Omnibus Bill, Essay Example

Omnibus Bill differs from the formative bill process, in which provides separate related bills into one package. These are essential in must-pass issues that include the federal budget. In order for the bill to pass is through the reconciliation, a rule that is applied by Congress, in which the floor must vote in both chambers of Congress. This rule is used to limit the debate, nixing Senate filibusters, and other issues. The popularity of omnibus bills is because members of Congress to bury pertinent issues that voters will not be able discover until the bill eventually passes. More critically is that fact that many members can make omnibus bills veto-proof by incorporating measures that the president might want to veto on its own, but by rolling into one bill, will be pressured into signing. The omnibus bills are heavily criticized as tactics that include unnecessary and wasteful spending that often pleases the constituents and lobbying groups. They are usually implemented when there has been limited time to review, and debate the measures in the final days in session. These is recently evident in the passage of the Omnibus Appropriations Act of 2009, which had over $8 billion in earmarks, but was signed by President Obama.  The bill included measured on the FDA, Rural Development, Agricultural, and related agencies where funds were limited and prohibited for important agencies.

While the omnibus bill has become a strategic bill that has been used time again to pass mostly budget bills, other countries have used omnibus bills. The Canadian government has utilized the omnibus bill, particularly in their passage of Criminal Law Amendment Act of 1968 that was 126 pages, and consisted of 120 clause amendments to the Criminal Code of Canada, that incorporated bills dealing with prostitution, gambling, homosexuality, abortion, drunk driving, and abortion. While some may feel the process of omnibus bills are undemocratic, there are constantly utilized by Congress, in order to bury controversial issues passed.