Good thought --- but we need to define the problem (Score 1)

I certainly agree that ordinary citizens should be able to understand the laws that the morons in Congress write, in the form that the laws will be applied (ie by the courts).

This "legal versus conceptual language" business is a problem which technology could certainly help solve. I think there have already been zillions spent on "legislation tracking systems" for congress ... probably by mainframe types.

Half the readers on this list munge (hyper)text for a living, and could probably improve the pror solutions a ton.

But before we decide what mechanism should be used, we need to understand what the problem is. I've appended a totally random sample of an enacted bill (ie, one that was signed by the Prez). This is what "legal language" actually looks like...

H.R.4685 One Hundred Seventh Congress of the United States of America AT THE SECOND SESSION Begun and held at the City of Washington on Wednesday, the twenty-third day of January, two thousand and two

An Act To amend title 31, United States Code, to expand the types of Federal agencies that are required to prepare audited financial statements.

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. This Act may be cited as the `Accountability of Tax Dollars Act of 2002'.

SEC. 2. AMENDMENTS RELATING TO AUDITING REQUIREMENT FOR FEDERAL AGENCY FINANCIAL STATEMENTS.

(a) IN GENERAL- Section 3515 of title 31, United States Code, is amended--

(1) in subsection (a)-- (A) by striking `Not later' and inserting `(1) Except as provided in subsection (e), not later'; (B) by striking `each executive agency identified in section 901(b) of this title' and inserting `each covered executive agency'; and (C) by striking `1997' and inserting `2003'; (2) in subsection (b) by striking `an executive agency' and inserting `a covered executive agency'; (3) in subsections (c) and (d) by striking `executive agencies' each place it appears and inserting `covered executive agencies'; and

(4) by adding at the end the following:

(e)(1) The Director of the Office of Management and Budget may exempt a covered executive agency, except an agency described in section 901(b), from the requirements of this section with respect to a fiscal year if--

(A) the total amount of budget authority available to the agency for the fiscal year does not exceed $25,000,000; and

etc

PS We should insist on a cap on the length (in characters) of the US Code. No new laws unless you rescind an old one.