Congressional Procedures and the Policy Process

Walter J. Oleszek is a senior specialist in the legislative process at the CongressionalResearch Service. He has served as either a full-time professional staff aide or consultantto many major House and Senate congressional reorganization efforts beginningwith the passage of the Legislative Reorganization Act of 1970. In 1993, he served aspolicy director of the Joint Committee on the Organization of Congress. A formeradjunct faculty member at American University, Oleszek is a frequent lecturer to variousacademic, governmental, and business groups. He is the author or co-author of severalbooks, including Congressional Procedures and the Policy Process, 11th ed. (2020),and Congress Under Fire: Reform Politics and the Republican Majority, with C. LawrenceEvans (1997).

• PrefaceAbout the AuthorsChapter 1: Congress and LawmakingThe Constitutional ContextFunctions of Rules and ProceduresRules and Policymaking in CongressCongressional Decision MakingThe House and Senate ComparedPressures on MembersChapter 2: The Congressional Budget ProcessAuthorization–Appropriations ProcessEstablishing a Congressional Budget ProcessEvolution of Statutory Budget ProceduresCase Study: The Government Shutdown of 2013Chapter 3: Preliminary Legislative ActionCategories of LegislationBill Referral ProcedureConsideration in CommitteeThe Committee Chair’s RoleCommittee HearingsThe MarkupCommittee Markup ProceduresThe ReportBypassing CommitteesChapter 4: Scheduling Legislation in the HouseThe House Legislative CalendarsMinor and Noncontroversial MeasuresPrivileged LegislationMajor LegislationPromises of Openness by the Majority PartyLegislation Blocked in CommitteeFinal Scheduling StepsChapter 5: House Floor ProcedureDebateVotingConsideration of Major LegislationFinal Procedural StepsOpposition TacticsChapter 6: Scheduling Legislation in the SenateLegislative and Calendar DaysCalendars and Rule XIVMotion to Proceed to Consider a BillBills Taken Up by Unanimous ConsentBills Privileged for ConsiderationClearanceHoldsExecutive BusinessesMajor Scheduling ConsiderationsChapter 7: Senate Floor ProcedureDebate and the FilibusterClotureThe Amending ProcessPrinciple of Precedence and the Amendment TreesUnanimous Consent Agreements and the Amending ProcessStrategic Uses of AmendmentsQuorum and Voting ProceduresProcedural Change in the SenateChapter 8: Resolving House–Senate DifferencesProcedural Methods for Reaching AgreementAmendment Exchange Between the ChambersPreconference ConsiderationsConference Committee ProcessPresidential Approval or VetoCase Study: A Procedural Sketch: The Surface Transportation Conference, 2012Chapter 9: Legislative OversightOversight: An OverviewTechniques of OversightImpeachmentOversight Trends and IncentivesLack of Consensus on OversightChapter 10: A Dynamic ProcessObservations About LawmakingCentralization of Authority in the SpeakershipCongress and the Information AgeResurgence of Sharp PartisanshipGlossary of Selected Congressional TermsSelected BibliographySelected Internet SourcesIndex

"With no exaggeration, I love teaching this text. The main strength of the text is the framing of the work around the policy making process. Our Political Science program has a strong Public Administration tone, so this text explains how the nuts and bolts of policy are created and how the legislative branch truly affects the outcome. We are trying to prepare our students to work in government, so any textbook that explains the nitty-gritty of policy-making is a must teach."