Interesting Bill

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TommyTheCat

Gonzo Scientist
H.R. 450: Enumerated Powers Act (GovTrack.us)

Here's the snippet from a facebook group (Ugh..I know):

Summary: Requires each Act of Congress to contain a concise and definite statement of the constitutional authority relied upon for the enactment of each portion of that Act. Declares that failure to comply with this requirement shall give rise to a point of order in either chamber of Congress.
- Each bill, and every amendment, must be read in its entirety before a quorum in both the House and Senate.
- Every member of the House and Senate must sign a sworn affidavit, under penalty of perjury, that he or she has attentively either personally read, or heard read, the complete bill to be voted on.
- Every old law coming up for renewal under the sunset provisions must also be read according to the same rules that apply to new bills.
- Every bill to be voted on must be published on the Internet at least 7 days before a vote, and Congress must give public notice of the date when a vote will be held on that bill.
- Passage of a bill that does not abide by these provisions will render the measure null and void, and establish grounds for the law to be challenged in court.
- Congress cannot waive these requirements.


Thoughts?
 
- Each bill, and every amendment, must be read in its entirety before a quorum in both the House and Senate.

will never happen.

some of these things are 200+ pages. NOTHING will ever get done
 
will never happen.

some of these things are 200+ pages. NOTHING will ever get done


"Our laws are too long to be fully read & reviewed." What an awful excuse :/
 
True, as suggested it would never work. But the posting of a bill on internet prior to a vote for public viewing is feasible and a good idea. But then again how many congressman or senators actually vote with their costituants in mind?
 
hell if thats the case then why in the hell should the expect us to know every little detail? fuck that. goddamn legislators and politicians are full of shit man.

Well i agree with this in that, if a bill is too large to be read in its entirety, it is too long and should be shortened.
 
Shorten it too much and it creates a lot of gray area. While that can work in the favor of the general public some times (when it comes to criminal law) it also can give the state more power to interpret it as they see fit. It needs to be as clear as possible while not being overly drawn out. sometimes there's probably no helping it.
 
The idea that I had was to create an independent entity to create a test of sorts. Like a quiz on what the bill says and the implications thereof.

Then any Congressman would have to pass a closed book examination of the bill before being allowed to vote on it. Seriously, how can you vote for something that you have no clue what it says?
 
The idea that I had was to create an independent entity to create a test of sorts. Like a quiz on what the bill says and the implications thereof.

Then any Congressman would have to pass a closed book examination of the bill before being allowed to vote on it. Seriously, how can you vote for something that you have no clue what it says?

Only concern yourself with getting reelected and when your next trip that lets you visit that special lady friend of yours.
 
will never happen.

some of these things are 200+ pages. NOTHING will ever get done

Wow, something that B underestimated. Hilary Clintons first universal healthcare plan in 93 was 1460 pages. But yeah I agree, no way in hell it'd pass.
 
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