United States 119th Congress Status: In Committee 1 R cosponsors

S 55 — Read the Bills Act

Last action — Read twice and referred to the Committee on Rules and Administration.

  1. ✓
    Introduced
  2. 2
    In Committee
  3. 3
    Passed Senate
  4. 4
    Passed House
  5. 5
    To Executive
  6. 6
    Enacted

This bill is in committee in the Senate. Introduced January 09, 2025. It must pass committee before a floor vote.

Next likely step: a committee vote, then a floor vote in the Senate.

Odds of enactment

Low chance

Based on the sponsor, cosponsors, and committee posture, this bill has a low chance of becoming law.

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A statistical estimate from our own model of past outcomes — an insight, not a guarantee. Policymaking is volatile.

Prognosis

Stalled 16% · moderate confidence

  • In Committee

    Current position in the legislative process.

  • 1 sponsor

    1 primary, 0 co-sponsors signed on.

  • Single-party support

    Sponsorship is currently within one party (1 R).

Based on stage, sponsorship breadth, committee status, recorded votes, and cross-state momentum — a description of the observable signals, not a prediction.

Summary

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 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). Further, a vote on final passage of such measure may not occur 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).

Bill Text

How this bill changes current law

2 changes Share ↗

Compared against current U.S. Code AI-generated reading aid — verify against the official bill.

The bill adds new requirements for bills and resolutions introduced in Congress, detailing how their constitutional authority and current law must be specified.

  • 1 U.S.C. § 105

    Sec. 105a. Text of bill or resolution to specify its constitutional authority (a) Requirement.-- (1) In general.--Any bill or resolution introduced in either House of Congress shall contain a provision citing the specific powers granted to Congress in the Constitution of the United States to enact the proposed bill or resolution, including all the provisions thereof. (2) Failure to comply.--Any bill or resolution that does not comply with paragraph (1) shall not be accepted by the Clerk of the House of Representatives or the Secretary of the Senate. (b) Floor Consideration.-- (1) In general.--The requirements of subsection (a)(1) shall apply to any bill or resolution presented for consideration on the floor of either House of Congress, including a bill or resolution reported from a committee of either House of Congress, produced by conference between the 2 Houses of Congress, or offered as a manager's amendment. (2) Failure to comply.--Any bill or resolution that does not comply with paragraph (1) shall not be submitted for a vote on final passage. (c) No Waiver or Modification.--Neither House of Congress, nor Congress jointly, by concurrent resolution, unanimous consent, or any other order, resolution, vote, or other means, may dispense with, or otherwise waive or modify, the requirements under this section.

    New requirements are introduced for bills and resolutions to cite their constitutional authority.

  • 1 U.S.C. § 105

    Sec. 105b. Text of bill or resolution to set forth current law (a) Requirement.-- (1) In general.--Any bill or resolution introduced in either House of Congress that is intended to amend or modify the effect of, or would have the effect of amending or modifying the effect of, any current provision of law, including the expiration date of any law, shall set forth-- (A) the current version of the entire section of the current law that the bill or resolution proposes to amend, verbatim; (B) the amendments proposed in the bill or resolution; and (C) the section of law as it would read as modified by the amendments proposed, except that this subparagraph shall not apply to any bill or resolution that would strike the text of an entire section of a law. (2) Failure to comply.--Any bill or resolution that does not comply with paragraph (1) shall not be accepted by the Clerk of the House of Representatives or the Secretary of the Senate. (b) Floor Consideration.-- (1) In general.--The requirements under subsection (a)(1) shall apply to any bill or resolution presented for consideration on the floor of either House of Congress, including a bill or resolution reported from a committee of either House of Congress, produced by conference between the 2 Houses of Congress, or offered as a manager's amendment. (2) Failure to comply.--Any bill or resolution that does not comply with paragraph (1) shall not be submitted to a vote on final passage. (c) No Waiver or Modification.--Neither House of Congress, nor Congress jointly, by concurrent resolution, unanimous consent, or any other order, resolution, vote, or other means, may dispense with, or otherwise waive or modify, the requirements under this section.

    New requirements are introduced for bills and resolutions to include current law text when modifying existing statutes.

Action History

  1. Introduced in Senate

  2. Read twice and referred to the Committee on Rules and Administration.

Sponsors

Sponsorship breakdown

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1 sponsors · 0 co-sponsors · 546 not signed on

Sponsors (1)

Co-sponsors (0)

None.

Not signed on (546)

546 members have not signed on to this bill.

Show all 546 →

"Not signed on" means a member has not sponsored or co-sponsored this bill — it does not imply opposition. Members flagged Voted No have a recorded No vote on this bill.

Whip count is in markup. Polling the chamber and every recorded vote this session. Only the first open is slow. It’s instant for you after this. Calling the roll · Tallying · Engrossing

Subjects

elections
Cross-referencing the record. Reading this bill against every other bill in the corpus by meaning, not keywords. Only the first open is slow. It’s instant for you after this. Matching · Ranking · Engrossing

Frequently asked questions

What does S 55 do?
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 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). Further, a vote on final passage of such measure may not occur 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).
Who sponsors S 55?
S 55 is sponsored by Paul, Rand (Republican).
What is the current status of S 55?
This bill is in committee in the Senate. Introduced January 09, 2025. It must pass committee before a floor vote.
Where can I track S 55?
Track S 55 free on One Click Politics — get push/email alerts when it moves.

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