S.1664 - One Subject at a Time Act (U.S. bill)

This bill enables retroactivity, and the impacts should be carefully considered.

Superficially, I support this retroactivity, which allows for citizens, including legislators, to "seek appropriate relief, including an injunction against the enforcement of any law the passage of which did not conform to this Act"

This is a fair approach to bring corrective action, but opens the door to a deluge of legislative action. Such deluge, though just, could overburden the mechanics of the system. A limitation maybe appropriate, but should conceivably extend at to the year 2000, to include abridgments of civil liberties beginning around 2001, which are presumably an important context to the inception of this bill.

I think that is a wonderful idea

• it would make the laws easier to follow
  
• it would make it easier to understand
  
• and prevent violations because of the break up of the laws in several different places

I support this bill wholeheartedly.

I'm not sure if there's evil stuff for Americans couched somewhere inside, but on it's apparent merits, I'm a big fan!

On the surface, this seems like it would fix a lot of things. But, what is one subject? How does the budget get done? Is the budget a combination of 500 bills now, or is the budget one subject? If the budget is one subject, what defines a budget item? (Everything has spending attached to it). What about the Farm bill - does E15 gas production qualify as a farm item because it uses corn in the production?

A better way might be to give the president line item veto power. This would allow the bulk of the bill to be passed and send the vetoed parts back to Congress for more work. It would also eliminate the ability for congress to hold up major legislation by putting an objectionable item in a larger bill. Line item veto is common for State Governors and works pretty well. We have a viable pattern to follow with long years of practical use.

I do agree that unrelated items should be kept out of major bills. A bill on hospital reform shouldn't have a line item for military appropriations in it for example. This too can be kept in check by a line item veto.