Unorthodox Lawmaking: New Legislative Processes in the U.S. Congress

by Barbara Sinclair

Open a textbook on American politics and you're likely to find the process by which a bill becomes a law described much as it was in texts of decades ago. But, lawmaking has changed dramatically in recent years, and the traditional how-a-bill-becomes-a-law diagram describes few of the major measures considered in the contemporary Congress. Bills follow a number of routes through Congress -- they may be considered by several committees -- or none
-- omnibus measures may be shaped by special task forces, or in formal executive-congressional summits
-- floor consideration in the House may be governed by rules tailored to facilitate or slow a bill's progress
-- bills are regularly subject to non-germane amendments or are filibustered on the Senate floor. In a timely revision of her successful book, Unorthodox Lawmaking , noted political scientist Barbara Sinclair describes the contemporary legislative process as it really operates and treats this subject in a highly readable manner. Sinclair leads students step-by-step through the lawmaking process in each chamber, as she explores the range of special procedures and practices, the factors that have contributed to their emergence, and their consequences on both the lawmaking process and the legislation produced. Sinclair provides five case studies to illustrate how the legislative process varies from bill to bill, and to show how procedure and politics are interrelated. Following a non-technical description of the current budget process in Chapter 5, case studies in Chapters 10 and 11 trace the budget process from 1993 to 1999, including the balanced budget deal between the President and Congress in 1997 and subsequent budget politics. Three other case studies -- focusing on managed care regulation (new in this edition), national service legislation, and the Omnibus Drug Bill -- offer concrete and interesting examples of the variety in the present-day lawmaking process. Does the use of new procedures and practices enhance or inhibit the likelihood of a bill becoming law? What other effects does unorthodox lawmaking have on how Congress functions? The second edition of Unorthodox Lawmaking gives your students the tools to better assess the relative successes and limitations of the contemporary legislative process.

Genres: Politics, Nonfiction, History, Grad School, Read For School

261 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1997

Reviews

[lex⁷ · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5 stars — good insight into how morally fucked up government has gotten because of party polarisation and partisan divides, but i had to write an essay on it so :/

[Meggs · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sinclair’s text is a marvelous overview of contemporary congressional procedures and roadblocks. She expertly explains how we have moved from the Schoolhouse Rock version of how a bill becomes a law to the current tactics employed by our lawmakers to enact public policy. Her case studies in particular (PPACA, the 2013 government shutdown and Ryan/Murray deal, and the 2015 controversy over the USA PATRIOT Act and the Freedom Act) are well chosen, well researched, and highly illustrative of the lawmaking phenomena that she chooses to highlight.

I’d highly recommend this book to anyone who wants to better understand the consequences of hyper-partisanship in our current legislative landscape or the U.S. congress as a formal institution of governance.

[Lauren · Rating 3 out of 5]

Dry, dense, and repetitive, but also thorough and one of the most comprehensive looks at the way the legislative process works in reality that you will ever find. Sinclair takes enormous pains to remain completely objective in her handling of the material. Though largely it helps the book, I would have enjoyed some suggestions at the end about trade-offs we might want to consider, though maybe Sinclair felt that would run counter to her thesis.

[Steven Peterson · Rating 4 out of 5]

An important work. Over time, the Congress of the United States has developed new approaches to structuring the legislative process. There are many barriers to getting things done, and the American legislative process has adapted to this state of affairs to some extent. Sinclair's book provides a good take on the changing processes.

[James Wilcox]

One of the most important and informative book about the lawmaking process I have read. Sinclair provides a detailed explanation of the rules used in the House of Representatives and in the Senate to consider, debate, amend, and eventually pass legislation. The case study on the passage of the Affordable Care Act is fascinating.

[Jill · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you want to understand the nuts and bolts of what's really going on in the House and Senate, you must read this book. It was a huge eye opener to me to see how Congress functions and I appreciated the completely neutral lens Sinclair provides. Highly recommended for this genre.

[Shane Cormier · Rating 1 out of 5]

This kind of lawmaking is horrible. I disliked this book but found it important to read so I can understand more what these liberals are up to. Very educational and any anti liberal should read this to get to know their frenemies better

[Gwen · Rating 5 out of 5]

The best book to understand the processes of the modern Congress.