I 

114TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION H. R. 4328 

To prohibit the consideration in the House of Representatives or Senate 

of the text of any legislation which has not been published online at 

least 72 hours prior to its consideration, and for other purposes. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

JANUARY 6, 2016 

Mr. BRIDENSTINE introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 

Committee on Rules 

A BILL 

To prohibit the consideration in the House of Representatives 

or Senate of the text of any legislation which has not 

been published online at least 72 hours prior to its 

consideration, and for other purposes. 

1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 

3 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

4 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Read the Bill Act’’. 


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1 SEC. 2. REQUIRING TEXT OF LEGISLATION TO BE AVAIL2 ABLE PRIOR TO CONSIDERATION IN HOUSE 

3 OR SENATE. 

4 (a) REQUIRING AVAILABILITY OF TEXT.—It shall not 

5 be in order to consider any bill or resolution in the House 

6 of Representatives (including the Committee of the Whole 

7 House on the State of the Union) or Senate unless the 

8 text of the bill or resolution to be considered, including 

9 text made in order in the House (or the Committee of the 

10 Whole) as a result of the adoption by the House of a reso11 lution providing for consideration of the bill or resolution, 

12 is published on an official website of the Clerk of the 

13 House or the Secretary of the Senate (as the case may 

14 be) not fewer than the applicable minimum number of 

15 hours prior to the consideration of the bill or resolution. 

16 (b) APPLICABLE MINIMUM NUMBER OF HOURS.— 

17 (1) IN GENERAL.—For purposes of this section, 

18 the ‘‘applicable minimum number of hours’’ with re19 spect to the text of a bill or resolution is— 

20 (A) in the case of text of 300 or fewer 

21 pages, 72 hours; or 

22 (B) in the case of text of more than 300 

23 pages, the sum of 72 hours plus 24 hours for 

24 each additional increment of text of 100 or 

25 fewer pages. 


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1 (2) EXCLUDING HOURS DURING WHICH HOUSE

2 OR SENATE IS NOT IN SESSION.—In determining the 

3 applicable number of hours under paragraph (1), 

4 there shall be excluded any hour during which the 

5 House of Representatives is not in session (in the 

6 case of a bill or resolution in the House) or any hour 

7 during which the Senate is not in session (in the 

8 case of a bill or resolution in the Senate). 

9 (c) NO WAIVER OR MODIFICATION.—Neither House 

10 of Congress, nor Congress jointly, by concurrent resolu11 tion, unanimous consent, or any other order, resolution, 

12 vote, or other means, may dispense with, or otherwise 

13 waive or modify, the requirements set forth in this section. 

14 SEC. 3. RULES FOR SHOWING AMENDMENTS MADE TO EX15 ISTING LAW BY BILLS OR JOINT RESOLU16 TIONS. 

17 (a) MATERIAL TO BE INCLUDED IN COMMITTEE RE18 PORTS.—Whenever a committee of the House of Rep19 resentatives or Senate reports a bill or joint resolution pro20 posing to repeal or amend a statute or part thereof, it 

21 shall include in its report or in an accompanying docu22 ment— 

23 (1) the entire text of each section of a statute 

24 that is proposed to be repealed or amended; and 


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1 (2) a comparative print of each amendment to 

2 a section of a statute that the bill or joint resolution 

3 proposes to make, showing by appropriate typo4 graphical devices the omissions and insertions pro5 posed. 

6 (b) REQUIREMENTS FOR COMPARATIVE PRINT.—If a 

7 committee of the House of Representatives or Senate re8 ports a bill or joint resolution proposing to repeal or 

9 amend a statute or part thereof with a recommendation 

10 that the bill or joint resolution be amended, the compara11 tive print required by subsection (a) shall reflect the 

12 changes in existing law proposed to be made by the bill 

13 or joint resolution as proposed to be amended. 

14 (c) PROHIBITING CONSIDERATION OF REPORTED

15 BILLS OR JOINT RESOLUTIONS FAILING TO MEET RE16 QUIREMENTS.—It shall not be in order to consider any 

17 bill or joint resolution in the House of Representatives (in18 cluding the Committee of the Whole House on the State 

19 of the Union) or Senate which is reported by a committee 

20 if the committee does not meet the requirements of sub21 section (a) or (b) with respect to the bill or joint resolu22 tion. 

23 (d) NO WAIVER OR MODIFICATION.—Neither House 

24 of Congress, nor Congress jointly, by concurrent resolu25 tion, unanimous consent, or any other order, resolution, 


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1 vote, or other means, may dispense with, or otherwise 

2 waive or modify, the requirements set forth in this section. 

3 SEC. 4. ENFORCEMENT. 

4 (a) NO LEGAL EFFECT FOR ACTS OF CONGRESS

5 FAILING TO MEET REQUIREMENTS.—An Act of Congress 

6 that was considered as a bill or resolution in the House 

7 of Representatives or Senate in violation of the applicable 

8 requirements of section 2 or 3 shall have no force or effect, 

9 and no legal, equitable, regulatory, civil, or criminal action 

10 may be brought under such an Act of Congress. 

11 (b) CAUSE OF ACTION.—Without regard to the 

12 amount in controversy, a cause of action under sections 

13 2201 and 2202 of title 28, United States Code, against 

14 the United States seeking appropriate relief (including an 

15 injunction against enforcement of any Act of Congress the 

16 consideration of which was in violation of the applicable 

17 requirements of section 2 or 3) may be brought by— 

18 (1) a person aggrieved by an action of an offi19 cer or employee in the executive branch of the Fed20 eral Government under such an Act of Congress; 

21 and 

22 (2) a Member of Congress aggrieved by the con23 sideration of a bill or resolution in violation of such 

24 applicable requirements by the House of Congress in 

25 which the Member serves. 


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1 SEC. 5. EFFECTIVE DATE. 

2 This Act shall apply with respect to any bill or resolu3 tion considered in the House of Representatives or Senate 

4 after the date of the enactment of this Act. 

Æ 


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