Legislative rider definition
A rider is an additional provision added to a bill, often unrelated to its main purpose, and considered as part of the full legislation.
A rider is a legislative provision added to a bill or resolution that is often not directly related to the legislation’s main purpose. Riders are frequently attached to larger or must-pass bills to increase the likelihood that the provision will become law.
Riders are commonly used to change policy, funding, or regulatory issues that might not pass if considered as standalone legislation. Because they are included in broader legislation, riders are typically debated and voted on as part of the full bill.
What are some examples of a rider?
Riders frequently appear in appropriations bills, which fund federal government operations. Lawmakers sometimes add provisions that limit how federal funds may be used or require agencies to take or avoid certain actions.
Congress has periodically included riders in appropriations legislation that restrict the use of federal funds for specific activities.
These riders become legally binding when the larger appropriations bill is enacted into law, even though the rider may address a different policy issue than government funding.
What's the difference between a rider and an omnibus bill?
Although riders and omnibus bills are both legislative tools that combine multiple issues into a single measure, they serve different purposes.
Rider
A rider is a single provision attached to a larger bill. Riders often address a policy issue that is separate from or only loosely related to the main subject of the bill. Riders are frequently used to influence policy by attaching provisions to must-pass legislation, such as funding bills.
Omnibus bill
An omnibus bill is a single piece of legislation that combines multiple measures or subjects into one large bill. Omnibus bills are often used to package numerous appropriations measures or policy provisions together to streamline the legislative process.
Unlike a rider, which is typically an add-on provision, an omnibus bill is intentionally structured from the beginning to include multiple topics or legislative initiatives.
