Special+Types+of+Bills

Special Types of Bills

By: Rebecca Chen, Nathalya Diosa & Lauren Fountain.

An omnibus bill is a special bill that usually has a main subject, but may address several other subjects. For example, a budget bill can change or create laws and while the main subject is budget, the other subjects can be "pork", which is funding for government programs that benefit a certain region, or state, but the costs are spread among all taxpayers. It is easier to pass a bill like this than to pass an individual bill for every department, and it also saves time. However, a big problem with an Omnibus bill is that there is so much that can be buried, and some of it doesn’t g et noticed until the bill has already been passed. Therefore, extra laws get added on in order to guarantee the pass of this bill. In late 2008, there was a bailout bill in which an insurance law was added to it. The new law required that mental health insurance be given equally. Although this law had much support it was strange that it was added onto the bailout bill. Other laws were also added to this bill ultimately making it an omnibus bill.
 * Omnibus Bill:**

A special type of legislation that authorizes and provides the money required for the budget of the United States. The funding is provided through thirteen separate appropriation bills and must be passed every year before the start of fiscal year, to avoid the closing or shut-downs of the activities of the federal government. This bill process usually proceeds after the President forwards his proposed budget to Congress. Congress then pass on their proposed budget, which may or may not represent the President's planned budget. Different subcommittees, in both the House of Representatives and the Senate, proceed to write an appropriations bill for their specific jurisdiction. After each subcommittee has finished writing its special appropriations bill, the bill is sent to a conference of the House and Senate members. The purpose of the conference committee is to work out the differences between the bills in order to make one version of each bill that will be passed by both the Senate and the House. If the bill is passed in both houses, it is sent to the President for his approval and signature. Once the bill is signed, the bill becomes effective on October 1st, which is the beginning of fiscal year.
 * Appropriation Bill:**

A Christmas Tree Bill is usually passed late in the legislative process and consists of funding for particular projects. This bill earned the name, "Christmas Tree", because the bill contains "ornaments" that are to attract voters, that may provide special benefits to different interest groups and/or campaign contributors. It traditionally begins as a smaller bill that is passed by the House. This type of bill contains riders, which get added on and are a times unrelated to the bill. A rider is an attachment, schedule, amendment, or other writing that is added to a document in order to modify it. When adding a rider the changes are small, yet their main purpose is to avoid rewriting or redrafting of the entire bill. They are typically added in the late stage of passing. With more and more riders being added on the christmas tree bill ends up growing more and more. With all these extra additions the bill then becomes more popular, and they also have a greater chance of passing.
 * Christmas Tree Bill:**




 * Reconciliation Bill: **

Another special type of bill is the reconciliation bill. This bill is passed in the Senate or House by a specific legislative process se t forth in the Congressional Budget Act of 1974. The purpose of this act is to bypass the unlimited debate and amendment that is ordinarily done for a bill. Unlike a regular bill, a reconciliation bill only needs 51 senators to vote yes in order for this bill to pass. By doing this, it prevents filibusters, hours of debating, and there are a limit for amendments. The original intent of this bill was to combine the output of several committees into one bill to ensure that the bill gets passed. The senate budget committee checks the calculations of the bill, but it doesn't have the right to change the bill as long as it followed the instructions of this type of bill.


 * Definitions: **


 * Review Questions: **

1. What is a big problem with an omnibus bill?

2. What are riders, and what are they used for?

3. What is the purpose of a conference committee?

4. What is an approbation bill?

5. How many senators does it take for a reconciliation bill to pass? a. 23 b. 50 c. 51 d. 15


 * Other Articles-**


 * Works Cited **

Anacan, R., and Bronwyn Harris. "What Is an Appropriations Bill?" WiseGeek. Conjecture, n.d. Web. 10 Mar. 2013.

"Christmas Tree Bill." Definition of. Christmas Tree Bill, n.d. Web. 10 Mar. 2013.

Ellis-Christensen, Tricia, and O. Wallace. "What Is an Omnibus Bill?" WiseGeek. Conjecture, n.d. Web. 10 Mar. 2013.

Henthorn, Toni, and W. Everett. "What Is a Reconciliation Bill?" //WiseGeek//. Conjecture, n.d. Web. 10 Mar. 2013.

"U.S. Senate: Reference Home Glossary." //U.S. Senate: Reference Home Glossary//. N.p., n.d. Web. 10 Mar. 2013.