Exceptions to the Rule

Molly E. Reynolds is a fellow in Governance Studies at the Brookings Institution, where she studies Congress, with an emphasis on the policy consequences of congressional rules and procedures.

• Contents:IntroductionLimiting the Unlimited: Debate in the U.S. SenateObscuring the Causal Chain: Majoritarian Exceptions as a Blame Avoidance ToolEmploying the Exceptions: The Case of Budget ReconciliationThe Policy Consequences of Procedural Choice: Programmatic Change Using Budget ReconciliationFacilitating Gain and Blocking Pain: Creating Executive Branch Oversight ExceptionsConclusionAppendix TablesNotesWorks CitedAcknowledgmentsIndex

Exceptions to the Rule should be required reading for anyone concerned about the state of the Senate today. Reynolds' in-depth analysis of majoritarian exceptions offers valuable insight into a subset of parliamentary procedures that will be sure to dominate Senate decision-making for years to come."- James Wallner, LegBranch.org;"Reynolds' book is a must-read for any student of Congress and is an indispensable resource for understanding the reconciliation process and its role in the contemporary Senate. The book is eminently readable and should be included on syllabi for graduate-level courses and undergraduate senior seminars on Congress. Majoritarian exceptions are enormously important to understanding the dynamics of major policy change at the federal level today, and Reynolds has given us an exceptional piece of scholarship on the topic."- Gregory Wowro, Congress & the Presidency;"Focusing on the budget reconciliation process, Reynolds brings to light the ways by which majorities can enact legislation, ratify agreements, and alter executive regulations. Recommended for legislative scholars and those wishing to gain a better understanding of how laws are made in the US Congress. Recommended."- CHOICE;"This is an extraordinarily well-written and exceptionally thorough book that promises to shift our understanding of Senate legislating in important ways. Some treatments of congressional procedure can be dry and cumbersome, but not this one! This book offers important contributions to the study of the Senate, by pushing the scholarly literature to more seriously consider the mechanisms that reduce the thresholds for successful legislating. . . . Exceptions to the Rule is a must-read for any student or interested observer of congressional politics."- Ryan J. Vander Wielen, American Review of Politics