Midnight Rider

Definition

A provision quietly inserted into a bill at the last minute, often unrelated to the bill's main purpose and designed to avoid public scrutiny. It's legislative jaywalking on a massive scale.

Example Usage

A midnight rider in the spending bill funded the senator's favorite pet project, hidden among thousands of pages nobody read.

Origin

From outlaw riders operating at night, metaphorically applied to legislative measures sneaked through under cover of complex procedure

Fun Fact

Some riders are inserted so late that legislators literally don't know about them, yet still vote for the bill to keep government functioning

Source: Legislative procedure terminology

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