Legislation Introduction Thread

[Gabu]

Per the Senate Procedural Resolution on Legislation Introduction, this is the thread for legislation introduction.

All Senators wishing to introduce legislation, please post the legislation here instead of in its own topic.  When a spot opens up, your legislation will be brought to the senate floor in a new topic by me.

Note: To reduce clutter, please do not post in this topic if you are not posting legislation.  Debate time will be given at a later time and will continue until debate has ceased; please resist the temptation to debate something in this thread.

Gustaf, if you could sticky this, that would be good.

[Gabu]

Okay, in light of recent events, I've got one...

Senate Procedural Resolution on the Changing of Votes

§ 1. Until a piece of legislation has garnered enough votes either in favor or against to have it either pass or fail, no senator shall be prohibited from changing his or her vote on the legislation.

§ 2. Following the garnering of enough votes to either pass or fail, the President Pro Tempore shall announce this fact; following this announcement, all senators shall have twenty-four hours during which they shall not be prohibited from changing their votes on the legislation.

§ 3. Following the expiration of twenty-four hours after the announcement, the vote total at that moment shall be declared to be final and shall be applied to the legislation.  All senators shall be prohibited from changing their votes on the legislation after this time.

[Bono]

District Two Relief Bill

Single § Money shall be appropriated from the treasure, in enough quantity to provide the citizens of District 2 with a financial relief of 1,000,000$00.

After all, it's not real money.

[Filuwaúrdjan]

FDR just sent me this bill to introduce:

1. Atlasia shall recall its ambassador from Togo
2. The Ambassador of the Togolese Republic to the Republic of Atlasia will have until Feb 28 to leave Atlasia (is it legal for countries to kick out diplomats?)
3. No Atlasian group or individual shall do commercial operations in the Togolese Republic unless given explicit permission from the Department of State
4. All assets related to the Togolese regime in Atlasia shall be frozen
5. All of the above articles will be effective immediately, and will stay in effect until the former Speaker of the Togo Parliament, Fanbare Ouattara Natchaba is sworn in as President of Togo and free and fair elections to the Togo Parliament and Presidency take place, in accordance to the Togolese Constitution
6. Atlasia urges all nations signatory to the United Nations Charter on Human Rights to take similar action
7. All senior Togolese officials are prohibited from visiting Atlasia

[The Duke]

After reading this article I want to introduce this bill.


DDT Re-Introduction Bill

1. All prohibitions on the export of DDT from the United States to foreign nations shall be lifted.

2. Nations against which the United States has levied sanctions shall still be prohibited from importing DDT.

[The Duke]

Water Technology Act

1. $10 billion shall be appropriated over the next ten years to fund the perfection of desalination technology.

[Gabu]

As a loophole in my electoral reform legislation has been identified, here is my solution:

Amendment to the Statute of Election Procedures, Certification and Challenges

§ 1. The text, "the last federal election in which he or she voted," is hereby stricken from the Statute of Election Procedures, Certification and Challenges.

§ 2. It shall be replaced with the text, "the last federal election in which he or she had a chance to vote."

[The Duke]

Do I begin my own debate thread for these two bills, or does the PPT do it?

[Gabu]

Do I begin my own debate thread for these two bills, or does the PPT do it?

When a spot opens up, I open debate on them.

For now, we're currently waiting for elections to be over so we can get back to business.

[2952-0-0]

Al, remove my bill. Faure Gnessinbe has resigned and ECOWASlifted the sanctions. Let's say that I was responsible for all this, shall we?

[The Duke]

Ahem.  Some of us are gone in a week and a half, and our bills die with us.

[The Duke]

Ahem.  Some of us are gone in a week and a half, and our bills die with us.

You leave the Senate tomorrow John.

See, even worse than I thought!  That's the shorter transition period, for ya.

[MAS117]

The Line of Succession Act

Primary Sponsor: Senator MAS117 (UP-NJ)
Co-Sponsor: Senator Colin Wixted (UP-PA)
                     Senator Gabu, President Pro Tempore (I-UT)   

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent, to submit my bill for a reading and debate.
This bill will take affect after the passing and signing of the new Constitution. The Presidential Line of Succession is hereby amended to read:

I.) Vice President of the Republic of Atlasia
II.) President Pro Tempore of the Senate
III.) Secretary of Forum Affairs
IV.) Attorney General
V.) Secretary of Defense & Forum Security
VI.) Secretary of State
VII.) Secretary of Treasury
VIII.) Chief Justice of the Atlasian Supreme Court
IX.) Senior Associate Justice of the Atlasian Supreme Court
X.) Junior Associate Justice of the Atlasian Supreme Court

[Sam Spade]

The "Preserving our National Parks" Act

Section I
The Congress recognizes the need to preserve our environment for future generations to enjoy. It also recognizes the state of our National Parks are degrading and we must improve our standards.

Section II
All National Park fees will be increased by 40% in any car/family/group with 2 or less people, 30% in any car/family/group of 3 people, and 15% in any car/family/group of 4 people.  For any pedestrians and and car/family/group of 5 or more people, the current charges will stay the same.

This new income will be used for the maintanence and care-taking of that park.

Section III
Snowmobiles used in National Parks will be electrically run or powered by a renewable and EPA-approved source by the year 2010. 

Congress will approve $10 million dollars to assist in this transition.

Section IV
Littering fines in all National Parks are now 25% higher.  This new income will all be devoted to the maintenance of the National Parks.

Section V
EPA fines for air and water pollution violations within a 50-mile radius of any National Park are increased by 10%.


If Cosmo Kramer would please delete his earlier post on this in order to not clutter up the thread, it would be much appreciated.

[Reaganfan]

Senator, good bill, however we should add money money into expanstion of wetlands, and wildlife perserves.

[Gabu]

Senator, good bill, however we should add money money into expanstion of wetlands, and wildlife perserves.

Please keep comments off this thread to keep it orderly.  Comments can be made when a bill is given debate time.

[Colin]

Promotion of Democracy Act

1.) The Republic of Atlasia calls upon the Syrian government to set a definite time table for removing troops from Lebanon.

2.) The Republic of Atlasia demands that free and fair elections be allowed in Lebanon outside of the influence of Syria and be open to international election monitors.

3.) The Republic of Atlasia commends the actions of the Lebanese people in their attempts to push reform in their nation.

4.) The Republic of Atlasia condemns the Iranian government in their refusal to allow political reforms in their country.

5.) The Republic of Atlasia calls upon the government of Iran to allow reformist groups to run in the next election and to allow much needed reforms in the political system.

6.) The Senate will hereby allocate $10,000,000 for aid towards pro-democracy groups in Lebanon and Iran.

[Sam Spade]

At the request of Wiseguy, and because I think the Senate should examine this, most of all because it keeps last-minute registrations from flooding a District and will hopefully help the Atlasian populace as a whole become more informed.

I realize that King has some other legislation planned, if need be, we can incorporate something together so that there aren't too many acts running all over the place. 

If Wiseguy could delete his thread too, to keep the database from growing too large, that would be nice also.

Atlasian Political Party and Registration System Reform Act

Purpose of the Legislation
The purpose of this bill is to reduce the problem of avatar voting and ensure a fair system for all Political Parties.

Section 1
Under this Legislation all members wishing to become part of the Fantasy Elections board will apply to the Secretary of Forum Affairs and undergo a two-week Orientation Period before registering on the Fantasy Elections board. 

Section 2
The Secretary of Forum Affairs shall be in charge of new applications to register on the Fantasy Elections board, and will be responsible for giving new applicants contact information for the chairmen of all the Atlasian Political Parties. 

Section 3
The Applicants will be advised to contact at least three different parties' National and Regional chairmen, and take the Atlas Forum party selector.

Section 4
At the end of the two week orientation period, if the Applicant has the required number of posts, registration in the party of their choice will be allowed.

[Sam Spade]

I regret to say to my constituent, Wiseguy, that I wish to withdraw the Atlasian Political Party and Registration System Reform Act from consideration.

Just so no one gets mad at me, there's a two-fold reason behind this.

First, in my talk with a prominent Constitutional law scholar here on the forum, he informed me that this law, if challenged, would be deemed unconstitutional based on violation of Article V, Section 4, which clearly states:

You must be logged in to read this quote.

Any election law that violates that right, other than the exceptions laid out in the Constitution, will be struck down.

Fortunately, for all of us, the new Constitution has a much more vague clause that we can work around if need be.
Second, over the past couple of days, Sen. hughento and I have been working out a new version of this Act, which will combine education requirements and Wiseguy's political party equality bills into one.

But, until the Constitution Convention adjourns and the Constitution is passed into law, we will be unable to bring it up because of the problems I stated before.

I will post our working draft of it here.  To Gabu:  I am not introducing this legislation, I am just presenting a working draft of it, so that when the new Constitution is ratified, it will be able to be passed without much delay (hopefully).
Atlasian Political Party and Registration System Reform Act

Purpose of the Legislation
The purpose of this bill is to reduce the problem of avatar voting, increase the education level of our citizenry and ensure a fair system for all Political Parties.

Article 1
Anyone with the legally required number of posts as specified by activity requirements so laid by the Constitution of the Republic of Atlasia, can register as a citizen in Atlasia, but may not register to vote in Atlasian Federal Elections or join any political party without passing the requirements listed below.

Article 2
Upon registration as a citizen in Atlasia, the Secretary of Forum Affairs (SoFA) will have seven (7) calendar days to send said new citizen a Private Message asking three questions relating to the Atlasian government system.

Examples of legitimate questions are as follows:
"Who was the second President of Atlasia?"
"Name one of the bills currently being debated by the Senate?"
"What district is Michigan in?"

Article 3
The Secretary of Forum Affairs will have total control over the content of questions, except in that they must fulfill the specifications laid out in Article 2.  The Secretary of Forum Affairs must change the content of questions at least once every calendar month or every five (5) new applicants, whichever occurs first.

Article 4
If said new citizen returns a Private Message to the Secretary of Forum Affairs with the correct answers to the specified questions, they will be given voting rights. 

The Secretary of Forum Affairs will then send a Private Message to said new voter giving him contact information for the National and Regional chairmen of all the Atlasian Political Parties, advising said new voter to contact at least three different parties' National and Regional chairmen, and also advising said new voter of the option of registering Independent from all Political Parties.

The Secretary of Forum Affairs will also include in his Private Message a link to the Atlas Forum party selector test.

Article 5
After a waiting period of three (3) calendar days, said new voter will be allowed to register to vote in Atlasian Federal Elections with the political party of his/her choice.

Article 6
If said new citizen is unable to correctly answer the specified questions, the Secretary of Forum Affairs will have seven (7) calendar days from the point of receiving the incorrect answers to send said new citizen a new Private Message asking three different questions, which correspond the regulations above, relating to the Atlasian government system.  This process shall be repeated ad infinitum until correct answers are given by said new citizen.

During this time said new citizen will remain a citizen of Atlasia but will not be able to vote in any Atlasian Federal Elections. 

Article 7
This law will go into effect three (3) calendar days after its passage into law.  All citizens legally registered to vote before this date will not be subject to the above-stated requirements.  If a citizen loses his voter registration per the activity laws so legislated by the Senate, said citizen will be required to fulfill to the above-stated laws in order to regain voting rights.

Article 8
It is advisable after this bill becomes law, that the Regions should enforce the same set of regulations on citizens in Regional Elections as this bill lays out with regards to Federal Elections.

[Sam Spade]

As per SoFA King's request, I am presenting his three measures to the Senate for debate:

The Deputy SoFA Bill

1)  The government of Atlasia shall hereby establish the office of the Deputy Secretary of Forum Affairs.

2)  The Deputy's duty shall be to fulfill the obligations of the Secretary in his/her absence.  The Deputy shall also act as the official Interim Secretary in cases of resignation.

3)  The Deputy Secretary shall not be considered a member of the cabinet unless acting as Secretary in his/her absence and is therefore not part of the Presidential succession.

4)  The Deputy Secretary shall be appointed by the Secretary and confirmed by the President.  The Senate shall not intervene unless there is a motion to block the appointment.

[Sam Spade]

Senator Resignation and Replacement Amendment

1)  All Senators wishing to resign their seat must give notice one week before they officially leave office.

2)  If the resignation is within three weeks of that particular seats election, a special election will not be held for an interim.  The President of the Senate, or Vice President, shall appoint an interim from that district to serve out the remainder of the term.

[Sam Spade]

Census Act

1)  The official time of the Census shall be the first Friday of March, July, and November at Midnight.

2)  Only voters who have cast a valid ballot in the last election before the Census will have their registration counted in the Census.

3)  Redistricting must be completed within two weeks after the Census.  If the Governors are unable to come to an agreement, the current district map will remain until the next Census.

[Sam Spade]

At the request of former Gov. Ernest:
Atomic Energy Community Termination Act of 2005

§ 1. It is the sense of the Senate that -
   (1) the 84th Congress of the United States determined fifty years ago that it would be in the interests of the United States that the atomic energy communities built during the Second World War to house those engaged in the Manhattan Project be converted from public ownership to private ownership;
   (2) said Congress passed the Atomic Energy Community Act of 1955 to provide for the orderly conversion of said communities;
   (3) said conversion is essentially complete, with the communities of Los Alamos, New Mexico, Oak Ridge, Tennessee, and Richland, Washington being similar in character as other communities in their respective States; and
   (4) the necessity of special legislation to encourage the conversion of atomic energy communities is no longer in existence.

§ 2. The Atomic Energy Community Act of 1955 is hereby repealed as of August 4, 2005 (50 years after the effective date of said Act) and that the laws of the United States relating to the determination of and the disposal of excess property that would have applied save for said Act shall apply as of that date.

§ 3. All monies remaining in the Community Disposal Operations Fund established by section 11 of the Atomic Energy Community Act of 1955 shall be transferred to the general receipts of the Treasury as of the date of repeal given in section 2 of this Act.  Monies needed to meet obligations against said Fund incurred prior to the date of repeal shall be drawn from the general receipts of the Treasury.

§ 4. Nothing in this Act shall be construed to render invalid any sale, lease or other disposition of property, contract, or annual assistance payment made under the Atomic Energy Community Act of 1955 before the repeal of said Act.

[Colin]

Jury Selection Bill

1. All juries empanelled for the purposes of trying crimes in the Republic of Atlasia shall be composed of six jurors, who shall all be registered voters in the Region of the Republic of Atlasia in which the defendant is resident and without previous convictions.

2. Jury selection shall be random and shall be administered by the presiding Justice, he may however discard jurors from his selection on grounds of inactivity.

3. If the Justice shall decide a juror has become either prejudicious or inactive, he may replace the juror. The Justice may do this twice during a trial, but if he considers it necessary for a third time, he shall order a mistrial and begin a new trial.

4. In order for a jury to convict at least four jurors must deliver a guilty verdict, however the Justice may raise this to five or six jurors at his own discretion. Jurors shall make their verdict known by public post.

5. To be empanelled on to a jury, the juror shall repeat the following oath: "I swear (or affirm) that I will well and truly try the matter in issue between the parties, and give a true verdict according to the law and evidence, so help me Dave."

[Sam Spade]

At the request of Gov. Peter Bell
Omnibus Crime Bill

Section 1: Crimes against Atlasia

The following shall be crimes against Atlasia:
   
i. The impersonation, or attempted impersonation, of another Atlas Forum member on the Atlas Forum.
ii. The "hacking" or taking over control of another Atlas Forum members personal account without their permission.
iii. Posting untrue, derogatory statements about another Atlas Forum member with the intent of causing offense or defaming their character.
iv. Posting pictures, other media, or links to the same of a pornographic nature.
v. Posting threads with the sole intention of provoking an aggressive reaction from forum members.
vi. Maliciously editing the AtlasWiki to remove legitimate content or create off-topic pages.
vii. Posting threads of a sexual nature that contribute nothing to political or philosophical discussion.


Section 2: Punishment of Crimes against Atlasia

Sentencing of the crime shall be by the presiding Justice; He may use any combination of the following as punishment, depending upon the severity of the offense:

1. For offences described in Clauses i through iii of Section 1:
   
i. Up to a one year ban from voting in any Atlasian elections.
ii. Up to two years incarceration in an Atlasian Fantasy Prison.
iii. A fine of up to $100,000 in fantasy currency.
iv. Up to 1000 hours of fantasy community service.

2. For offences described in Clauses iv through vii of Section 1:
   
i. Up to a two month ban from voting in any Atlasian elections.
ii. Up to one month incarceration in an Atlasian Fantasy Prison.
iii. A fine of up to $10,000 in fantasy currency.
iv. Up to 120 hours of fantasy community service.


Section 3: Treason against Atlasia

1. The act of deleting a voting booth is hereby declared an Act of Treason.

2. Sentencing of Treason shall be by the presiding Justice; He may use any combination of the following as punishment, depending upon the severity of the offense:

i. Up to a lifetime ban from voting in any Atlasian elections.
ii. Up to lifetime incarceration in an Atlasian Fantasy Prison.
iii. A fine of up to $1,000,000,000 in fantasy currency.

3. The Judge may also authorize the Attorney General to make an appeal to Dave Leip, the Forum Owner, to have the Traitor banned from the Atlas Forum for life.


Section 4: Trial by Jury

Trial of all these crimes shall be in a federal Court and by Jury.


Section 5: Admissibility of Evidence

The presiding Justice may admit the following as evidence of the crime at his own discretion:

i. The actual statements made on the Atlas Forum itself
ii. Screenshots of the statements made.
iii. A quotation of the statement in a post by another Atlas Forum user.
iv. The testimony of forum users who viewed the statement itself.
v. An admission by the accused in a thread on the Atlas Forum, or in a place viewed or heard by multiple persons, with recordings or testimony attributing to the same.
vi. Evidence obtained through investigation of the IP address from which the offence was perpetrated.
vii. Evidence given to the Court by the Forum Moderators or the Forum Owner, Dave Leip obtained in their capacity in that position.