In legislative practice, a rider is an additional provision annexed to a bill under the consideration of a legislative assembly, having little connection with the subject-matter of the bill. They are usually without enough specific merit in themselves to insure their adoption in any other way. Sometimes riders are attached to important bills, in order to gain the chance of passage, since by themselves they are likely to incur an executive veto, but as a part or proviso of an important bill they are absorbed in the main subject, and so dodge the "veto" and the "table". Appropriation bills are more than others "saddled with riders". The consequence of this custom is, practically, a limitation of the veto power of the executive. It has been proposed frequently that the Constitution of the United States be so amended that the President could veto single objectionable items, without affecting the main purpose of bills.
In legislative practice, a rider is an additional provision annexed to a bill under the consideration of a legislature, having little connection with the subject matter of the bill.
Use of riders is customary in many legislative bodies, including the Congress of the United States.
Riders are most effective when attached to an important bill, such as an appropriation bill, because to veto or table such a bill could delay funding to governmental programs, causing serious problems.
Rider, who has unsuccessfully run for public office in San Diego County four times, said he was "somewhat of a reluctant candidate" but that he felt others in the race were not willing to go to war with labor unions to scale back pensions and other benefits.
Rider is a retired stockbroker and financial planner and a prominent figure in the Libertarian Party.
He ran for county supervisor in 1992, for county treasurer and the state assembly in 1998 and for Congress in 1988.Rider has sued the city over several financing issues over the years, and successfully fought the county's 1988 half-cent-on-the-dollar sales tax boost, which later was found to be illegal.