Bill > S55

This bill aims to improve congressional accountability and transparency in the legislative process by establishing several new requirements for bill creation and passage. Specifically, the bill mandates that all proposed legislation must include a specific citation of its constitutional authority and, if amending existing law, must clearly show the current law text and proposed changes. Before a bill can be voted on, it must be published online for at least 7 days, with public notice of the voting week, and then be read in full to a physically present congressional quorum. Additionally, each member of Congress must either be present for the entire reading of the bill or sign an affidavit stating they have read the entire bill before voting. The bill also includes an enforcement mechanism that would render any law passed without following these procedures unenforceable, and allows aggrieved individuals or members of Congress to bring legal action to challenge laws that do not meet these requirements. The goal is to ensure that legislators thoroughly understand the legislation they are voting on, provide greater transparency to the public, and prevent the passage of complex or hastily drafted laws that might contain hidden provisions or exceed constitutional bounds.

Government Affairs

https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/senate-bill/55/all-info