Congressional Procedures and the Policy Process

As a governing body, Congress continually adapts to changes in process and practice. This procedural context governs every aspect of the House and Senate and affects lawmakers as they make voting decisions, expedite or delay legislation, or defeat a bill. Walter Oleszek's definitive work examines how the majority and minority parties use procedural devices to achieve their political goals and offers an assessment of the role of conference committees in reconciling bicameral differences. Not shying away from the complexity of the topic, Oleszek ensures that the machinations of Congress are understandable through an array of interesting examples, cases, and anecdotes that he is well-positioned to witness and experience first-hand.

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

About the Author :
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 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 longtime adjunct faculty member at American University, Oleszek is a frequent lecturer to various academic, governmental, and business groups. He is the author or co-author of several books, including Congressional Procedures and the Policy Process, 10th ed. (2016), and Congress under Fire: Reform Politics and the Republican Majority, with C. Lawrence Evans (1997).

Review :
"This text covers all the major aspects of lawmaking. Outside of the parliamentarian, I consider Walter Oleszek the source for how a bill becomes a law." -- Michael Crespin "In my view, Congressional Procedures and the Policy Process is unrivaled as the premier book on the legislative process in Congress. Oleszek adeptly covers all the key aspects of the nuts-and-bolts for each chamber, and very clearly details the budget process (which is no easy task). The strength of the book is in its detail from which the more engaged student benefits tremendously." -- Charles Finocchiaro "I encourage students who ever want to do an internship in Washington or Austin to keep the book as they will have a comparative advantage over other interns if they know the rules. The book covers the material in a systematic and comprehensive way-just right in my opinion. Oleszek does as good a job as possible to make congressional procedures interesting and relevant to undergraduates." -- Jason Casellas