This Clause Because, Part 1
For this and my next few posts I will discuss the purposes and reasons behind each clause of the proposed Amendment. While I am writing this up at the federal level, I would also like to see this enacted by each state as well.
1. Congress shall pass no law which exceeds in length two 8.5” x 11” pages of Courier 10-point font.
The purpose of this clause is to prevent the bundling of multiple issues into one law. It particularly goes after pork being tacked on to bills that perform otherwise necessary functions. By limiting the length, we force the bill to one thing only, and make it live or die on that one thing.
It also should force bills to be written in plain English. If “ignorance of the law is no excuse”, then there is no excuse for having laws that require post-graduate degrees and professional certification to understand.
This also takes care of the debate about the pros and cons of a line item veto power for the executive branch – Congress gets it laws signed either intact or not at all, and the President doesn’t have to sign or veto something he approves of only part of.
