HOUSE BILL: Reintroduction of Top Secret Classification Act (Passed)

[Unconditional Surrender Truman]

Right, I have some questions for the sponsor and/or author:

(1) Why ought the GM be the officer responsible for designating intelligence as classified, as opposed to the Secretary of State or the President?
(2) Would other officers be barred from designating orders of correspondence as classified under this bill?
(3) Would this bar the officers of the Game Engine from leaking classified intelligence to the press, as has occurred in the past?
(4) Are members of the NSC and other like organs considered part of the Cabinet?

[Unconditional Surrender Truman]

My thanks to the Game Moderator for his reply. I am in agreement with the sponsor as to the need for a clarifying amendment including the NSC in those privy to classified information. I also think it wise to set in place a system for archiving classified documents, so that information is not lost when a president or cabinet secretary leaves office. When Ted was confirmed as my successor in the State Department, I made a point of forwarding to him all my correspondence with the GM; it would be great if we could find a way to catalogue these documents for posterity*.

On a similar note, I think there needs to be something in the final bill regarding when documents become declassified, as is the case IRL.

*One possible strategy would be to create a wiki article with a numeric title known only to those with proper security clearance, so that it could not otherwise be found.

[Unconditional Surrender Truman]

Sure, why not? I offer the following amendment:

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[Unconditional Surrender Truman]

I'd still like to see an effort to archive and pass on classified documents after the GM who generated them has left office. I am, however, sensible to the practical concerns expressed by the Speaker; would the GM be willing to give his thoughts on the matter?

[Unconditional Surrender Truman]

What was that idea for using a special code or something that only some would have access to?How would that work and what are the risks of it being prematurely exposed of such were to be utilized?

The other problem would be ensuring future compliance by GMs.

My idea – not sure if it's a good one – was for the GM, at the start of their tenure, to create a new article on the wiki to serve as an archive for all classified documents generated during their term. The title of this article would be a random string of numbers known only to the GM. As such, the GM (and authorized persons) could find the article by using the search function — but people who didn't know the code wouldn't be able to.

The flaw to this plan is that the page would show up on the list of recent edits — so if a poster was diligently checking that list, they might be able to find it.

Alternatively, the GM could store all classified information in a Google doc shared with the president & cabinet — but the downside there is that if the link is lost, the documents are gone forever.

[Unconditional Surrender Truman]

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I'll offer the above as an amendment; thoughts?

[Unconditional Surrender Truman]

Ack, sorry.

I settled on 180 days in my previous amendment because (a) I worry the longer we wait to publish classified documents, the more likely they are to be lost by administrative bungling and/or Sir Nick style malice; and (b) I do not remember a GM-generated story ever continuing for longer than six months. That said, if people are really uncomfortable with the hard deadline, I guess we could extend it (say, to 270 days) or else allow the GM to reclassify sensitive materials for a non-renewable 180 day period.

[Unconditional Surrender Truman]

Then I offer the revised amendment:

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[Unconditional Surrender Truman]

Are we ready for a vote, then?

[Unconditional Surrender Truman]

AYE!

I'm very pleased with how this legislation has turned out. Debates like the one we have had here are what I have loved about being a legislator.