An Introduction to the Comparative and Multidisciplinary Study of Omnibus Legislation

Omnibus legislation is the legislative practice of packaging together numerous unrelated measures in one long bill, which is often passed via an expedited process. In many jurisdictions around the world, this practice has become one of the major developments in the legislative process, a powerful policy tool, and a governance device with important implications for democratic governance. Omnibus legislation is known by many names (e.g., “Christmas tree bills”; “portmanteau bills”; “mosaic laws”; “arrangements laws”), and there is no one agreed-upon definition or conceptualization of this legislative practice. It is also one of the most controversial and hotly contested legislative practices. This chapter introduces the book and its rich array of contributions. The chapter presents and analyzes these contributions around four main themes: (1) conceptualizing and defining omnibus legislation; (2) multiple perspectives on omnibus legislation, including extent of its use, reasons for its use, and governance implications of its use, in various countries; (3) cross-national experiences with various means to regulate the use omnibus legislation; (4) normative evaluation of omnibus legislation.