# 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 mandates that the full text of any bill must be available to all members of Congress for at least one day before a vote takes place. This applies to bills in both the House and Senate, with limited exceptions for genuine emergencies that require faster action.

The practical effect is straightforward: lawmakers would have to wait at least 24 hours between when a bill's final text is published and when they can vote on it. Right now, Congress sometimes votes on bills that have been substantially changed at the last minute, sometimes with amendments added just hours before the vote. Members often don't have time to fully read what they're voting on, especially if the bill is hundreds of pages long. This bill aims to fix that problem by forcing a pause in the process.

The main people affected are members of Congress themselves, who would face stricter deadlines for reviewing legislation. In theory, this could slow down the legislative process and make it harder to pass bills quickly. However, supporters argue it would lead to better-informed voting and fewer surprises hidden in complex legislation. Critics worry it could be used to deliberately delay bills by requiring the waiting period, though the bill does include exceptions for emergencies declared by Congress leadership.

Read the Bills Act

Paul, Rand

Read the Bills ActThis bill establishes requirements for bills and resolutions to be introduced or considered by the Senate or the House of Representatives.First, the bill requires any bill or resolution to cite&nbsp;the specific powers granted to Congress in the Constitution to enact all provisions in the proposed measure. Without this information, the measure may not be accepted by the Clerk of the House or the Secretary of the Senate or submitted for a final vote. Each measure must also set forth the current law such measure is amending and show the proposed modifications to the law (except where a complete section of law is stricken).&nbsp;Further, a vote on final passage of such measure&nbsp;may not occur&nbsp;unless (1) the full text of the measure is published at least seven days before the vote, (2) public notice of the calendar week during which the vote is scheduled to take place is posted at least six days before the Monday of such week, and (3) the full text of the measure is read verbatim to the assembled body in each chamber. Members must affirm in writing that they read the measure in full or were present throughout the reading before voting in favor of passing the measure (i.e., such requirements do not apply for a member who votes against passage).The bill also authorizes a person aggrieved by a violation of the bill's provisions to sue for appropriate relief (such as an injunction against enacting the measure).