South Chamber of Delegates Thread

[Santander]

The Helping Outstanding Pupils Educationally (HOPE) Act
An Act that establishes a lottery for the funding of scholarships to provide educational opportunities for Southern students.

Southern Lottery Corporation
1.   To fund the scholarship programs contained in this Act, the Southern Lottery Corporation (the Corporation) shall be established to operate lotteries in the South.
2.   The Board of Directors (the Board) of the Corporation shall consist of six full voting members, including the Chairman, and up to one non-voting member at the discretion of the Board:

• i)   The Governor shall appoint three Southern citizens to serve three-year terms on the Board of Directors (the Board) of the Corporation, with each appointee’s term expiring on a different year. Appointed members may not serve more than two terms per lifetime, and may be removed from the Board by the Governor at any time.
• ii)   The President of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools shall serve as a member of the Board.
• iii)   The Chief Executive Officer of the Corporation shall serve as a member of the Board.
• iv)   The Secretary of Education shall serve as Chairman of the Board, with the power to convene and preside over the Board’s activities.
• v)   The Board may elect to appoint one non-voting member to the Board to provide technical or strategic advice for a term not exceeding one year, renewable indefinitely.

3.   The Legislature shall provide initial funding consisting of market rate loans to the Corporation. The Corporation is expected to begin funding the scholarship programs in this Act within two fiscal years after its establishment.
4.   The Corporation is permitted under this Act to operate lottery games in the South, including instant lotteries. (e.g. scratch tickets)
5.   The Corporation is prohibited from selling lottery products online, engaging in odds-making, or operating lottery games connected to the outcome of sporting events.
6.   No person under the age of 18 shall buy or redeem a lottery ticket. Retailers violating this provision shall be responsible for a fine of up to $1000 and a jail sentence of no more than six months. Enforcement duties shall be the responsibility of the Corporation.
7.   A minimum of one percent of the revenues of the Corporation shall be used for the prevention and treatment of gambling addiction.
8.   The Corporation shall transfer as nearly as practical to 30% of its revenues to the state for the funding of scholarship programs. Prolonged failure to meet this target shall require an investigation by a Legislature committee.
9.   To prevent the disruption of scholarship funds for Southern residents, the Corporation shall maintain a shortfall reserve account containing a balance of at least 50% of the net lottery deposits of the preceding fiscal year.

HOPE Scholarship
10.   The HOPE Scholarship shall provide eligible students with 90% of the in-region full-time tuition or its part-time equivalent at public colleges and universities in the South.
11.   Eligible students must meet the following residency and legal requirements:

• i.   Be a citizen or a resident alien (permanent resident) of Atlasia.
• ii.   Have resided or worked in the South for at least one year prior to application, except for members and dependents of members of the Atlasian military.
• iii.   Is eligible to enroll as an in-region student at a public college or university in the South.
• iv.   Not be in default on a student financial aid program.
• v.   Be free of felony convictions related to controlled substances.

12.   Eligible students must also meet the following academic requirements:

• i.   Be a graduate of a Southern high school recognized by the Department of Education with a minimum 3.0 grade point average. OR
• ii.   Be a graduate of a recognized home study program or possess a GED and score in the national composite 85th percentile or higher on the SAT or ACT test. OR
• iii.   Be a graduate of another high school or home study program and earned a minimum 3.0 grade point average on the last 30 semester hours or 45 quarter hours at an accredited college or university.
• iv.   Maintain satisfactory academic progress as defined by the college or university.

13.   In order to be eligible, students must be enrolled as a degree-seeking student in an undergraduate program at a public colleges and universities in the South.
14.   Students must apply funding for each year, and may be revoked if the student is found to be no longer eligible. Students may reapply the following year after losing HOPE if they regain eligibility.
15.   The maximum lifetime benefit per student shall be the equivalent of 90% of 135 semester hours of in-region undergraduate tuition.

HOPE Grant
16.   The HOPE Grant shall provide eligible students with 90% of the in-region full-time tuition or its part-time equivalent at public colleges and technical schools in the South.
17.   Eligible students must meet the residency requirements in §11.i-ii, §11.iv-v, and be eligible to enroll as an in-region student at a public college or technical school in the South.
18.   Eligible students must possess a high school diploma, home study program, or GED recognized by the Department of Education. Students who have already completed a post-secondary degree are not eligible for the HOPE Grant.
19.   In order to be eligible, students must be enrolled in a certificate, diploma, degree, or apprenticeship program at a public college or technical school in the South.
20.   Students must apply funding for each year, and may be revoked if the student is found to be no longer eligible. Students may reapply the following year after losing HOPE if they regain eligibility.
21.   The maximum lifetime benefit per student shall be the equivalent of 90% of 66 semester hours of in-region tuition. This limit is separate from the one for the HOPE Scholarship described in §15.

HOPE GED Grant
22.   Students who meet the eligibility requirements for the HOPE Scholarship or HOPE Grant except for the academic requirements listed in §12 or §18 shall be eligible to receive a $500 grant to offset the cost of obtaining a GED if they enroll in an accredited college, university, or trade school within two years of obtaining it.
23.   The HOPE GED Grant does not count against the lifetime benefit limits described for the Hope Scholarship and Hope Grant in §15 and §18.

[President of the great nation of 🏳️‍⚧️]

Golfman's in.

[Terry the Fat Shark]

Welcome Legislator Golfman!

[Santander]

I call for a vote of no confidence in the Speaker.

[Anna Komnene]

Have at it.

[Anna Komnene]

I'm seconding your motion because I really don't care if this vote happens or not.  Feel free to tell me exactly what you want us to be voting on and what the options are in the vote, and I will officially start it.

[Santander]

I request permission to withdraw my previous motion.

[Terry the Fat Shark]

The Body Camera Act of 2016
1. Establishes that all police officers employed within the southern region of Atlasia must wear body cameras at all times to record their actives while on duty.
2. Establishes that local police departments will pay for the body cameras, in general, but that 2% of the budget shall be allocated to pay for body cameras for departments where this is not possible.
3. Establishes that any police officer who purposefully destroys their body cameras due to wrongdoing will face obstruction of justice and tampering with evidence charges.
4. Establishes that any criminal who purposefully destroys an officer's body camera due to wrongdoing will face obstruction of justice and tampering with evidence charges.
5. Establishes that any police department who does not purchase and implement body cameras within 1 year of this law's passage will pay a $5,000 fine every year in which the cameras are not in place.
6. Establishes that police departments have the right to set their own standards on punishment for individual officers who do not follow this law's guidelines.
7. Establishes that police officer body cameras can be used as evidence in any case which involves the police officer in question
8. Establishes that while the body camera is evidence in a case, and only while the body camera is evidence in a case, the police officer does not have to be equipped with a body camera.
9. Establishes that police officers do not have to wear their body cameras while off duty, but may do so if they wish. 

[Santander]

Student Religious Liberties Act
An Act to provide for the voluntary free expression of religious viewpoints in public schools.

Student expression
1.   Public school districts shall not discriminate against students or parents on the basis of their religious viewpoints or expressions of religion.
2.   Students may wear clothing, accessories and jewelry that display religious messages or symbols in the same manner and to the same extent that other types of clothing, accessories and jewelry that display messages or symbols are permitted.

Religious expression in class assignments
3.   Students may express their beliefs about their religion in their class assignments, discussions, and artwork free of discrimination based on the religious content of their submissions. Such work must be evaluated by ordinary academic standards of substance and relevance.
4.   If assignments or artwork containing religious viewpoints are shown or made available to parents, the community, or the general public, it must be accompanied with a disclaimer that the viewpoints expressed are those of the student and are not endorsed by the school district.

Freedom to organize religious groups and activities
5.   Students in public schools may pray or engage in religious activities or religious expression before, during and after the school day in the same manner and to the same extent that students may engage in secular student-led activities or expression.
6.   Students may organize prayer groups, religious clubs, “see you at the pole” gatherings, or other religious gatherings before, during, and after school to the same extent that students may organize or participate in other extracurricular gatherings and groups. Religious groups must be granted the same access to school facilities as other student extracurricular groups.
7.   Student-led religious groups or organizations may invite outside guests, such as clergy, religious leaders or parents, to speak, teach, or lead prayers at group meetings. Invited guests must be approved by school administration, pass a school district-approved background check, and not teach or endorse any viewpoints that are contrary to the law or school district curriculum. Guests may not be paid or materially reimbursed in any way by the school district, parent association, or student association.

Religious expression in public forums
8.   Students who speak in public forums such as assemblies, morning announcements, graduation ceremonies, and sporting events shall be free to express their religious viewpoints to the extent that secular viewpoints would be permitted. Students who speak in such forums shall be selected based on neutral criteria. School districts and individual schools are free to establish time limits and other restrictions that do not infringe student expression.
9.   School administrators must provide disclaimers that student viewpoints are those of the student and are not endorsed by the school district through all relevant channels, including but not limited to oral announcement and written disclaimers in in the event program.

Application
10.   This act is not intended to, nor shall it be construed to, authorize this region or any of its political or administrative subdivisions to:

• a.   Require any person to participate in prayer or other religious activities.
• b.   Violate the constitutional rights of any person.

11.   This act is not intended to, nor shall it be construed to, limit the authority of any public school to:

• a.   Maintain order and discipline on the campus of the public school in a content and viewpoint neutral manner.
• b.   Protect the safety of students, employees, and visitors of the public school.
• c.   Adopt and enforce policies and procedures regarding student speech at school, provided that the policies and procedures do not violate the rights of students as guaranteed by the Atlasia and South constitutions and laws.

[Santander]

Universal Justice Act
An Act guaranteeing constitutional application of family law in the South

Definitions
1.   “Foreign court” means any court, tribunal, administrative adjudicator, or arbitrator outside of Atlasia.
2.   “Foreign judgment” means a judgment issued by a foreign court.
3.   “Foreign law” means a law, rule, statute, custom, or legal code of a jurisdiction outside of Atlasia.
4.   “Family law” means a law, rule, statute, custom, or legal code involving the marriage relationship, the parent-child relationship, adoption, surrogacy, or child abuse.
5.   For the purposes of this Act, the application of a law is contrary to the public policy of this region if application of the law would:

• a.   Violate a fundamental right guaranteed by the Constitution of Atlasia;
• b.   Violate a fundamental right guaranteed by the constitution of this region;
• c.   Violate good morals or natural justice; or
• d.   Be prejudicial to the general interests of the citizens of this region.

Prohibition Against Enforcement of Certain Foreign Judgments
6.   A court of this state may not enforce a foreign judgment involving family law if the court finds that the foreign court’s application of foreign law to the dispute was contrary to the public policy of this region.
7.   A court of this state may not enforce an arbitration decision involving family law if the court finds that the arbitrator’s application of foreign law to the dispute was contrary to the public policy of this region.
8.   A court of this state may not apply foreign law involving family law if the court finds that application of the foreign law to the dispute would be contrary to the public policy of this region.

Choice of Foreign Law or Forum in Contract
9.   A contract provision involving family law providing that a foreign law is to govern a dispute arising under the contract is void to the extent that the application of the foreign law to the dispute would be contrary to the public policy of this region.
10.   A contract provision involving family law providing that the forum to resolve a dispute arising under the contract is located outside of Atlasia is void if the foreign law that would be applied to the dispute in that forum would, as applied, be contrary to the public policy of this region.

Forum Non Conveniens
11.   A court of this state that has jurisdiction to adjudicate a suit affecting family law may not decline jurisdiction because a foreign court is a more convenient forum if the foreign court would apply foreign law to the dispute that, as applied, would be contrary to the public policy of this region.

Application
12.   This Act does not apply to a corporation or other legal entity that contracts to subject the entity to foreign law.
13.   This Act does not alter, prohibit, or abolish established Atlasian legal practices or statutes, nor does it restrict usage of American, English, or other common law precedents in court judgements.
14.   This Act does not exempt individuals, entities, or governments in the South from treaties established between regions, sovereign nations or supranational organizations, except as they relate to family law.

[Anna Komnene]

Respecting and Preserving Native Atlasian Culture Act

Section 1: Facilitating the Restoration of Sacred Objects to Native Atlasian Tribes
1. Individuals are eligible to receive a tax deduction for 100 percent of the fair market value of a Sacred Object furnished to an Native Atlasian tribe.
2. Individuals may receive compensation from the tribe in an amount equal to the fair market value of the Sacred Object minus the value of the regional tax deduction.
3. Compensation received by individuals from the tribe shall not qualify as “income” for tax purposes.

Section 2: Preserving Native Atlasian History
1. $10 million shall be allocated annually to the Native Atlasian Cultural Center and Museum in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.
2. This funding shall be used by the museum in order to complete construction, maintain the facility, acquire artifacts or items for exhibits, and/or provide educational opportunities at the museum.

Section 3: Protecting Native Atlasian Sacred Lands
1. The Governor shall have the power to declare regional monuments for the purpose of protecting and preserving Native Atlasian Sacred Lands or cultural landmarks.

Section 4: Rehabilitating Native Atlasian Languages
1. Recognizing the importance of languages for the preservation of Native Atlasian culture and history, the Southern Region shall make three-year educational grants available to eligible Native Atlasian language nests and survival schools.
2. An eligible language nest shall meet the following criteria:
a. Provide instruction and child care through the use of a Native Atlasian language for at least 10 children under the age of seven for an average of at least 500 hours per year per student.
b. Provide classes in the language for the parents of such students.
c. Use the language as the dominant medium of instruction in the nest.
3. An eligible survival school shall meet the following criteria:
a. Provide an average of at least 500 hours of instruction per year per student through the use of at least one Native Atlasian language for at least 15 students for whom the school is their principal school.
b. Develop instructional courses and materials that service the goal of making all students fluent in such a language and proficient in mathematics, reading, and science.
c. Be located in areas having high concentrations of Native Atlasian students.

Section 5: Celebrating Human Dignity in Historical Perspective
1. The Southern Region does not recognize Columbus Day as a regional holiday.
2. This day shall instead be called "Bartolomé Day" after Bartolomé de las Casas.

[Terry the Fat Shark]

Open Carry is Legal Act of 2016

1. Beginning September 1, 2016 all citizens in the Southern Region who legally own a firearm are able to carry the firearm in public without any other permit other than a normal gun permit.

2. The law only applies to rifles, handguns, long guns and pistols.

Sponsored by dfwlibertylover on behalf of Atlasian Representative Classic Conservative

[Terry the Fat Shark]

Open Carry is Legal Act of 2016

1. Beginning September 11, 2016 all citizens in the Southern Region who legally own a firearm are able to carry the firearm in public without any other permit other than a normal gun permit.

2. The law only applies to rifles, handguns, long guns and pistols.

[Deblano]

As of today, I, EdgarAllenYOLO, have been appointed by South Governor PiT to fill the vacant seat in the South Chamber of Delegates. As a native of Virginia, I will be representing the newly created "United Alternative" Party.

I pledge to be a good steward and representative of South Atlasia.

[President of the great nation of 🏳️‍⚧️]

Welcome Edgar!  Feel free to propose any bills you might be thinking of.

[Santander]

Government Reducing Effect on Environment and Nature (GREEN) Act
An Act to reduce the cost and environmental impact of government activities in the South.

Scope
1.   This Act is intended to regulate the environmental impact of government activities in the South, including regional, state, county and local governments.
2.   This Act does not regulate federal government activities in the South region.
3.   This Act does not regulate the activities of police, public safety, homeland security or emergency management agencies.
4.   For the purposes of this Act, government departments and agencies (Agencies) are defined as any wholly public entity in the South with the exceptions of those listed above.

Procurement
5.   Agencies that solicit Requests for Proposal (RFP) or Requests for Quotation (RFQ) shall require the supplier to provide an environmental impact assessment with their bid. Preliminary inquiries or Requests for Information (RFI) shall not require such assessments.
6.   Agencies shall take environmental impact into consideration during the procurement process. Documentation regarding the decision-making process shall be subject to audit by the office of the Regional Auditor.

Energy
7.   Agencies shall take greenhouse gas emissions into consideration when selecting or developing energy sources.

Environmental Impact
8.   Agencies shall develop environmental policies including but not limited to recycling, waste reduction, paper reduction, water management and energy conservation.
9.   Agencies shall be required to evaluate the efficacy of their environmental policies at least once per fiscal year.

Reporting
10.   Agencies shall be required to report on the environmental impact of their operations at least once per fiscal year.

[Deblano]

Southern Workfare Act of 2016
Section 1: Establishment

     1. The Southern Workfare Administration (SWA) will be instituted to advance job training for citizens of the South in need.

     2. SWA offices will be established in every Southern city with a population of at least 100,000.

     3. $X billion shall be allocated for SWA payroll and operations.

Section 2: Employment

     1. All able-bodied welfare recipients who are currently employed not more than 20 hours per week will be referred to temporary employment with the SWA, effective September 1, 2016. These persons will hereafter be referred to as "workfare employees".

     2. Workfare employees shall be employed in performing tasks serving their community, local government, or regional government.
          a. Tasks made available for workfare employees shall be decided by the individual SWA offices.
          b. Individual SWA offices will be responsible for making reasonable assurances of continuing and stable availability of work throughout the year.

     3. Workfare employees will be required to report to an SWA office of their choice to receive assignments, report assignments as completed, and turn in timesheets for completed work.
          a. Workfare employees may apply for remote assignment if it would cause undue hardship to travel to an SWA office.
          b. Workfare employees may be required to travel to an SWA office while working on an ongoing assignment, for updates or career workshops. The SWA office shall provide at least two weeks advance notice in such case.

     4. Workfare employees shall be required to complete at least one career workshop per calendar quarter.
          a. Career workshop timings and topics will be determined by the individual SWA offices, but all must pertain to gaining work skills and competencies useful for finding long-term employment.
          b. Each SWA office must offer at least six career workshops per calendar quarter.
          c. A calendar quarter shall be defined as one of four sets of three months in the calendar year, those being January-February-March, April-May-June, July-August-September, and October-November-December.

     5. Workfare employees shall be required to work at least 10 hours per week, if otherwise employed, and at least 20 hours per week if otherwise unemployed.

     6. At such time that a workfare employee ceases to be eligible for welfare, that employee will be terminated from the workfare program.

Section 3: Pay and Benefits

     1. Workfare employees will start at the minimum wage level, as if effective in the Southern region.
          a. Opportunities for overtime will be made available to workfare employees, if the combined time they work in a week at their workfare position and any other position exceeds 40 hours.
          b. Workfare employees will have an opportunity to gain merit raises at least once every six months.

     2. Paychecks will be issued every other Friday, starting the third Friday from the time the workfare employee begins work in the program.

     3. Money earned through workfare, up to the amount of the workfare employee's customary welfare payment, will be debited from the welfare payout for the workfare employee.

     4. Current workfare employees and workfare employees who ceased working with the SWA program in the last 36 calendar months shall be given preference when applying for civil service positions.

[Anna Komnene]

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[Terry the Fat Shark]

Well, it appears I have been elected to the House (although no certification for sure yet),  so if true I would like to say it has been a honor to work with y'all and I hope the South continues to work hard to pass legislation which will benefit the South and all of it's citizens!

[Santander]

Virginia Dare Day Act
An Act to commemorate Southern history.

1. August 17 of each year shall be recognized in the South as Virginia Dare Day, commemorating the birth of American and Atlasian icon Virginia Dare on August 18, 1587.

[MyRescueKittehRocks]

Opening nominations for the Speaker of the Southern Chamber of Delegates unless a more senior member would like this honor.

[Associate Justice PiT]

Opening nominations for the Speaker of the Southern Chamber of Delegates unless a more senior member would like this honor.

     Thank you for doing this, Delegate JCL.

[Santander]

I nominate JCL.

[MyRescueKittehRocks]

Nominations for speaker will be kept open for another 10 hours. Afterwards if another person is nominated we will hold a 24 hr vote.