Read the Bills Act


The Read the Bills Act 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 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 numberDate introducedSponsor# of cosponsorsLatest status
112th CongressRead the Bills ActJune 28, 2012Rand Paul
0Died in committee
113th CongressRead the Bills ActMay 6, 2013Kerry Bentivolio
1Died in committee
113th CongressRead the Bills ActNovember 7, 2013Rand Paul
0Died in committee
114th CongressRead the Bills ActJune 15, 2015Rand Paul
0Died in committee
115th CongressRead the Bills ActDecember 5, 2018Rand Paul
0Died in committee
116th CongressRead the Bills ActJune 3, 2020Rand Paul
0Died in committee
117th CongressRead the Bills ActJanuary 28, 2021Rand Paul
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 with the primary aim to increase transparency in government. It was introduced in the U.S. House and Senate. The Senate version differs in a few ways, including a requirement to have the Congressional Budget Office provide an evaluation of the proposed legislation.