I 
112TH CONGRESS 
2D SESSION 
H. R. 3806 
To end the practice of including more than one subject in a single bill 
by requiring that each bill enacted by Congress be limited to only one 
subject, and for other purposes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
JANUARY 23, 2012 
Mr. MARINO introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 
Committee on the Judiciary 
A BILL 
To end the practice of including more than one subject 
in a single bill by requiring that each bill enacted by 
Congress be limited to only one subject, and for other 
purposes. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘One Subject at a Time 
Act’’. 
SEC. 2. ONE SUBJECT AT A TIME. 
(a) ONE SUBJECT.—Each bill or joint resolution 
shall embrace no more than one subject. 
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(b) SUBJECT IN TITLE.—The subject of a bill or joint 
resolution shall be clearly and descriptively expressed in 
the title. 
(c) APPROPRIATION BILLS.—An appropriations bill 
shall not contain any general legislation or change of exist-
ing law provision, the subject of which is not germane to 
the subject matter of each such appropriations bill; pro-
vided, however, that this section shall not be construed 
to prohibit any provision imposing limitations upon the ex-
penditure of funds so appropriated. 
SEC. 3. ENFORCEMENT. 
(a) MULTIPLE SUBJECTS IN TITLE.—If the title of 
an Act or joint resolution addresses two or more unrelated 
subjects, then the entire Act or joint resolution is void. 
(b) PROVISIONS NOT EXPRESSED IN TITLE.—If the 
title of an Act or joint resolution addresses a single sub-
ject, but the Act contains one or more provisions con-
cerning a subject that is not clearly and descriptively ex-
pressed in its title, then only such provision or provisions 
concerning the subject not clearly and descriptively ex-
pressed in the title shall be void. 
(c) APPROPRIATION
PROVISIONS
OUTSIDE
SUB-
COMMITTEE
JURISDICTION.—If an Act appropriating 
funds contains a provision outside of the jurisdiction of 
the relevant subcommittee of the Committees on Appro-
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priations of the House and of the Senate, and therefore 
outside the subject of the bill, then such provision shall 
be void. 
(d) PROVISIONS
OF APPROPRIATION BILLS NOT 
GERMANE
TO SUBJECT MATTER.—If an Act appro-
priating funds contains general legislation or change of ex-
isting law provision not germane to the subject matter of 
such bill, then each and every such provision shall be void. 
(e) COMMENCEMENT OF AN ACTION.—Any person 
aggrieved by the enforcement of, or attempt or threat of 
enforcement of, an Act passed without having complied 
with section 2 or this section, or any Member of Congress 
aggrieved by the failure of the House of Congress which 
that individual is a member to comply with any require-
ment of those sections, shall, regardless of the amount in 
controversy, have a cause of action under sections 2201 
and 2202 of title 28, United States Code, against the 
United States to seek appropriate relief, including an in-
junction against the enforcement of any law, the passage 
of which did not conform to section 2 or this section. 
(f) STATE
OF REVIEW.—In any judicial action 
brought pursuant to subsection (e), the standard of review 
shall be de novo. 
Æ 
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