Former White House of Purple State/Marokai Blue

[Purple State]

Mr President,

For personal reasons I have not been active of late on the forum and this is set to continue for some time. I must therefore submit my resignation.

I wish you, my successor and the whole administration the best of luck.

Peter

Thank you for your service and your honesty Peter. You will be difficult to replace and I believe I can speak for all Atlasians when I say we look forward to your eventual return.

[Senator Barnes]

Mr President,

For personal reasons I have not been active of late on the forum and this is set to continue for some time. I must therefore submit my resignation.

I wish you, my successor and the whole administration the best of luck.

Peter

[Badger]

Mr President,

For personal reasons I have not been active of late on the forum and this is set to continue for some time. I must therefore submit my resignation.

I wish you, my successor and the whole administration the best of luck.

Peter

[Bacon King]

On your desk:

The National Offshore Oil Spill Response Equipment and Resources Act

I. The Coast Guard, in conjunction with the Department of Internal Affairs, shall oversee the creation of Oil Spill Response Zones which are to be overseen by the Coast Guard once established.
    A. The Department of Internal Affairs shall divide the Atlasian coast into Offshore Oil Spill Response Zones at their own discretion, except that at least four zones must be in existence and that at least one zone must consist of no Atlasian waters than the area off the Alaskan coast.
    B. If no offshore drilling is occurring in a zone then the Coast Guard may deem it inoperative with the authority to reverse its decision depending on the changes in the situation in the zone with regards to offshore drilling.

II. The Oil Spill Response Supply Agency shall be created within the Department of Internal Affairs to determine the type, amount and quality of the equipment, supplies, and materials that are required in each zone.
     A. The location of the stockpiles are at the discretion of the Department of Internal Affairs, except that there shall be at least one within each zone and that no drilling location is unnecessarily far from the closest stockpile. The Senate recommends the following list of cities as suitable locations to the Department of Internal Affairs
   1. Portland, ME
   2. Charleston, SC
   3. Mobile, AL
   4. San Diego, CA
   5. Dutch Harbor, AK
     B. 50% of the cost of the stockpiles is to be divided proportionally amongst the oil companies which are drilling in the zone based on what percentage of the oil drilling, in the said zone, they are responsible for. The other 50% shall be provided from the revenue collected by a national oil extraction tax of 5% to be levied by this act. All excess revenue from this tax is to be directed towards the Department of Internal Affairs for use related to energy.
    1. The collection of both is to be enforced by the Internal Revenue Service for Oil Response Supply Agency.

[Purple State]

Executive Action

Break the Chains Act

1. Companies or individuals which possess 85-175 retail outlets or stores, inclusive, shall be assessed a differential tax of 0.250.37% on their annual profits on the most recent 85th-175th stores to have been opened to the public for business.

2. Companies or individuals which possess 176-300 retail outlets or stores, inclusive, shall be assessed a differential tax of 0.500.75% on their annual profits on the most recent 176th through 300th stores opened to the public for business, plus any taxes applicable in Section 1 above.

3. Companies or individuals which possess 301-450 retail outlets or stores, inclusive, shall be assessed a differential tax of 0.751.10% on their annual profits on the most recent 301st through 450th stores opened to the public for business, plus any taxes applicable in Sections 1  & 2 above.

4. Companies or individuals which possess 451 or more retail outlets or stores shall be assessed a differential tax of 1.50% on their annual profits on the most recent 451st and greater stores opened to the public for business, plus any taxes applicable in Sections 1, 2 & 3 above.

4(B). If one or more stores/outlets opened for business to the public on the same date and said stores would cumulatively reach the threshhold number for the next higher tax bracket as established by Sections 1-4 above, the business may determine which of the stores/outlets opened that same date is subject to the lower tax rate.

4(C). If a store or outlet is fully closed for business to the public for no more than 30 days and then reopened for business on the same location, its original date of opening applies for determining its tax status in Sections 1-4. If the store/outlet is fully closed for business to the public for more than 30 days before reopening for business at the same location, the business may choose between the store's original date of opening or the date of its reopening for determining the tax rate applicable under Sections 1-4.

5. Funds collected from these taxes shall be appropriated to the Atlasian Small Business Administration for expansion of current SBA programs for offering and/or guaranteeing small business loans to existing and new small businesses unless otherwise allocated by subsequent legislation.

6. The revenue raised from this act may not be used for any purpose not specified in this bill, unless specifically allocated by future laws.

After reviewing the Senate debate and speaking privately with Sens. Badger and Libertas, I send this back to the Senate for its considerations of the changes above in strikethrough and bold.

I raised the rates slightly and cleaned up the language at the end. I hope the Senate will approve of these changes so that we can get some legislation signed.

~PS

[Purple State]

Executive Action

The National Offshore Oil Spill Response Equipment and Resources Act

I. The Coast Guard, in conjunction with the Department of Internal Affairs, shall oversee the creation of Oil Spill Response Zones which are to be overseen by the Coast Guard once established.
    A. The Department of Internal Affairs shall divide the Atlasian coast into Offshore Oil Spill Response Zones at their own discretion, except that at least four zones must be in existence and that at least one zone must consist of no Atlasian waters than the area off the Alaskan coast.
    B. If no offshore drilling is occurring in a zone then the Coast Guard may deem it inoperative with the authority to reverse its decision depending on the changes in the situation in the zone with regards to offshore drilling.

II. The Oil Spill Response Supply Agency shall be created within the Department of Internal Affairs to determine the type, amount and quality of the equipment, supplies, and materials that are required in each zone.
     A. The location of the stockpiles are at the discretion of the Department of Internal Affairs, except that there shall be at least one within each zone and that no drilling location is unnecessarily far from the closest stockpile. The Senate recommends the following list of cities as suitable locations to the Department of Internal Affairs
   1. Portland, ME
   2. Charleston, SC
   3. Mobile, AL
   4. San Diego, CA
   5. Dutch Harbor, AK
     B. 50% of the cost of the stockpiles is to be divided proportionally amongst the oil companies which are drilling in the zone based on what percentage of the oil drilling, in the said zone, they are responsible for. The other 50% shall be provided from the revenue collected by a national oil extraction tax of 5% to be levied by this act. All excess revenue from this tax is to be directed towards the Department of Internal Affairs for use related to energy.
    1. The collection of both is to be enforced by the Internal Revenue Service for Oil Response Supply Agency.

I sign,
~PS

This has been forwarded to the SoIA for his review and implementation.

[Bacon King]

Executive Action

Break the Chains Act

1. Companies or individuals which possess 85-175 retail outlets or stores, inclusive, shall be assessed a differential tax of 0.250.37% on their annual profits on the most recent 85th-175th stores to have been opened to the public for business.

2. Companies or individuals which possess 176-300 retail outlets or stores, inclusive, shall be assessed a differential tax of 0.500.75% on their annual profits on the most recent 176th through 300th stores opened to the public for business, plus any taxes applicable in Section 1 above.

3. Companies or individuals which possess 301-450 retail outlets or stores, inclusive, shall be assessed a differential tax of 0.751.10% on their annual profits on the most recent 301st through 450th stores opened to the public for business, plus any taxes applicable in Sections 1  & 2 above.

4. Companies or individuals which possess 451 or more retail outlets or stores shall be assessed a differential tax of 1.50% on their annual profits on the most recent 451st and greater stores opened to the public for business, plus any taxes applicable in Sections 1, 2 & 3 above.

4(B). If one or more stores/outlets opened for business to the public on the same date and said stores would cumulatively reach the threshhold number for the next higher tax bracket as established by Sections 1-4 above, the business may determine which of the stores/outlets opened that same date is subject to the lower tax rate.

4(C). If a store or outlet is fully closed for business to the public for no more than 30 days and then reopened for business on the same location, its original date of opening applies for determining its tax status in Sections 1-4. If the store/outlet is fully closed for business to the public for more than 30 days before reopening for business at the same location, the business may choose between the store's original date of opening or the date of its reopening for determining the tax rate applicable under Sections 1-4.

5. Funds collected from these taxes shall be appropriated to the Atlasian Small Business Administration for expansion of current SBA programs for offering and/or guaranteeing small business loans to existing and new small businesses unless otherwise allocated by subsequent legislation.

6. The revenue raised from this act may not be used for any purpose not specified in this bill, unless specifically allocated by future laws.

After reviewing the Senate debate and speaking privately with Sens. Badger and Libertas, I send this back to the Senate for its considerations of the changes above in strikethrough and bold.

I raised the rates slightly and cleaned up the language at the end. I hope the Senate will approve of these changes so that we can get some legislation signed.

~PS

Mister President,

Your action here is unconstitutional.

Your line item veto power is derived from Article I, Section 3, Clause 4:

All bills that draw money from the Treasury shall have those clauses which draw money from the Treasury subject to the Line Item Veto Power of the President. Once a bill drawing money from the Treasury shall pass the Senate, it shall be presented to the President; If he does not approve of some of those clauses that draw money from the Treasury, he shall remove them from the bill via his Line Item Veto Power, and then shall sign the bill. In order for the revised bill to become Law it must be passed by the Senate. If the revised bill is not passed by the Senate, they shall return the original bill to him, and it shall be handled in the same way as a bill under Clause 3 of this Section. If the Senate shall not approve of the revisions made by the President, they may override his Line Item Veto with the concurrence of two-thirds of its number, and the original bill shall become Law.

1. This was not a bill that drew money from the Treasury.
2. Your modifications were amendments other than the removal of sections that drew money from the Treasury.
3. You did not sign the bill before returning it to the Senate.

Therefore, the bill is still on your desk per the Constitution.

[Fmr. Emperor PiT]

     What about the Nineteenth Amendment, though?

Article I, Section 3, Clause 4 of the Constitution shall be amended to read as follows:

Whensoever the Senate shall pass a bill and present it to the President, he shall have the option to redraft the bill and return it to the Senate in redrafted form. The President shall have this option once with each particular bill presented to him. The original sponsor of the bill, as so defined in Senate rules, shall either file a motion to approve the President’s redraft by a simple majority vote, and return it to the President for his signature or veto, or withdraw the bill from the Senate.

If the Senate approves the President's redraft by a simple majority vote, the redrafted bill shall be returned to the President for his signature or veto. If the Senate rejects the President's redraft, the original sponsor shall either file a motion to send the original draft of the bill back to the President for his signature or veto, or shall direct the Senate to resume debate on the bill as presented to the President.

[Bacon King]

GAH.

WHY IS THAT NOT CITED ANYWHERE IN THE CONSTITUTION ITSELF
WHY ARE THERE SO MANY AMENDMENTS
WHY DO NONE OF THEM HAVE DESCRIPTIONS OR ANYTHING



ah, ...proof for the ConCon if there ever was one.
I'm tired right now, I'll deal with the mess in the morning.

[President Marokai]

GAH.

WHY IS THAT NOT CITED ANYWHERE IN THE CONSTITUTION ITSELF
WHY ARE THERE SO MANY AMENDMENTS
WHY DO NONE OF THEM HAVE DESCRIPTIONS OR ANYTHING



ah, ...proof for the ConCon if there ever was one.
I'm tired right now, I'll deal with the mess in the morning.

Hello to the need for consolidation and simplifying.

[Proud Lieberal from Northeast]

One delegate for ConCon by region is not cool, not funny and is confusing.

So expect Midwest process in selecting one to be delayed a little.

[Vepres]

One delegate for ConCon by region is not cool, not funny and is confusing.

So expect Midwest process in selecting one to be delayed a little.

Stupid federal gubment

[Proud Lieberal from Northeast]

One delegate for ConCon by region is not cool, not funny and is confusing.

So expect Midwest process in selecting one to be delayed a little.

Stupid federal gubment

Indeed

[Bacon King]

Mr. President, the Question Time bill is on your desk.

[Purple State]

One delegate for ConCon by region is not cool, not funny and is confusing.

So expect Midwest process in selecting one to be delayed a little.

Sorry for giving you guys so much trouble.

[Purple State]

Executive Action

Regular Question Time Made Interesting Act

Scheduled to be once each month starting exactly one month after the new office-taking dates, the Secretary of Internal Affairs shall open a thread in the "Atlas Fantasy Elections" board for the purpose of commentary and questions from the citizens, as well as good-hearted jabs for the purpose of livening political debate.

I sign,
~PS

I'm looking forward to these.

[Californian Tony]

Executive Action

Hiring Incentives Act

1. Any non-manufacturing business with 200 employees or less in total shall be eligible for a $4,000 tax credit for each new individual they hire.

2. Any manufacturing business that hires a new employee shall be eligible for a $7,500 tax credit for each new individual they hire.

3. Any business that hires an individual that has been out of work for 30+ days will be exempt from paying Social Security payroll taxes on that employee.

4. The distribution of these tax credits shall be the responsibility of the Department of Internal Affairs, who shall also have the discretion to deny fraudulent applications for the tax credits.

5. The effects of this legislation shall expire one year after passage.

I veto.

While the votes are there to override, I think the Senate should take the time to address two major issues that were mentioned in debate of the bill: paying for the program and preventing abuse of non-fradulent loopholes.

If the Senate feels that the economy is still struggling and continued deficit spending is appropriate, I urge them to include provisions that will offset the expenditures with increased revenue down the road.

I also do not feel that clause 4 is specific or strong enough to prevent a company from hiring, firing and re-hiring workers over and over for tax credits. Doing that would be legal within the law.

~PS

What a disappointment. If you didn't like the bill as it was written, couldn't you just take part in the Senatorial debates instead of waiting for it to pass to veto it ? A President vetoing a bill coming from his Vice- President, that sounds like a joke...

[Proud Lieberal from Northeast]

One delegate for ConCon by region is not cool, not funny and is confusing.

So expect Midwest process in selecting one to be delayed a little.

Sorry for giving you guys so much trouble.

All right, you've got Ilikeverin from our side

[Bacon King]

The First Major Wiki Reform Act is now on your desk.

[Bacon King]

The SEDZ Improvement Act is on your desk as well.

[Purple State]

Executive Action

First Major Wiki Reform Act

The Senate recognizes that the Wiki has, for too long, fallen into disrepair and that the Statute pages in particular are confusing to read for newbies and veterans alike, and much of it is simply outdated.

1. A new page entitled "Repealed Statute" shall be created and linked to the top of the regular "Statute" page encompassing all repealed and/or superceded laws and all laws specifically stricken from the regular Statute page.

2. The following laws are hereby stricken from the normal record and moved to the aforementioned "Repealed Statute" page in the same order of their creation:

F.L. 1-1: The Preferential Voting Act
F.L. 1-2: Civil Unions Act
F.L. 2-1: Stickies, Posts, and Polls Reduction Act
F.L. 2-2: PPT Election Act
F.L. 2-3: Third Boss Abortion Act
F.L. 3-1: Federal Activity Act
F.L. 3-2: The Marriage Equity Act
F.L. 4-1: F-22 Act
F.L. 4-5: Voter Fraud Act
F.L. 4-6: None of the Above Act
F.L. 4-9: Welfare Reform Act
F.L. 5-3: Constitutional Amendment Act
F.L. 5-7: Unwed and Teenage Mothers Protection Act
F.L. 5-9: Election Procedures, Certification and Challenges Act
F.L. 6-1: Amendment to the Statute of Election Procedures, Certification, and Challenges Act
F.L. 6-5: Line of Succession Act
F.L. 6-6: Community Revitalization Act
F.L. 6-8: Fair Wage Act
F.L. 6-9: Deputy SoFA Act
F.L. 6-14: Omnibus Criminal Law Act
F.L. 6-15: Omnibus Election System, Procedure and Certification Act
F.L. 6-20: Repeal of the Education and Care for Children in Poverty Act
F.L. 7-2: Repeal of Family Planning Amendments Act
F.L. 7-5: Federal Activity Requirements Act
F.L. 8-9: Unified Electoral Code Act
F.L. 8-14: Affirmative Action Act
F.L. 9-7: National Endowments for the Arts and for the Humanities Elimination Act
F.L. 10-3: Species Act of 2005
F.L. 10-4: Foreign Aid Reduction Act
F.L. 12-5: Asbestos Ban Amendment Act
F.L. 12-8: Electoral System Reform Act
F.L. 12-9: Peter Will Fix It Act
F.L. 12-10: Abortion Restriction in Federal Territories Act
F.L. 12-11: Abolition of Martin Luther King Day Act
F.L. 13-5: Modified Electoral System Reform Act
F.L. 13-8: Second Modified Electoral System Reform Act
F.L. 13-20: Atlasia-Oman Free Trade Act
F.L. 13-22: Treasonous Rebellion Act
F.L. 14-4: Atlasia-Malaysia Free Trade Act
F.L. 15-6: Line of Succession (Amendment) Act
F.L. 15-7: Line of Sucession (Amendment No. 2) Act
F.L. 18-8: Illegal Immigrant Act
F.L. 26-3: Second Amendment to the Consolidated Electoral System Reform Act
F.L. 28-9: Affirmative Action Bill
F.L. 31-18: Privacy Protection Bill
F.L. 32-2: Cleaning Up The Line Of Succession Act
F.L. 34-8: Fourth Amendment to the Consolidated Electoral System Reform Act
F.L. 34-9: High Authority for Ethics in Voting Act

3. The following completed and/or obsolete and/or outdated laws are hereby repealed and stricken from the record to be moved to the "Repealed Statute" page in the same order of their creation:

F.L. 5-2: Military Division Appropriation Act
F.L. 5-10: John F. Kennedy Memorial Act
F.L. 6-7: Promotion of Democracy Act
F.L. 6-17: Preserving Our National Parks Act
F.L. 8-4: Voting System Reform Act
F.L. 8-10: Emergency Niger Relief Act
F.L. 8-13: Military Enlargement Act
F.L. 9-1: Hurricane Katrina Relief Act
F.L. 9-5: Regional Quarters Act
F.L. 9-8: Atlasian Symbols Act
F.L. 11-2: Supplemental Appropriation for Katrina Relief Efforts Act
F.L. 12-3: Regional Quarters Extension Act
F.L. 15-5: Tax Increase Act

4. Sections of statute shall no longer be divided by each numbered Senate, but shall now be categorized by month and year.

I sign,
~PS

Thank you very much for this. The pens go to Xahar and VP Blue for their terrific work.

[Purple State]

Executive Action

Social & Economic Development Zone Improvement Act

Section 1: Administration

1. The 'Establishment of Social and Economic Development Zones Act' is hereby repealed.

2. The Senate shall fund and establish the creation of "Social & Economic Development Zones" to target the growth in infrastructure and employment in a targeted area.

3. The Senate and/or the Regional Governments shall be responsible for coordinating the establishment of the SEDZs.

Section 2: Requirements for Creation of SEDZs

1. The following requirements must be met for the creation of a Social & Economic Development Zone:

1a. An unemployment rate at 10.0% or higher.
1b. A net population decrease in the located area from the previous year.
1c. A median income level of $21,000 or below.
1d. A net decrease in the total number of business locations in the located area from the previous year.

2. A Social & Economic Development Zone may not be created in an area including a population number lower than 1,000 or higher than 100,000.

3. The Secretary of Internal Affairs and Game Moderator shall cooperate in the location of suitable zones for the establishment of SEDZs.

Section 3: Benefits of a SEDZ

1. Money shall be distributed to the individual Zones for the purpose of infrastructure improvements and various local projects to better the community. Funds shall be payed out on a sliding scale to the population size of the zone, with a maximum of fifteen million dollars.

2. All sales and business taxes shall be suspended in the area within the Zone for 12 months.

Section 4: Stimulating Employment Within SEDZs

1. A new program titled "Atlasia Works" will be created that shall operate within the Zones to expand businesses and transition individuals from state assistance benefits to meaningful work.

2. "Atlasia Works" will compile a list eligible businesses that seek to enroll in the program that wish to expand their business, but are immediately unable to do so. Businesses with more than 3 locations in the Zone will not be eligible.

3. Each individual hired through the Atlasia Works program within the Social & Economic Development Zone shall have up to 80% of their wage subsidized by the government for up to 18 months. Each employer will be limited to a number of ten subsidized jobs simultaneously.

3.a. The Department of Internal Affairs shall have the authority to place wage caps on workers hired through the Atlasia Works program.

4. Only individuals who recieve federal or regional assistance benefits (welfare), or individuals who would otherwise be eligible for such benefits except for having already recieved them for their maximum duration of eligiblity, shall be able to find jobs through the Atlasia Works program.

Section 5: Limitations

1. Social & Economic Development Zones may only be in operation for up to 5 years, or until one or more of the requirements for maintaining a SEDZ has been broken.

2. All subsidies from Atlasia works and tax breaks shall remain in place until their expiration even after the SEDZ has been disbanded, but no more may be issued.

I sign,
~PS

[Bacon King]

The equality in healthcare act is now on your desk.

[Purple State]

Announcement

Signing on from my phone to let ya'll know I am going to be completely away from computers until Monday afternoon so I will announce a leave of absence until then. Thanks for understanding everyone!

[Teddy (IDS Legislator)]

Does this mean Bluey is president?