Legislation Introduction Thread

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A BILL

For providing an area of Freedom, Security, Justice, and a single market where competition is free and undistorted, for establishing uniform laws on the subjects of Contracts and Incorporation, for regulating commerce with foreign nations, laying and collecting taxes, and other purposes in keeping with the principles outlined in the Third Constitution of Atlasia’s preamble and the Article VI rights of citizens to organize for the purpose of collective bargaining and to be free of the institution of slavery.

Be it enacted by the Senate of the Republic of Atlasia assembled.

SECTION I - TITLE

This bill may be cited as the "Economic Democratization Act."


SECTION II - DESCRIPTION

An act to establish workplace democracy, discourage authoritarian management of firms, incentivize excellence in labor, and enhance access to livable wages for the people of Atlasia.


SECTION III - PROVISIONS

(a) - All firms with twenty (20) or more employees shall either make decisions pertinent to their operations via a collective process of direct democracy, or hold and abide by the results of a free and fair election at least once every five (5) years so that all business officers are selected by the workers who are to serve under their respective jurisdictions of leadership.

(b) - All firms with nineteen (19) or less employees, with the lone exception of businesses which are sole proprietorships, shall make all decisions pertinent to their operations via a collective process of direct democracy in which every one of its workers shall be eligible to partake.

(c) - Decisions rendered by the democratic institutions of firms shall be considered legally binding contracts so long as they conform to the law and each of the following principles:

• Employees are guaranteed freedoms of speech, assembly, exercise of religion, and the right to peaceably petition their business leaders.
  
  
• The right of an employee to lawfully pursue recourse for harms done upon them in the workplace shall not be infringed, or in any manner obstructed by, the firm.
  
  
• The private property of employees shall not be confiscated by the firm for any purpose.
  
  
• The firm shall not compel any employee to devote more than forty-eight (48) hours of time per week to work-related activities, or deprive employees of their health or dignity.
  
  
• The firm shall not compel any employee to allow another person, or group of persons entry to their private residence(s) for any purpose without the employee's explicit consent.
  
  
• The firm shall not seek to procure or take any action based on information concerning an employee without their consent, unless it is pertinent to his or her productivity.
  
  
• The firm shall not interfere with the right of each employee to choose whether or not to obtain, derive benefits from, or renounce union membership.
  
  
• The firm shall terminate no member’s employment on the basis of nationality, race or ethnicity, sex or gender, creed, age, sexual orientation, condition of health, or political affiliation - whether said affiliation pertains to matters within or outside of the workplace.
  
  

(d) - The ownership and limited liability of firms shall be apportioned to their respective employees in equal proportions with the exception of joint-stock companies, in which up to twenty percent (20%) of ownership may be held by external shareholders provided the remaining shares are owned in equal proportions by the workers who are members of said company.

(e) - Business profits shall be redistributed to the workers by each firm in a manner of their choosing via internal democratic institutions, with the total sum of monies awarded to the highest-compensated employee being no more than ten (10) times that awarded to the lowest-compensated employee.

(f) - Foreign firms with branches operating and/or permanent establishments based in the Atlasian republic shall conduct their business and make business-related decisions here in a manner consistent with all applicable stipulations outlined in Section III prior to this subsection, but shall not be compelled to adhere to these standards in their operations outside of Atlasian territorial jurisdiction.

(g) - The Department of Federal Elections shall be responsible for enacting and enforcing all regulations deemed necessary and proper to uphold the contents of this act.


SECTION IV - ENFORCEMENT

The Department of Federal Elections shall coordinate with law-enforcement agencies in the many Regions using monies appropriated in its budget to uphold the contents of this act, the expense of which shall be offset at least in part by a doubling of the corporate tax rate to be paid by, with a twenty percent (20%) minimum for, any firm found to be in violation of Section III, Subjections (a), (b), (d), (e), and/or (f) in a given fiscal year. Such an increase in corporate taxation shall also apply to all firms which fail to satisfactorily rectify violations of Section III, Subsection (c) within one (1) calendar year of receiving a citation for non-compliance. All firms in violation of this act for five (5) or more consecutive years are to pay corporate taxes at a rate three (3) times the regular rate, with a fifty percent (50%) minimum to be paid, until such a time as they have returned to a state of full compliance.


SECTION V - EFFECTIVENESS

This legislation shall take effect on January 1st, 2015.

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AN AMENDMENT

To establish justice, insure domestic tranquility, provide for the common defense, promote the general welfare, support equality, secure the blessings of liberty, and implement policies so as to progress in our eternal pursuit of a more perfect union.

Be it enacted by 2/3 of the Senate of the Republic of Atlasia assembled.

SECTION I - TITLE

This bill may be cited as the "Workers' Liberation Amendment."


SECTION II - PROVISIONS

(a) The clause in Article VI of the Constitution pertaining to slavery and involuntary servitude shall be amended to read, "Slavery or involuntary servitude is forbidden in Atlasia."

(b) The clause in Article VI of the Constitution pertaining to state compulsion of citizens to serve shall be amended to read, "No person under any circumstance shall be compelled against their will to labor in the service of the government of the Republic of Atlasia; and no person shall be required to serve in the armed forces of the Republic of Atlasia."

(c) The clause in Article VI of the Constitution pertaining to the right of employees to organize shall be amended to read, "Persons in employment shall have the right to organize for the purpose of collective bargaining."

(d) The clause in Article VI of the Constitution pertaining to the right of citizens to vote and run as candidates for office shall be amended to read, "No person of at least sixteen years of age shall be denied their right to vote or candidacy."  

(e) The clause in Article I, Section V of the Constitution pertaining to the Senate’s power to build and regulate infrastructure shall be amended to read, "To build or regulate the infrastructure needed for communication, energy, transportation, the common defense, and delivering clean water to the people."

(f) The clause in Article I, Section V of the Constitution pertaining to the Senate’s power to provide for systems of insurance and annuity shall be amended to read, "To provide for a uniform system of Social Insurance and Annuity for all who reside in the Republic of Atlasia."

(g) The clause in Article I, Section V of the Constitution pertaining to the Senate’s power to promote Comity between Nations shall be amended to read, "To promote Comity betwixt Nations by engaging in such activities with other Nations as are of mutual benefit to their peoples."

(h) A third section shall be added to Article VIII of the Constitution entitled, "Symbols of the Republic," which as its first statement shall read, "The official banner of the Republic of Atlasia shall be as follows:" and then in the space left immediately below display as an illustration this image. Below that shall be additional text which reads, "The national anthem of the Republic of Atlasia shall be The Internationale."

(i) Article VI of the Constitution shall be amended so that inserted after the first clause it shall read, "All Atlasian citizens are guaranteed as rights sufficient access to water, food, shelter, education, medical treatment, time for sleep and leisure, and healthful environs to preserve their liberties and facilitate their respective pursuits of happiness and satisfaction in life."

(j) Article VI of the Constitution shall be amended so that inserted after the last clause it shall read, "Citizens of Atlasia shall have the right to practice the customs of their people and preserve the heritage of their ancestors provided their acts in doing so do not infringe upon the several rights and liberties of other citizens enumerated in this Constitution."

(k) The Anti-Conscription Compromise Amendment shall henceforth be considered null and void.

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A RESOLUTION

For promoting Comity between Nations, regulating commerce with foreign nations, and providing the Senate with detailed . . . rules for parliamentary procedure.

Be it enacted by the Senate of the Republic of Atlasia assembled.

SECTION I - TITLE

This bill may be cited as the "Good Neighbor Resolution," or "GNR," for short.


SECTION II - DESCRIPTION

An Act to amend the OSPR, installing an institutional check against Senators whose proposed legislation threatens to unduly compromise the Freedom, Security, and/or Peace of Nations.


SECTION III - DECLARATION

Being that all states are made legitimate by their respective peoples according to their abilities to advance the common interest, and that common interest relies upon a delicate, yet ever-changing balance of power betwixt diversely-interested actors, the Senate of the Republic of Atlasia hereby declares that none among its number shall be permitted to vote on any legislation which is construed by its members to unreasonably imperil either the sovereignty reserved or general welfare sought by the whole of those persons residing in another country, other countries, or any extraterritorial jurisdiction in which the Senate wields no authority, except as necessitated for providing for the common defense.


SECTION IV - PROVISIONS

(a) Article 4, Section 1 - Subsection 11 of the OSPR, which reads, "For the purposes of Articles 3, 4 and 5, the original sponsor shall be defined as the Senator who introduced the legislation in the Legislation Introduction Thread," shall become Article 4, Section 1 - Subsection 12 of the OSPR.

(b) Filling its original place, the new Article 4, Section 1 - Subsection 11 of the OSPR shall read, "A Senator may at any time after a piece of legislation is introduced on the Senate floor, but prior to a final vote, declare its violation of sentiments expressed in Section III of the GNR. If another Senator opts to second this declaration the PPT is to suspend all debate for 48 hours, during which time the original sponsor must express hostility to the declaration, unilaterally withdraw the legislation, or unilaterally amend it in such a way as to resolve the violation. If the original sponsor does not act or fails to alleviate the GNR-pertinent concerns of the declaring Senators, the PPT shall immediately begin a 72 hour vote on the question of the legislation’s compliance to the resolution in question. The aforementioned legislation shall be tabled if at vote's end no fewer than 1/3 of all Senators say nay. Otherwise, debate on the legislation shall resume."

(c) Article 12, Section 1 of the OSPR shall be amended to read, "A Senator may motion for the expulsion of any other sitting Senator, provided the aforementioned Senator has not posted anything in the Senate for fourteen consecutive days and has not declared a leave of absence before, or has on at least one occasion introduced legislation to the Senate found by no fewer than 2/3 of its members to stand in violation of the Good Neighbor Resolution. This shall be done by founding a new thread in the Atlas Fantasy Government Board specifically motioning for expulsion of the aforementioned Senator. "


SECTION V - EFFECTIVENESS

The provisions listed herein shall take effect immediately upon passage of this resolution by the Senate.


OS Edit: All stricken text is to be omitted from the version of this bill to be debated on the Senate floor.