SB 2017-106: Congressional Procedure Amendment (Passed)

[Associate Justice PiT]

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Sponsor: Scott

     I hereby open the floor for debate.

[The world will shine with light in our nightmare]

I authored this amendment after a dispute regarding how houses of Congress act on rejected legislation that had been amended by the other chamber.  The status quo dictates that a chamber automatically have a revote on bills prior to that chamber's amendments.  This, to me, makes little practical sense.  If one house of Congress felt that amending a bill was necessary, why should it be required by the Constitution to hold a revote on the unamended version?  This amendment to our Constitution changes this process.

Should this amendment reach ratification, I will introduce subsequent legislation amending the rules of the Senate to reflect this change.

[Associate Justice PiT]

     I like this, but I wonder if we should include a mechanism to permit exceptions. It happened in this case that the original Amendment was fundamentally broken. I could see an instance arising where a bill is acceptable to the Senate, but the Senate then amends it into a version that the House deems unacceptable.

[The world will shine with light in our nightmare]

     I like this, but I wonder if we should include a mechanism to permit exceptions. It happened in this case that the original Amendment was fundamentally broken. I could see an instance arising where a bill is acceptable to the Senate, but the Senate then amends it into a version that the House deems unacceptable.

Do you have any type of mechanism in mind?

[Southern Senator North Carolina Yankee]

I agree with PiT.


I think there should also be an exception that opens the door back up for conference committees. I think that would be a much easier way to handle the complex projects like Healthcare (considering all the other difficulties and roadblocks we have so far experienced) then to have it got locked into this auto-pilot system where it could be bounced around and killed.

Now that being said, there are elements of this auto-pilot system that I like, especially since it helps provide a tangible action for the VP that is coded into the constitution and there is nothing requiring a future VP to continue with the signing of bills passing both chambers like Goldwater has been doing, so I am always mindful of regressing. On that note, we should also be mindful of trying to make this transformation of an active VP, a long lasting situation.

The rules changes help, but I would note the last time we had a good run of good VPs (4/5 active between March 2013-July 2014) and we ended up with the rules involving the VP being gutted "in the name of simplicity" (whispers: also partisan/personal animous towards Windjammer).

[Associate Justice PiT]

     I will be offering an amendment to implement a mechanism here. I don't know that it is the best possible mechanism for us to be using, but hopefully we can get the ball rolling with an idea here:

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     This way, we can re-vote on the original version, but instead of being automatic it will have to be something that there is support in the Senate for. How does Senator Scott respond?

[The world will shine with light in our nightmare]

The amendment is friendly.

[Associate Justice PiT]

     Senators have 24 hours to object.

[Associate Justice PiT]

     The amendment is adopted.

[Associate Justice PiT]

     If there are no more comments, I can bring this to a final vote in 24 hours.

[Associate Justice PiT]

     A final vote is now open on this amendment. Please vote aye, nay, or abstain.

[The world will shine with light in our nightmare]

Aye.

[Chief Justice Keef]

AYE.

[Associate Justice PiT]

     Aye

[Grumpier Than Thou]

Aye

[Donerail]

Aye

[Associate Justice PiT]

     I forgot, but since Senator Ted Bessell deregistered, there are only five of us now, so this bill is finished.

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Atlasian Senate
Passed 5-0 in the Atlasian Senate assembled
Be it resolved, X Senator PiT, PPT