Samuel C. Patterson

Glen S. Krutz

Omnibus legislating is the controversial practice of combining disparate measures in one massive bill. Omnibus packages are "must-pass" bills because they have a nucleus that enjoys widespread support but they also contain a variety of often unrelated measures that are simply "hitching a ride". Why are omnibus bills employed? Why the increase in their use? Why do leaders attach certain bills to omnibus packages and not others? Glen Krutz addresses these and other questions in this original and insightful study of an important change in the legislative process. Many view omnibus packages as political vehicles and therefore attribute their rise to politics, but Krutz finds that, whatever their political value, omnibus packages are institutionally efficient. Omnibus legislating improves congressional capability by providing a tool for circumventing the gridlock of committee turf wars and presidential veto threats. In addition to furnishing a fascinating look at law-making, Hitching a Ride: Omnibus Legislating in the U.S. Congress provides a challenge to recent studies of congressional change that focus on political factors. Political and institutional factors together, Krutz argues, explain congressional evolution.

Omnibus Legislating in the U.S. Congress

Hitching a Ride

Roger H. Davidson

Randall B. Ripley

Introduction to American Government

A More Perfect Union

Co-authored by three academic experts, this volume attempts to emphasize the policy consequences of U.S. Government structures and political processes. The nation's political culture, Congressional behavior, the role and structure of the communication media, and implementation of public policy are dealt with in detail. This edition contains new chapters on Federalism and economic policies while the initial chapter deals with the United States as "The First New Nation." A special feature is a full-color political atlas. ISBN 0-534-11078-9: $40.00.

Samuel C. Patterson

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