Making laws
germane
On-topic. House rules require amendments to be germane to the bill; the Senate mostly does not, which is how unrelated riders appear.
In full
A germaneness rule limits amendments to the subject of the underlying measure. The House enforces one strictly. The Senate has no general germaneness requirement outside a few contexts (such as after cloture or on appropriations), so senators can attach entirely unrelated provisions, one reason Senate floor fights range far beyond the bill at hand.
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A plain-language explanation for civic education, not legal advice. When in doubt, the official source named above controls.