legislation or changes to existing laws that are not closely related to the subject of the bill.
• However, provisions that impose spending limitations for the appropriated funds are permitted.

Enforcement Mechanisms

The bill includes various enforcement measures to ensure compliance:

• If a bill's title refers to multiple unrelated subjects, the entire bill would be deemed void.
• If a bill's title relates to a single subject but includes provisions not clearly expressed in the title, those specific provisions would be void.
• Any provisions in an appropriations bill that are outside the relevant subcommittee's jurisdiction would also be void.
• Finally, if an appropriations bill contains unrelated general legislation, all such unrelated provisions would be void.

Legal Actions for Non-Compliance

The bill grants individuals or members of Congress the right to take legal action if they believe an act has not complied with the established requirements. They can seek relief such as an injunction against enforcing any non-compliant law, regardless of the amount involved.

Standard of Review

In judicial actions related to this enforcement, the standard of review would be 'de novo', meaning that the court would consider the matter fresh, without being bound by previous conclusions.

Relevant Companies

None found.