Northeast Assembly Thread

[Lincoln Republican]

Is Winfield aware of his duties as Lieutenant Governor?

The New Northeast Constitution was ratified on 13 February 2006

ARTICLE IV - EXECUTIVE BRANCH

i) The executive authority of the Northeast Region shall be vested first and foremost in the Governor of the Northeast Region, and secondly by the Lieutenant Governor.

viii) If the office of Governor is to become vacant at some point while he or she is in office, than the Lieutenant Governor is to be immediately sworn in as Governor of the Northeast Region. If the office of Lieutenant Governor is to become vacant at some point while he or she is in office, than the Governor may appoint a new one after the recommendation of the Legislative Assembly of the Northeast Region.

xiii) The Lieutenant Governor of the Northeast Region shall be charged with the responsibilities of the Legislative Assembly of the region. He or she shall ensure that the Legislative Assembly has the ability to propose legislation that they are able to be debated on, and voted on during appropriate periods. In the temporary absence of the Lieutenant Governor, than the Governor may take up these responsibilities.

xiv) In the temporary absence of the Governor, then the Lieutenant Governor may be allowed to temporarily conduct the duties of the Governor.

xv) The chain of command for the Governorship of the Northeast Region shall be as follows: Governor, Lieutenant Governor, Chief Judicial Officer, Longest continuously serving citizen of the Northeast Region, followed by the next longest and the next and so on. The chain of command shall be used to fill sudden vacancies in the office of Governor.

ARTICLE V - LEGISLATIVE BRANCH

xiv) The Lieutenant Governor of the Northeast acts as the President of the Northeast Legislative Assembly. He officially opens and closes the sessions, organizes votes on legislation and notifies the Reps of the results of any official vote. He does not take part in any vote in the Legislative Assembly unless a vote results in a perfect tie. In this case, he or she shall be allowed to vote to break said tie.

This is the only NE constitution I can find.  So if any of this has changed, please advise.

As this stands, the Lieutenant Governor presides over the Assembly with duties and responsibilities as noted.  So this is what I shall be doing, unless this constitution has been superceded.

[Lincoln Republican]

Should the Assembly so decide, I would be honored to serve as speaker.

However, we're still waiting for Assemblymen to swear in. We currently have only three who have done so - myself, Cincinnatus and wormyguy.

In the Northeast Assembly, please clarify the duties and the authority of the Speaker of the Assembly. 

[Lincoln Republican]

Thank you.

[Lincoln Republican]

Thank you.

It'll be exciting to watch you progress in the game.

Thank you, but I doubt it will be all that exciting.

[Lincoln Republican]

I have invited by PM Sic Semper Tyrannis/Fallen Morgan and Elyski 729 to swear in as members of the NE Assembly, and I see Morgan has done so.

Thank you Morgan. 

I have also informed them, and I wish to inform all, that I will be opening the Northeast Assembly tomorrow, Thursday, for the purpose of nominating and electing a Speaker for the Assembly.

So all members of the Assembly please check into the Assembly tomorrow evening and we will take care of this order of business and begin the new session of the Northeast Assembly.

I am hopeful and optimistic that this session will be activist and productive.

I also plan on meeting with Governor Jake Matthews to discuss the session and to work out an agenda from the perspective of the Executive Branch.

Thank you.

[Lincoln Republican]

As Lieutenant Governor of the Northeast Region, and as President of the Northeast Assembly, I hereby call the new session of the Northeast Assembly to order.

A very warm welcome to all.

I have every confidence that this session of the Northeast Assembly will prove to be a productive one and beneficial to the Northeast Region.

In spite of my somewhat controversial victory in my election as Lieutenant Governor, nevertheless, the fact of the matter is, I have been duly elected to this office, and I intend to carry out the responsibilities of this office to the best of my ability.

I call on all members of this Assembly to act with respect and dignity toward one another, while at the same time being forceful advocates for their particular points of view and beliefs.

The first order of business for this session will be for all members of this assembly who wish to do so to make an opening statement.  

After opening remarks by the members of this Assembly, I will then call for nominations from the floor of the Assembly for the position of Speaker of the Assembly.  The members of the Assembly will then vote on the nominees for Speaker.  I, of course, will vote only in the event of a tie.

Should there be only one nominee for the position of Speaker, I will declare that individual as duly elected to the position of Speaker of the Northeast Assembly.

We will now proceed with these items of business, in the order as I have outlined.

Thank you.

[Lincoln Republican]

I am trying to be an active Lieutenant Governor, but it would appear that to date some of the Assembly members have not shown up to new session of the Assembly.  In fact, only one Assembly member has made an opening statement to date.

Opening statements are not mandatory, of course, but I thought this would be a nice gesture with which to open the new session of the Assembly.

I will give one more day, today, which is Saturday, June 25, for opening remarks by members, then I will call for nominations, or nomination, from the floor of the Assembly for the position of Speaker of the Assembly. 

Once the Speaker has been duly elected by the Assembly, we can then proceed on debate of proposed legislation.  I see there is one item of proposed legislation in the legislation thread, which I will bring to the Assembly floor after the election of the Speaker.

So I ask all members of this Assembly to please show up to the session so we can proceed with the business of the Northeast region.

Thank you.   

[Lincoln Republican]

Assemblymen,

As Governor, I would like to see legislation proposed to decrease the number of Assembly seats to 5.

Thank you.

Legislation cannot accomplish that. We would need to change the Constitution.

GOVERNMENT STRUCTURE

ARTICLE V - LEGISLATIVE BRANCH

vii) The number of Reps to be elected corresponds to the entire part of the quotient C/6, with C being the number of citizens in the Northeast Region as of the third Friday at 12:00:00am EST of the month of the election.

Unles the constitution has been amended since, this is the constitutional requirement for the number of representatives.

[Lincoln Republican]

Northeast Governor Winfield addresses the Assembly

The next agenda item for the Northeast Assembly to consider is the selection of a Speaker of the Assembly.

Please elect a Speaker.

[Lincoln Republican]

To be fair, it has been a hectic weekend. I did introduce a bill that I hope is passed.

Napoleon, please repost the bill you are referring to so the Assembly can consider it. Was this bill voted on and passed before the end of the previous session, or did it die on the order paper at the end of the previous session?

   

[Lincoln Republican]

Pretty certain he's talking about this one.

Natural Beauty Preservation Act

No billboard advertisements may be placed along roads, highways, freeways, or interstates in areas classified as rural.
Municipalities shall have the power to ban billboards within their jurisdiction.

X Napoleon

Thank you.

However, it seems to me that if this bill was not passed before the end of the last session that it would have died on the order paper.  As I was not present for the last session, please clarify the situation with this bill.

If it did in fact die on the order paper, in order for it to be considered and voted on, it would have to be reintroduced by the current Governor, i.e. myself, or by a  current member of the Assembly.  So if this bill died on the order paper, is there a member of the Assembly who wishes to reintroduce this bill for the consideration of the Assembly?

But before this is dealt with, the Assembly is to elect a Speaker.  So I ask the Representatives to elect a Speaker as soon as possible.

Let me take this opportunity to congratulate Homelycooking, Fallen Morgan, Wormyguy, Cincinnatus, and Elyski for their election to the Assembly.  The Northeast is fortunate to have these fine Representatives dealing with the affairs of the Northeast. 

[Lincoln Republican]

I introduced the bill this session as a citizen. It needs another signature to be considered, but any of you could take it up automatically if you so wish. Have no doubt I will remain active in regional politics despite my election to the Senate.

OK, a citizen initiative.  That's what I call grassroots democracy.  Have no fear, I shall either get one of the Representatives to bring this to the floor for consideration, debate, and a vote, or I shall bring it to the floor myself.

However, before we proceed with any legislation, the Assembly is to elect a Speaker. 

Members of the Assembly, please elect a Speaker.

[Lincoln Republican]

Members of the Assembly, due to the resignation of Governor Jake Matthews, as the Lieutenant Governor at the time, I have been sworn in as Governor.

Therefore, there exists a vacancy in the executive branch for the position of Lieutenant Governor.

As per the constitution, the Assembly is to recommend to me a new Lieutenant Governor.

Please give the election of a Speaker and a reocmmendation to me for a new Lieutenant Governor your top priority.

Bills or legislation can be debated and voted upon with me filling in for the Lieutenant Governor, however, it is urgent that the Assembly elect a Speaker and recommend to me a new Lieutenant Governor as soon as possible, so that I can dedicate my time to the other duties of Governor.

La cucina brutta, can I give you the assignment to PM the other Representatives and ask them to work with you to elect a Speaker and to send me a name for a new Lieutenant Governor?

We will then be in a better position to properly attend to the affairs of the Northeast.   

[Lincoln Republican]

The floor is now open for nominations for Speaker.

[Lincoln Republican]

Let me take this opportunity to congratulate Homelycooking, Fallen Morgan, Wormyguy, Cincinnatus, and Elyski for their election to the Assembly.  The Northeast is fortunate to have these fine Representatives dealing with the affairs of the Northeast. 

Thanks. And don't forget Redcommander, who was elected but hasn't sworn in yet.

I'm afraid we might not have a quorum in the near future...

Yes indeed, Redcommander is a welcome addition to the Northeast Assembly.

[Lincoln Republican]

La cucina brutta, can I give you the assignment to PM the other Representatives and ask them to work with you to elect a Speaker and to send me a name for a new Lieutenant Governor?

Sure. And please, call me "homely".

Thank you homely.  Much appreciated.  I trust these matters will be transacted shortly so the Northeast Assembly can proceed to other business. 

[Lincoln Republican]

OK, homely and Cincinnatus have shown up at the Assembly. 

According to information I have received from homely, we need 3 Representatives to transact business.

Where are Fallen Morgan, Wormyguy, Elyski, and Redcommander? 

Gentlemen, you have been elected as Representatives, so please show up here to the Assembly so we can proceed with the region's business.   

[Lincoln Republican]

We can proceed with the business of the Northeast Assembly with those present,  homelycooking and Cincinnatus.

As the office of Lieutenant Governor is currently vacant, I will fill in for that position.

homelycooking has been nominated for Speaker of the Northeast Assembly.

We will now proceed with the vote.

Please cast your vote.

Ballot

Speaker of the Northeast Assembly

[  ]  homelycooking
[  ]  Write in

[Lincoln Republican]

It is July 1.

Elyski has not shown up to vote.

I will therefore have to cast the deciding vote for Speaker of the Norltheast Assembly.

I cast my vote for homelycooking.

Congratulations homelycooking, you are now the new Speaker of the Northeast Assembly.

Thank you wormyguy for allowing your name to stand for Speaker.

Either one of you would have done an excellent job.

Now, let's get onto the business of the Northeast Region.

Thank you.

May I take this opportunity to introduce the first bill to be presented in this new session, a bill left over from the previous session, and proposed by Speaker Napoleon, at the time, now Senator Napoleon.



Quote from Napoleon  
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Natural Beauty Preservation Act bill

No billboard advertisements may be placed along roads, highways, freeways, or interstates in areas classified as rural.
Municipalities shall have the power to ban billboards within their jurisdiction.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


This bill is now open for debate.

Members of the Assembly, please proceed.

 

[Lincoln Republican]

Governor, if you could from now on, please put the text of the bills in a quote box just for visual purpose.  Also, the Speaker is meant to be picked by the Assembly but, unless the decision is challenged, congratulations HC.

The Speaker was chosen by the Assembly.  I was simply casting the tie breaking vote.  If we had a Lieutenant Governor, the LG would cast the tie breaking vote.  Since we have no LG, I, as Governor, am acting within the constitution filling in for the LG in this capacity, therefore, I had the constitutional authority to cast the tie breaking vote.

I do not have the authority to simply appoint a new LG.  The Assembly is supposed to recommend a new LG to me.  I would like to see the constitutiion changed in this matter, allowing the Governor to nominate a new LG, to be confirmed by a vote of the Assembly.  This is of course the same way in the U.S., when there is a vacancy in the Vice Presidency, the President nominates a new VP, who is voted on by the Congress.    

[Lincoln Republican]

Please, we must return to discussion and debate on the bill before the Assembly.

[Lincoln Republican]

Read the constitution.

ARTICLE IV - EXECUTIVE BRANCH

xiii) The Lieutenant Governor of the Northeast Region shall be charged with the responsibilities of the Legislative Assembly of the region. He or she shall ensure that the Legislative Assembly has the ability to propose legislation that they are able to be debated on, and voted on during appropriate periods. In the temporary absence of the Lieutenant Governor, than the Governor may take up these responsibilities.

[Lincoln Republican]

Winfield, Cincinnatus, Napoleon, I appreciate your desire to keep this session moving forward, but I see this in the Northeast Assembly Speaker Act and worry that my assuming the job of Speaker is not legal.

You must be logged in to read this quote.

I received 50% of the vote, as did Wormyguy. Neither of us attained a majority, unless Winfield claims that he is a member of the Assembly as well.

I'm sorry, but I only want the proper procedure to be followed, and I don't want to be an illegal Speaker.

I would interpret "all members of the Northeast Assembly" to mean all members present at the time of the vote.  All members had ample notice of the vote for Speaker.  As you see, the Northeast Assembly has never had all elected members present, and has Redocmmander even sworn in?

In the event of a tie, the Lieutenant Governor casts the tie breaking vote.  As Governor, in the absence a Lieutenant Governor, I was acting, constitutionally, in the capacity of the Lieutenant Governor, to break the tie.

Anyway, I shall take this matter up with the Northeast Chief Judicial Officer.

[Lincoln Republican]

(In response to homelycooking reply 4011)

Then get ALL MEMBERS of the Assembly to vote.

I've tried.

I have been asking the Assembly to elect a Speaker since day 1.  

Are we supposed to wait indefinitely?

This is getting annoyng.

If a member of the Assembly chooses not to vote, we can't force him.

I will invalidate the Speaker election in the Assembly, call for a revote for Speaker, and we will then wait and wait and wait and wait for the Speaker election to be concluded, once ALL MEMBERS have voted.

If that makes everyone feel better, fine.

[Lincoln Republican]

Despite ongoing debate, the importance of selecting a Lt. Gov should be brought up in this thread.

Therefore, I think we should recommend dallasfan for Lt. Gov.

I have asked Dallasfan if he would be interested in becoming Lt. Gov., and he is not at this time.