Definition
A massive bill bundling many separate measures into one package, forcing legislators to accept good and bad together. It's democracy's version of holiday fruitcake—nobody wants all of it, but it comes as one indigestible mass.
Example Usage
The 2,000-page omnibus spending bill included everything from military funding to provisions about migratory bird protection.
Origin
From Latin 'omnibus' meaning 'for all,' borrowed from 19th-century public transportation terminology.
Fun Fact
Omnibus bills have become so unwieldy that legislators often vote on bills they haven't fully read—some recent ones exceeded 5,000 pages released just hours before votes.
Source: Legislative drafting terminology
Related Terms
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