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In late 1991, several key members of Congress spearheading a reform effort asked Thomas Mann and Norman Ornstein, two of the nation's most noted experts on Congress and the governing process, to provide an independent assessment of Congress and to offer recommendations for improving its ...

In late 1991, several key members of Congress spearheading a reform effort asked Thomas Mann and Norman Ornstein, two of the nation's most noted experts on Congress and the governing process, to provide an independent assessment of Congress and to offer recommendations for improving its effectiveness. Their first report, published last November, offered a broad look at the reform agenda in the House of Representatives. This report is a revision and expansion of testimony to the Joint Committee on the Organization of Congress. It addresses the full agenda of the Joint Committee, including subcommittees, floor deliberations, and staffing in both the House and the Senate as well as relations between Congress and the executive, the courts, and the public. Some of the issues discussed in this report are being considered by other entities in Congress and may well be resolved before the Joint Committee presents its recommendations to the two chambers. It is also the belief that the Joint Committee is the best vehicle for considering the range of problems with congressional organization and procedure, and this report speaks directly to its broad mandate. This book is the second in a series by The Renewing Congress Project, a joint effort of the American Enterprise Institute and the Brookings Institution.

For most bills in American legislatures, the issue of turf—or which committee has jurisdiction over a bill—can make all the difference. Turf governs the flow and fate of all legislation. In this innovative study, David C. King explains how jurisdictional areas for committees are created ...

For most bills in American legislatures, the issue of turf—or which committee has jurisdiction over a bill—can make all the difference. Turf governs the flow and fate of all legislation. In this innovative study, David C. King explains how jurisdictional areas for committees are created and changed in Congress. Political scientists have long maintained that jurisdictions are relatively static, changing only at times of dramatic reforms. Not so, says King. Combining quantitative evidence with interviews and case studies, he shows how on-going turf wars make jurisdictions fluid. According to King, jurisdictional change stems both from legislators seeking electoral advantage and from nonpartisan House parliamentarians referring ambiguous bills to committees with the expertise to handle the issues. King brilliantly dissects the politics of turf grabbing and at the same time shows how parliamentarians have become institutional guardians of the legislative process. Original and insightful, Turf Wars will be valuable to those interested in congressional studies and American politics more generally.