Mideast Assembly Thread

[Unconditional Surrender Truman]

I will support New Canadaland for Speaker.

[Unconditional Surrender Truman]

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(Continued in the next post)

[Unconditional Surrender Truman]

(Continued from the last post)

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[Unconditional Surrender Truman]

I request that Speaker New Canadaland bring this to the floor as soon as possible, due to the pressing nature of the current crisis.

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[Unconditional Surrender Truman]

I would like to nominate Harry S Truman for the speakership.

I accept the nomination.

[Unconditional Surrender Truman]

There's nothing in the rules that specifies the length of the period for electing the Speaker; seeing as an absolute majority of the Assembly supports the nomination (and, as Windjammer says, we really do need to get going), I am assuming office as Speaker. If someone has a problem with that... well, the Superior Court is significantly underworked.

The 42nd Mideast Assembly is officially in session! Welcome to our newest member, Vivaportugalhabs, and to our returning Assemblymen.

[Unconditional Surrender Truman]

The extent to which the selection of the Speaker is regulated by law is as follows:

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Note that so far as the law is concerned, the Dean is required only to "hold nominations" for Speaker, NOT to conduct a vote. The power to conduct nominations implies that the Dean would need to ascertain the will of the Assembly in some way once nominations have concluded, but the method for doing so is left to the discretion of the Dean. It might easily be said that the nomination of a particular individual by a majority of the members of the Assembly constitutes a consensus on the issue, even though a formal vote has not been held.

Thus, it appears that from a legal standpoint, the Speaker can be selected without need for a formal vote. What is more pressing is the identity of the Dean: per Section IV of CSMLP, the Dean is the Assemblyman with the "longest consecutive service" in the legislature. If each Assemblyman were to be legally inaugurated upon the moment of his election, this would be Shua, who has rightfully assumed that he became Dean upon taking the oath of office today.

However, the Mideast Constitution has the following to say on the matter:

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In other words, Shua was not legally an Assemblyman until taking the oath of office at 11:45 AM EST this morning, and therefore could not take office as the Dean of the Assembly. Therefore, the office of Dean fell to the longest-serving Assemblyman to have taken the oath of office: EarlAW.

Events proceeded as follows: EarlAW, acting in his capacity as Dean, opened the nominating period at 8:20 PM EST on Sunday, May 31 by nominating Harry S Truman for Speaker. Truman and Vivaportugalhabs seconded the nomination, thus putting a majority of the Assembly on record for supporting Mr. Truman. In the absence of a legal provision requiring a formal vote, this was judged to be sufficient to elect the Speaker.

Precedent, furthermore, upholds the conclusion that the selection process is fluid and does not require a formal vote. Last September, for example, Spiral declared himself Speaker after waitingonly one minute for objections to the motion for his unanimous confirmation. Similarly, in December Mr. Spiral declared himself Speaker after a two-minute period for objections to his selection as presiding officer. Neither is there a standard length for the nominating period: the rules do not mandate that the Dean hold nominations for any specific length of time. In any case, Assemblymen have had since Friday to make nominations for Speaker, so it is hardly as if the selection process has been "fast tracked".

I thank Shua for bringing this issue to our attention and am sure that his concerns are sincere; however, judging by the established precedent and a strict reading of the law, it does not appear that anything illegal has occurred.

[Unconditional Surrender Truman]

You make an excellent argument for amending the Assembly rules to clarify this issue. I think we can all agree, irrespective of the current debacle, that current statute is much too vague on this particular point. That being said, the law is the law: the nomination process has been conducted in compliance with all legal and Constitutional provisions, and any judgements we might make about the wisdom of those provisions are beside the point.

Under Mideast law, the Dean is charged with conducting the nominating process. As such, it is his implicit responsibility to judge when the nominating period has concluded and when the will of the Assembly in regards to the Speakership is discernable. As no Assemblyman who has taken the oath of office remains to make a nomination, and as an absolute majority of the chamber has voiced support for my nomination, it seems to me that the Dean is no longer needed to continue in this role.

I would add that there is just as much danger in allowing the Dean to unnecessarily prolong the nominating process as there is in naming a Speaker without ascertaining the will of the Assembly. We need to be careful that, in our eagerness to ensure an orderly selection process, we do not create a precedent by which the business of the Regional government can be obstructed by a renegade legislator.

[Unconditional Surrender Truman]

[X] Harry S Truman
[  ] shua

[Unconditional Surrender Truman]

As all members of the Assembly have now voted, I motion that the Dean declare the outcome of this election so that we may address the many pressing issues facing our Region.

[Unconditional Surrender Truman]

Thank-you, Shua.

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[Unconditional Surrender Truman]

Per the new rules, all proposed legislation should now be introduced in the new Legislation Introduction Thread.

[Unconditional Surrender Truman]

I resign from Mideast Assembly.  (just got too much else on my mind)

We didn't agree on every issue, but you were a dedicated public servant and I'm sorry to see you go. Good luck with your future endeavors.

[Unconditional Surrender Truman]

I would like to re-nominate Harry S Truman for the speakership.

I accept the nomination.

[Unconditional Surrender Truman]

Seventy-two hours have passed, with a majority of the Assembly in favor to my nomination and none opposed. I am therefore assuming office as Speaker.

The 43rd session of the Mideast Assembly is now in session! To our newest member, Progressive Realist, welcome; to our veteran lawmakers, welcome back. Let's get this show on the road!

[Unconditional Surrender Truman]

Y'all need to elect a new Speaker.

[Unconditional Surrender Truman]

When can I officially swear in?

Your term starts Friday.

[Unconditional Surrender Truman]

At last, the people have an Assembly! Huzzah!

[Unconditional Surrender Truman]

As a former Speaker myself, I highly recommend Never Again for reelection. The absence of a full Assembly has hurt activity in recent weeks, but I can testify that he was been working feverishly behind the scenes to remedy this situation, and is truly the best man for the job.

Also, the new Representatives need to swear into office.

[Unconditional Surrender Truman]

I don't know if I can, but I nominate darthebearnc for Speaker.

There's no rule against it. Technically, the Lt. Governor is supposed to conduct the speakership election, but as there is no Lt. Governor (y'all really should abolish that office) it makes sense for you to assume that role.

I'm glad to see Darthebearnc stepping up to the plate - he's highly experienced, and I urge the Assembly to install him post haste.

[Unconditional Surrender Truman]

Since it doesn't seem like anyone in the Assembly is interested in the speakership, I recommend that this chamber approve a resolution allowing the governor to act as Speaker for the time being.