Southern Legislation Introduction Thread (3rd version)

[IceAgeComing]

Working on the assumption that this thread also is for the next session I wish to pre-file this as the first bill to be debated then:

Southern Healthcare Bill

A BILL TO implement the Reforming and Regionalising Public Healthcare Act of 2017 in the South, to enact measures ensuring that all Southern residents have healthcare coverage, to mandate the coverage of certain procedures not included in the Federal Act, and for connected purposes

Be it enacted by the Southern Chamber of Delegates; as assembled:

Section 1 - Definitions
For the purposes of this legislation:
   (a): “The Federal Act” shall mean the Reforming and Regionalising Public Healthcare Act of 2017;
   (b): “The Board” shall mean the Southern Healthcare and Insurance Regulation Board set up by this bill
   (c): “The Exchange” shall mean the Southern Healthcare Exchange created by The Federal Bill and under the management of The Board

Section 2 - Southern Healthcare Exchange

   (a): A “Southern Healthcare Insurance Regulation Board” shall be created
   (b) The Board shall manage the Southern Healthcare Exchange created by The Federal Act; and be responsible for the creation of regulations to which insurers must meet in order to provide coverage on The Exchange; plus monitor and sanction any licensed insurers that fail to meet the provisions of this act or any regulations created by The Board
   (c) The regulations that the board makes shall be limited to provisions to protect consumers, and updating required coverage to consider new technologies
   (d): AtlasCare shall be made available on The Exchange to all residents of the South

Section 3 - Mandates

   (a) All licensed Private Healthcare insurers must provide the services laid out in Section 2.1.b in the Federal Act
   (b) Both AtlasCare and private insurers must provide transition-related services to all people diagnosed with Gender Dysphoria including; but not limited to; psychiatric services, cosmetic procedures that affirm an individuals gender, and follow-up medical care deemed necessary by an individuals Doctor
   (c) Any medical professional or facility not willing to provide services under (b) may decline the procedure, provided that an alternative facility or professional able to provide such services be available within a reasonable distance of the patient, and provided that a professional or facility refers the patient to that available alternative
   (d) All licensed Medical Insurers must provide coverage of children of an insured individual until that individual reaches the age of twenty five
   (e) All Southern residents must be insured by an insurer registered on The Exchange, unless exempted by later provisions of this Act
   (f) Exemptions to the Section 3(e) mandate shall be:
      (i) Southern Residents who earn under the poverty line
      (ii) Southern Residents under the age of 27 who are not covered by Section 3(d)
   (g) All Southern residents who do not meet the Mandate shall pay a $100 penalty fee; rising with health care inflation
   (h) All funds from the penalty shall go in an “Emergency Healthcare Fund” managed by the Board and available to both AtlasCare and Private Insurers to support the coverage of those with serious conditions


Section 4 - Enactment and Title

   (a) This Act can be referred to as the “Southern Healthcare Act”
   (b) This bill shall go into force in several stages:
      (i): Section 2(a) shall go into force on passage; and shall take over the Exchange on the 1st January 2018
      (ii) All other sections in this legislation shall come into force on the 1st January 2018

[diptheriadan]

You must be logged in to read this quote.

Y'all can fix any errors and make it look pretty.

[Mr. Reactionary]

If pre-filing is allowed, all subsequent bills I post are being pre-filed:

Nature Calls Act

Be it enacted:

1.) Any person who is successfully prosecuted and convicted of urinating outdoors in public, shall not be required to register as a sexual offender, provided the person took reasonable steps to conceal themselves and lacked a lascivious intent while performing the act.

[Mr. Reactionary]

Health Insurance Reform Act

Be it enacted:

1.) The office of Regional Insurance Commissioner is hereby created. The Regional Insurance Commissioner shall be appointed by the Governor and perform those duties required of it by statute.

2.) Entities licensed to provide insurance within any State in the Southern Region, may apply with the Regional Insurance Commissioner to receive the designation of Insurer of Last Resort (ILR). Any ILR must reapply for this status every 3 years.

3.) An ILR must provide insurance coverage to any potential subscriber, including those who may have difficulty obtaining insurance coverage from traditional providers.

4.) An ILR must provide insurance plans which cover the following:

A) Primary care and prevention services, including the cost of a complete physical every 2 years;

B) Inpatient care;

C) Outpatient care;

D) Emergency care;

E) Prescription drugs, unless an adequate over-the-counter drug is available. Nothing in this act shall prohibit an ILR from negotiating bulk drug purchases and then distributing the prescription drugs at network facilities;

E) Durable medical equipment, allowing for reasonable annual limits on non-life sustaining DME costs. ILRs may also refuse to cover motorized wheel chairs for persons who have normal use of hands and arms;

F) Long-term care, allowing for an ILR to prioritize the use of home health workers;

G) Palliative care;

H) Mental health services, allowing for reasonable annual limits on in-person psychiatric counseling;

I) Medically necessary dental surgery, an annual dental checkup, and a non-emergency dental x-ray every 3 years. Cosmetic dentistry and teeth whitening services may be excluded from coverage;

J) Substance abuse treatment services, allowing for the exclusion of hair, blood, saliva, or urine drug testing;

K) Chiropractic services, subject to referral from a licensed doctor specializing in musculoskeletal treatment;

L) Medically necessary eye and vision surgery, and an eye exam every 18 months. Laser vision corrective surgery may be excluded, unless glasses or contact lenses would not function as a medically adequate substitute;

M) Hearing services, including tests to determine if hearing aides are necessary and at what degree of amplification;

N) Podiatric care, including a pair of medically necessary orthotics;

O) Intrauterine Devices and Cervical caps;

P) End of Life Care, allowing for reimbursement limits for such care in a hospital to be capped at the rate negotiated for a hospice facility;

Q) Phone and internet consultation services for medical services;

R) Hormone Therapy and Gender Reassignment Surgery. Breast augmentation, facial feminization surgery, and hair removal services may be excluded.

5.) Any entity licensed as an ILR shall be exempt from anti-trust laws when negotiating volume based Most Favored Nation clauses (MFN) with non-profit healthcare providers. Any licensed insurer in the Southern Region which is not also an ILR, may be prohibited from negotiating lower pricing agreements with non-profit healthcare providers subject to an MFN. ILRs however may negotiate lower reimbursement rates with a non-profit healthcare provider who is subject to a MFN clause negotiated by a different ILR.

6.) Any insurer licensed in a State in the Southern Region may sell its policies in any other State in the Southern Region.

7.) No citizen shall be forced into commerce through a mandate to buy insurance.

8.) It shall be unlawful for any licensed insurer to ration healthcare services which are mandated by law.

9.) Any licensed insurer may consider the following factors when calculating an individual subscriber's premium or cost-sharing:

A) Life expectancy;

B) Current health factors and diagnoses, provided the cost of any physical required by an insurer to determine individual premiums shall be paid for by the insurer.

C) Community rating;

D) Gaps in coverage history;

E) Gym membership or participation in a regular yoga class;

F) Participation in tobacco or illegal drug counseling;

G) Tobacco or Illegal Drug cessation;

H) Routinely vaccinating;

I) Weight loss;

J) Undergoing bariatric surgery;

K) Participation in chronic disease management counseling;

L) Participation in youth or inter/intramural sports;

M) Undergoing routine physicals or cancer screenings;

N) Routine blood, blood plasma, or bone marrow donations;

O) Registering as an organ donor;

P) Any other relevant risk factors, subject to disapproval by the Regional Insurance Commissioner during a rate review.

10.) All licensed insurers must file the maximum price at which they reimburse for medical expenses with the Regional Insurance Commissioner annually. The Commissioner shall publish these rates on an online Maximum Price Portal Database.

11.) It shall be unlawful for a licensed insurer to increase a subscriber's premiums by more than 20% per year. Any annual increase over 12% must be actuarially justified to the Regional Insurance Commissioner.

12.) It shall be unlawful for a licensed insurer to drop a subscriber from coverage merely for consuming healthcare services or for developing a medical condition during coverage.

13.) It shall be unlawful for a licensed insurer to refuse to allow any subscriber's offspring aged 22 or younger from remaining on a family plan as long as premium payments are maintained.

14.) Any licensed insurer who reimburses through a fee-for-service formula must reduce existing billing codes by 1/3, subject to an audit after 3 years by the Regional Insurance Commissioner. Newly licensed insurers must adopt a bundled payment formula.

15.) Insurers may offer a bonus payment to healthcare providers for consistent outcomes which reduce readmittance, however no ILR may negotiate a bonus payment which exceeds their alternative reimbursement rate by 18%.

16.) No licensed Insurer, other than an ILR, shall be permitted to offer products which offer first-dollar coverage or which categorically exclude co-pays. Non-ILR insurers may not exclude co-pays until an annual deductible of at least $300 has been met.

17.) No licensed insurer may charge a subscriber who must seek immediate medical attention at an out-of-network hospital, more than the highest negotiated MFN rate the hospital is subject to.

18.) No licensed insurer may sell a product which imposes a dollar limit cap on lifetime healthcare consumption.

19.) Any licensed Insurer shall be permitted to offer the following products in any State in the Southern Region:

A) Products providing lump sum payments in the event of a critical illness;

B) Products covering changes in health status;

C) Products targeted at high risk populations as a supplement to the federal high risk pool;

D) Products in which multiple businesses pool together to obtain more favorable rates;

E) Products which exclude certain federally mandated health services for persons who religiously object to such procedures;

F) Long-term care insurance in which the benefit formula growth is pegged to investment income growth; and

G) Products covering lawful abortion services.

20) Home healthcare workers subject to a contact or subcontract for the provision of home health services with an ILR, shall not be permitted to strike or collectively bargain about limitations on providing home health services covered under an insurance agreement.

21.) The Regional Insurance Commissioner shall audit each licensed insurer's investment portfolio annually. An entity shall be created to insure the investments of health insurance companies, funded by an annual surcharge to be determined each year by the Regional Insurance Commissioner.

22.) No broker contracted to sell insurance plans shall receive compensation in the form of a commission on sales.

23.) No licensed insurer may exit a regional market or end a particular product without publishing notice 1 year in advance with the Regional Insurance Commissioner.

24.) Annually, the Regional Insurance Commissioner shall set a capped rate at which healthcare providers may seek reimbursement for the following services:

A) Air ambulances;

B) Non-emergency medical transportation;

C) Medical tests;

D) Drugs distributed during hospitalization; and

E) Non-medical room and board costs during hospitalization.

[Mr. Reactionary]

Faster Automobiles Save Time Act

Be it enacted:

1.)  This Act shall be referred to as the FAST Act

2.) The maximum speed on all State highways shall be 80 Miles per Hour.

3.) It shall not be considered speeding for a motorist to exceed the posted speed limit while passing another motorist provided the passing motorist:

A) not exceed the posted speed limit by more than 10 miles per hour

B) not pass in a dangerously aggressive or reckless manner

C) not pass a school bus, marked police vehicle, or emergency vehicle

And

D) properly signals their intent to change lanes prior to exiting their lane as well as prior to reentering their original lane.

4.) Unless otherwise posted, there shall be a presumption that a motorist may turn right at a red light, provided the motorist comes to a complete stop, the roadway is clear in both directions, and the motorist properly signals their intent to turn prior to turning.

5.) It shall be unlawful for any State or locality in the Southern Region to utilize red light cameras, unless given an express waiver by the Southern Chamber.

6.) The Virginia ban on possessing or operating radar detector technology in private cars is hereby repealed.

7.) Within the Southern region, no Regional, State, or Local law enforcement officers may treat the mere display of an air freshener, religious totem, or other decorative item from an interior rear view mirror in a private vehicle, as probable cause justifying a traffic stop. 
   
8.) This act shall take effect 1 year from the date of passage.

[Mr. Reactionary]

More Doctors and Hospitals Act

Be it enacted:

1.) No State in the Southern Region may require any hospital or other healthcare provider to acquire a certificate of need in order to operate.

2.) No State in the Southern Region may prohibit the corporate practice of healthcare.

3.) No State in the Southern Region may prohibit fee-sharing agreements between healthcare providers or between healthcare providers and insurers.

4.) It shall be unlawful for any licensed healthcare provider to refer patients to themself or to a party in which the provider maintains a fee sharing agreement. Violation of this rule shall result in fines or loss of license to practice.

5.) Any licensed healthcare provider in the Southern Region shall be required to annually report the minimum, maximum, and average costs of all procedures for which they bill to the Regional Insurance Commissioner. The Commissioner shall publish these rates on an online price database.

6.) Any licensed healthcare provider in the Southern Region shall be required to contact or attempt to contact any patient seeking treatment for chest pain, hypertension, asthma complications, anaphylactic shock, or diabetes complications within 2 weeks of treatment. Failure to do so shall result in fines.

7.) No State in the Southern Region may limit the scope of practice of Nurse practioners or optometrists in areas for which they are adequately trained.

8.) State Attorneys General Offices shall be empowered to investigate healthcare provider billing practices within their borders. They shall be entitled to keep a portion of any improprieties found. Fraudulent providers shall be fined or have their license to practice suspended.

9.) Non-profit healthcare facilities which provide at least 15% of all on-site services annually to indigent care, shall be free from property taxes.

10.) Any Doctor, nurse, or healthcare worker providing essential ancillary services, who is licensed to perform healthcare services in the Southern Region shall be prohibited from striking.

11.) A study shall be conducted on how much it would cost to operate Telemedicine portals in select public schools after hours which allow doctors to treat patients. The study shall include potential revenue from licensed insurers who wish to have network doctors treat subscribers.

12.) A study shall be conducted on how much it would cost for each State in the Southern Region to construct and operate a government hospital which prioritizes financially stressed citizens. The study shall assume that cost growth for treatment only increases at the rate of inflation. The study shall also include the costs and benefits of the Regional Government negotiating bulk drug purchases for distribution to admitted patients at State hospitals.

13.) A study shall be conducted on how much it would cost the Southern Region to increase funding to State Medical Schools by 15%. The study shall also include the cost of offering an annual scholarship program for general practice medical students, which covers the tuition of 50 students. The study shall also include the costs of waiving state medical school debt for any medical school graduates who elect to work in a State Hospital or impoverished area for 5 years.

14.) A State or private healthcare provider may impose a surcharge of up to 5% on non-southerners who consume healthcare services in the Southern Region.

[Mr. Reactionary]

Removal of Barriers to Electric Car Purchases Act

Be it enacted:

1.) All restrictions on the direct sale of automotive vehicles from a manufacturer to a consumer, in the States of Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Maryland, Missouri, Texas, Virginia, and West Virginia,  are hereby repealed.

[Mr. Reactionary]

Tort Reform Act

Be it enacted:

1.) In any civil action in which monetary damages are awarded and punitive damages are available, no punitive damages may be awarded in excess of 4 times the amount of the damages award.

2.) In any medical malpractice action in which non-economic damages are claimed, no non-economic damages may be awarded exceeding $500,000.

3.) Any presiding judge with proper jurisdiction shall have the power of remittitur, to reduce a jury award which has improperly exceeded the punitive damages or non-economic damages limit, to an amount that complies with this law.

4.) No person who has a financial interest in the outcome of a civil action shall be eligible to serve as an expert witness. A financial interest does not include a party compensating an expert witness a reasonable amount for their time and expenses.

5.) No attorney licensed to practice in the Southern Region shall agree to represent a plaintiff in a civil action in exchange for a contingency fee exceeding 30% of the final award. Any attorney licensed to practice in the Southern Region must report any contingency fee agreement they have agreed to exceeding 25%, to any bar association to which they are a member. If the bar association determines that the fee agreement is excessive, they may require the attorney to modify the contingency fee agreement, but not below 25%.

6.) No person may maintain a civil action against any farmer, restaurant, food vendor, or food distributor, wherein a claim for damages is demanded on the grounds that food which was privately purchased or donated and then consumed resulted in the plaintiff becoming obese.

7.) Any attorney licensed to practice in the Southern Region, who introduces 3 or more civil actions in the same calendar year, which are later dismissed as frivolous or improper, shall be required to pay the legal costs of each defendant in those cases which were dismissed for impropriety. Any attorney who is sanctioned under this subsection in 3 consecutive  calendar years, or who is sanctioned under this subsection in a total of 5 calendar years, shall have their license to practice suspended for 1 calendar year.

8.) Any drug manufacturer sued in the region for product defects shall have the affirmative defense that the drug complied with all required FDA testing requirements and was deemed safe by the agency prior to marketing.

9.) Any healthcare provider who provides charitable care to an indigent patient shall be immune from medical malpractice claims unless they are found grossly negligent.

10.) Medical malpractice lawsuits shall be barred after 2 years from the date the tort is discovered.

11.) A special administrative law court specializing in vaccine injuries shall be established. The recovery amount shall be set annually by the Regional Insurance Commissioner. The vaccine court shall not have jurisdiction to adjudicate claims that vaccination caused autism.

[Mr. Reactionary]

Of Course My Rights Apply When Voting Act

Be it enacted:

1.) It shall be unlawful for any election official, poll worker, or government employee to deny any person eligible to vote in any election in the Southern Region the freedom to take a voluntary photograph or recording of their ballot.

2.) It shall be unlawful for any election official, poll worker, or government employee to deny any person eligible to vote in any election in the Southern Region the freedom to carry a weapon or firearm into a polling place, provided that person is otherwise legally eligible to carry a weapon or firearm, and the weapon or firearm is not brandished in a menacing or threatening manner.

3.) Any person who brandishes a weapon or firearm within 200 feet of a polling place with the intent to scare, influence, intimidate, or disrupt any voter, shall be guilty of a class 6 felony,  and shall be imprisoned for not more than 6 months and fined not more than $2,500.

[Mr. Reactionary]

Revenue Increases Act

Be it enacted:

1.) Any State in the Southern Region which charges a licensing fee for permission to hunt or fish within the territory of their State, or a rental fee for hunting cabins on State land, shall be required to readjust their fee every 3 years to reflect the change in inflation as measured by the consumer price index. If such a State feels that an adjustment would be harmful, it may request a waiver from the Southern Chamber. Nothing in this sub section shall prevent a State from increasing the fee charged to reflect budgetary need or costs other than inflation.

2.) It shall be the policy of the Southern Region to increase the number of trees sold as timber on government lands by 25% over current levels.

3.) The following special excise taxes in the Southern Region shall be increased by 10%:
A) beer
B) wine
C) alcoholic spirits
D) tobacco
E) cannabis
F) wagers

4.) A study shall be conducted identifying all golf courses in the Southern Region which are owned or operated by a State or local government, as well as the cost savings and new revenue that would result if all were sold.

5.) The Southern Region hereby conveys a parcel of land in Virginia measuring 280 acres to the adjacent Blue Ridge Scouting Reservation.

6.) A study shall be conducted on the cost of and potential revenue from a hypothetical long-term nuclear waste repository in southwest Texas.

7.) The West Virginia tax on soft drinks and soft drink syrup is hereby repealed.

[Mr. Reactionary]

Environmental Policy Act

Be it enacted:

1.) Any entity licensed to do business in the Southern Region which maintains a policy of quarterly auditing  its business practices to ensure environmental compliance, shall not be prosecuted for violating any environmental regulation, provided the entity or any of its officers or employees: a) had no actual knowledge of the violation prior to the audit b) was not unreasonable in believing it was complying with all environmental regulations c) reports the violation to the government department with proper jurisdiction over enforcement, and d) re-attains compliance with all environmental regulations.

2.) If any Regional, State, or local government in the Southern Region is required to conduct an environmental impact study, it may instead choose to offer an environmental impact study conducted by another Regional, State, or local government in the Southern Region, or the national government of Atlasia, provided the Environmental impact study being offered is less than 8 years old and is substantially similar to the new study the government would otherwise be required to conduct. An older Environmental impact study is substantially similar, when it: a) involves the same type of governmental act for which the new environmental impact study is required b.) addresses general environmental factors that must be considered c.) does not omit discussion of any local environmental factors which must be considered d.) includes proposed alternative actions which are feasible for the new project, and 5.) has not be retracted by the issuing government. Nothing in this sub-section shall eliminate the requirement that a government must provide notice and an opportunity for the public to comment prior to the conclusion of a complete environmental review.

3.) Any small farming enterprise or non-commercial farming enterprise in the Southern Region which is found to be a source of soil or fertilizer pollution introduced into a stream, lake, or river, shall not be prosecuted for polluting a Regional waterway, provided the pollution is shown by a preponderance of the evidence to be the inevitable result of wind, rain, or other natural phenomena beyond the immediate control of the small or non-commercial farming enterprise, and that adopting mitigative farming methods was not practicable. 

4.) For the purposes of this act, a small farming enterprise is any collective which grows plants (excluding trees harvested for timber but including edible mushrooms) or which raises or breeds animals, and which earns a net of $75,000 or less per year on the sale of the plants or animals produced. A non-commercial farming enterprise is any collective which grows plants (excluding trees harvested for timber but including edible mushrooms) or which raises or breeds animals, and does not sell any of the plants or animals produced.

5.) Any person in the Southern Region who burns trash or garbage shall not be prosecuted for environmental violations if: a) The trash or garbage is burned outside of the geographic border of an incorporated municipality, b) the trash or garbage is burned outdoors, c) the trash or garbage is burned in a safe manner, d) the amount of trash or garbage that is burned in 1 day does not exceed the volume of two 55 Gallon Cylinders.

6.) Nothing in sub-section 3 shall limit a private property owner from filing a civil action  against a small or non-commercial farming enterprise. Nothing in sub-section 5 shall limit a private property owner from filing a civil action against a person who burns trash or garbage.

7.) Due to its association with Santa Claus, providing heat, and spreading cheer among miners throughout the Southern Region, December 2018 is hereby declared Coal Appreciation Month.

8.) Any person in the Southern Region who introduces lead from ammunition or fishing sinkers into the environment incident to hunting or fishing shall not be prosecuted for littering or polluting a regional waterway provided the person has a valid hunting or fishing license in the Southern Region.

9.) Any person in the Southern Region who burns wood in a chimney or stove to heat their domicile shall not be prosecuted for violating any Regional air pollution regulation related to that burning.

10.) Any person in the Southern Region who places or allows to placed, discarded automotive tires on real property they own, shall not be prosecuted for littering or illegal tire disposal, provided the number of tires on any property not exceed 5.

11.) Any person in the Southern Region who discards of cigarette butts upon their own property shall not be cited for littering.

12.) This act shall take effect 1 year from the date of passage.

[Mr. Reactionary]

Nipple Parity Act

Be it enacted:

1.) Any person in any State or Locality in the Southern Region who publicly breastfeeds their infant child shall not be prosecuted for indecent exposure.

2.) Any woman in any State or Locality in the Southern Region who publicly exposes her nipple shall not be prosecuted for indecent exposure unless the State or Locality charging her would similarly charge a man who publicly exposed his nipples.

3.) Nothing in this act shall deprive an owner of private property from prohibiting members of the public from breastfeeding or exposing their nipples while on the property.

[Mr. Reactionary]

Free Speech Protection act

Be it enacted:

1.) Any locality in the Southern Region which requires the posting of a liability bond prior to granting a parade or special event permit, shall be prohibited from considering the potential risk of unaffiliated protesters or counter protesters, when calculating the required coverage amount.

2.) No state or locality within the Southern Region shall create a buffer zone against constitutionally protected speech activities in an outdoor public area, except upon a finding that such a buffer zone is narrowly tailored to protect a compelling state interest and that the buffer zone is the least restrictive means of achieving that interest.

3.) No locality may enforce any noise ordinance which is not based on an easily ascertainable standard.

4.) No State or locality may enforce any special sign or billboard regulations directed at the advertising of alcohol, tobacco, cannabis, or imposing time limits on signs advertising temporary events, political viewpoints, trespassing prohibitions, or the sale of land.

5.) No Court in the Southern Region shall entertain a lawsuit alleging violation of a person's right to publicity more than 5 years after the death of that person.

6.) No Court in the Southern Region shall entertain a lawsuit filed by a Home Owner's Association or the landlord of an Apartment Complex alleging breach of contract for the mere outside or window display of: the national flag of Atlasia, any regional or State flag in Atlasia, any historical flag of the United States or Confederate States, or the POW flag.

7.) Any law in any locality in the Southern Region which prohibits: all in-person solicitation in public, in-person solicitation in public during a specific time but not other times, in-person solicitation unless a permit is required, or in-person solicitation in traffic medians while allowing other types of speech in the same medians, are hereby repealed.

8.) Any person in the Southern Region found sleeping on public property in an area that is freely accessible may be asked to leave the area by a law enforcement officer with proper jurisdiction. No person asked to leave under such circumstances shall be prosecuted for loitering, trespassing, or camping without a permit, provided the person leaves the area within a reasonable amount of time after the request.

9.) Nothing in subsection 7 of this act shall prevent a local government in the Southern Region from prohibiting persons from physically obstructing persons in public, from prohibiting true threats or harassment incident to in-person solicitation, or from prohibiting all speech activities in its roadways and traffic medians, provided the public safety requires it.

10.) The ban on wearing masks in public in Georgia, Florida, North Carolina, Virginia, Washington D.C., and West Virginia, are hereby repealed. Nothing in this sub-section shall prevent any Regional, State, or local government employee from lawfully requiring a person wearing a mask to temporarily remove the mask so as to ascertain identity.

11.) No public or private employer shall require any employee to join or pay money to any religious body, political party, social club, or other organization or association, other than occupational licensing groups or groups which train or certify persons in certain skills used during employment.

12.) This act shall take effect 6 months from the date of passage.

[Mr. Reactionary]

Let Your Colors Burst Act

Be it enacted:

1.) In any civil action in the Southern Region, the safe and proper use of fireworks in an outdoor setting shall not constitute an ultra-hazardous activity under a theory of strict liability.

[Mr. Reactionary]

Protecting Citizens and Police Act

Be it enacted:

1.) A Police Body Armor and Body Camera Trust Fund shall be created within the Regional Budget Office.

2.) The Southern Regional Police and all local Police Departments within the Southern Region shall conduct an inventory of armored vehicles, firearms and firearm accessories. Any such equipment identified as excess or surplus shall be surrendered to the Regional Budget Office to be auctioned to members of the public, provided they are otherwise lawfully eligible to purchase firearms. All proceeds shall be credited into the Police Body Armor and Body Camera Trust Fund.

3.) Unless amended by future statute, distributions to police departments from the trust fund shall be in proportion to the value of the excess equipment surrendered.

4.) The Southern Regional government shall purchase 10,000 troy ounces of silver bullion and commission the minting of 10,000 non legal tender, silver, 1 troy oz commemorative tokens, to be sold to the public at $32 per token.

5.) Each token shall include on the obverse, "Southern Region 2017" as well as a sculpting to be approved by the governor, of Andy Griffith's character from the Andy Griffith show walking hand in hand to the fishing hole with Ron Howard's character.

6.) Each token shall include on the reverse, "In Dave We Trust" as well as a sculpting to be approved by the governor,  of Andy Griffith's character from Matlock.

7.) All proceeds from the sale of these tokens shall be deposited in the Police Body Armor and Body Camera Trust Fund.

[Mr. Reactionary]

Celebrating our Southern Region Commemorative Coins Act

A bill to raise much needed atlasia money for schools and poor people programs

Be it enacted:

1.) The Southern Regional government shall purchase 190,000 troy ounces of silver bullion and commission the minting of 190,000 non legal tender, silver, 1 troy oz commemorative tokens, to be sold to the public at $35 per token. Each State in the Southern Region shall be represented by an individual design, which shall be struck on 10,000 tokens.

2.) The obverse of each token shall contain a sculpting of the State being honored, the name of the State being honored,  the year, and "In Dave, we trust".

3.) The reverse of each token shall have the name and a sculpting of a famous person from the corresponding State, as specified herein:

A) Virginia - Thomas Jefferson

B) North Carolina  - Billy Graham

C) South Carolina - James Brown

D) Georgia - Paula Deen

E) Florida - Terri Schiavo

F)  Alabama - George Washington Carver

G) Mississippi - Oprah Winfrey

H) Tennessee - Elvis Presley

I) Kentucky - Harland Sanders

J) Missouri - Maya Angelo

K) Arkansas - Douglass MacArthur

L) Louisiana - Huey Long

M) Texas - Sam Houston

N) Oklahoma - Stand Watie

O) Kansas - Langston Hughes

P) West Virginia - Don Knotts

Q) Maryland - Frederick Douglass

R) Delaware - Joe Biden

S) Washington DC - Samuel Jackson

4.) The governor shall have final approval over all designs.

5.) All proceeds from the sale of these tokens shall be deposited in the general treasury.

[Mr. Reactionary]

Asset Seizure and Forfeiture Reform Act

Be it enacted:

1.) During a lawful stop initiated by any Regional, State, or Local law enforcement officer in the Southern Region, absent an independent and particularized factor or factors, the mere presence of any combination of the following items shall not constitute probable cause of illegal activities warranting seizure of the property by law enforcement:

a) Domestic or foreign cash

b) Coins, Tokens, or bars minted out of silver, gold, platinum, palladium, or Rhodium

c) Tobacco and tobacco smoking pipes, cannabis and cannabis smoking pipes, or Electronic Cigarettes

d) Unopened containers of beer, wine, or alcoholic spirits

e) Firearms, Bladed weapons, nunchucks, or brass knuckles

f) Flare Guns, firecrackers, or lawful fireworks

g) Pepper Spray or Bear Mace

h) Prescription medication

i) Home Drug Test Kits or breathalyzers

j) Locksmithing Tools

k) Fertilizer

l) Gas Masks

M) Any other item for which mere possession is not a criminal offense.

2.) Any items of illegal contraband lawfully seized by any Regional, State, or Local law enforcement officer in the Southern Region, shall be inventoried within 48 hours by the department which seized the contraband.

3.) Any items of personal property lawfully seized by any Regional, State, or Local law enforcement officer in the Southern Region incident to arrest, including the contents of an impounded aircraft, vehicle, or vessel, shall be inventoried within 48 hours by the department which seized the personal property.

4.) Nothing in subsection 1 of this act shall prohibit any Regional, State, or Local law enforcement officer in the Southern Region from determining the identity of any medicine, pills, or unidentifiable substance, during a required inventory incident to arrest. Nothing in subsection 1 of this act shall prohibit any Regional, State, or Local law enforcement officer in the Southern Region from inspecting cash to verify that it is not counterfeit or marked, during a required inventory incident to arrest.

5.) No Regional, State, or Local law enforcement officer in the Southern Region shall access, view, or download the digital content of private cellular phones, computers, cameras, or other electronic devices seized incident to a lawful arrest, unless the law enforcement officer has a lawful warrant issued by a judge or magistrate with appropriate jurisdiction, or with the express consent of the owner.

6.) Nothing in subsection 5 of the act shall prohibit any Regional, State, or Local law enforcement officer in the Southern Region from turning on any electronic device seized incident to a lawful arrest , for the purpose of verifying the working condition of the seized device during a required inventory. 

7.) In any forfeiture case brought before a judge in the Southern Region under in rem jurisdiction, no real property or personal property which is lawful to own may be forfeited by a person successfully convicted of a crime, absent a showing by clear and convincing evidence that the property to be forfeited had a significant nexus to the planning or carrying out of the crime for which the owner has been successfully convicted. Any property forfeited by a criminal under in rem jurisdiction shall be auctioned, and the proceeds shall be used to satisfy any successful judgement for restitution by a victim of the crime, or if no such claims have been filed within 3 years of the date of the crime or within 2 years of the date the criminal was convicted, the proceeds shall escheat to the general treasury of the Southern Region.

8.) Any person in the Southern region who may lawfully own a firearm or weapon and who stores a firearm in any enclosed compartment attached to the interior of a vehicle, shall not be prosecuted for illegally carrying a concealed firearm or weapon.

9.) No Regional, State, or Local law enforcement officer in the Southern Region shall euthanize any animals or livestock seized from a person in the Southern Region, unless the individual animal or livestock is suffering due to an illness or injury for which it is unlikely to recover, or upon a finding by clear and convincing evidence from a magistrate or judge with proper jurisdiction, that such euthanasia is immediately necessary to prevent an actual public health crisis.

10.) This Act shall take effect 3 months from the date of passage.

[Mr. Reactionary]

Promoting Public Health Act

A bill to promote public health by discouraging an activity which significantly contributes to hearing loss.

Be it enacted:

1.) Any citizen of the Southern Region who is eligible to own a firearm may also own an attachable sound suppressor.   

2.) Any citizen of the Southern Region who is eligible to own a firearm may sell an attachable sound suppressor to another citizen of the Southern Region who is also eligible to own a firearm.

3.) Any person lawfully selling an attachable sound suppressor in the Southern Region may access the NICS database to request a background check to determine if a potential customer is eligible to own the sound suppressor.

[Mr. Reactionary]

Stopping Noisy Obstinate Whiners From Limiting Another Kid's Expression Act.

Be it enacted:

1.) This law shall be known as the SNOWFLAKE Act of 2017.

2.) Every public College in the Southern Region has an obligation to protect peaceful expressive activities by enrolled students. Any enrolled student who: physically obstructs another enrolled student or their guest from engaging in protected expressive activities or who causes a disruption for the purpose of preventing another enrolled student or their guest from engaging in protected expressive activities, shall be sanctioned by the College. Any student sanctioned under this subsection on 3 separate occasions, shall be suspended from the College for 1 year following a hearing. Any enrolled student who causes a disruption for the purpose of preventing another enrolled student or their guest from engaging in protected expressive activities by falsely pulling a fire alarm, threatening violence, or committing actual violence, shall suspended from the college for 1 year, following a hearing.

3.) Any outdoors public space on a public College, other than roadways, is a public forum. No public College may maintain a speech code prohibiting expressive activities in a public forum,  other than enforcing reasonable noise limits between the hours of 11 P.M. and 7 A.M.

4.) No public College shall consider the race or religion of any student when determining dormitory assignments.

5.) Any student enrolled in a public College in the Southern Region who has been accused of a crime, shall be entitled to due process prior to being suspended from the college. This shall include adequate notice of the time of, place of, and accusations being presented during  a fair and impartial hearing, the right to attend the hearing with legal counsel, the right to offer evidence to challenge the accusations, the right to make a record or transcript of the hearing, and the right to address the hearing prior to a final decision.

6.) No person enrolled in a public College in the Southern Region who may lawfully own a weapon or firearm shall be prevented from storing their weapon or firearm inside a locked vehicle which is lawfully parked upon the boundaries of a public College.

7.) The failure by any public College in the Southern Region to abide by these requirements, shall result in a 25% reduction of funding, unless upon petition, the Southern Chamber finds the College in question is making adequate progress towards compliance.

8.) This act shall take effect 1 year from the date of passage.

[Mr. Reactionary]

Civil Rights Leaders Commemorative Coin Act

An act to raise money for the general treasury.

Be it enacted:

1.) The Southern Regional government shall purchase 10,000 troy ounces of silver bullion and commission the minting of 10,000 non legal tender, silver, 1 troy oz commemorative tokens, to be sold to the public at $30 per token.

2.) Each token shall include on the obverse, "Southern Region 2017" as well as the name and a sculpting to be approved by the governor, of Martin Luther King Jr.

3.) Each token shall include on the reverse, "Southern Region 2017" as well as the name and a sculpting to be approved by the governor, of Rosa Parks.

4.) All proceeds from the sale of these tokens shall be deposited in the General Treasury.

5.) Griffin County, Georgia is hereby renamed King County, Georgia.

[Mr. Reactionary]

Don't Exploit Prisoners Act

Be it enacted:

1.) Any entity which enters into a contract with the Southern Region for the provision of telecommunication services in jails or prisons, shall not charge any incarcerated person who consumes such services more than 3 times the cost of providing such services.

2.) A study shall be conducted on the budgetary impact of eliminating all privately managed prisons in the Southern Region. This study shall include the budgetary costs and benefits, an estimation of how many new prisons would need to be constructed compensate, and how long the construction or retrofitting of new prisons would take.

3.) No State in the Southern Region shall suspend the drivers license of a person merely for the non-payment of alimony, child support, fines or court fees.

4.) This act shall only apply to contracts made after the date this law is passed.

[Mr. Reactionary]

Religious Freedom Amplification Act

Be it enacted:

1.)  No person in the Southern Region shall be denied employment by any Regional, State, or local government department, merely for their religious decision to wear a small totem or head covering while performing work functions. Nothing in the sub-section shall prohibit the reassignment of an employee who wears a religious totem or head covering, if the employee is an undercover police officer or the religious totem or head covering would interfere with safety equipment the employee must wear to perform their work duties.

2.) Any citizen of the Southern Region who religiously objects to being photographed may receive a Regional or State issued Driver's License, College Identification Card, Concealed Carry Permit, Hunting License, Fishing License, Library Card or other Government Document without being required to be photographed. Any Card, License, or document issued under this subsection shall note the religious objection in the location where a photograph would otherwise be printed.

3.) No person in the Southern Region who possesses or distributes Ahuyasca or Peyote for religious purposes shall be prosecuted for possession or distribution of a controlled substance.

4.) Any person lawfully convicted of a crime within the Southern Region, and sentenced to a term of imprisonment, shall have the right to wear a beard up to 1 inch in length, if the prisoner has a genuine religious belief requiring it. 

5.) Any person in the Southern Region who lives in government provided housing may attach a small religious totem, symbol, or object to the interior wall or doorframe of their domicile, provided the religious item can be easily removed and causes minimal damage.

6.) Any person in the Southern Region who based on a religious belief objects to artificial life support, blood transfusions, or medical autopsies, may draft an affidavit explaining such objection. Upon signing the affidavit in the presence of 2 witnesses, the affidavit shall become a binding denial of consent for the mentioned medical procedure, unless the affiant later renounces the affidavit, it is shown by clear and convincing evidence that the affidavit was obtained by duress, or the affiant lacked the capacity to understand the affidavit at the time it was signed.

7.) Any licensed doctor in the Southern Region who with the voluntary, informed consent of a patient, performs cosmetic labiaplasty, shall not be prosecuted for female genital mutilation.

8.) It is the position of the Southern Region that local schools should respect those students whose religious beliefs require periodic but brief prayer during the day, and seek to accomodate such activity when doing so would not disrupt classroom or schoolwide activities.

9.) This act shall take effect immediately. No person may file a civil suit under sub-section 2 of this act in any court in the Southern Region, until 60 days after passage.

[Mr. Reactionary]

Policing the Police Act

Be it enacted:

1.) No Regional, State, or Local law enforcement officer in the Southern Region shall enter upon the real property of a person to view or record the data on a meter measuring electrical usage, unless the law enforcement officer has the express consent of the real property owner or a person who resides full time at the real property, or unless the law enforcement officer has a lawful warrant issued by a judge or magistrate with appropriate jurisdiction.

2.) No Regional, State, or Local law enforcement officer in the Southern Region shall implant or attach any device used for the purpose of tracking or recording geographic location via satellite to any person, privately owned vehicle, aircraft, or vessel, or any other privately owned personal property, unless the law enforcement officer has a lawful warrant issued by a judge or magistrate with appropriate jurisdiction.

3.) No Regional, State, or Local law enforcement officer in the Southern Region shall use unmanned drones for the purpose of tracking a person or a privately owned vehicle, aircraft, or vessel, unless the law enforcement officer has a lawful warrant issued by a judge or magistrate with appropriate jurisdiction, or if there is probable cause that the person, vehicle, aircraft, or vessel is fleeing from the location of recently committed crime.

4.) Any Regional, State, or Local law enforcement department in the Southern Region which equips its vehicles with license plate reading technology, shall delete all recordings or data the technology collects after six months, unless the particularized recordings or data not being deleted are potential evidence in an on-going felony investigation or prosecution.

5.) No Regional, State, or Local law enforcement officer in the Southern Region shall detain or arrest any person for the mere filming of a law enforcement officer in a public place, unless the person filming physically obstructs the law enforcement officer from exercising their lawful duties.

6.) No Regional, State, or Local law enforcement officer in the Southern Region shall detain or arrest any person for the mere utterance of lawful speech or gesturing of the hands or tongue. For the purposes of this sub-section, the extension of a person's middle finger shall not constitute obscenity.

7.) Any person in the Southern Region who injures or kills a law enforcement officer, shall not be prohibited from raising the affirmative defenses of self-defense or defense of others, provided it is first determined, by clear and convincing evidence that the law enforcement officer was knowingly acting in an unlawful manner, or if it is first determined beyond a reasonable doubt that the law enforcement officer did not identify themself as a law enforcement officer and the person being charged did not believe that the person injured or killed was a law enforcement officer at the time.

8.) The surviving spouse of any Regional, State, or Local law enforcement officer in the Southern Region who is killed in the line of duty shall be presented with a folded flag of the Southern Region.

9.) It is the position of the Southern Region that all localities in the Southern Region should grant a 1 year exemption from property taxes to any surviving spouse of any Regional, State, or Local law enforcement officer in the Southern Region who is killed in the line of duty.

10.) No uniformed law enforcement officer in the Southern Region shall conceal their badge while on duty nor raise the hood of a police vehicle during a traffic stop for the purpose of blocking a dashboard camera.

11.) January 2018 is hereby declared Law Enforcement Appreciation Month.

12.) This act shall take effect 3 months from passage.

[Mr. Reactionary]

School is Good Act

Be it enacted:

1.) In honor of the great educators of the Southern Region, the month of May 2018 shall be declared Public Education Appreciation Month.

2.) The week of June 17 through June 23 2018 shall be declared Home School Awareness Week. During this week, parents interested in home schooling may use public school facilities to gather and spread awareness and ideas about home schooling.

3.) A study shall be conducted on how much it would cost the Southern Region to offer college loan forgiveness to any teacher who agrees to teach in an impoverished area for 5 or more years.

[Mr. Reactionary]

Gunsmithing Freedom Act

Be it enacted:

1.) Any citizen of the Southern Region who is eligible to own a firearm may also mill or manufacture a lawful firearm for their own lawful and private use. Any citizen who mills or manufactures a firearm within the Southern Region shall not be prosecuted for failing to engrave a serial number on the newly manufactured firearm.

2.) Any citizen of the Southern Region who is eligible to own a firearm and who does not sell firearms as a regular source of income, may sell a firearm that was milled or manufactured within the Southern Region, to another citizen of the Southern Region who is also eligible to own a firearm.

3.) Any person lawfully selling a firearm which was milled or manufactured in the Southern Region may access the NICS database to request a background check to determine if a potential customer is eligible to own the firearm.

4.) A firearm is milled or manufactured in the Southern Region, when within the territory of the Southern Region, a drill press or other metal cutting tool is used on an unpunched lower receiver, to successfully enable the receiver to accept all of the necessary parts required of a functional firearm.

5.) No citizen of the Southern Region who lawfully owns a firearm, shall be prosecuted for making cosmetic changes to a firearm they lawfully own, including but not limited to, the addition of a bayonet lug, pistol grip, threaded barrel, muzzle break, barrel shroud, flash hider, or folding stock, or the reduction in length of the barrel or stock.