Pacific Legislature Official Thread

[Ebowed]

Renaming of Jackson County Bill
By a vote of 4-1, this legislation has passed.

x Ebowed

Legislature Amendment
By a vote of 5-0, this legislation has passed.

x Ebowed

[Ebowed]

As your new Governor, I will be embarking on a raft of ambitious proposals to rapidly expand the size of the government and the influence it exerts in many areas of our lives.

Any constructive feedback on how to improve these proposals would be appreciated.

Handgun Phase Out Bill
1. Effective three months upon the passage of this act, the Pacific Region declares itself a handgun free area.
2. Handgun owners will have three months to give handguns to any local Handgun Amnesty Office without penalty.
3. Three months upon the passage of this act, possession of a handgun will be a crime eligible for up to a $5,000 fine and/or up to six months in prison.

Guaranteed Minimum Income Bill
1. The Pacific Government will ensure that every resident over the age of 16 will be given a minimum income of $14,900 per year.
2. To apply for this minimum income, a resident over the age of 16 must be earning less than $14,900; a citizen earning less than the amount will be given the necessary sum to total an income of $14,900.
3. Residents who do not earn income, including welfare recipients, will be eligible for the full annual $14,900.
4. The guaranteed minimum income will also be open to immigrants including those not documented with the federal government.

[Marokai Backbeat]

I fear the minimum income would encourage unemployment and cost us a lot of money. I support the first, however.

[Purple State]

Is the first constitutional under the Atlasian Constitution?

[Marokai Backbeat]

Is the first constitutional under the Atlasian Constitution?

That, I'm afraid, is something I cannot comment on.

[Ebowed]

I fear the minimum income would encourage unemployment and cost us a lot of money.

That's certainly a valid concern, but given the current status of welfare in Atlasia I feel it is perhaps more pertinent to discuss drastic measures such as a guaranteed minimum income.

Last I read from the GM we do have the lowest unemployment of any of the regions, but I will work on a different bill to rapidly expand the safety net for the poor.

[Ebowed]

I fear the minimum income would encourage unemployment and cost us a lot of money.

That's certainly a valid concern, but given the current status of welfare in Atlasia I feel it is perhaps more pertinent to discuss drastic measures such as a guaranteed minimum income.

Last I read from the GM we do have the lowest unemployment of any of the regions, but I will work on a different bill to rapidly expand the safety net for the poor.

So in our present federal welfare law we have "Atlasians receiving public assistance will be allotted a three year maximum" with exceptions for disability and so on.  I suppose one way of addressing my concerns would be for the Pacific government to provide assistance to its residents who then get kicked off of the federal system - whether through a welfare program or a guaranteed income or whatever else would be politically feasible.

I might also look into a more comprehensive firearm control measure with trigger locks and waiting periods and so on.  I am cautious though as the last time I proposed the handgun ban it did not fare particularly well.  We'll see if the make-up of our citizenry has undergone any sort of ideological shift, I suppose.

[Purple State]

Is the first constitutional under the Atlasian Constitution?

That, I'm afraid, is something I cannot comment on.

Haha, Marokai without a comment. Quoted for posterity's sake.

[Marokai Backbeat]

Is the first constitutional under the Atlasian Constitution?

That, I'm afraid, is something I cannot comment on.

Haha, Marokai without a comment. Quoted for posterity's sake.

I'm not allowed!

[Purple State]

Is the first constitutional under the Atlasian Constitution?

That, I'm afraid, is something I cannot comment on.

Haha, Marokai without a comment. Quoted for posterity's sake.

I'm not allowed!

Oh I am well aware. Doesn't lessen the humor in it.

[MaxQue]

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Probably violate Article VI, Clause IV of the Second Constitution.

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Clause 3 is not good. It would add 14,900$ to welfare recipients.

Clause 4 is ridiculous. We could put a big sign "Immigrants, come here illegally and you will be paid", it would be the same!

I have some questions. Is the 14,900$ is tax-free? I would like to know the minimum wage to calculate some things. What is the yearly wage of a worker to the minimum wage?

[Ebowed]

The minimum wage in the Pacific is $7.50 per hour.

The guaranteed income would be tax-free.  The wording in clause 3 does need to be reworked a little since having a guaranteed minimum income would severely reduce the need for public assistance programs - at least in terms of people receiving money from the system for long periods of time.  I am fine to remove clause 4, though I am not willing to include a provision stating the opposite of what clause 4 presently states.

[MaxQue]

The minimum wage in the Pacific is $7.50 per hour.

It will climb to 8.50 "by the end of 2010", according to the "Reasonable Minimum Wage Act".

[Ebowed]

The minimum wage in the Pacific is $7.50 per hour.

It will climb to 8.50 "by the end of 2010", according to the "Reasonable Minimum Wage Act".

Yup.  The federal minimum wage is currently $7.25 while the Pacific's is twenty five cents higher.  Of course we will be succumbing to the federal increase at the end of the year unless anyone in the legislature feels like strengthening the regional law regarding the subject beforehand (which I would happily support).

[Vepres]

The Midwest would gladly take those guns off your hands (and then invade New Mexico)

[Marokai Backbeat]

I might be able to support a minimum income if it was temporary. Permanent is very tempting, but there are just so many concerns for me.

[Ebowed]

Voting is now open on the following proposal, and closes in exactly one week.

Handgun Phase Out Bill
1. Effective three months upon the passage of this act, the Pacific Region declares itself a handgun free area.
2. Handgun owners will have three months to give handguns to any local Handgun Amnesty Office without penalty.
3. Three months upon the passage of this act, possession of a handgun will be a crime eligible for up to a $5,000 fine and/or up to six months in prison.

[Marokai Backbeat]

Aye

[Franzl]

This looks blatantly unconstitutional to me, fwiw.

[k-onmmunist]

Thank God I'm not in the Pacific.

[Marokai Backbeat]

This looks blatantly unconstitutional to me, fwiw.

Hey, he brought it up, I'm just voting.

[Ebowed]

Handgun Phase Out Bill: Aye

[Ebowed]

So our region appears to be suffering from an influx of illegal immigrants.  I can only blame the federal government for repealing many of the humanitarian legal stipulations that treated undocumented immigrants with basic dignity and respect.

I would also question whether it is our responsibility to foot the bill for the increased border protection funding that would seem to be necessitated by the recent reports from the GM.  Any thoughts?

[MASHED POTATOES. VOTE!]

Voting is now open on the following proposal, and closes in exactly one week.

Handgun Phase Out Bill
1. Effective three months upon the passage of this act, the Pacific Region declares itself a handgun free area.
2. Handgun owners will have three months to give handguns to any local Handgun Amnesty Office without penalty.
3. Three months upon the passage of this act, possession of a handgun will be a crime eligible for up to a $5,000 fine and/or up to six months in prison.

Wow, my Northeast Gun Safety Act looks like a really watered-down thing in contrast.

[bgwah]

Nay