Congressional Procedures and the Policy Process

by Oleszek W

The definitive work on how congressional rules, procedures, and traditions affect the course and content of legislation, this seventh edition reflects both thorough updating and further refinement. In the House and the Senate, and from committee room to the floor, the fundamentals of lawmaking are made clear in Walter Oleszek's straight talking, informative book on Congress. With dozens of lively illustrations, charts, and extracts from real documents, Oleszek spotlights both "regular order" and unconventional procedures while explaining the role of congressional leadership, the use of strategic tactics, and complicated parliamentary processes. Readers will appreciate Oleszek's insight on the ever-sophisticated use of procedures--such as "filling the tree"--to achieve party and policy objectives in a time of sharper partisanship. Updates

Genres: Nonfiction, Reference, Political Science, Politics

328 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1984

Reviews

[Austin Barselau · Rating 5 out of 5]

Congressional Procedures & the Policy Process is the definitive guidebook to the rules, procedures, precedents, and strategies that govern the institution vested with all legislative responsibility: the U.S. Congress. Co-authored by Walter Oleszek – a 55-year veteran of the Congressional Research Service (CRS), professor of government at American University, and author of numerous books on Congress – this book exhaustively dissects each stage of how Congress makes laws and its rules and procedures shape domestic and foreign policy. Topics include the budget process, interpretation and application of rules, committee roles, the scheduling of legislation, floor procedure, conference committee process, and political tactics, each chapter teeming with both examples and case stories of how such procedures were effectuated, as well as testimony from seasoned legislators and policy experts who played a role in the sausage-making. This is the singular resource to help decode and clarify the fluid, byzantine, and unpredictable dynamics that shape the Congress.

[Andrew Mullins · Rating 5 out of 5]

MUST READ for any politicos out there. No better description of the intricacies of the process that makes American government work.

[Simon · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was a book I supposed read from BYU many years ago. Very technical and interesting. It would be fun to work there.

[Frank Stein · Rating 4 out of 5]

The amazing thing is that after reading this 300-plus page, intensely detailed tome on congressional rules and precedents, I still don't think I really understand how Congress works, and yet I don't blame the author. Walter Oleszek simply shows that congressional rules are fiendishly complex, and are honored as much in the breach as in the observance. The Senate's rules take up over 1000 pages, and its precedents another thick volume. The House of Representative's rules take up over 1300 pages, and its precedents another 27 volumes. The difference between the two Houses may be surprising after all the journalistic talk of byzantine Senatorial rules, but one of the things you learn here is that its actually the House which has more of them. It's the Senate's relative lack of rules that partially makes it so difficult to manage. It's one of the many little insights I took away from the book.

In any case both Houses now are so mired in monitoring and funding an ever-expanded government that much of what they do is find ways to get around the formal rules contained in all those books. These days most difficult House legislation is passed by using a "special rule" from the Rule Committee, that sets the terms and the time of debate, or under a "suspension of the rules" motion, which requires a two-thirds vote. The Senate, shocking when considering its supposed partisan nature, operates almost completely under "unanimous consent," which is the only real way to suspend the rules there. This requires constant background negotiating, but somehow time and again 100 Senators agree not to object and allow restricted forms and times of debate to facilitate legislation. It's amazing they get anything done.

This book also draws attention to the importance of scheduling legislation in Congress, and devotes 2 whole chapters to it. As it quotes Tip O'Neil, "The power of the Speaker is the power of scheduling." In fact, both the Speaker in the House and the Majority Leader in the Senate enforce their will largely by scheduling votes and debates, say, near breaks or in large "clusters" or after vacations. In the smaller and more manageable Senate its not uncommon for a vital bill to be rescheduled for someone's son's baseball game. Sometimes it seems like the Majority Leader, one of the most powerful people in the country, functions as little more than an office manager.

There's also much more arcana in here: on quorum calls, Calendar Wednesdays, motions to recommit, live versus dead pairing, amendment trees etc, so that even though I don't think I understand all of Congresses procedures after finishing the book, I finally think I'll be able to follow their battles a little better.

[Jacob Barrett · Rating 3 out of 5]

Congressional Procedures and the Policy Process is a well arranged step by step look at the procedures of both houses of Congress. I used this book in my college study on the American Congress and found it to be useful and enlightening even on a subject that is not always exciting.

The policy processes in the Congress are extremely nuanced and complex taking even members years to understand and master. Walter Oleszek is a student of the American system and has brought us all the chance to get a structural view of the Congressional workings. Definitely not for everyone, but a must have for any true student of the America political system.

[Angie · Rating 2 out of 5]

A dry, slow read. I didn't make it all the way through. Learned about the legislative process, but couldn't bring myself to keep up with it for class. There must be easier ways to learn the nitty gritty of Congress.

[KC · Rating 3 out of 5]

Considering how impossible politics can be, the book does a great job walking through policy and procedure.

[John · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good basics.