# Plain Language Summary: Read the Bills Act

The Read the Bills Act requires Congress to slow down and actually read legislation before voting on it. Specifically, the bill would mandate that members of Congress have a reasonable amount of time to review the full text of any bill before they're asked to vote on it. This is meant to address a common complaint that Congress sometimes passes massive, complex bills without giving lawmakers adequate time to understand what they're voting for.

The practical effect would be that bills couldn't be rushed through votes on the same day they're introduced or with only a few hours of review time. Instead, there would need to be a waiting period—typically a few days—between when a bill's text is made available and when a vote can happen. This applies to most legislation, though there are exceptions for emergency situations where Congress votes to waive the requirement.

For everyday people, this matters because it could theoretically lead to more careful, deliberate lawmaking. The idea is that when lawmakers have time to actually read what they're voting on, they're less likely to accidentally pass laws with unintended consequences or hidden provisions buried in hundreds of pages of text. However, critics argue the bill could slow down the legislative process and that Congress already has procedures to review bills, so the practical impact depends on how strictly it's enforced and whether Congress chooses to waive the requirement frequently.

Read the Bills Act

Paul, Rand

Read the Bills Act This bill establishes requirements relating to the introduction and consideration of any bill or resolution in either chamber of Congress. Specifically, the bill requires any measure introduced in either chamber to contain a provision citing the specific powers granted to Congress in the Constitution to enact the proposed measure, including all of its provisions. Further, the text must also set forth the current law such measure is amending and the proposed modifications to the law. Additionally, a vote on final passage of a measure (except private bills) may not occur in either chamber unless (1) the full text of the measure is published on an official website of each chamber at least seven days before the vote, (2) public notice of the specific calendar week during which the vote is scheduled to take place is posted on the respective website at least six days before the Monday of such week, and (3) there is a reading of its full text verbatim by the Clerk of the House of Representatives or the Secretary of the Senate to the respective chamber.