Single-subject rule

Single-subject rule

A single-subject rule is a general term for a section present in many state constitutions within the United States of America. It generally specifies that ballot initiatives and legislation can only deal with one main issue. Its purpose is to avoid complexity in laws, to avoid any hidden consequences that legislators or voters may miss when reading the proposed law. This in turn prevents politicians from sneaking unpopular legislation through, piggybacked on legislation which is more likely to pass.

For example, the constitution of Minnesota, Article IV, Section 17, requires that "No law shall embrace more than one subject, which shall be expressed in its title.". Conversely, neither the U.S. Congress nor the U.S. Constitution have such a rule, therefore riders which are completely unrelated to the main bill are commonplace. These amendments are often put into bills at the last minute, so that any representative which may already read the legislation before actually voting on it will not have a chance to catch it.

It has been charged that single-subject rules have been misused as a political or judicial measure to slow or nullify ballots or laws. An example of accusation of misuse of this law occurred in Colorado when a former governor made statement against a single-subject ruling. [http://www.denverpost.com/news/ci_3929774] The rule can also result in overly-narrow questions, that result in no substantial effects. [http://www.ncsl.org/programs/legman/elect/SgleSubRules.htm]

ignificant cases

*In July 2006, the Georgia Supreme Court ruled that a November 2004 amendment to the constitution of Georgia against same-sex marriage would be allowed to stand, despite also banning recognition of same-sex marriages done in other states, and banning civil unions. Additionally, voters in the referendum were only told of the same-sex marriage question, while the ballot failed to mention the other two issues, preventing voters from giving fully-informed consent. A judge had previously ruled that voters had the right to decide the issue of civil unions separately, thus putting the two issues as one violated Georgia's single-subject rule.


Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Нужна курсовая?

Look at other dictionaries:

  • Single subject design — or Single Case Research Design is a research design most often used in applied fields of psychology, education, and human behavior in which the subject serves as his/her own control, rather than utilizing another individual/group. Researchers… …   Wikipedia

  • Single-subject design — or single case research design is a research design most often used in applied fields of psychology, education, and human behavior in which the subject serves as his/her own control, rather than using another individual/group. Researchers use… …   Wikipedia

  • single — One only, being an individual unit; alone; one which is abstracted from others. State ex rel. Nelson v. Board of Com rs of Yellowstone County, 111 Mont. 395, 109 P.2d 1106, 1107. Unitary; detached; individual; affecting only one person;… …   Black's law dictionary

  • Rule of St. Benedict — • Lengthy article on the text of the Rule and its composition, some analysis, and practical application Catholic Encyclopedia. Kevin Knight. 2006. Rule of St. Benedict     Rule of St. Benedict …   Catholic encyclopedia

  • Rule by decree — is a style of governance allowing quick, unchallenged creation of law by a single person or group, and is used primarily by dictators and absolute monarchs, although philosophers such as Giorgio Agamben have argued that it has been generalized… …   Wikipedia

  • Single Convention on Narcotic Drugs — Infobox Treaty name = Single Convention on Narcotic Drugs long name = image width = 200px caption = Governments of opium producing Parties are required to purchase and take physical possession of such crops as soon as possible after harvest to… …   Wikipedia

  • Rule of Saint Benedict — The Rule of Saint Benedict ( Regula Benedicti ) is a book of precepts written by St. Benedict of Nursia for monks living in community under the authority of an abbot. Since about the 7th century it has also been adopted by communities of women.… …   Wikipedia

  • Single Integrated Operational Plan — The Single Integrated Operational Plan (SIOP) was the United States general plan for nuclear war from 1961 to 2003. The SIOP gave the President of the United States a range of targeting options, and described launch procedures and target sets… …   Wikipedia

  • rule — {{Roman}}I.{{/Roman}} noun 1 what you can or cannot do, say, etc. ADJECTIVE ▪ basic, cardinal, first, fundamental, golden ▪ ground rules ▪ …   Collocations dictionary

  • Single Audit — In the United States, the Single Audit, also known as the OMB A 133 audit, is a rigorous, organization wide audit or examination of an entity that expends $500,000 or more of Federal assistance (commonly known as Federal funds, Federal grants, or …   Wikipedia

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
… Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”