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 include:
- changes in congressional budgeting, such as the return of fiscal deficits, the clash between discretionary spending and entitlements, and the drive to curb the explosion in earmarks
- the “nuclear option” controversy over filibusters
- the wider use of technology in the lawmaking process
Table of Contents
1. Congress and Lawmaking
2. The Congressional Budget Process
3. Preliminary Legislative Action
4. Scheduling Legislation in the House
5. House Floor Procedure
6. Scheduling Legislation in the Senate
7. Senate Floor Procedure
8. Resolving House-Senate Differences
9. Legislative Oversight
10. A Dynamic Process
Glossary of Congressional Terms
Selected Bibliography
Selected Internet Sources
Index
Testimonials
“When I give lectures about Congress and am asked what further reading I would recommend to those interested in learning more about how the institution works, Walter Oleszek’s book is always my first pick. The book simplifies an otherwise arcane world in terms the lay citizen can understand and does so with up-to-date examples.”
- Donald R. Wolfensberger, Director, The Congress Project at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars“In my seminar on Congress, which blends theoretical perspectives and descriptive studies, Congressional Procedures and the Policy Process is always there as the essential foundation for understanding the all-important details of congressional process. I have had several students, who after moving on to internships or work in legislatures, including Congress, tell me that their familiarity with the book has been important for getting and doing their jobs.”
- Daniel Wirls, University of California, Santa Cruz
Bio(s)
Walter J. Oleszek, Congressional Research Service
Walter J. Oleszek is a senior specialist in the legislative process at the Congressional Research Service. He has served as either a full-time professional staff aide or consultant to every major House and Senate congressional reorganization effort beginning with the passage of the Legislative Reorganization Act of 1970. In 1993, he served as Policy Director of the Joint Committee on the Organization of Congress. A long-time adjunct faculty member at The American University, Oleszek is a frequent lecturer before various academic, governmental and business groups. He is the author or co-author of several books, including Congress and Its Members, 10th ed. (2006),with Roger H. Davidson, and Congress Under Fire: Reform Politics and the Republican Majority (1997), with C. Lawrence Evans.
