Bill Heniff Jr

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, 9th ed. (2014), and Congress under Fire: Reform Politics and the Republican Majority, with C. Lawrence Evans (1997).

This book reveals 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 and new co-authors Mark Oleszek, Elizabeth Rybicki, and William Heniff ensure that the machinations of Congress are understandable through an array of interesting examples, topical cases, and anecdotes that they are well-positioned to witness and experience first-hand.