A Christmas Tree bill is an informal description of legislation that a legislative body—in our case the Ohio General Assembly—attempts to pass, often near the holiday season. This legislation has a significant number of amendments which aren’t always related to the bill’s original purpose. The inclusion of many amendments, hung on the tree (the bill), helps expedite the legislative process toward passing the bill, garnering support by including policy related to the interests of certain legislators.
The term originated in the mid 20th century and is so named because the bill is “adorned” with something for everyone, like a Christmas tree.
When is a Christmas tree bill used?
Christmas Tree bills appear during the final weeks of a legislative session, introducing or revisiting a number of unrelated, uncontroversial issues. In Ohio, this usually occurs every other year in even years as Ohio’s legislative sessions last two years, always preceding a budget year. It is used at this time to provide legislators with a final opportunity before the new legislature is seated to pass legislation that did not move earlier in the session but is important to them.
By combining numerous different policy priorities from multiple legislators, the bill is incentivized to pass as members want to see their own legislative priorities succeed.
In the new year, Community Solutions will have several instructional webinars focused on preparing for the state budget and legislative process, including an overview of our recent reports on health and human services funding and a 101 of the health and social services system in Ohio. Be sure to also stay tuned to 5 Things to follow all updates from Community Solutions.
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