No

He's going to teach at Bama? Ugh, why would he want to leave Congress to go back to that hellhole?

Well, his sister is the President.

2.10 The Department of Education, shall, in conjunction with experts in school bullying from a cross section of academia, child advocacy organizations, nonprofit organizations, professional associations, and government agencies, shall establish inservice workshops and training programs designed to train public school employees to serve as anti-bullying specialists. These programs shall also be made available for all other staff who wish to complete such a training.

2.11 There is created a special fund in the Department of Education which shall be designated the "IDS Safe Schools Fund", administered by the Department head or Deputy head to carry out the provisions of this act. This fund shall consist of any monies appropriated by the region for the purposes of the fund; and, any monies donated by individuals or organizations including faith-based charities.

2.12 A public institution of higher education or any institution of higher education which receives any kind of monies from the region shall adopt a policy, to be included in its student's code of conduct, prohibiting bullying as defined in Section 1.1 of this present Act and detailing disciplinary actions which may result if a student commits an act of bullying.

2.13 Nonpublic schools are encouraged to comply with this Act. In the case of a faith-based nonpublic school, nothing in this Act shall be interpreted to
prohibit or abridge the legitimate statement, expression or free exercise of the beliefs or tenets of that faith by the religious organization operating the school or by the school’s faculty, staff, or student body.

2.14 Any existing local or state "no promo homo" laws which expressly forbid teachers from discussing gay and transgender issues (including sexual health and HIV/AIDS awareness) in a positive light shall be repealed.

SECTION 3: FIGHTING MENTAL HEALTH ISSUES

This legislature finds that mental health issues and mental disorders are the cause of a rising number of teen suicides or the cause of a large number of bullying incidents. To make IDS schools safe and inclusive places of learning, the region takes step to address mental health issues in a school setting.

3.1 For the purposes of this Act, "mental health issues" or "mental disorder" shall include all enumerated disorders as classified by ICD-10 Chapter V: Mental and behavioural disorders produced by the World Health Organization (WHO).

3.2 The Department of Education shall award grants to eligible school boards to support an existing, or develop a new, program that will educate teachers, school personnel, and specialized instructional support personnel on mental health conditions in children, including the causes, symptoms, and impact on learning.

(3.2.1) These programs shall seek:
  (a)  to better understand mental health conditions and the early warning signs in children and adolescents;
  (b)  to best communicate with families about these concerns;
  (c)  to identify classroom strategies for working effectively with children with mental health conditions; and,
  (d)  to understand school specific information.

A program shall include a school-based mental health service provider and/or a community organization with expertise in the lived experience of mental illness, whenever possible, to maximize training outcomes and facilitate coordinated referrals when more intensive community services are needed.

(3.2.2) A school board which desires to receive a grant under this section shall submit an application to the Department of Education which shall include a description of how the local educational agency will utilize school counselors, school psychologists, school social workers, or community organizations with expertise in the lived experience of mental illness, in developing and conducting the training described above.

(3.2.3) School boards which have received such grants shall report on the implementation, progress and impact on students of these projects at regular intervals. School districts must measure outcomes in accordance with Department of Education policy and guidelines.

(3.2.4) The Department will use measures of outcomes to evaluate the effectiveness of programs. The Department shall conduct an in-depth evaluation of the success of the programs carried out by the school district with grant funds no later than 12 months after the end of the initial grant period.

3.3 Each school district must employ at least one:
  (a)  Qualified school psychologist;
  (b)  Qualified speech language pathologist trained to work with children; and,
  (c)  Qualified educator to work with children with learning disabilities

(3.3.1) Each individual school must employ at least one:
  (a)  Qualified school counselor
  (b)  Qualified school nurse

3.4 The first full week of October is designated as Mental Health Awareness Week. All school districts must organize, preferably in association with mental health advocates and community organizations, activities and special classes designed to educate all students about mental health issues.

3.5 The second week in May is designated as National Stuttering Awareness Week. School districts may choose to organize activities to educate all students about stuttering and other language disorders.

Ok, as there seems to be nobody else running I will remain as speaker. As the CLRP requires me to open new threads for legislation I have done so even though I like this old thread, however as the next bill is another long one I decided to use the first half as slot one and the second half as slot two. Each half gets its own thread, and I guess the final vote can take place here.

Safe and Inclusive Schools Act

IDS schools and other educational institutions must be safe and inclusive places of learning for all students and educators. Bullying, particularly in schools, has become an increasing problem in Atlasia and the IDS. Victims of bullying have suffered mental anguish, bodily injury and even death at the hands of their tormentors. Teen suicides due to bullying, intimidation or discrimination by peers or because of mental health issues have been rising in Atlasia and the IDS.

Bullying can leave a harmful and long-lasting mark on its victims. It can leave children with painful emotional and mental scarring and a lifelong struggle with self-esteem. Bullies suffer as well, since bullying may be indicative of deeper psychological and emotional problems. Children who bully more frequently experience psychological problems later in life, such as aggressive tendencies and occasional symptoms of depression.

SECTION 1: DEFINITIONS

1.1 "harassment, intimidation or bullying", thereafter referred to as "bullying" means the severe or repeated use by one or more students of a written, verbal, electronic or other form of expression, a physical act or gesture or any combination of them if it is directed at another student and that is reasonably perceived as being motivated either by any actual or perceived characteristic, such as race, religion, ancestry, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, or a mental, physical or sensory disability, or by any other distinguishing characteristic, that takes place on school property, at any school-sponsored function or on a school bus and that:
  (a)  causing physical or emotional harm to the other student or damage to the other student's property,
  (b)  placing the other student in reasonable fear of harm to himself or herself or damage to his or her property,
  (c)  creating a hostile environment at school for the other student,
  (d)  infringing on the legal rights of the other student at school, or
  (e)  materially and substantially disrupting the education process or the orderly operation of a school; (“intimidation”)

(1.1.1) Without limiting the generality of the definition of "harassment, intimidation or bullying" in subsection (1), bullying includes cyber-bullying, that is done through any form of electronic means using any technique, including,
  (a)  creating a web page or a blog in which the creator assumes the identity of another person;
  (b)  impersonating another person as the author of posted content or messages; and
  (c)  communicating material to more than one person or posting material on an electronic medium that may be accessed by one or more persons.

1.2 For the purposes of this Act, harassment, intimidation, or bullying shall be deemed to occur in a school if it occurs, (a) on a school site or public property within 150 metres of a school site; (b)  during the course of an activity, function or program that is conducted for a school purpose, whether or not it takes place at a school site; (c)  through the use of technology or an electronic device provided to students by a school; or (d)  through the use of technology or an electronic device that is not provided to students by a school if the bullying has the effect of or is reasonably intended to have the effect described in clause (c), (d) or (e) of the definition of "harassment, intimidation, or bullying" in subsection (1).

SECTION 2: PREVENTING HARASSMENT, INTIMIDATION OR BULLYING

2.1 Each school district shall adopt a policy prohibiting bullying on school property, at a school-sponsored function or on a school bus. While school districts will have local control over the content of the policy, each policy must include:
  (1)  a statement prohibiting bullying of a student;
  (2)  a description of the type of behavior expected from each student;
  (3)  consequences and appropriate remedial action for a person who commits an act of bullying;
  (4)  a procedure for reporting an act of bullying, including a provision that permits a person to report an act of bullying anonymously; however, this shall not be construed to permit formal disciplinary action solely on the basis of an anonymous report;
  (5)  a procedure for prompt investigation of reports of violations and complaints, as outlined thereafter in subsection (3.1) of this present section;
  (6)  the range of ways in which a school will respond once an incident is identified;
  (7)  a statement that prohibits reprisal or retaliation against any person who reports such acts;
  (  consequences and appropriate remedial action for a person found to have falsely accused another as a means of retaliation or as a means of bullying; and,
  (9)  a statement of how the policy is to be publicized.

(2.1.1) Each school district's policy will be assessed and approved by the superintendent of district schools.

(2.1.2) The superintendent of district schools must monitor the implementation and application of these polices, and report upon them at the end of very school year. The report produced shall be publicly available and posted on the websites of the district and individual schools.

2.2 Training on harassment, intimidation, and bullying shall be part of the training required for public school teaching staff members in suicide prevention.

(2.2.1) By the 2013-2014 school year all candidates for school administrator or teacher certification will be required to complete a program on harassment, intimidation, or bullying prevention, and that training in this area will be a part of the professional development requirements for these individuals.

2.3 Any school employee observing or having direct knowledge from a participant or victim of an act of harassment, intimidation, and bullying shall report the act(s) to the school principal.

(2.3.1) The principal will be responsible for initiating an investigation within one school day of the report of the incident, conducted by the anti-bullying specialist.
  (a)  The investigation shall be completed within 15 days of notification of the incident, unless information relative to the investigation that is anticipated but not yet received by the end of this period.
  (b)  The results of the investigation shall be reported to the superintendent of schools within two school days of the completion of the investigation. The superintendent will, as appropriate, discuss and recommend any disciplinary action and/or counseling and other intervention services. As appropriate and at the superintendent's discretion, the superintendent may notify the appropriate law enforcement agency that an act of bullying has occurred if criminal charges may be laid against the perpetrator.
  (c)  Parents or guardians of the students who are parties to the investigation shall be entitled to receive information about the investigation. A parent or guardian may, within 5 days following the receipt of the investigation report by the board, request a hearing before the board.
  (d)  The board will, at its next meeting, affirm, reject or amend the superintendent's decision.

(2.3.2) A school administrator who receives a report of harassment, intimidation, or bullying from a district employee, and fails to initiate or conduct an investigation, or who should have known of an incident of harassment, intimidation, or bullying and fails to take sufficient action to minimize or eliminate the harassment, intimidation, or bullying, may be subject to disciplinary action.

2.4 Two times each school year, each school principal will report all acts of harassment, intimidation, and bullying which occurred the previous reporting period to the district superintendent of schools. This report must include the number of such incidents, the status of investigations, the nature of bullying the type and nature of any discipline imposed on any student engaged in such acts. School districts must report this information to the Department of Education.

2.5 Harassment, intimidation, or bullying shall be added to the list of behaviours which constitute good cause for suspension or expulsion from school.

2.6 A member of the board, school employee, student or volunteer shall not engage in reprisal, retaliation or false accusation against a victim, witness or one with reliable information about an act of bullying.

2.7 Schools and schools district shall annually establish, implement, document, and assess bullying prevention programs or approaches. Schools must also provide instruction on bullying prevention during the school year for every student and ensure that the instruction is appropriate to the age of the students receiving it and conforms with the curriculum guidelines. Such programs must include instruction on issues related to sexual orientation and gender identity.

(2.7.1) A school district may apply to the Department of Education for a grant to be used for programs or approaches established pursuant to this subsection. The Department of Education is responsible for ensuring that such grants are only granted to school districts whose program conforms with any departmental regulations and the present Act.

2.8 Notwithstanding the definition provided in Section 1.2, a school district has the power to take or recommend actions on any reported incidents harassment, intimidation, or bullying that occurs off school grounds, in cases in which a school employee is made aware of such actions, and such actions create a hostile environment at school for the student, infringe on the rights of the student at school, or disrupt the education process or orderly operation of a school. The responses to harassment, intimidation, or bullying that occurs off school grounds shall be consistent with the Department's code of student conduct and other provisions of the board’s policy on harassment, intimidation, or bullying.

2.9 The principal in each school shall appoint a school anti-bullying specialist, preferably a qualified and trained individual currently employed by the school. The anti-bullying specialist shall:
  (a)  lead investigations into all reported incidents;
  (b)  act as the primary school official responsible for preventing, identifying, and addressing incidents of bullying in the school;
  (c)   educate staff, students and parents on bullying; and,
  (d)  Cooperate with other anti-bullying specialists from the school district to prevent bullying and implement the school district's policy.

(2.9.1) Those appointed to serve as anti-bullying specialist must be qualified pursuant to subsection (2.2).

I was incredibly lucky to get a very scenic location in Mallorca with a road sign right next to it. Its Norway that keeps ruining it for me. Still, not too shabby.

From what I understand Cuccinelli's camp are distancing themselves from their new LG candidate with statements like "we feel the voters should become comfortable with each member of the ticket individually". Virginia has a long history of split ticket Gubernatorial races, so it wouldn't be that unusual if Cuccinelli won but Jackson lost.

I read this as "Opinion of Yahoo Answers conservatives"

I, Dereich, do solemnly affirm that I will faithfully execute the office of IDS legislator and will to the best of my ability, preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the Republic of Atlasia and the Imperial Dominion of the South, so help me Dave.

By a vote of 5 in favor, the Consolidated IDS Legislature Rules and Procedures has passed the legislature. Time to move forward! This is about the time when we need to have a vote for speaker. Anyone want to put their name forward?

Aye.

I don't think I've ever seen a poll for this, and I'm genuinely curious about how much support the imperial titles have.

I thought it would be a good idea to create a general discussion platform for constitutional changes here (I kind of took the idea from Velasco, sorry about that). We can take all the input suggested here and make a big constitutional change bill in the legislature. I know a lot of people want the imperial style and names to be thrown out; what do we replace them with?

[Final vote on the Consolidated IDS Legislature Rules and Procedures (CLRP)]

Well as it seems like we have a majority in favor of the 72 hour version and because I'm absolutely sick and tired of this bill I'm bringing it to a final vote now. Because of its ridiculous length, I won't be posting the final version here, but it is located here: http://uselectionatlas.org/FORUM/index.php?topic=112611.msg3690176#msg3690176 plus the two amendments added by Velasco.

Final vote on the Consolidated IDS Legislature Rules and Procedures (CLRP)

The vote shall be open for 48 hours:

Please vote :
[ ] Aye
[ ] Nay
[ ] Abstain

OK, with the absents of the speaker, I think that we should make the time a bit shorter, like about 60 hours instead.

I myself prefer the 72 hour standard as it just seems neater and a bit easier, but I could see a 60 hour standard working as well. Is there any reason in particular you think 72 hours doesn't cut it?

When are we going to get rid of our silly names? I asked that earlier and was ignored by our legislature.

If I remember correctly, you asked right before we were swallowed up by procedures. I don't know how the other legislators feel, but at this point I'm sitting back and letting the new Emperor propose any constitutional changes. One of the big issues he ran on was constitutional change and I thought he might like to be the one to have first crack at how and what should be changed.

I thought it was amazing. Good job.

[1] Dereich (FED-FL) (i)
[2] Hashemite (NMM-FL) (i)
[3] write-in: Pingvin99
[4] Alfred F. Jones (LAB-PR)
[5] write-in: Seatown

This is the worst election ever. NONE of the main candidates support free trade and I don't want to be a fool and vote for the libertarian. I guess I'll just have to abstain.

And anyone who believes that forum leftists WEREN'T the ones who made Buchanan the nominee are either lying or aren't very smart.

The Northeast and Mideast continue to pull their own legislative weight while the other three regions lag behind. Get stuff done, IDS!

You will see soon how dull it is to argue procedural issues. It takes a very special kind of person to enjoy debating them.

On another note, looking at Zanas's old docket what seems to be remaining is:

-Consolidated IDS Legislature Rules and Procedures
-Safe and Inclusive Schools Act
-Annexation of the states of Coahuila and Tamaulipas : kept in the back of the queue
(As sponsor of the Creating Job Opportunities Act of 2013 I'm removing it from the docket)


So if you have a new bill to put forward we don't have that much remaining to discuss. Also, Sjoyce has a few proposed amendments that are looking for a sponsor if anyone wants to do it.

Yes, it has been a bit slow and dull here. Procedure issues don't exactly make for lively debate. Amendments are just as you think, submitted in a quote box like so:

Amendment Text

Which can either be accepted by Hashemite as friendly or treated as hostile in which case it is voted on by the legislature. I could have a detail or two wrong, I haven't really checked the current procedures, but if you're intent is clear it'll be accepted.

I still like the idea of giving the option to the legislature to object instead of requiring it, but I don't think that any more assurances are necessary. We won't get "3 seatowns" in the legislature anytime soon and I'm sure we can always count on one or two to not inject unnecessary partisanship into an appointment like this. So, other then that and an amendment clarifying the length of a speaker's absence do we have anything else we want to amend?

Anyways, if Jeb Bush had a different name, he'd be up there with Christie as a candidate.

He's only a candidate because of his name.

What? He's the most popular living former Florida Governor and is still seen within the state as the Republican party's intellectual leader. Elsewhere his reputation may be based on his name, but in his home state he's got a lot of goodwill left over, especially among state Republicans. Being popular and experienced in the largest swing state would put anyone on the map as a top candidate.

An overly partisan legislature nixing an Emperor's suggestion on partisan grounds is just as bad as an Emperor appointing someone on partisan grounds. As for suggestions, perhaps change it to allow the appointment to go through automatically unless the legislature voluntarily rejects it? I just don't want to add unnecessary extra votes to a legislature that already takes time to get things moving.

As for the time period, since legislation under this bill is required to be discussed for at least 72 hours maybe that should be the timeframe? If a speaker introduces something and is away for longer then that the problems would really start.