Inside a division, this Act means that division alone
Making consolidated appropriations for the fiscal year ending September 30, 2026, and for other purposes, section 3, Sec. 3.
Written by .
Inside a division, this Act means that division alone
The document says “shall”Who acts: CongressHow: statuteSec. 3 in the PDF
What the document says
“Except as expressly provided otherwise, any reference to ``this Act'' contained in any division of this Act shall be treated as referring only to the provisions of that division.”
The whole of section 3. Each of the Act's three divisions was written as a standalone appropriations act, and each uses the phrase this Act throughout. This section provides that inside a division the phrase reaches only that division, unless the text expressly says otherwise.
What the document actually says
“Except as expressly provided otherwise, any reference to ``this Act'' contained in any division of this Act shall be treated as referring only to the provisions of that division.”
That sentence, in plain words
Each big part of this law uses the words this Act. Those words mean just that part. They do not mean the whole law.
What this is about
The law joins three spending bills into one. Each was written on its own. This rule keeps a rule in one part from binding the other two.
No action is recorded against this proposal. That is not evidence that none has been taken, and nobody has yet read it against the record. See what the tracker does not yet cover.
Commerce, Justice, Science; Energy and Water Development; and Interior and Environment Appropriations Act, 2026, Public Law 119-74, sec. 3, 140 Stat. 5 (2026). https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/PLAW-119publ74/html/PLAW-119publ74.htm
This page
“Inside a division, this Act means that division alone,” Commerce, Justice, Science; Energy and Water Development; and Interior and Environment Appropriations Act, 2026, section 3, Sec. 3. Read the Mandate, https://readthemandate.org/commerce-justice-science-energy-water-development/proposal/sec03-this-act-means-the-division/ (retrieved October 10, 2026).
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