THIS WOULD REMOVE MANY OPPORTUNITIES FOR MISCHIEF: Rep. Mia Love wants to limit congressional bills to one subject at a time.

Rep. Mia Love wants to crack down on Congress dumping controversial legislation into unrelated, must-pass bills in the middle of the night.

The Utah Republican has introduced a measure to limit bills in Congress to one subject at a time. It would prevent lawmakers from bundling things together or folding legislation into large appropriations bills. Each bill would rise and fall on its own merits.

“Members of both parties have made a habit of passing complex, thousand-page bills without hearings, amendments or debate,” Love said. “That process and the collusion that goes with it are why we are $18 trillion in debt and why the American people have lost trust in elected officials.”

Love’s proposal takes a page out of the Utah Constitution, which requires the Legislature pass bills containing only one subject and that is clearly expressed in the title.

The Tennessee Constitution does this too, and Tennessee courts will strike down an otherwise-constitutional bill if it violates the rule. Brannon Denning and Brooks Smith have proposed a federal Truth In Legislation Amendment along similar lines.