I 
110TH CONGRESS 
2D SESSION 
H. R. 5993 
To promote congressional and public awareness, understanding, and political 
accountability of presidential signing statements. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
MAY 8, 2008 
Mr. JONES of North Carolina introduced the following bill; which was referred 
to the Committee on the Judiciary 
A BILL 
To promote congressional and public awareness, under-
standing, and political accountability of presidential sign-
ing statements. 
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 ‘‘Presidential Signing 
Statements Act of 2008’’. 
SEC. 2. PURPOSE. 
The purpose of this Act is to promote congressional 
and public awareness, understanding, and political ac-
countability of Presidential signing statements. 
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SEC. 3. FINDINGS. 
Congress makes the following findings: 
(1) Signing statements that declare the Presi-
dent’s intent to disregard provisions of bills he has 
signed into law because he believes they may offend 
the Constitution raise serious constitutional con-
cerns. 
(2) The statements are in tension with the 
President’s constitutional obligation to take care 
that the laws be faithfully executed. 
(3) The statements are in tension with the 
President’s duty to defend and uphold the Constitu-
tion in determining whether a bill should be signed 
when the President believes it contains unconstitu-
tional provisions. 
(4) The statements are in tension with the deci-
sion of the United States Supreme Court holding the 
line-item veto unconstitutional in Clinton v. New 
York; the statements seem indistinguishable from an 
absolute line-item veto which Congress has no oppor-
tunity to override, and which skew the balance of 
power over legislation in favor of the President. 
(5) Seeking judicial review of the constitu-
tionality of signing statements is problematic be-
cause of the difficulty of discovering a plaintiff with 
‘‘standing’’ under Article III of the Constitution. 
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(6) Most Members of Congress and the public 
neither know nor understand the significance of 
presidential signing statements. 
(7) Fashioning an enlightened congressional 
and public response to presidential signing state-
ments would profit enormously by greater scrutiny. 
SEC. 4. TRANSMITTING AND PUBLISHING PRESIDENTIAL 
SIGNING STATEMENTS. 
The President shall transmit to the Speaker of the 
House of Representatives and the chairman of the Com-
mittee on the Judiciary of the House of Representatives 
and the majority leader of the Senate and the chairman 
of the Committee on the Judiciary of the Senate each sign-
ing statement that declares or insinuates the intention of 
the President to disregard provisions of any bill he has 
signed into law because he believes it is unconstitutional. 
The transmissions shall be made no later than three cal-
endar days after the issuance of the statements. The 
President shall also have such statements published in the 
Federal Register according to the same terms and condi-
tions as if they were substantive final rules issued by the 
Department of Justice. 
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SEC. 5. TESTIMONY BY THE ATTORNEY GENERAL, DEPUTY 
ATTORNEY 
GENERAL, 
OR 
WHITE 
HOUSE 
COUNSEL. 
The Attorney General, Deputy Attorney General, or 
White House Counsel shall testify before the Committees 
on the Judiciary of the House of Representatives or Sen-
ate at the behest of any single Member of either committee 
to explain the meaning and justification of every presi-
dential signing statement covered by this Act. Executive 
privilege shall not be recognized as a valid basis for refus-
ing to appear or refusing to answer a question pertinent 
to the legal reasoning behind a signing statement or its 
legal ramifications. 
SEC. 6. LIMITATION. 
No monies of the United States shall be authorized 
or expended to implement any law accompanied by a sign-
ing statement covered by this Act if either section 4 or 
section 5 have been violated in any respect. 
Æ 
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