A bill to preserve the constitutional authority of Congress and ensure accountability and transparency in legislation.

TO SPECIFY ITS CONSTITUTIONAL 
              AUTHORITY, CURRENT LAW.

    Chapter 2 of title 1, United States Code, is amended by inserting 
after section 105 the following:
``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 not in 
        compliance with subsection (a)(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 those bills or resolutions 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 not 
        complying with subsection (A)(i) 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, or by unanimous consent, or 
by any other order, resolution, vote, or other means, may dispense 
with, or otherwise waive or modify, the requirements set forth in this 
section.
``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, designed to amend or modify the 
        effect of, or which 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 Act of Congress being amended, verbatim;
                    ``(B) the amendments being proposed by the bill; 
                and
                    ``(C) the current 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 which would strike the text of an entire 
                section of an Act of Congress.
            ``(2) Failure to comply.--Any bill or resolution not 
        complying with this subsection 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 all bills or resolutions presented for 
        consideration on the floor of either House of Congress, 
        including those 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 not 
        complying with this subsection 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, or by unanimous consent, or 
by any other order, resolution, vote, or other means, may dispense 
with, or otherwise waive or modify, the requirements set forth in this 
section.
``Sec. 105c. Procedures prior to vote on bill or resolution
    ``(a) In General.--A vote on final passage of a bill (except for 
private bills) or resolution may not occur in either House of Congress, 
unless--
            ``(1) the full text of the bill or resolution is published 
        at least 7 days before the vote on an official Internet website 
        of each House of Congress, easily available to and readily 
        usable by the public, using an open format that is platform 
        independent, machine readable, and available without 
        restrictions respecting searching, retrieval, downloading, and 
        indexing, separate and apart from the calendar of the Senate or 
        the House of Representatives;
            ``(2) public notice of the specific calendar week during 
        which the vote is scheduled to take place is posted on the 
        official Internet website described in paragraph (1) not less 
        than 6 days before the Monday of the calendar week during which 
        the vote is scheduled to take place, with failure to take the 
        vote during the noticed week requiring a new notice; and
            ``(3) reading of its full text verbatim by the Clerk of the 
        House of Representatives or Secretary of the Senate to the 
        respective body of each House called to order and physically 
        assembled with a constitutionally required quorum to do 
        business being present throughout the time of the full textual 
        reading of said bill, except that if a bill or resolution is 
        enrolled by either House of Congress, for any subsequent 
        consideration of the enrolled bill or resolution--
                    ``(A) the full text need not be reread before the 
                House of Congress which passed the bill; and
                    ``(B) the full text verbatim of any amendment to 
                the text of the enrolled bill or resolution shall be 
                read.
    ``(b) Affidavit.--
            ``(1) In general.--Before voting in favor of final passage 
        of any bill (except a private bill) or resolution, a Member of 
        the Senate and a Member of the House of Representatives shall 
        sign an affidavit executed under penalty of perjury as provided 
        in section 1621 of title 18, United States Code, that the 
        Member either--
                    ``(A) was present throughout the entire reading of 
                each such bill or resolution, and listened attentively 
                to such reading in its entirety;
                    ``(B) prior to voting for passage of such bill, 
                read attentively each such bill in its entirety; or
                    ``(C) some combination of clause (i) or (ii).
            ``(2) Vote against passage.--A Member of the Senate or a 
        Member of the House of Representatives shall not be required to 
        sign an affidavit described in paragraph if the Member votes 
        against the passage of a bill or resolution.
            ``(3) Records.--Copies of each affidavit described in 
        paragraph (1) signed by a Member of the Senate and a Member of 
        the House of Representatives shall be maintained by the 
        Secretary of the Senate and the Clerk of the House of 
        Representatives, respectively.
    ``(c) Journal.--With respect to each vote on final passage of a 
bill (except for a private bill) or resolution, each House of Congress 
shall cause to be recorded in the journal of its proceedings that the 
publishing, notice, reading, and affidavit requirements under this 
section have been met.
    ``(d) No Waiver or Modification.--Neither House of Congress, nor 
Congress jointly, by concurrent resolution, or by unanimous consent, or 
by any other order, resolution, vote, or other means, may dispense 
with, or otherwise waive or modify, the requirements set forth in this 
section.
``Sec. 105d. Enforcement clause
    ``(a) In General.--An Act of Congress that does not comply with 
sections 105a, 105b, and 105c shall have no force or effect and no 
legal, equitable, regulatory, civil, or criminal action may be brought 
under such an Act of Congress.
    ``(b) Cause of Action.--Without regard to the amount in 
controversy, a cause of action under sections 2201 and 2202 of title 
28, United States Code, against the United States seeking appropriate 
relief (including an injunction against enforcement of any law, the 
passage of which did not conform to the requirements of sections 105a, 
105b, and 105c) may be brought by--
            ``(1) any person aggrieved by any action of any officer or 
        employee in the executive branch of the Federal Government 
        under any Act of Congress that does not comply with sections 
        105a, 105b, and 105c;
            ``(2) any Member of Congress aggrieved by the failure of 
        the House of Congress of which the Member is a Member to comply 
        with sections 105a, 105b, and 105c; and
            ``(3) any person individually aggrieved by the failure of 
        the Senator of the State in which the aggrieved person resides 
        or Member of the House of Representatives for the District in 
        which the aggrieved person resides to fulfill the obligations 
        of the Senator or Member of the House of Representatives under 
        sections 105a, 105b, and 105c.''.

SEC. 5. SEVERABILITY CLAUSE.

    If any provision of this Act or an amendment made by this Act, or 
the application of a provision or amendment to any person or 
circumstance, is held to be invalid for any reason in any court of 
competent jurisdiction, the remainder of this Act and amendments made 
by this Act, and the application of the provisions and amendment to any 
other person or circumstance, shall not be affected.

Summary: Read the Bills Act - Requires any bill or resolution introduced in either chamber of Congress to contain a provision citing the specific powers granted to Congress in the Constitution to enact the proposed measure, including all of its provisions.

Requires any measure introduced in either chamber, designed to amend or modify the effect of, or which would have such an effect, any current provision of law, including its expiration date, to set forth: (1) the current version of the entire section of the Act of Congress being amended, verbatim; (2) the amendments being proposed by the bill; and (3) the current section of law as it would read as modified by such amendments. Excludes measures which would strike the text of an entire section of an Act of Congress.

Prohibits the Clerk of the House of Representatives or the Secretary of the Senate from accepting legislation if it is noncompliant with these requirements.

Applies such requirements to any legislation presented for consideration on the floor of either chamber.

Prohibits any noncompliant measure from being submitted for a vote on final passage.

Prohibits either chamber of Congress jointly from waiving or modifying these requirements.

Bars a vote on final passage of a measure (except private bills) from occurring in either chamber, unless: (1) the full text of the measure is published at least seven days before the vote on an official website of each chamber, (2) public notice of the specific calendar week during which the vote is scheduled to take place is posted on the respective website within six days before the Monday of such week, and (3) there is a reading of its full text verbatim by the Clerk or the Secretary to the respective chamber.

Requires a Member of Congress, before voting in favor of final passage of any measure (except a private bill) to sign an affidavit, executed under penalty of perjury, that the Member either: (1) was present throughout the entire reading of each such measure, and listened attentively to such reading in its entirety; (2) before such vote, read attentively each such bill in its entirety; or (3) did a combination of both.

Prohibits either chamber or Congress jointly from waiving or modifying this requirement.

Declares that an Act of Congress noncompliant with this Act shall have no force or effect. Bars any legal, equitable, regulatory, civil, or criminal action from being brought under such Act.

Grants the following aggrieved individuals the right to bring an action against the United States to seek appropriate relief, including an injunction against the enforcement of any law, the passage of which did not conform to this Act: (1) persons aggrieved by an action of any executive officer or employee, (2) Members of Congress, and (3) persons individually aggrieved by the failure of his or her Senator or Member of the House of Representatives to fulfill their obligation under this Act.