The Read the Bills Act (RTBA) is proposed legislation intended to require the United States Congress to read the legislation that it passes. It was originally written in 2006 by Downsize DC, a non-profit organization focused on decreasing the size of the federal government. The proposed act is a response to the passing of bills that are thousands of pages long and are passed without copies being made available to the members of Congress who vote on the bill. The bill is aimed at limiting the size and growth of the federal government.

Senator Rand Paul (R-KY) stated his support for it in November 2010. Paul went on to sponsor and propose the bill in the 112th congress as S.3360 on June 28, 2012.

CongressShort titleBill number(s)Date introducedSponsor(s)# of cosponsorsLatest status112th CongressRead the Bills ActJune 28, 2012Rand Paul (R-KY)0Died in committee113th CongressMay 6, 2013Kerry Bentivolio (R-MI)1Died in committeeNovember 7, 2013Rand Paul (R-KY)0Died in committee114th CongressJune 15, 2015Rand Paul (R-KY)0Died in committee115th CongressDecember 5, 2018Rand Paul (R-KY)0Died in committee116th CongressJune 3, 2020Rand Paul (R-KY)0Died in committee117th CongressJanuary 28, 2021Rand Paul (R-KY)0Died in committee118th CongressFebruary 9, 2023Rand Paul (R-KY)0Died in committee119th CongressJanuary 9, 2025Rand Paul (R-KY)0Referred to committee

Similarly, a separate bill nicknamed the "Read the Bill Act" would require bills to be posted publicly 72 hours prior to consideration in Congress. Unlike the Downsize DC proposal, this bill is supported by ReadTheBill.org (part of the Sunlight Foundation) with the primary aim to increase transparency in government. It was introduced in the U.S. House (by Brian Baird in 2006 , 2007 , and 2009 ) and Senate (by Jim Bunning in 2009 , and by John Ensign in 2011 ). The Senate version differs in a few ways, including a requirement to have the Congressional Budget Office provide an evaluation of the proposed legislation.

See also Downsize DC Foundation

References

External links Downsize DC's page on the act