The Democrats and the decorum of Congress

Where the bills have no name

By: David Freddoso

The $26 billion state bailout that the House is expected to pass tomorrow has no bill title — and it must pass with no title if it is to become law, Jim Harper blogs at CATO.

H.R. 1586 has adopted the name, the “______Act of____,” apparently because of the haste with which the Senate wanted to pass the bill last week.

The Senate’s substitute amendment on this $26 billion spending bill had a placeholder bill name, and it could not take time to replace the placeholder…With the Senate out of town until September, there is no chance to pass a correcting amendment in both houses. The constitution requires both to pass identical bills, so the House must take up the “______Act of____” and pass it as such.