Legislation Introduction Thread

[minionofmidas]

My time in the senate runs thin sadly, but I have gotten a chance to all the cool stuff a senator gets to do. That is, all but one: introduce a bill.

Delicious Symbols of Atlasia Act

1. The Senate hereby declares New York Style cheesecake the official food of Atlasia, and Chef salad the assistant official food of Atlasia.

This needs an amendment banning anybody from eating any other food.

[minionofmidas]

Cambodian Free Trade Bill

1. No tariffs, customs, or restrictions on movement of goods, except those that have been outlawed by the destination or interim nation, shall exist between the Republic of Atlasia and Cambodia.
2. The President and other officers of the Atlasian Government shall take such actions as may be necessary to implement the provisions of this act.

Unlike Laos, Cambodia is a democracy. Of a sort.

[minionofmidas]

introduced as a Senate Resolution:

Resolution on the issue of Atlasian recognition of the United States of America

Whereas, contrary to the official standpoint of the Atlasian government, the United States of America are still in existence, and still in possession of all the territories formerly in their possession,

1. The Government of Atlasia is urged to recognize de jure the United States of America, and the legality of the government of the United States of America.
2. The Government of Atlasia is urged to establish diplomatic relations with the United States of America.
3. The Government and the people of Atlasia are urged to frigging come to grips with the fact that Atlasia ain't no superpower, but is in fact a tiny US-shaped country with a population in the low three-digits.


There. My parting gift.

[minionofmidas]

End to Districts Amendment

That the following changes shall be made to the Atlasian Constitution:

1. Article I, Section 1, Clause 1 of the Atlasian Constitution shall be amended to read as follows:
The Senate shall be composed of ten Senators, each with a term of four months.

2. Article I, Section 1, Clause 2 of the Atlasian Constitution shall be amended to read as follows:
No Person shall be a Senator who has not attained a hundred or more posts and, in the case of Regional Senators, is not a registered voter in the Region that they represent.

3. Article I, Section 4, Clause 1 of the Atlasian Constitution shall be amended to read as follows:
The Senate shall be divided into two classes: Class A, which shall comprise the Senators elected from the Regions, and Class B, which shall comprise Senators elected by a form of proportional representation.

4. Article IV, Section 4 of the Atlasian Constitution shall be repealed.

[minionofmidas]

Constitutional Amendment to Reduce Deregistrations of Active Atlasians (The Tik|Eraserhead Amendment)

Article V, Section 2, Part 6 of the Atlasian Constitution is hereby amended to read:

Any registered voter who fails to vote in elections for four months, and any first-time registrant who fails to vote in the first scheduled Senate elections for which he is qualified to vote shall have his registration no longer considered valid. This clause shall not be construed to deny a forum user the right to register anew.

May I draw both your, my own, and my predecessors' attention to the XVIth Amendment. This already extended the period from four to eight months. It also (something I never noticed before) legalized some long-established courtesy DoFA practices (ie: when people who had previously missed a vote in a general election voted in a by-election, their counter was reset to 0. Failure to vote in a by-election, OTOH, had no negative consequences.) ... and ... something I'd also not noticed before... it seems to be doing away with the deletion of first-time voters who don't vote!

Also, the links on the wiki page for the XVI amendment are all wrong. I'll rectify that.

[minionofmidas]

Constitutional Amendment to Reduce Deregistrations of Active Atlasians (The Tik|Eraserhead Amendment)

Article V, Section 2, Part 6 of the Atlasian Constitution is hereby amended to read:

Any registered voter who fails to vote in elections for four months, and any first-time registrant who fails to vote in the first scheduled Senate elections for which he is qualified to vote shall have his registration no longer considered valid. This clause shall not be construed to deny a forum user the right to register anew.

May I draw both your, my own, and my predecessors' attention to the XVIth Amendment. This already extended the period from four to eight months. It also (something I never noticed before) legalized some long-established courtesy DoFA practices (ie: when people who had previously missed a vote in a general election voted in a by-election, their counter was reset to 0. Failure to vote in a by-election, OTOH, had no negative consequences.) ... and ... something I'd also not noticed before... it seems to be doing away with the deletion of first-time voters who don't vote!

Also, the links on the wiki page for the XVI amendment are all wrong. I'll rectify that.

Yikes.  When I was looking at the Wiki, it did not appear that the section of the constitution in question had been amended.

That's because that link was also missing.
I just knew there was something to amend that, so I went through all the amendments.

[minionofmidas]

I strongly oppose this amendment. I do not think people should supervise their own elections.

[minionofmidas]

I strongly oppose this amendment. I do not think people should supervise their own elections.

Such confidence in the masses

That's not the point; it's just something I find potentially messy and easily avoidable.

[minionofmidas]

Proportional Representation (By-Elections) Act

1. Sections 18-22 of the Proportional Representation Act (F.L. 21-2), dealing with vacancies, are hereby repealed.
2. In the event of a vacancy arising for whatever reason in a seat filled by Proportional Representation, a by-election shall be held on a nationwide basis in accordance with the terms outlined within the Consolidated Electoral System Reform Act (F.L. 14-2) and the Proportional Representation Act.
3. In the event of further such vacancies arising before the commencement of the by-election, a single by-election shall be held for all the vacant seats.

[minionofmidas]

December Elections Amendment

1. Regular elections to the Senate in the month of December shall begin between midnight Eastern Standard Time on the second Thursday of the month and 0001 Eastern Standard Time on the first Friday thereafter, and shall conclude exactly 72 hours after beginning.

2. The exact time at which a given election or vote shall begin may be determined by the voting booth administrator subject to such restrictions as may be imposed by Law.

[minionofmidas]

Bill Abolishing Capital Punishment Within the Atlasian Military
1. No branch of the Atlasian military may use the death penalty as punishment in cases involving anyone (including foreigners, prisoners of war, spies, and deserted or mutinied soldiers).


I'm not reintroducing Ebowed's transfat XO.

[minionofmidas]

Act to repeal the Deregistration Act

1. The Deregistration Act (F.L. 11-1) is hereby repealed.

2. Deregistration shall not be possible in Atlasia in the future.

3. The status of past deregistrations is not affected by this act.

[minionofmidas]

Constitutional Amendment

That the following changes be made to the Atlasian Constitution:

1. Article I, Section 1, Clause 2 shall be amended to read as follows: No person shall be a Senator who has not attained a hundred or more posts.

2. Article I, Section 4, Clause 1 shall be amended to read as follows: The Senate shall be divided into two classes: Class A and Class B, both of which shall be elected by a form of proportional representation.

3. Article I, Section 4, Clause 4 shall be amended to read as follows: If a vacancy shall occur in any Senate seat, then a special election shall be called to fill the remainder of the vacant term within one week of the vacancy occurring.

4. Article I, Section 4, Clause 5 shall be amended to read as follows: However, if a vacancy shall occur less than two weeks before the end of the term in question, then no special election shall be necessary.

[minionofmidas]

Proportional Representation (Class A seats) Act

1.The provisions of the Proportional Representation Act (F.L. 21-2), as amended by the Proportional Representation (By-Elections) Act (F.L. 25-4), shall also apply to Class A seats.
2. This Act shall not take effect until directed by an Executive Order of the President of Atlasia directing same.

[minionofmidas]

Political Party Definition Amendment

Article V, Section 1, Clause 8 (Political Party definition) of the Constitution of Atlasia is hereby repealed.


I abstained when this was last on the Senate floor, but it seems to be the only way to stop the moronic "Let's have real parties again! And since there's a reason why most people don't want to be in real parties anymore, let's force people to be in real parties again!" argument.

[minionofmidas]

Political Party Definition Amendment

Article V, Section 1, Clause 8 (Political Party definition) of the Constitution of Atlasia is hereby repealed.


I abstained when this was last on the Senate floor, but it seems to be the only way to stop the moronic "Let's have real parties again! And since there's a reason why most people don't want to be in real parties anymore, let's force people to be in real parties again!" argument.

Withdrawn upon consideration.

[minionofmidas]

Senate Resolution to Amend Article IX of the OSPR

Article IX, Section 2 shall be amended to read:
"Any new Senator may change the vote of his/her predecessor unless the time for allowing the changing of votes has passed. If no change is made, the vote of the outgoing Senator shall remain valid.
In the case of Senators elected under a multi-member Single Transferable Vote system, newly elected Senators, in the order of their election, shall be deemed to be the successors of any incumbent Senators not reelected, in order of their election.

for reference:

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"Predecessor" was undefined so far, although in the case of single-member seats (which is all we had when this was passed) it was pretty much self-evident.

I think this needs some extra text to make it clear that seats that changed occupants during the term still remain the same seat (if they are vacant at election time, or the by-election winner is himself not reelected.)
Was that confused enough or does anybody still understand what I'm trying to say?

Using the rules outlined for these elections,
Dwtl would be able to change Andrew's votes, Al would be able to change Colin's votes, Sensei would be able to change Afleitch's votes, and Jas would be filling the vacancy.

[minionofmidas]

OK, Senators A and B don't run for re-election. In the at large election, first senator C is elected, and then senator D. Senator C votes for A or does he vote for B? How can one tell?  And suppose C and D are elected at the same time, ie I assume, meaning in the same round?

The one with the higher vote total to be considered first. When tied on that, previous rounds.

[minionofmidas]

OK, Senators A and B don't run for re-election. In the at large election, first senator C is elected, and then senator D. Senator C votes for A or does he vote for B? How can one tell?  And suppose C and D are elected at the same time, ie I assume, meaning in the same round?

The one with the higher vote total to be considered first. When tied on that, previous rounds.

I still don't get it. C is elected first. There are two senators not running for reelection. Which one does C vote for? 

The one elected first (of the two).

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Yeah, it still requires some work. Or a clear definition of "order of election" in the PR Act.
Mind you, it only matters for a week at most every four months... *needs to figure out how the Senate handled the issue four months ago* Of course, back then it was even stranger because the leaving Senators had still been elected for districts.

[minionofmidas]

And if A and B were elected at the same time, you do the same protocol, as to who was elected in the earlier round, and if in the same round, a look back at earlier vote totals, and if they had the same vote totals, maybe do it in alphabetical order of their names or something.

No need for the last condition. Ties broken exactly as (for previous rounds) in the PR Act.

[minionofmidas]

End to Mandatory Cloture Resolution
1. Article 4, Section 1, Clause 6 of the OSPR is hereby repealed.
2. Clauses 7, 8, and 9 are renumbered accordingly.


Constitutional Amendment to create an all-proportional Senate, Mk. II

That the following changes be made to the Atlasian Constitution:

1. Article I, Section 1, Clause 2 shall be amended to read as follows: No person shall be a Senator who has not attained a hundred or more posts.

2. Article I, Section 4, Clause 1 shall be amended to read as follows: The Senate shall be divided into two classes: Class A and Class B, both of which shall be elected by a form of proportional representation.

3. Article I, Section 4, Clause 4 shall be amended to read as follows: If a vacancy shall occur in any Senate seat, then a special election shall be called to fill the remainder of the vacant term within one week of the vacancy occurring.

4. Article I, Section 4, Clause 5 shall be amended to read as follows: However, if a vacancy shall occur less than two weeks before the end of the term in question, then no special election shall be necessary.


Restoration of CESRA Act

The Second Amendment to the Consolidated Electoral System Reform Act (F.L.26-3) is hereby repealed.

[minionofmidas]

There's a debate thread for this, folks.

[minionofmidas]

"Actual Amendment to the National Energy Act

Clauses 2, 3, 8, and 9 of the National Energy Act (F.L. 3-3) are hereby repealed."

Introduced by Bacon King.

[minionofmidas]

Azeri Shield Act

1.  The proposed missle defense shield plans for Eastern Europe will hereafter be scrapped.

2.  Instead a shield, previously proposed as a joint project between Russia and America, will be set up in Qalaba, Azerbaijan.

3.  The Azerbaijani radar station will first need to be inspected by American inspectors and defects will need to be repaired or upgraded.  If costs exceed benefits the project may be scrapped at a later date.

4.  All actions will be taken in conjunction with both the Azerbaijani and Russian governments.

________________________________________________________________________________

This is my first real bill and if anyone has any corrections or thinks anything needs to be redone let me know.  The aim is a softening of relations with Russia and if its bad let me know.

I ask that this be placed on the docket.

My apologies. Done.

[minionofmidas]

Vice Presidential Election Amendment

Elections to the Presidency and Vice Presidency shall be held in separate contests. Vice Presidential Elections shall be held on the same date as Presidential Elections.


Much to my surprise, there isn't any additional language in the Constitution or CESRA that needs to be explicitly repealed to make this work. All the current ticket system is based on is "He shall be elected with a Vice President(...)" in Article II Section 1 Clause 1 and the Candidate Regulations (an executive order. And one that has rarely been obeyed to the letter anyways.) The Constitution also says "The Senate shall have necessary power to determine regulations for the procedure of and the form of Presidential elections", so whether this even requires an amendment is open to debate. Better to play it safe, though.