Definition of omnibus bill
Further reading
An omnibus bill, from the Latin "omnibus" meaning "for everything," is a single document that is accepted in a single vote by a legislature but packages together several measures into one or combines diverse subjects into a single bill. Examples are reconciliation bills, combined appropriations bills, and private relief and claims bills. Omnibus legislation is routinely used by the United States Congress to group together the budgets of all departments in one year in an omnibus spending bill.
Another famous example of an omnibus bill is the Criminal Law Amendment Act, 1968-69, a 126-page, 120-clause amendment to the Criminal Code of Canada, which dealt with issues as diverse as homosexuality, prostitution, abortion, gambling, gun control and drunk driving.
References:
- Wiktionary. Published under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.
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