Senator A might offer to support Senator B's bill, as long as he accepts a small change to the wording of the bill. In order for Senator B to accept this change, he might request that Senator A make a small change to her amendment as well. If both senators agree to the changes, they will have compromised to create a final bill that is slightly different from its original version, but now has the support of a larger number of senators. Members of the public and the press often have very negative opinions of political compromise. The process of bargaining helps legislators to understand how bills might be improved, or how they might be harmful to citizens.
Compromise allows legislators to pass legislation that respects the needs of all citizens.
Click on the picture above to see Sen. Kermit Brashear discuss the importance of compromise to the legislative process. Critical Thinking Exercise Think about a situation in which you had to compromise with a family member or friend in order to reach a solution to a problem. Since public policy problems can be so complex, there are offices in the Unicameral devoted to researching solutions to these problems. To learn more about the offices that conduct research at the Unicameral, visit the Legislative Research Division .