What This Bill Does
This bill requires Congress to pass laws that cover only one subject at a time. It stops the practice of bundling different topics into a single bill. The bill makes certain provisions of bills that break this rule void, or invalid and unenforceable.
Who It Affects
Members of Congress are required to follow these rules when writing bills. Any person or member of Congress who is harmed by a law passed without following these rules can challenge it in court.
Key Provisions
• Each bill or joint resolution (a type of legislative proposal) can address only one subject (Sec. 2(a))
• The subject of a bill must be clearly and descriptively expressed in the bill's title (Sec. 2(b))
• If a bill's title addresses two or more unrelated subjects, the entire bill becomes void (Sec. 3(a))
• If a bill covers a single subject in its title but contains provisions about a different subject not mentioned in the title, only those unrelated provisions become void (Sec. 3(b))
• Any person or member of Congress harmed by enforcement of a law that did not follow these rules can file a lawsuit in federal court to block enforcement of that law (Sec. 3(e))
What Changes
Laws passed without limiting themselves to one subject would have parts declared void (invalid) through court action. Members of Congress and affected citizens gain the right to sue in federal court to challenge laws that violate these rules without regard to the amount of money involved in the dispute.
Important Definitions
• Joint resolution: a type of legislative proposal similar to a bill
• Void: invalid and unenforceable
• Germane: directly related to the subject matter
• De novo: a fresh review by a court as if the lower court had not made a decision
Effective Date
Not specified in bill text
II
118TH CONGRESS
1ST SESSION
S. 287
To end the practice of including more than one subject in a single bill
by requiring that each bill enacted by Congress be limited to only one
subject, and for other purposes.
IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES
FEBRUARY 7, 2023
Mr. PAUL introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred to
the Committee on Rules and Administration
A BILL
To end the practice of including more than one subject
in a single bill by requiring that each bill enacted by
Congress be limited to only one subject, and for other
purposes.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
1
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,
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SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
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This Act may be cited as the ‘‘One Subject at a Time
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Act’’.
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SEC. 2. ONE SUBJECT AT A TIME.
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(a) ONE SUBJECT.—Each bill or joint resolution
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shall embrace no more than one subject.
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•S 287 IS
(b) SUBJECT IN TITLE.—The subject of a bill or joint
1
resolution shall be clearly and descriptively expressed in
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the title.
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(c) APPROPRIATION BILLS.—An appropriations bill
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shall not contain any general legislation or change to a
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provision of existing law, the subject of which is not ger-
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mane to the subject matter of each such appropriations
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bill; provided, however, that this section shall not be con-
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strued to prohibit any provision imposing limitations upon
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the expenditure of funds so appropriated.
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SEC. 3. ENFORCEMENT.
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(a) MULTIPLE SUBJECTS IN TITLE.—If the title of
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an Act or joint resolution addresses two or more unrelated
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subjects, the entire Act or joint resolution is void.
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(b) PROVISIONS NOT EXPRESSED IN TITLE.—If the
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title of an Act or joint resolution addresses a single sub-
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ject, but the Act contains one or more provisions con-
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cerning a subject that is not clearly and descriptively ex-
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pressed in its title, only such provision or provisions con-
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cerning the subject not clearly and descriptively expressed
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in the title shall be void.
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(c) APPROPRIATION
PROVISIONS
OUTSIDE
SUB-
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COMMITTEE
JURISDICTION.—If an Act appropriating
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funds contains a provision outside of the jurisdiction of
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the relevant subcommittee of the Committees on Appro-
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•S 287 IS
priations of the House of Representatives and of the Sen-
1
ate, and therefore outside the subject of the bill, such pro-
2
vision shall be void.
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(d) PROVISIONS
OF APPROPRIATION BILLS NOT
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GERMANE
TO SUBJECT MATTER.—If an Act appro-
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priating funds contains a provision of general legislation
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or a change of a provision of existing law not germane
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to the subject matter of such bill, such provision shall be
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void.
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(e) COMMENCEMENT OF AN ACTION.—Any person
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aggrieved by the enforcement of, or attempt or threat of
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enforcement of, an Act passed without having complied
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with section 2 or this section, or any Member of Congress
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aggrieved by the failure of the House of Congress of which
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that individual is a member to comply with any require-
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ment of those sections, shall, regardless of the amount in
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controversy, have a cause of action under sections 2201
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and 2202 of title 28, United States Code, against the
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United States to seek appropriate relief, including an in-
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junction against the enforcement of any law, the passage
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of which did not conform to section 2 or this section.
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(f) STATE
OF REVIEW.—In any judicial action
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brought pursuant to subsection (e), the standard of review
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shall be de novo.
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Æ
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