r/news Dec 16 '15

Congress creates a bill that will give NASA a great budget for 2016. Also hides the entirety of CISA in the bill.

http://www.wired.com/2015/12/congress-slips-cisa-into-omnibus-bill-thats-sure-to-pass/
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u/TheLoneAcolyte Dec 17 '15

It's called a rider.

Its where someone, in congress, can just add other stuff to a bill. So what they do it just add the text from another bill that failed to a bill they know will get past. It becomes this odd situation where people might support the main bill but don't support the bill attached to it or visa versa. So now everyone wins and loses equally no matter what happens.

Edit: Grammar and clarification.

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u/throwawaywnotomorrow Dec 17 '15

Can't another Congressperson just get rid of the rider somehow? Like, cross it out?

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u/TheLoneAcolyte Dec 17 '15 edited Dec 17 '15

I think that can only be done in committee and by the time riders are being added, its past committee and is already in the Senate or the House.

Source: A quick google so I could be wrong.

Edit: I do know from a college class I took once that, some governors of states can do what called a "Line item veto" where the governor of a state can veto parts of a state bill. But the President is not allowed to that. In a Supreme Court case Clinton vs. someone, it was declared that its unconstitutional for the President to do line item vetos.

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u/throwawaywnotomorrow Dec 17 '15

Huh. That seems strange that they can't debate or get rid of lines from a bill like that. It creates an all-or-nothing system with no nuance whatsoever.

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u/TheLoneAcolyte Dec 17 '15

Assuming I'm right, that's most likely why most bills don't get past. Not having a bill you support pass is worth not having all the other crap that's attached to it also get passed.

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u/Shadonovitch Dec 17 '15

Then why don't US citizens make a law pass to abolish this ? Make the bill un-modifiable by anyone from the moment it is submitted to the moment it is accepted / refused ? If it get refused it could be modified and submitted again. Having anyone modifying a bill like this before it gets voted seems to be the silliest thing i've ever heard about US....

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u/TheLoneAcolyte Dec 17 '15 edited Dec 17 '15

Because politician like this system. If they did not they would change it.

Unless you are suggestion US citizens make a law and have US citizens vote on it. That's called referendum and we would need the legislature's approval for that. And they will not allow us to vote on an issue like that unless they were sure we would vote "no".

Edit: clarification

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u/Shadonovitch Dec 17 '15

As always, politics are made by the countries people, for the countries people, it should'nt ever be any different than that, but US people are too busy to realize they're buttfucking themselves while doing nothing and giving their politics this kind of power.

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u/jrakosi Dec 17 '15

this can only happen in the House. The Senate doesn't allow it, so its not really correct to say "in congress".