Conflict and Compromise: How Congress Makes the Law

In Conflict and Compromise Ronald D. Elving follows the odyssey of one important piece of legislation in a behind-the-scenes look at how Congress works, from the drafting of a bill to the wooing of sponsors, from the politics of a presidential veto to the parliamentary maneuvering that can mean legislative life or death. The Family and Medical Leave Act originated in the mid-1980s, when California legislators tried to protect women's right to return to their jobs following maternity-related leaves. But even before the formal legislation was introduced, it was expanded beyond birth-related conditions. And over time it would be broadened further to bring aboard the varied constituencies needed for passage. Elving explains how the prospect of major new social legislation brought out powerful lobbyists on both sides of the bill, and how they in turn orchestrated popular support to influence key legislators. By its nature, the bill cut across party lines, attracting advocates and adversaries on either side of the aisle. It also confounded ideological divisions: Because it was federal legislation on social policy it struck some conservatives as an intrusive mandate on private business, yet it appealed to others as an affirmation of family values. But while outside forces gathered to press their competing cases in Capitol hallways, intense political maneuvering among individual members, committees, and factions determined whether the bill would reach the floor for action or languish on the list of legislative ideas.