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.