First of all this is just common sense.
I would add to it - all laws should include a sunset provision, requiring a review and vote to renew the law, else it will expire.
Too many bad or no longer applicable laws stay on the books because it’s too hard to get a revision passed.
I would add this to your bullet points:
Constitutionality test for each bill prior to presentation and reading. This would prevent the enactment of unconstutional bills which unjustly harm people, remove their freedoms, damage them economically in ways that cannot be reversed when a law is successfully overturned for constitutional reasons. All laws passed would be pre-tested for being constitutionally sound.
Minimum attendence required to vote on bills. This might include madating reps from every state be present, 90% attendence from all reps.
Financial penalties for reps that miss >10% of votes The exact % is negotiable, but some fairly high expectation for showing up to do their jobs should be required. For example, if they do not attend the required 90% of votes, their annual salary is docked by the % of votes they missed during the year. (Missed 15%, wages are docked 15%)
Elected Alternate Reps If there is some long-term emergecy that prevents their attending (say, a catistrophic injury) and which results in their missing >10% of votes, there should be a requirement for the rep to A) step down, with a special election to replace them within 30 days, or B) a previously elected alternate rep to be in place in case who can step up in case of emergencies.
This is awesome. Brilliant suggestion.
This is an ABSOLUTE MUST. And, there needs to be an easy to look up record of how every member voted on every bill. That way for our local elections, we can go back and see exactly how our members of Congress voted. The single issue bill is the only way for us to see exactly what policies these people support. As of now, both sides slander each other by saying so and so voted against election integrity, women’s rights, insert what ever, but in reality, they didn’t they voted against some other piece of bull shit in the bill. Also, with these giant bills this is how they pass ridiculous shit that no one knows about. We NEED transparency. And we NEED a way to hold memebers of Congress accountable.
This should be number one priority, enough of the mega bills written by lobbyist and signed off in middle of the night.
I agree and make the 1 page summary in easy to understand format available for public comment before it is voted on by congress.
How would this be implemented? Would it require a constitutional amendment (unlikely to pass) or simply a procedural change (such as filibuster rules)? This can’t be simply done by Executive Order…
Would also be good to have the voting outcome readily accessible to all view how tour congressman voted.
After a bill is approved or denied, I’d immediately like to see the YAY’s VS NAY’s
I want to know how our elected officials are “representing” their constituents
No more sneaking in billions in funding for countries that are not USA.
Agree!
Yes! Plus a roll call vote!
WE THE PEOPLE have the right to see how our “representatives” vote on all issues & thier votes should always be on the record.
Every Bill should include the Sponsors of the bill with the companies that have donated to those members of congress and lobbyist that are contributing to the bill. So that the people understand the money behind the bill and who it really benefits. That way the constituents can have more meaningful contact with their representatives on why they should/should not vote for the bill.
Absolutely agree that Bills should be single issue. Most bills only need to be a page long that anyone could read.
There needs to be a way to designate which lobbying group is associated with the bill, if any. And designate the groups the money will be given to, if possible. No more money changing hands under the table
Bills must cite the Constitutional criteria granting them the authority to propose and enact such legislation with a paragraph of reasoning in simple language.
I agree with this 100%!
Turned it into a bill!
A BILL
To establish requirements for the drafting, consideration, and passage of legislation by Congress to enhance transparency, accountability, and public understanding, and for other purposes.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,
This Act may be cited as the “Congressional Accountability and Streamlining Act.”
Congress finds the following:
Transparency and Accountability: Legislation often contains multiple unrelated subjects, excessive length, and complex language, hindering transparency and accountability.
Informed Decision-Making: Members of Congress and the public should have sufficient time and ability to read and understand proposed legislation before votes are taken.
Public Trust: Clear and accessible laws enhance public trust in the legislative process and ensure that laws serve the public interest.
Equal Application of Laws: No citizen or group, including Members of Congress, should be exempt from adhering to the laws enacted.
Single-Subject Requirement: To mandate that all bills address only one subject to prevent the inclusion of unrelated provisions.
Accessibility: To require that bills be written in plain language understandable to the average citizen.
Adequate Review Time: To ensure sufficient time for Members of Congress and the public to review legislation before a vote.
Accountability Measures: To include metrics for evaluating the success and effectiveness of enacted laws.
Transparency in Naming: To require that the titles of bills accurately reflect their content.
Participation Requirements: To require in-person attendance for voting and limit the number of bills voted on daily.
Limitation: Each bill or joint resolution shall embrace no more than one subject, and that subject shall be clearly expressed in the title.
Prohibition of Riders: No bill shall contain any provision that is not germane to the single subject of the bill as expressed in the title.
Point of Order: Any Member of Congress may raise a point of order against a bill violating the single-subject rule, which shall be ruled upon by the presiding officer without debate.
Severability of Provisions: If any provision is found not germane to the single subject, that provision shall be stricken from the bill before passage.
Clarity and Simplicity: All bills shall be written in plain language, using clear and concise terms understandable to the general public.
Elimination of Jargon: Technical terms and legal jargon shall be avoided where possible, or clearly defined within the text.
One-Page Summary: Each bill exceeding 20 pages shall include a one-page thorough summary outlining the key provisions, objectives, and potential impacts.
Accessibility: The summary shall be made publicly available along with the full text of the bill.
Required Metrics: Each bill shall include specific, measurable objectives and criteria for assessing its success and effectiveness.
Reporting Requirements: The responsible agency or department shall submit annual reports to Congress evaluating the law’s outcomes based on the established metrics.
Reflective Titles: The title of each bill shall accurately and clearly reflect the content and purpose of the legislation.
Prohibition of Misleading Titles: Titles designed to mislead or promote objectives not contained in the bill are prohibited.
Review by Committees: Relevant committees shall review bill titles for compliance with this section before reporting the bill.
Point of Order: A point of order may be raised against any bill with a title that does not comply, subject to a ruling by the presiding officer.
Universal Applicability: All laws enacted by Congress shall apply equally to Members of Congress, their staff, and all citizens of the United States.
Prohibition of Special Exemptions: No law shall include provisions that exempt any individual or group, including Members of Congress, from its application unless such exemption is constitutionally required.
If any provision of this Act, or the application thereof to any person or circumstance, is held invalid, the remainder of the Act and the application of such provision to other persons or circumstances shall not be affected.
End of Bill
Summary and Explanation:
Single-Subject Rule: The bill mandates that each piece of legislation addresses only one subject, preventing unrelated “pork” or “fluff” from being included.
Plain Language Requirement: Bills must be written in clear, common English to ensure that any American citizen can understand the law.
Summary Inclusion: For longer bills, a one-page thorough summary is required to outline key points and implications.
Adequate Review Time: A minimum of 72 hours must pass between the finalization of a bill’s text and the vote, allowing time for thorough review.
In-Person Voting: Members of Congress are required to be physically present to participate in votes, promoting accountability.
Daily Voting Limit: Limits the number of bills that can be voted on in a single day to five, ensuring adequate attention to each.
Metrics for Success: Bills must include measurable objectives and criteria to assess their effectiveness post-enactment.
Accurate Naming: Legislation titles must accurately reflect the content to prevent misleading or deceptive practices.
Equal Application of Laws: Ensures that no individual or group, including Congress, is exempt from adhering to the laws passed.
Love all of this! No piggy back bills moving forward.
The challenge will be how to define a “single issue”. I think an easy method is to limit each bill to a single department/agency with an appointed Secretary. Bills and appropriations should not apply to or fund higher/lower echelons. So, a bill at DHS cannot fund or give direction to Coast Guard, only how DHS operates. Likewise, a Coast Guard bill cannot fund/change how DHS operates.
Additionally, laws could be made to expire, based on congressional acceptance. For instance, a law with 51% of a house could expire in 10 years while 2/3 of the house could expire in 20 years, and 100% of the house 25 years. This would align the long-term impact of a law with public agreement. It will also simply laws, as old bills will expire and be removed from the existing massive body of law.
This is extremely important. We need to filter out all the corruption and special interests ,and focus on single issue bills for the people.