The White House

[Ebowed]

Executive Order to Establish GiftAid

1. The GiftAid program is hereby formed, as part of the Department of State.
2. Citizens and Atlasian-based charities will be able to contribute any monetary amount they wish to go towards foreign aid programs in the Department of State; these contributions will not be eligible for taxation.
3. The government will pledge 1 cent to this effort for every dollar that is donated.
4. Governmental money used to match contributions will come from the money saved by F.L. 10-4, Foreign Aid Reduction Act.

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The following proposal, written by Cosmo Kramer and edited by myself, will establish uniform rules for the appointment, confirmation, removal, and roles of the Game Moderators.  This is a matter that we feel should be best kept out of the law and constitution, but these uniform rules will provide a reference for future administrations and game moderators.  I'll leave this here for a period of 24 hours where any debate and changes or suggestions can be proposed, and then we may hold a vote on the resolution.


A Resolution to create a code for the management of all game functions in Atlasia.

The Game Management Board (GMB) shall hold the full power in defining the nature of the reality of the world in which Atlasia exists, dictating over all scenarios of occurance within and outside of Atlasia, projecting economic conditions, representing all foreign powers in the world, representing segments of the Atlasian public and people of the world in general, among other duties falling within this area.

The GMB shall consist of three members, or Game Managers.  Each member shall be appointed by the President of Atlasia, and to be confirmed, two-thirds of those registered voters casting ballots must vote in favor of the appointment, the confirmation being valid if that vote lasts for 72 hours and at least one-third of citizens vote.  All ballots must be by public post.  This confirmation poll should be administered by the Chief Justice, or in his absence, the Vice President, and finally, in his absense, the Dean of the Senate.  No one may hold Atlasian office, federal or regional, while serving as GM and no former GM can hold elected office for four weeks after they have stopped serving as GM, nor may they announce candidacy for office while holding the position of GM.

A Game Manager is considered to be holding said job immediately upon the confirmation of the result that he has been confirmed with a sufficient number of votes by the presiding officer administering the voting booth.

A Game Manager can be removed if eight citizens sign a petition calling for his removal, or if the President requests that a vote be held on the subject of removal.  A vote under the condititions stipulated above will be held.  Alternatively, should a GM be convicted of treason against Atlasia for any action deemed worthy of said sentencing, they will cease to be a GM upon the handing down of the sentence.

The decisions of the GMB shall be indisputable and uncontested.  Each GM shall have the power to make decisions without consulting the other GMs; however, two GMs can veto the decision of one if there is a conflict.

The ratification of this code shall occur with two-thirds of those registered voters casting ballots voting in favor of the adoption of this code under previously stipulated conditions.  This document may be may be amended with the petition of such an amendment signed by either four citizens or the President; a vote under the same conditions will be administered on whether to adopt the proposed changes.  This code shall take effect one month after it has been certified as ratified in order to allow for a transition period.

It is so resolved.

[Ebowed]

OFFICIAL PRESIDENTIAL AGENDA FOR THE FOURTEENTH SENATE SESSION
A weekly sample of legislative proposals for the Senate to consider

Copyright Reform Bill

1. Copyrights shall not extend beyond the life of the work's author, or 25 years in case of a corporate authorship.
2. Existent copyrights shall either be removed if they do not meet the demands of this bill, or reduced accordingly.


Wage Enforcement Bill

1. This bill will only apply in the District of Columbia and in federal territories which do not form part of any region.
2. The minimum wage shall be set at $7.20 per hour.
3. The federal territory minimum wage shall be indexed annually to the Consumer Pricing Index (CPI).
4. Any employer found to be paying any of his employees below the minimum wage shall be sentenced to a prison term of up to five years, depending on the severity of the offense, and/or a fine of up to $10,000.


Consolidated Criminal Justice Bill

Introduction
Whereas previous Criminal Justice statutes contain references to obsolete Law and have become out of date, and whereas some statutes are not entirely discursive of their subject matter, the Senate resolves to update and consolidate existing Criminal Justice Law.

Section 1: Crimes against Atlasia
The following shall be crimes against Atlasia:
1. The impersonation, or attempted impersonation, of another Atlas Forum member on the Atlas Forum.
2. The "hacking" or taking over control of another Atlas Forum members personal account without their permission.
3. Voter fraud, defined as the creation of identities other than ones primary identity in Atlasia and subsequently entering this identity into the tally of registered voters.
4. Posting pictures, other media, or links to the same of a pornographic nature on the boards provided for the purposes of Atlas Fantasy Elections.
5. Maliciously editing the AtlasWiki to remove legitimate content or create off-topic pages.
6. Posting threads on the boards provided for the purposes of Atlas Fantasy Elections 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 1 through 3 of Section 1:
          i. Up to a one year ban from voting in any Atlasian elections.
          ii. Up to two years ban from holding any office under the Republic of Atlasia.
2. For offences described in Clauses 4 through 6 of Section 1:
          i. Up to a two month ban from voting in any Atlasian elections.

Section 3: Acts of Treason
The following acts are hereby declared Acts of Treason:
1. Rebellion, defined as the use of military forces to overthrow the Federal or any Regional government of Atlasia.
2. Aiding of a rebellion, defined as the fully knowing and intentional direction of funds, military aid, or strategic advice to a person or group seeking to engage in rebellion.
3. Terrorism, defined as the unlawful or threatened use of force or violence by a person or an organized group against people or property with the intention of intimidating civilians and/or the federal and/or regional governments of Atlasia.
4. Destruction of a Voting Booth, defined as deleting the thread in which a voting booth, or absentee voting booth, for an active election is contained.

Section 4: Punishment of Acts of Treason
Sentencing of Acts 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:
1. Up to a lifetime ban from voting in any Atlasian elections.
2. Up to a lifetime ban from holding any office under the Republic of Atlasia.

Section 5: Trial Rules
Trial of all these crimes and Acts of Treason shall be done in full compliance with the provisions of Article III, Section 2 of the Second Constitution.

Section 6: Admissibility of Evidence
The presiding Justice may admit the following as evidence of the crime at his own discretion:
1. The actual statements made on the Atlas Forum itself
2. Screenshots of the statements made.
3. A quotation of the statement in a post by another Atlas Forum user.
4. The testimony of forum users who viewed the statement itself.
5. 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.
6. Evidence obtained through investigation of the IP address from which the offence was perpetrated.
7. Evidence given to the Court by the Forum Moderators or the Forum Owner, Dave Leip obtained in their capacity in that position.

Section 7: Rights of the Defendant at Trial
1. The defendant shall not be denied access to adequate legal counsel in the form of an upstanding, active citizen of Atlasia. The defendant also has the right to waive their right to legal counsel. If the defendant requests legal counsel, but is unable to secure his own adequate legal counsel according to the stipulations above, the presiding Justice shall request the chief judicial officer of the Region which said Defendant resides in, to serve as legal counsel to represent the defense. The chief judicial officer of the Region shall have the right to refuse such a request.
2. If there is no chief judicial officer of said Region or if the chief judicial officer refuses this request, the Senior Senator of the Region shall be appointed as chief legal counsel, or if there is no Regional senator, the Senior Senator of the District in which Defendant resides in shall be appointed as chief legal counsel. If the Senior Senator of the Region or District, as stated above, and the Defendant are the same person, then the Junior Senator of the Region shall be appointed as chief legal counselor, or if there is no Regional senator, the Junior Senator of the District in which Defendant resides in shall be appointed as chief legal counsel.
3. For this clause, active citizen is defined as someone who voted in the last federal election and upstanding citizen is defined as someone who is presently, or who has previously, held elected office in Atlasia.
4. The defendant shall have the right to a speedy trial as defined in Article III, Section 2. In addition to this provision, the following section will be used as definition of a speedy trial:
          i. If a brief by the Plaintiff is not filed within one week (7 days) of the presiding Justice opening the trial against the defendant, the case will be dismissed and all charges will be dropped.
          ii. A one week (7 days) leniency period may be granted by the presiding Justice by request of the Plaintiff, but any further delays may not be granted by the presiding Justice, except in the case of grave illness or publicly announced absence from the forum.

Section 8: Right to Appeal
In addition to any Rights of Appeal the Supreme Court may find under the Constitution, the defendant retains the following statutory rights of appeal against their conviction:
1. Procedural Appeals
          i. Should the defendant wish to appeal his conviction on grounds of errors of procedure during the trial, he may do so to the full Supreme Court provided the appeal is filed within one month of conclusion of the trial.
          ii. If the Supreme Court does find errors of procedure in the trial, vacation of the conviction shall not be automatic, but at the discretion of the Supreme Court.
2. Substantive Appeals
          i. Should new evidence come to light, the defendant may appeal his conviction to the Supreme Court on the grounds that the evidence no longer supports his conviction or severity of his sentence.
          ii. In reviewing the appeal, the Supreme Court may refer the question of guilt to a new jury in a new trial (without vacating the original conviction).
          iii. The Supreme Court may also reduce the sentence if it determines that the severity of the offence is reduced in light of the new evidence.

Section 9: Repealed Legislation
The following Acts are repealed: Voter Fraud Act, Omnibus Criminal Law Act, and Treasonous Rebellion Act.


Tax Increase Bill

1. All income up to $500,000 shall be subject to social security taxes.
2. Clause 5 of F.L. 11-6, National Sin Tax Act, is amended to read: "The taxes implemented by this act are an addition to, not an overriding of, any existing federal and regional taxes that are placed on the aforementioned products."
3. An estate tax is established. Each portion of the value of the estate shall be taxed at the following rates, with each rate corresponding to the tax rate on only the portion of the estate that falls in the appointed range:
a) $0-$5,000,000 – 0%
b) $5,000,001-$10,000,000 – 3%
c) $10,000,001-$17,500,000 – 4%
d) $17,500,001-$25,000,000 – 5%
e) $25,000,001-$50,000,000 – 7.5%
f) $50,000,001-$100,000,000 – 10%
g) $100,000,001 and above – 12.5%


Writing help on various legislation is credited to Peter Bell, Bono, Cosmo Kramer, Emsworth, True Democrat

[Ebowed]

OFFICIAL PRESIDENTIAL AGENDA FOR THE FOURTEENTH SENATE SESSION
A weekly sample of legislative proposals for the Senate to consider

(Part 2; 10,000 character limit was exceeded)

Child Labor Restriction Bill

Section 1: Applicability
1. This statute shall only apply in the District of Columbia and in federal territories which do not form part of any region.

Section 2: Definitions
1. The following definitions shall apply throughout this statute:
a.) A "school day" is defined as a day that contains more than two hours of classroom instruction.
b.) A "school week" is defined as any week (beginning noon Sunday) that contains two or more school days.
c.) "Work" is defined as receiving financial compensation for services rendered.

Section 3: Minors aged 15 to 17
1. Minors aged fifteen to seventeen years may not:
a.) Work more than 40 hours in a non-school week, and no more than 20 hours in a school week.
b.) Work more than 8 hours in a non-school day, and no more than 4 hours in a school day.
c.) Work more than 6 days in a non-school week, and no more than 4 days in a school week.

Section 4: Children aged less than 15
1. Employment of children aged less than fifteen years is prohibited, except those over the age of 13 years, who may work only as a newspaper carrier, and for no more than 10 hours in a week.

Section 5: Hours of Work
1. Employment of any person under the age of eighteen years between the hours of midnight and 6 a.m. is prohibited.

Section 6: Type of Employment
1. Employment of minors in any place that sells alcohol, except a supermarket or other general provisions store, is prohibited.
2. Employment of minors in work that requires the use of heavy machinery is prohibited.
3. The Secretary of the Treasury may additionally prohibit employment of minors in certain jobs that it considers hazardous as he or she finds necessary.

Section 7: Penalties
1. Any employer in violation of Sections 3, 5 or 6 shall be fined between $500 and $1000 for each infraction.
2. Any employer in violation of Section 4 shall be fined between $2000 and $10000 for each infraction.

Section 8: Exemptions
1. Parents may employ their own children to work in the home or at the place of their own business, except in prohibited types of employment specified in Section 6.


Writing help on various legislation is credited to Peter Bell, Bono, Cosmo Kramer, Emsworth, True Democrat

[Ebowed]

Just to be clear- the confirmation hearings for Preston and Bono will continue as scheduled, and JerusalemCar5 and EarlAW are NOT fired from the Senate or from the Game Moderatorship.

Any more complaining will be ignored.

[Ebowed]

Is True Dem a GM too though?

He's still allowed to write stories for the Midgard Wire Services I think, foreign policy events or whatever.

[Ebowed]

OK, this GM situation is obviously problematic.  Two organizations are spouting back at each other that the other is wrong.  Let's get back to real news, shall we?

* True Democrat's Midgard Wire Service is restricted to events concerning foreign policy and developments concerning trade with Atlasia.
* I ask anyone currently with GM powers to follow a courtesy code not to directly attack or implicate into an unreasonable crime any single person, party, or organization.  Future violators of this code will be subject to possible punishment.
* I am not recognizing the following news stories by AWN as official or relevant: "Ebowed trying to form dictatorship?", "Southeast Governor killed in duel with the President", an untitled article by Jerusalemcar5 posted on July 14, 2006 at 08:40:35 pm EDT, and "Video proves that JCar didnt kill Harry."  All stories posted by the Midgard Wire Service between July 14, 2006 and today are also not recognized.  My reason for this is that this is the only way to completely end the "news war" currently occurring.  The news organizations may get back to announcing the death of Senators and telling me that large sections of the industries are protesting my trade policies.

[Ebowed]

The following treaty, pioneered and written by Fmr. Vice President Supersoulty on behalf of the Ebowed/Q administration, in consultation with Prime Minster Tony Blair (UK), Chancellor Angela Merkel (Germany), Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi (Japan), Prime Minister John Howard (Australia), President Álvaro Uribe Vélez (Colombia), President Thabo Mbeki (South Africa), President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva (Brazil), and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh (India), will be the beginning of a new international force dedicated to human rights and fighting terrorism.  This will not be an abolition of the United Nations or a moving away from it of any sort on behalf of Atlasia, but rather the formation of a tighter-knit organization that will have this treaty as its guideline.

Keep reading here...

(Credit to htmldon for the GTO logo.)

[Ebowed]

For immediate release, a legislative proposal for Atlasia to enter into the Global Treaty Organization.

Global Treaty Organization Bill

1. The Senate hereby approves the Global Treaty Organization formation treaty entered into on July 17, 2006 with the Governments of Australia, Brazil, Colombia, Germany, India, Japan, South Africa, and the United Kingdom.
2. The President and other officers of the Atlasian Government shall take such actions, and enforce such regulations, as may be necessary to implement the provisions of the treaty.
3. This Act shall have effect only with respect to those countries which have ratified or approved the treaty, and which continue to comply with its provisions.

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It has come to my attention that disagreements between our two GM news sources are continuing.  Therefore I establish the position of Veto Moderator, or VM.  If the two sources are having a disagreement or contradiction, they shall post the conflicting articles in a thread directed to the VM, who will then decide which article is correct.  The "loser" article will be immediately considered retracted unless the VM gives more specific directions (i.e. if his decision only pertains to a certain sentence or paragraph).

Anyone interested in this position should PM me.

Edit: the position has been given to Akno21.

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No new legislative proposal agenda this week; giving the Senate a chance to catch up.

[Ebowed]

To replace Cosmo Kramer, I am nominating Boss Tweed to serve as Attorney General.

[Ebowed]

Sorry for my absence.  I've had a busy last few days.

To replace Peter Bell, I am nominating Lewis Trondheim to serve as Secretary of Forum Affairs.

[Ebowed]

As of yesterday I'm on vacation for a week and a half.  I should be around a bit, but not as much as usual obviously, so if some action requires me and I'm a couple days late don't fret.  If you need to reach me about something send a PM or email.

[Ebowed]

I'm back, new VP announcement in a couple days.  Earl and the Atlasian News Network are hereby fired from the GM slot; however, I do not have a replacement as of yet.  Anyone interested in being Game Moderator, please PM me.

[Ebowed]

VP Announcement

I am pleased to announce that I am nominating TCash101 to be the new Vice-President.  As a former Governor and Chief Justice, TCash101 has showed himself to be an able and competent public servant.  I am confident in his abilities to stay active in the role and, should he be confirmed, will be glad to have him by my side as my Presidency ends and as Atlasia chooses its next leader.

[Ebowed]

Bono is hereby appointed as GM.

A replacement Secretary of the Treasury will be announced as soon as possible.

[Ebowed]

I am appointing True Democrat and Boss Tweed to serve on the Atlasia Revitalization Committee.

[Ebowed]

First, I'd like to thank Emsworth for his service to the Atlasian Supreme Court for the last almost year.  Today I am announcing that Senior Associate Justice Colin Wixted is being elevated to Chief Justice.  I trust that his work on the court in the last several months is grounds enough for the Senate to confirm his nomination.  A replacement Associate Justice will be announced shortly.

[Ebowed]

Under new laws pertaining to the make-up of the cabinet, the Departments of Defense and State have been combined into a new Department of External Affairs.  I am therefore nominating Sec. of State Afleitch to serve as the Secretary of External Affairs.

[Ebowed]

For the new vacancy for Junior Associate Justice on the Supreme Court, I hereby nominate opebo.  I trust fully in his abilities to serve as an impartial member of the court and urge the Senate to confirm him.