OLD: Comprehensive Social Security Reform Act (See new thread: Reference Only)

[Barnes]

Well, I've asked Barnes, which is Polnut's nominee as SoIA. I don't know if he has an authority on this domain, but hopefully he can already put up numbers that the GM will confirm once we have one.

The Department of Internal Affairs believes it has every authority where Social Security is concerned.

I would be very grateful, Yankee, if you could provide me with a fully updated version of the bill, the one in the OP hasn't been updated since February.

[Southern Senator North Carolina Yankee]

Ah, you missed my thread in the Atlas board of course about two months ago.

You see, for the last few months it has become impossible for me to copy and paste while typing long posts. Things already posted are fine, but while typing if you try to highlight something it will grab half the page. To make a long story short, Antonio has greatly offered his assistance and has been in charge of providing updated versions of this Magnus Opus of a bill as needed.

As for the OP, this bill hit the floor in January while Snowguy was still PPT. Since his post is the OP he is perfectly free to update this one's OP as he wants. However, I do beleive he he is currently engaging in a sit-in out in the main hall to protest the President. Be sure to not trip over him on your way out.

Though if I were in charge of the OP on this, I rarely update OPs. It isn't necessary on short debates, and on long ones I usually provide the current text as requested and at final votes. 

[Barnes]

Oh I completely understand your Internet troubles.  Antonio's sent me a PM with some helpful links, so I think that'll work.

Oh, and you might want to offer Snowguy a drink of some sort.

[Napoleon]

Can I please get a copy of the bill as it currently stands in amended form?

[Napoleon]

And I motion to remove Section 6 from the bill, renumbering subsequent sections accordingly.

[Antonio the Sixth]

Ok, since it has been asked several times... Here is how the bill reads today :

Comprehensive Social Security Reform Act

1. Any statutory act (law, section or article) relative to Social Security in Atlasia, i.e. to the intervention of the Federal Government aimed to protect its citizens from social risks, prior to this Act is hereby repealed. Any previously established tax aimed to fund said activities is hereby abolished.
2. The National Social Security Agency (NSSA) is hereby established.
3. Any responsibility and authority in the domain of Social Security shall be vested in the NSSA. Said domains may be further specified by appropriate legislation.
4. The NSSA shall be under the responsibility of the Department of Internal Affairs.

Section 1: Administration

1. The NSSA shall be administered by a deliberative body called Superior Council.
2. The Superior Council of the NSSA shall be composed of 12 members, of which:   
    a) Four members shall be delegates of workers. They shall be democratically elected by every working or actively unemployed (see below) person. Labor Unions shall be responsible of organizing fair elections regularly.
    b) Four members shall be delegates of employers, designed by the organizations representing them.
    c) Four members shall be representatives of the Federal Government, designed by the Department of Internal Affairs.
3. The Superior Council of the NSSA shall elect a presiding officer, adopt an internal ruling, and decide the frequency and the duration of their sessions.
4. The NSSA shall be divided into five separate Administrations, called:   
    a) The Health Insurance Administration
    b) The Unemployment Insurance Administration
    c) The Parenthood Insurance Administration
    d) The Old Age Insurance Administration
    e) The Minor Insurances Administration
5. The institutions administering each of previously cited Administration shall be designed by the Superior Council of the NSSA through procedures specified by it.

Section 2: Budget

1. The NSSA shall have its proper budget, independent from the Federal budget.
2. The budget of the NSSA shall serve to ensure the proper functioning of the Agency and the fulfillment of the tasks devolved to it through proper legislation.
3. The budget of the NSSA shall be managed by the Superior Council provided that its administration respects subsection 2. The Department of Internal Affairs is in charge of ensuring the respect of subsection 2.
4. Each of the five Administrations of the NSSA shall have its proper budget, which shall be a part of the global NSSA budget.
5. The budget of an Administration of the NSSA shall serve exclusively to fulfill the Administration's social task, by ensuring the compensation of persons as specified by legislation. The budget of an Administration of the NSSA shall be financed through the contributions of people eligible to the insurance program each Administration is responsible of.
6. The budget of the NSSA shall also comprise its Functioning funds. Said funds shall serve to ensure the proper functioning of the NSSA, by paying for the necessary infrastructures and remunerating its employees. Said funds shall be managed by the Superior Council of the NSSA.
7. The Federal Government shall be responsible for providing the Functioning funds to the NSSA. The Department of Internal Affairs shall be able to decide the amount of those funds. The Functioning funds devolved to the NSSA shall be subject to a vote in the Senate.
8. If the budget of one or more of the five administrations of the NSSA present a surplus, such surplus shall be attributed to a Balanced Budget Fund managed by the Superior Council of the NSSA.
9. If the budget of one or more of the five administrations of the NSSA presents a deficit, the Balanced Budget Fund shall be used to fill such deficit.
10. If the Balanced Budget Fund isn't sufficient to ensure a balanced budget in every administration, the Federal Government shall lend to the NSSA the money necessary for that. In such case, the Balanced Budget Funds shall be used to reimburse such loan as soon as possible.

Section 3: Tasks

1. The role of the NSSA is to compensate the victims of the social risks specified by legislation, through mechanisms and for an amount specified by legislation.
2. The social risks recognized by Atlasia are: illness, unemployment, parenthood, old age, handicap, working incidents, death of the spouse or the parent, catastrophe and excessive debt.
3. Each of the five Administrations of the NSSA shall be responsible to cover one or more of previously specified social risks.

Section 4: Health Insurance

1. The Health Insurance Administration shall be responsible to compensate the victims of illness and make their cure as easy as possible.
2. Any household shall be mandatorily registered to the Health Insurance Administration.
3. Any household registered to the Health Insurance Administration shall pay a contribution amounting to 2% of its salary and 5% of its other incomes.
4. Contributions shall be received by the Health Insurance Administration, monthly for salaries and annually for other incomes.
5. Households whose income is subject to the first two brackets of the Income tax as defined by the Fiscal Responsibility Act shall be exonerated from paying said contribution.
6. The Health Insurance Administration shall reimburse any purchase of a duly prescribed necessary medicine and any medically necessary services realized by a member of a registered household.
7. The administration of the Health Insurance Administration shall be responsible to establish a list of necessary medicines, as well as a list of medically necessary services. The list of medically necessary services shall include all those mentioned on section 1, subsection (b) of the Atlasian National Healthcare Act.

Section 5: Unemployment Insurance

1. The Unemployment Insurance Administration shall be responsible to compensate the victims of unemployment, to help them recovering a job and to ensure that recovering a job is economically beneficial to them.
2. Any employee or actively unemployed person shall be mandatorily registered to the Unemployment Insurance Administration.
3. To be deemed as "actively unemployed", a person shall meet the following requirements:   
    a) Not exercising any remunerated job.
    b) Actively researching a job, as defined under subsection 9.
    c) Being enrolled in or scheduled to be enrolled in a vocational education course or program as laid out in subsection 11.
4. The Unemployment Insurance Administration shall receive contributions, amounting to 6% of a registered employee's salary. Such contributions shall be paid monthly, by half by concerned employee, and by half by the business employing it.
5. Any registered employee losing its job shall receive from the Unemployment Insurance Administration a monthly revenue amounting to :
    a) 90% of the individual's previous salary during the first year following the loss of its job
    b) 80% of the individual's previous salary during the second year following the loss of its job
    c) 70% of the individual's previous salary during the third year following the loss of its job
    d) 60% of the individual's previous salary during the fourth year following the loss of its job
    e) 50% of the individual's previous salary after four years of unemployment
6. Notwithstanding subsection 5, no registered unemployed individual shall receive less than $600 per month, neither more than $4000 per month.
7. Any actively unemployed individual registered to the Unemployment Insurance Administration who had never been previously employed shall receive from the Unemployment Insurance Administration monthly revenue of $600 per month.
8. The Unemployment Insurance Administration shall provide registered unemployed individual with reasonable employment proposals. To be considered as reasonable, those proposals shall meet following requirements:   
    a) A salary equivalent to at least 90% of the individual's current revenue provided by the Unemployment Insurance Administration.
    b) A time necessary to reach workplace from the individual's home inferior to 1 hour. The Unemployment Insurance Administration shall be able to set inferior time limits on a local and case-by case basis.
    c) A domain corresponding to the individual's qualifications.
9. Any registered unemployed individual refusing three successive reasonable employment proposals shall be considered as inactive and deregistered from the Unemployment Insurance Administration.
10. Any registered individual previously unemployed recovering a job with net income inferior to 110% of the total benefits he received as an "actively unemployed" worker, as defined in Section 5, Clause 3, shall receive an allowance for the difference between his new employment's net income and 110% of total benefits last received as an "actively unemployed" worker.
11. For the purposes of this act, a vocational education course shall be defined as any course college or career training that seeks to improve one skills in their current occupation or train them for a new occupation entirely. Courses must be taught either online in connection with, or onsite of, an accredited university, community college, junior college, technical institute or other accredited institution offering continuing education courses.

[Antonio the Sixth]

Section 6: Parenthood Insurance

1. The Parenthood Insurance Administration shall be responsible to compensate the parents for the expenses necessary to raise one or more children.
2. Any household shall be mandatorily registered to the Parenthood Insurance Administration.
3. Any household registered to the Parenthood Insurance Administration shall pay a contribution equivalent to one twentieth of the amount of its income tax. Said contributions shall be paid concurrently with the income tax.
4. Any household composed by two or more adults shall receive from the Parenthood Insurance Administration a monthly allowance amounting to:   
    a) $200 per child aged between 0 and 3 years
    b) $250 per child aged between 3 and 8 years
    c) $300 per child aged between 8 and 18 years
5. Any household composed by one adult shall receive from the Parenthood Insurance Administration an additional $100 per month.
6. For every $1000 earned above the lower threshold of the fourth tax bracket (as defined by the Fiscal Responsibility Act) by a household in the previous year, the allowances established by subsections 4 and 5 shall be reduced by 1%.

Section 7: Elderly Insurance

1. The Elderly Insurance Administration shall be responsible to guarantee elderly people decent standards of living.
2. Any adult shall be mandatorily registered to the Elderly Insurance Administration.
3. The Elderly Insurance Administration shall receive contributions, amounting to the same levels as the income tax established by the Social Security Taxation Act of 2009.
4. Actively unemployed individuals registered to the Elderly Insurance Administration shall not pay any contribution.
5. Any household in which no individual is concerned by subsections 3 and 4 shall pay a contribution equivalent to one twentieth of its income tax. Said contributions shall be paid concurrently with the income tax.
6. Any person retiring shall receive a monthly old age pension from the Elderly Insurance Administration.
7. The full old age pension shall amount to 80% of the average salary during the 10 years in which an individual has earned the most as an employee, if this amount is superior to $1000. Otherwise, the full old age pension shall amount to $1000.
8. For the purpose of determining eligibility to retire and receive old age pensions from the Elderly Insurance Administration, a system based on points shall be used.
    a) One full month of work shall earn an individual three points.
    b) One full month of active unemployment shall earn an individual two points.
    c) One full month of studies or other training shall earn an individual one point.
9. Any individual having earned 1600 points shall have the right to retire and be entitled to a full old age pension.
10. Any individual having earned more than 1200 points shall have the right to retire and be entitled to an old age pension corresponding to a full old age pension multiplied by the number of points it has earned divided by 1600.
11. Notwithstanding sections 9 and 10, any person aged of more than 65 years shall be entitled to retire and receive an old age pension amounting to 75% of its full old age pension. Any person aged of more than 70 years shall be entitled to retire and receive a full old age pension.
12. Age limits mentioned on section 11 shall be lower for individuals having exercised particularly hard jobs. The administration of the Elderly Insurance Administration shall be responsible to establish a list of particularly hard jobs and the retirement ages corresponding to each. Those limits shall not be lower than 55 years old for a 75% pension and 60 years for a full pension.

Section 8: Minor Insurances

1. The Minor Insurances Administration shall be responsible to compensate the victims of social risks not covered by previously cited administrations. That is handicap, working incidents, death of the spouse or the parent, catastrophe and excessive debt.
2. Any household shall be mandatorily registered to the Minor Insurances Administration.
3.  Any household registered to the Minor Insurances Administration shall pay a contribution amounting to 2% of its salary and 5% of its other incomes.
4. Contributions shall be received by the Minor Insurances Administration, monthly for salaries an annually for other incomes.
5. Any adult officially deemed as handicapped by legitimate medical authorities who is not actively unemployed shall receive from the Minor Insurances Administration a monthly allowance amounting to $600.
6. Any adult officially deemed as handicapped by legitimate medical authorities who is actively unemployed shall receive from the Minor Insurances Administration a monthly allowance amounting to $300, which can be drawn concurrently with the allowance from the Unemployment Insurance Administration established in section 5.
7. Any household with one or more child officially deemed as handicapped by legitimate medical authorities shall receive from the Minor Insurances Administration a monthly allowance amounting to $100 per child, which can be drawn concurrently with the allowance from the Parenthood Insurance Administration established in section 6.
8. Any individual suffering from invalidity, illness or any injury caused by his work shall receive from the Minor Insurances Administration an indemnity proportional to the gravity of said injury. Said indemnity shall be comprised between $500 and $50,000. The Minor Insurances Administration shall be responsible to establish the appropriate levels of compensation relative to a specific injury.
9. Any household suffering from the death of an employed or actively unemployed member shall receive from the Minor Insurances Administration an indemnity equivalent to the expected financial loss caused by said death. Said indemnity shall be comprised between $5000 and $1,000,000. The Minor Insurances Administration shall be responsible to estimate the amount of the financial loss caused by the death of the member of a household, based on their potential income and life expectancy.
10. Any household suffering from the consequence of a natural or man-caused catastrophe shall receive from the Minor Insurances Administration an indemnity equivalent to the expected financial loss caused by said catastrophe. Said indemnity shall be comprised between $1000 and $1,000,000. The Minor Insurances Administration shall be responsible to estimate the amount of the financial loss caused by the catastrophe based on the direct and indirect damages caused by the catastrophe on the household's property.
11. Any household in a situation of excessive debt may ask for an exemption from the Minor Insurances Administration. The Minor Insurances Administration shall examine said household's financial situation and determine whether the amount of the debt might represent a threat for the household's economic security. In such case, the Minor Insurances Administration shall provide such household a loan without interest permitting them to reimburse their debt.

Section 9: Limitation of the tax burden

1. In order to avoid an excessive raise of government taxes, it is the will of the legislator that the passage of this bill doesn't result in an augmentation of the total amount of money collected by the government and its agencies of more than 10%.
2. This goal shall in priority be pursued through the repeal of any legislation regarding Social Security prior to this bill, thus nullifying the taxes established under this legislation.
3. One year after the passage of this bill, an independent commission shall be nominated by the Department of Internal Affairs, in order to calculate the amount of money collected by the government and its agencies in the previous year and what it would have been without the passage of this bill. The conclusions of said commission shall be published by the Game Moderator.
4. If the commission determines that the raise in the tax burden due to the passage of this bill has exceeded 10%, the Senate shall implement legislation in order to reduce its amount so that the raise in the tax burden doesn't exceed 10%.

[Antonio the Sixth]

And I motion to remove Section 6 from the bill, renumbering subsequent sections accordingly.

Why in the world ? It has a clear and precise goal. Help to parents raising their child is an essential part of social protection.

And anyways, have a look at the section as it currently reads, because it has been significantly amended since the last version.

[Southern Senator North Carolina Yankee]

And I motion to remove Section 6 from the bill, renumbering subsequent sections accordingly.

Why in the world ? It has a clear and precise goal. Help to parents raising their child is an essential part of social protection.

And anyways, have a look at the section as it currently reads, because it has been significantly amended since the last version.

It also does something else. Which is to relieve the downward pressure of hard economic times on already depressed birthrates. As it stands now, though I haven't seen precise conversions into usually scale for measuring it, I would take a guess that 2010 levels are below 2.1 now. Senator Snowguy is by far much more aquainted with the subject and indeed I agree with him that there is likely a rebound off sorts occuring, though such is in its infancy. All things considered, section 6 could only help the situation.

[Southern Senator North Carolina Yankee]

You must be logged in to read this quote.

Does the sponsor of the underlying bill view the amendment as friendly or hostile?

[Napoleon]

And I motion to remove Section 6 from the bill, renumbering subsequent sections accordingly.

Why in the world ? It has a clear and precise goal. Help to parents raising their child is an essential part of social protection.

And anyways, have a look at the section as it currently reads, because it has been significantly amended since the last version.

I wont be able to support any bill that offers a monetary reward for having more kids and growing the world's population, threatening the environment and our supply of natural resources and fresh water capacity.

[Napoleon]

We should also consider moving the retirement points from 1600 to 2000.

[🐒Gods of Prosperity🔱🐲💸]

We should also consider moving the retirement points from 1600 to 2000.

If we do that it would be impossible for anyone to retire with benefits from the point system before age 70, in which case it makes sense to get rid of the points system entirely and just base it on age.

[Antonio the Sixth]

1. It is not a "monetary reward", mainly a partial alleviation of the enormous financial burden that children represent, especially for lower incomes. And I know this is more of an issue in Europe than in America, but maintaining fecondity rates at a reasonably high level is necessary to avoid demographic ageing.

2. Do you realize that 1600 points mean 44 years of work ? And that 2000 would mean 56 ? That's quite crazy.

[Napoleon]

The repeal clause is insufficiently specific and could have unintended consequences.

What age do you think we should offer retirement benefits at? I'm also concerned that we offer more pointsa for unemployment than for education and training.

I don't see how this bill pays for itself as it stands.

1800 in that case, I think 70 is a good year.

[Antonio the Sixth]

The point of the pension system is precisely, to have two complementary clauses, one concerning the age of retirement, and one the amount of time spent in activity (hence the point system). 45 years of work is, IMO, more than decent.

If we offer more points for unemployment (which, of course, is different than inactivity), it is because it's a condition you're forced into, while you choose to study or train. It's not like this will disincentivize studying.

We're precisely looking for the proper ways to fund this bill. Barnes is going to give us some numbers that we will use to determine what kind of tax will fund each administration.

[Fmr President & Senator Polnut]

I need to be fully briefed on these reforms - I see a whole lot of good in this Bill, but there are some elements that I have issues with before I can support the Bill in its entirety.

We want to ensure that people in difficult economic circumstances are able to be protected, I fully support that aim - but I'm concerned about some long-term economic impacts, especially considering inconsistency across the regions when it comes to Budget preparedness and scope.

[Antonio the Sixth]

Well, I'll do my best to answer any of your concerns. As for the financial issues, as I've said several times that's what we're going to work on ASAP.

[Antonio the Sixth]

I've been requested by the President and the GM-to-be to significantly reduce the importance of the bill due to concerns about deficits and high taxes. While the idea of renouncing to make a significant step forward a modern Welfare State is extremely painful to me (especially because it would, literally, have been my only achievement), I acknowledge the necessity to deal with diverging views (especially when such views are supported by people with a veto power ).

Therefore, I'll try to work on a significantly alleviated version of the bill. I'd like to know my fellow Senator's opinions about this move.

Also, I move to amend the bill's name into "Minimalist Social Security Reform Act".

[Southern Senator North Carolina Yankee]

I've been requested by the President and the GM-to-be to significantly reduce the importance of the bill due to concerns about deficits and high taxes. While the idea of renouncing to make a significant step forward a modern Welfare State is extremely painful to me (especially because it would, literally, have been my only achievement), I acknowledge the necessity to deal with diverging views (especially when such views are supported by people with a veto power ).

Therefore, I'll try to work on a significantly alleviated version of the bill. I'd like to know my fellow Senator's opinions about this move.

Also, I move to amend the bill's name into "Minimalist Social Security Reform Act".

The concerns about funding and the deficit is certainly a valid one to consider. Wouldn't it be wiser to change the bill's name later, once the revised text is also ready to be amended in?

[Southern Senator North Carolina Yankee]

I lost my last post, DAMN IT !!111

Are we still going to be consolidating the existing programs, even if we can't expand and add to them?

[Southern Senator North Carolina Yankee]

And I motion to remove Section 6 from the bill, renumbering subsequent sections accordingly.

Senator, do you still seek this amendment?

[Fmr President & Senator Polnut]

I've been requested by the President and the GM-to-be to significantly reduce the importance of the bill due to concerns about deficits and high taxes. While the idea of renouncing to make a significant step forward a modern Welfare State is extremely painful to me (especially because it would, literally, have been my only achievement), I acknowledge the necessity to deal with diverging views (especially when such views are supported by people with a veto power ).

Therefore, I'll try to work on a significantly alleviated version of the bill. I'd like to know my fellow Senator's opinions about this move.

Also, I move to amend the bill's name into "Minimalist Social Security Reform Act".

I would like to stress that this Bill has an awful lot of good - my chief concern is that this program has long-term financial viability.

My administration wants to work with Senator Antonio to make sure that we can present a workable version of this Bill that keeps the spirit but puts it in the economic context we  ourselves having to operate in.

I don't think the importance of this Bill is going to be diminished.

[Napoleon]

And I motion to remove Section 6 from the bill, renumbering subsequent sections accordingly.

Senator, do you still seek this amendment?

Yes.

[Antonio the Sixth]

Wouldn't it be wiser to change the bill's name later, once the revised text is also ready to be amended in?

As you prefer, that's the same for me. I just want things to be called for what they are.

I lost my last post, DAMN IT !!111

Are we still going to be consolidating the existing programs, even if we can't expand and add to them?

I hope so, yes.

I would like to stress that this Bill has an awful lot of good - my chief concern is that this program has long-term financial viability.

My administration wants to work with Senator Antonio to make sure that we can present a workable version of this Bill that keeps the spirit but puts it in the economic context we  ourselves having to operate in.

I don't think the importance of this Bill is going to be diminished.

I'll take your proposals into account, and do my best to spare as much money as possible. Even though I don't share your concern of keeping taxes low (because I think the advantage of an extended welfare State would be more than worth the taxes paid for it), I understand it.

And I motion to remove Section 6 from the bill, renumbering subsequent sections accordingly.

Senator, do you still seek this amendment?

Yes.

Well, at this point I'd be ready to give up on the Parenthood Insurance, if that can help saving what can be saved in the rest of the bill.