Northeast Assembly Thread

[cinyc]

By a vote of 8-0, the amendment to the SOAP passes.

Rep. Antonio V has now had 2 sponsored pieces of legislation on the Assembly floor this session.  Pursuant to Section 2(a) of the SOAP,  bills from Rep. Antonio V in that are in the queue will be skipped until legislation from members who have not had at least 2 pieces of legislation placed on the floor are considered. 

The next bill on the floor is:

Bill Frist Act
1) All testing on non-human vertebrate animals is hereby banned in the Northeast Region.
2) Violation of this ban shall result in up to five years in prison and up to one million dollars in fines.

Sponsor: Rep. Sewer Socialist

The question is whether the Amendment to the SOAP should be considered?

The ayes have it.

Debate on this bill will continue until at least 12:00 Noon Eastern on Thursday, January 21, 2010, unless the debate period is extended or shortened in accordance with the SOAP.

The Sponsor, Representative Sewer Socialist, has the floor.

[cinyc]

If you aren't there at the precise moment when it's required to open/close a vote, nobody would blame you. But since you are, you're supposed to respect what the SOAP provides.

And BTW, now that Moderate has voted, we can close it.

Actually, section 3(g) of the SOAP says:
"(g) The Lt. Governor shall certify the results of any vote within twenty-four (24) hours of the end of the voting period."

That allows the Lt. Governor or Speaker to begin the debate period at a time that he is sure to be available to promptly open the voting period at the end of the debate period - as required by Section 3(d).

[Antonio the Sixth]

Fair enough. Anyways, is what stated by section 2a) an authomatic process or is it upon your discretion ?

[Small Business Owner of Any Repute]

Let's move this one towards a swift death.

[Antonio the Sixth]

I'd prefer a bill regulating and limiting those experiments rather than banning them. The scientific progress needs experiments on animals, it's sad but it's necessary.

[Antonio the Sixth]

Here is the Amendment I propose :

Bill Frist Act
1) All testing on non-human vertebrate animals shall not be practiced without the approval of the direction of the research unit in which they are practiced.
2) Violation of section 1 shall result in up to six months in prison and up to fifty thousand dollars in fines.
3) No research structure shall proceed to more than ten testings on non-human vertebrate animals per year.
4) Research structures not respecting section 3 shall be fined of up to five hundred thousand dollar.

[Dr. Cynic]

Rep. Antonio, I'm afraid I don't understand your amendment one.

Are you saying that the companies that do the research would have to get permission from the large corporation they are testing for? Somehow that does seem kinda redundant. However, if I'm misunderstanding, please correct me.

[cinyc]

Fair enough. Anyways, is what stated by section 2a) an authomatic process or is it upon your discretion ?

It should be automatic, except for carryover bills that died on the floor in the last session - which we've traditionally treated as the first item on the floor after election of the Speaker.  I have spoken to the Lt. Governor, who agrees that the rule should be enforced.  Former Rep. Hamilton would have been subject to it had he not been first put on mod review, then banned.

You certainly can have someone else sponsor your bills by reposting them in the thread if you don't think we're going to get back to your legislation this session.

[Sewer]

Here is the Amendment I propose :

Bill Frist Act
1) All testing on non-human vertebrate animals shall not be practiced without the approval of the direction of the research unit in which they are practiced.
2) Violation of section 1 shall result in up to six months in prison and up to fifty thousand dollars in fines.
3) No research structure shall proceed to more than ten testings on non-human vertebrate animals per year.
4) Research structures not respecting section 3 shall be fined of up to five hundred thousand dollar.

Unfriendly Amendment!

[Antonio the Sixth]

Rep. Antonio, I'm afraid I don't understand your amendment one.

Are you saying that the companies that do the research would have to get permission from the large corporation they are testing for? Somehow that does seem kinda redundant. However, if I'm misunderstanding, please correct me.

It worths for public companies as well. Yes, administrators of labs will have the power to deny a scientist the right to execute testings on animals. However, the total number of experiments is set by this same law, and aims to prevent abuses.

Fair enough. Anyways, is what stated by section 2a) an authomatic process or is it upon your discretion ?

It should be automatic, except for carryover bills that died on the floor in the last session - which we've traditionally treated as the first item on the floor after election of the Speaker.  I have spoken to the Lt. Governor, who agrees that the rule should be enforced.  Former Rep. Hamilton would have been subject to it had he not been first put on mod review, then banned.

You certainly can have someone else sponsor your bills by reposting them in the thread if you don't think we're going to get back to your legislation this session.

Well, what if a rep. introduces less than 2 bills ? I guess we can proceed to my next bill as soon as we consider some of the bills that have already been proposed.

[cinyc]

Well, what if a rep. introduces less than 2 bills ? I guess we can proceed to my next bill as soon as we consider some of the bills that have already been proposed.

We'd take your bills up as soon as those Reps' bills are considered.  If a Representative has only 1 bill in the queue, he has only 1 bill in the queue.

[Antonio the Sixth]

Well, what if a rep. introduces less than 2 bills ? I guess we can proceed to my next bill as soon as we consider some of the bills that have already been proposed.

We'd take your bills up as soon as those Reps' bills are considered.  If a Representative has only 1 bill in the queue, he has only 1 bill in the queue.

Fine.

[Small Business Owner of Any Repute]

How do you define a testing?

Honestly, animal testing is an unfortunate necessity and limiting its practice in such a prohibitive way will set back scientific discovery.

[cinyc]

There is one amendment, proposed by Rep. Antonio V, deemed unfriendly that must be voted upon:

You must be logged in to read this quote.

This vote shall remain open until the earlier of 12:40PM on Friday, January 22, 2010 or when all Representatives shall have voted.

[MASHED POTATOES. VOTE!]

Sorry, Rep. Sewer Socialist, but your bill in currennt form cannot past and it's better we accomplish even very limited thing

Aye

[Antonio the Sixth]

Aye

[Small Business Owner of Any Repute]

Nay.

[Sewer]

Nay

[Dr. Cynic]

Aye

[Obnoxiously Slutty Girly Girl]

Nay

[cinyc]

Nay

Noting also that Libertas voted Nay, just in case it gets deleted:

Nay

[Antonio the Sixth]

I really can't understand why opponents to this bill are voting nay to my Amenment, since it aims to make the bill less tough...

[Dr. Cynic]

I really can't understand why opponents to this bill are voting nay to my Amenment, since it aims to make the bill less tough...

Likely due to the fact that they oppose the bill in general.

[cinyc]

I really can't understand why opponents to this bill are voting nay to my Amenment, since it aims to make the bill less tough...

Likely due to the fact that they oppose the bill in general.

Pretty much - or oppose any ban on animal testing.  Why give the bill a better chance to pass?

[MASHED POTATOES. VOTE!]

I really can't understand why opponents to this bill are voting nay to my Amenment, since it aims to make the bill less tough...

Likely due to the fact that they oppose the bill in general.

Pretty much - or oppose any ban on animal testing.  Why give the bill a better chance to pass?

Even some regulations?