9th Council of Lincoln Legislative Introduction Thread

[Attorney General & Senator Dwarven Dragon]

Use this thread to introduce Legislation.

Legislation from the 8th Council Thread that was not considered needs to be reposted here to be considered.

[Attorney General & Senator Dwarven Dragon]

SPEAKER'S ANNOUNCED POLICIES:

Speaker's Announced Policy on Vote Reminders:

- Members should check the regional governments board at least once daily to read, introduce, and debate legislation as appropriate, and to introduce any amendments or cast any votes as necessary. Members should NOT rely on the Speaker, the Chancellor, or the Opposition Leader to remind them of basic legislative tasks, including votes.

- That being said, in the event that a vote is being lightly attended, the Speaker or his designee shall endeavor to send one reminder to all members who have not voted, via Atlas PM or Discord DM. The Speaker or his designee may send further reminders to members who have made it a habit to not vote.

- At Four consecutive missed final votes on legislation, the member shall be placed on the Wall of Shame on the noticeboard, in accordance with the policies listed there.

- At Six consecutive missed final votes on legislation, the member shall be expelled from the Council in accordance with the Lincoln Constitution.

- Each vote lasts a maximum of 48 hours and votes cast outside of that time frame will not be counted by the Speaker.

Speaker's Announced Policy on Sponsor Advocacy:

- Sponsors are expected to advocate for their bills promptly once posted.

- If a bill does not receive Sponsor Advocacy within its initial 72 hours of debate, the Speaker shall move to table it on that basis.

Speaker's Announced Policy on Amendments:

- All Bills are considered under an open amendment process, however basic respect for the time of the Chamber is expected.

- If an amendment is not germane, that is, it is not related to the main topic or theme of the bill, the Speaker shall seek to begin a vote on it as soon as possible. The Speaker shall vote No on grounds of the amendment not being germane, and shall urge his colleagues to do the same.

- Ahead of Bills where a large number of amendments is expected, the Speaker shall work with the other Councillors to consider amendments en bloc or reduce the number of amendments being offered.

- If a motion to proceed to a final vote is made, and either not objected to, or objected to and subsequently upheld according to the SOAP, the Council shall proceed to votes on pending amendments followed by the final vote.

- If a motion to invoke Cloture is instead made, then in accordance with the SOAP it shall receive a vote immediately after any open vote on the same thread has concluded. If passed per the SOAP, a motion to invoke Cloture voids pending amendments and allows the chamber to proceed immediately to a final vote. To be Considered a motion to invoke Cloture, that motion must be clearly stated: "I move to invoke Cloture" or similar. Otherwise the Speaker shall refer to the previous paragraph of this policy.

- Under Special or Extenuating Circumstances, the Chamber may consider a Special Rule for Consideration, which if adopted, shall only be applied to the bill(s) it names.

Speaker's Announced Policy on Non-Sitting Days

- It is the Speaker's recommendation that there be no Non-Sitting Days during this Council

Speaker's Announced Policy on Decorum of Non-Members:

- Those who are not in the Council are welcome to comment on bill threads, but are reminded that all rules of the Atlas Forum apply.

- In particular, spamming threads with unhelpful comments shall not be tolerated.

- The Speaker or his designee shall report offending posts of non-members regularly.

[Attorney General & Senator Dwarven Dragon]

Resolution supporting moving Kansas

- The Lincoln region hereby endorses any and all efforts to relocate Kansas from The South to Fremont.

[Attorney General & Senator Dwarven Dragon]

Ban McDonalds Act

Recongizing that McDonalds is a horrible company that exists solely for the purpose of making people Obese and forcing them to consume horribly unhealthy and greasy products made through suspicious practices,

Recongizing that Obesity is one of the biggest problems facing Atlasia and the Lincoln Region,

The Council Hereby,

- Bans McDonalds, or any affiliate or franchise thereof, from operating anywhere in Lincoln and from importing their products to Lincoln

- Bans any offsite McDonalds facility or similar venue that seeks to produce McDonalds products in Lincoln for exportation to other regions.

- Decrees that any McDonalds, or any affiliate or franchise thereof, or any related offsite facility or similar venue, that acts in contravention to this law, will see all of its owners and managers imprisoned for anywhere from six months to three years. Each case will be judged individually.

[Attorney General & Senator Dwarven Dragon]

We shouldn't have a regional military force Act
An act to end the Department of Northern Defense

1. The Regionalization Atlasian Security Act is hearby repealed.
2. This act shall take effect after 1 month after the signature of the governor 

Cosponsoring this

[Attorney General & Senator Dwarven Dragon]

withdrawing the sponsorship

withdrawing mine as well

[Attorney General & Senator Dwarven Dragon]

Comprehensive Philadelphia Plan Repeal Amendment

A. The Lincoln Council is hereby renamed to the Lincoln Assembly, and notwithstanding anything else in this amendment, the Councillors (who shall now be known as Assemblymen or Delegates), along with the incumbent governor, shall retain their powers until the next applicable election.

B. The Lincoln Council's SOAP shall be completely wiped out and a new one will need to be passed by the Assembly, except that any bills already on the floor may still be considered according to the Council's SOAP.

C. The Position of Lincoln Chancellor is hereby abolished.

D. If any existing Lincoln laws conflict with this amendment, they are hereby amended such that they comply/agree with the amendment, with full severability if a provision would need to be removed.

E. The Lincoln Constitution is hereby restored to its state before the passage of the Philadelphia plan, amended as follows:

Preamble to the Northern Lincoln Constitution: We, the people of the states of Connecticut, Illinois, Indiana, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island and Providence Plantations, Wisconsin, and Vermont, acting in accordance with the great precept that all men and women are created equal, and for the purpose of preserving the blessings of liberty for ourselves and our posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the Northern Lincoln Region.

Declaration of Rights
1. All people are born free and equal, and accordingly none shall be deprived of life, liberty, or property but by due process of law.

2.  All citizens shall be afforded equal protection under the laws of this Region. Neither slavery, nor involuntary servitude, except as punishment for crimes of which the accused has been duly convicted, shall exist within the bounds of this Region.

3. The freedom of speech and the freedom of the press are together the greatest bulwark against the institution of a despotic government, and accordingly neither shall be withheld or abridged by any public authority.

4. No law shall be enforced or enacted by this Region effecting the establishment of religion, nor obstructing the freedom of worship, and no religious test shall ever be required as a qualification to any office or public trust under this government.

5. In accordance with the great precept that all honest governments are founded upon the consent of the governed, and that government ought therefore to be accountable to the people, the right to peaceably assemble and to petition for the redress of grievances shall not be infringed.

6. A well-regulated militia being necessary for the security of a free people, the right of the people to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed. This shall not be construed to prevent the assembly from requiring background checks, banning bump stocks, or banning automatic weapons.

7. The seizure of private property for public use without just compensation shall be prohibited.

8. The right of two consenting adults to marry shall not be denied or abridged on account of gender or sex.

9.  The Privilege of the Writ of Habeas Corpus shall not be suspended, except in times of war or internal rebellion when the public safety may require it.

10. The right of the people to be secure in their persons, homes, records, communications, and possessions shall not be infringed, nor the warrantless search, seizure, or surveillance of the same permitted; and no warrants shall be issued but upon probable cause, supported by oath of affirmation, and particularly stating the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized.

11. In all criminal prosecutions, the accused shall have right to a speedy and fair trial by a jury of their peers in the state wherein the crime shall have been committed, to be informed of the nature and cause of the accusation, to be confronted by the witnesses against them, to have a compulsory process for obtaining witnesses in their favor, and to have the assistance of counsel in their defense.

12.  No person shall be compelled to bear witness against themselves, nor subjected to excessive bail, nor excessive fines, nor cruel or unusual punishment.

13. Insofar as the foundation of any just government is and should be the consent of the governed, and that therefore the people ought to act as the first and greatest bastion against the growth of tyranny, the health and survival of any free nation depends on an educated and thoughtful populace. To this end, it shall be the duty of this government to erect and maintain a system of public schools, open to all minors residing within this Region, and ordered according to the provisions set forth by the legislative power.

14. No soldier shall, in times of peace, be lodged in any house or private building without the consent of the owner, nor in times of war except in the manner prescribed by law.

15. No law shall be enforced or enacted by this Region requiring voters to denote their state of residence in the voting booth.

16. No budget or appropriation bill shall be passed by the legislative power of this Region for which the totaled expenditures exceed the sum of all revenue collected in the previous year, unless approved by 2/3 of all duly chosen and sworn Assemblymen.

17. The enumeration of certain rights in this Constitution shall not be construed as to deny or disparage those other natural rights and liberties herein unmentioned.

Article I. The Legislative Power
1. All legislative powers granted herein shall be vested in the Assembly of the North Lincoln. The Assembly shall be composed of a number of delegates elected every second month by the entire body of eligible voters. No person shall be a delegate who is not a registered voter of this Region.

2.  In all elections for the Assembly, the number of delegates to be elected shall be determined according to the number of declared candidates contesting the election. If five four or fewer candidates appear on the ballot, then three delegates will be elected; but if six five or more candidates appear on the ballot, five will be elected; but if nine or more candidates appear on the ballot, seven will be elected.

3. The Assembly shall have the power to determine its own methods of proceedings, to elect its Speaker and other officers, and to judge the qualifications of its members. No Regional officer shall be refused the right to introduce legislation in the Assembly, nor shall any rule be made disbarring a group of two or more citizens from exercising the same privilege. nor shall the Assembly assign legislative slots based on party registration or whether one supports the majority coalition.

4. Every bill passed by the Assembly, before it becomes law, shall first be sent to the Governor. If he approves of it, he should sign it and it will become law; but if he disapproves he may veto it, and it shall be returned to the Assembly. If the Assembly then passes the same bill again by a four fifths two-thirds vote, it shall become law regardless of the opinion of the Governor. If the Governor fails to either sign or veto a bill within 120 hours of its passage, it shall become law.

5. The Assembly may, by a four fifths vote, impeach the Governor for gross negligence or criminal acts; but the Governor shall not be convicted without the concurrence of four fifths of the members present, and the penalty for his conviction shall not exceed removal from office and disbarment from holding any office under this Region for eighteen months.

6. Whenever a vacancy should occur in the composition of the Assembly, the Governor shall appoint a replacement to fill the unexpired term. If the vacancy arises fewer than 336 hours before the commencement of the next regularly scheduled election, the appointed delegate shall serve the remainder of the present term; otherwise, they shall serve only until a new delegate may be elected. Vacancies occur upon resignation, recall, impeachment, failure to swear in within one week of the legislative session’s opening, or failure to vote on four final passage of six consecutive pieces of legislation without publicly declaring absence, or failure to participate in Assembly debate for one month. In the event of a tie in a legislative vote, the Governor shall have the power to break the tie.

Article II. The Executive Power
1. The executive power shall be vested in the Governor of the Northern Lincoln Region.

2. The Governor shall be elected every fourth month by the entire body of eligible voters. No person shall be Governor who is not a registered voter of this Region, nor who has been a citizen thereof for fewer than 720 hours.

3. The Governor shall have the power to carry out all acts in association with the enforcement of the laws passed under this Constitution; to fill vacancies in the Assembly; to command the militia in times of war; to appoint, with the consent of the Assembly, the heads of any executive departments which may be established by law [except that there may be no more than 3 such executive departments];  to issue pardons and reprieves for crimes committed under the laws of this Region, which shall be permanent upon their issuance, though he shall have no power to pardon himself; to appoint, in accordance with Article V of the Constitution of the Republic of Atlasia, the Associate Justice for this Region; and to approve, or veto, all acts passed by the Assembly.

4. The governor shall appoint the Lieutenant Governor of the Commonwealth, who shall act as president of the Assembly in the absence of a Speaker, and who shall likewise administer all elections and referendums mandated by this Constitution, except where otherwise stated herein. No person shall be Lieutenant Governor who is not a registered voter of this Commonwealth, nor who is not a sitting delegate in the Assembly. Should the Governor, by reason of death, impeachment, recall, or resignation, become unable to execute the duties of his office, then the Lieutenant Governor shall become Acting Governor until a new governor may be elected. If there is no Lieutenant Governor at the time of the vacancy, then the Speaker of the Assembly shall become Acting Governor. If there is neither a Lieutenant Governor nor a Speaker at the time of the vacancy, the delegate with the longest continuous service in the Assembly shall become Acting Governor. The person serving as Acting Governor need not vacate their post in the Assembly, but they shall have no vote in its proceedings and shall exercise no administrative powers over it so long as they continue to exercise the powers of governor.

Article III. The People
1. The people of the Northern Region may initiate the recall of any officer of this Region, except the Associate Justice of the Circuit Court, by delivering to the Lt. Governor a petition stating the reason for recall and signed by one quarter fourth of the total population of the Region. The Lt. Governor shall then open the voting booth, according to the rules and regulations for elections set forth in this Constitution; but if the officer to be recalled is the Lt. Governor, then the Speaker of the Assembly shall open the voting booth. The ballot question shall be, “Shall [A.B.] be recalled from the office of [name of the office held]?” A vote of “YES” shall be considered a vote for recall; a vote of “NO” shall be considered a vote against recall. Abstentions will not affect the results. Recalled officers shall forfeit their offices immediately.

2. Whenever the Assembly shall be equally divided over any bill, order, or resolution, the Governor may choose to refer the issue to the people. Accordingly, the Lt. Governor shall call a referendum on the proposal, with the ballot question “Shall [name of bill, followed by text] be made law?” A vote of “YES” shall be considered a vote for passage; a vote of “NO” shall be considered a vote against passage. Abstentions will not affect the results. Referred legislation shall immediately become law upon its passage by the people.

Article IV. The Senate
1. Elections for the Senate of the Republic of Atlasia shall be conducted at regular intervals, in the months prescribed by the Constitution thereof. Senators shall be elected by a direct vote of the people, and no person eligible to vote in elections for Governor and Assembly shall be denied the right to vote for Senator. Should a vacancy occur in the representation of this Region in the Senate, the Governor shall appoint an Acting Senator to serve until a replacement may be elected. Special elections for the Senate shall begin on the Friday following the creation of the vacancy; but if the vacancy shall occur on a Wednesday or Thursday, the special election shall begin on the second Friday following the creation of the vacancy. Senators who are elected in a regularly scheduled election shall take office on the first day of the next session of Congress. Senators elected in a special election shall take office immediately upon election.

Article V. Elections

1. The right to vote in all elections and referendums called according to the provisions of this Constitution shall be exclusive to those persons being eligible to vote in elections for President of the Republic of Atlasia who have been registered to vote in one of the states of this Region for a period of at least seven (7) days prior to the commencement of the election.

2. Voters shall be permitted to edit their ballots until 20 minutes after posting them in the voting booth, but may not delete their ballots. No voter shall edit their ballot after the official end of the voting period. All elections and referendums of this Region shall be administered by the Lt. Governor. Whenever the Lt. Governor is unable to execute this duty,  the Governor shall, and if both are unable to do so, the Speaker of the Assembly shall administer the election.

3. Elections for Governor shall be held in the months of February, June, and October. Elections for Assembly shall be held in the months of February, April, June, August, October, and December.

4. Candidates for Governor, Assembly, and federal Senate must declare their candidacy in the appropriate thread by 12:00:00 AM, Eastern Standard Time, on the Wednesday preceding the election in order to appear on the ballot. Except in December, all elections for Governor, Assembly, and federal Senate shall begin on the penultimate Friday of the given month. In December, all elections shall begin on the second Friday of the month.

5. All special elections for Governor and Assembly shall begin on the Friday following the creation of the vacancy to be filled; but if the vacancy shall occur on a Wednesday or Thursday, the special election shall begin on the second Friday following the creation of the vacancy. The appropriate election administrator shall open the voting booth at 12:00:00 AM, Eastern Standard Time.

6. Voting shall continue for 72 hours, and no vote cast more than 72 hours after the voting booth was opened shall be considered valid. The election administrator must accept any absentee ballots cast no more than 168 hours prior to the commencement of the election. Following the expiration of the voting period, the election administrator shall have 24 hours to produce a tally of the votes cast and to announce the persons elected. All elections shall be by single transferable vote, unless otherwise specified by law. The terms of the elected Governor and delegates shall begin at 12:00:00 PM, Eastern Standard Time, on the Thursday Tuesday following their election.

7. Prior to assuming office, all officers shall swear the following oath: “I, [A.B.], do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will faithfully execute the office of [state office name] and will to the best of my ability, preserve, protect and defend the Constitutions of the Northern Lincoln Region and the Republic of Atlasia.” All referendums on referred legislation, proposed amendments to this Constitution, and proposed amendments to the Constitution of the Republic of Atlasia shall begin on the first Friday following their passage by the appropriate body; but if the passage shall occur on a Thursday, the referendum shall begin on the second Friday following passage. All recall elections shall begin on the first Friday following the receipt of the valid petition for recall; but if the petition is received on a Thursday, the recall election shall begin on the second Friday following receipt.

8. The appropriate election administrator shall open the voting booth at 12:00:00 AM, Eastern Standard Time. Voting shall continue for 72 hours, and no vote cast more than 72 hours after the voting booth was opened shall be considered valid. In all referendums, a “YES” vote shall be considered a vote in favor of passing the referendum and a “NO” vote shall be considered a vote against passing the referendum. Abstentions shall not affect the results of the referendum. In all cases, a simple majority of those voting “YES” or “NO” shall be required to pass the referendum, unless otherwise stated in the referendum's text.

Article VI. Amendments

1. The Assembly shall have the power to propose amendments to this Constitution by a two thirds vote of its members;Whenever the total body of delegates should be five in number, a two thirds of all sitting delegates vote shall be sufficient to propose amendments; but when the number of delegates should be three, a unanimous vote of all sitting delegates shall be required. Amendments shall become operative following their ratification by a public referendum. The Region shall ratify amendments to the Constitution of the Republic of Atlasia by public referendum.

Article VII. Implementation

1. The assent of a three fifths of the voting citizens of this Region on a weekend [Friday-Sunday] when there is no other separately polled amendment or referendum up for a vote shall be sufficient to ratify this Constitution. Following the ratification of this Constitution, the president of the Legislative Committee shall organize the election of a Governor and Assembly to serve until the regularly scheduled October elections. The seat of government shall be determined by a referendum conducted alongside the vote mandated by Section 1 of this Article, and once established shall not be changed but by the method prescribed for the amendment of this Constitution.

F. This Amendment shall only be considered ratified if a 3/5 majority of the region votes in its favor. If such vote would ordinarily take place during a weekend [Friday-Sunday] in which another regional amendment or referendum is also scheduled for a vote, then it shall be postponed until a weekend [Friday-Sunday] in which no other regional amendment or referendum is also scheduled for a vote.

PROMISES MADE. PROMISES KEPT.

[Attorney General & Senator Dwarven Dragon]

Amendment to the Lincoln Downballot elections act:

Lincoln Downballot Elections Act

I. Elections

a1. Gubernatorial elections and elections for state legislature shall occur every six months. The mayoral elections for New York City and Chicago shall also occur every six months. Gubernatorial elections will not occur at the exact same time in every state.

a2. Exception - Not withstanding anything else in this bill, The Game Moderator (GM) may delay elections to be scheduled in January 2021 to instead occur in February 2021, and extend all relevant terms by a month to accommodate.  The GM may also have the February elections be for five month terms instead of six if desired.

II. Composition

a1. Each of these states shall have a bicameral legislature
b2. House and Senate districts are not required to be nested unless stated otherwise, also each House and Senate seat must have equal population to other House and Senate seats
c3. The number of legislators per state shall be as follows:
i.Wisconsin: 33 members of the State Senate and 99 members of the State House of Representatives
ii. Illinois: 59 members of the State Senate and 118 members of the State House of Representatives
              a. 2 voting districts for the House must be nested into each Senate district
iii. Michigan: 38 members of the State Senate and 110 members of the State House of Representatives
iv. Indiana: 50 members of the State Senate and 100 members of the State House of Representatives
v. Ohio: 33 members of the State Senate and 99 members of the State House of Representatives
            a. 3 voting districts for House must be nested into each Senate seat
vi. Pennsylvania: 50 members of the State Senate and 203 members of the State House of Representatives
vii. New Jersey: 40 members of the State Senate and 80 members of the General Assembly
            a. Each Senate district shall elect two representatives, in other words House and Senate districts have the exact same lines
viii. New York: 150 members of the State Senate and 63 members of the State House of Representatives
             a. nesting not required, however nesting districts is preferred, if possible
ix. Connecticut: 36 members of the State Senate and 151 members of the State House of Representatives
x. Rhode Island: 38 members of the State Senate and 75 members of the State House of Representatives
xi. Massachusetts: 40 members of the State Senate and 160 members of the State House of Representatives
xii. Vermont: 30 members of the State Senate and 150 members of the State House of Representatives
xiii. New Hampshire: 24 members of the State Senate and 400 members of the State House of Representatives
xix. Maine: 35 members of the State Senate and 151 members of the State House of Representatives
             a. three additional non-voting seats in the House of Representatives must be set aside for members of the Penobscot Nation, the Passamaquoddy Tribe, and the Houlton Band of Maliseets.
xx. Virgin Islands: 15 members of the upper house of the Legislature of the Virgin Islands and 25 members of the lower house
xxi. All elections for State Senate shall be conducted by ranked choice voting. All elections for House of Representatives, except in New Jersey shall be conducted by ranked choice voting
xxii. Elections for the General Assembly in New Jersey shall occur based on a first-past-the-post voting system.
4. All states shall have their “default” systems for electing the lower houses of their legislature as elections by instant runoff voting for single-member district constituencies; excepting New Jersey, whose default system shall be the election of two members in each upper house district by two separate instant runoff elections. Each state may additionally choose to adopt one of the following alternative systems:
i. Proportional list representation with no districts
ii. Mixed-Member Proportional system
iii. Elections to multi-member districts via Single Transferable Vote; each district electing 3 or more members.
States that choose to adopt such a system shall adjust their districts and nesting requirements accordingly. Such adoption may be simulated by the GM, including adoption by a state prior to the passage of this bill.
5. All upper houses of state legislatures must be elected by Instant Runoff Vote in single-member districts.
6. States shall have the option to switch to a parliamentary system, mirroring Lincoln’s own system; in such a system the Governor’s role would become more procedural and facilitators while the head of government would be selected by the governor and required to command confidence of a majority of the lower house. Adoption of such a system may be simulated by the GM, including adoption by a state prior to the passage of this bill.


III. Redistricting


1. Redistricting shall consist of a commission of the majority and minority leader of both houses of the state legislature, as well as 5 citizens, and 2 legislators from the minority party in the State House of Representatives
2. The commission must create a map that prioritizes one of these two goals: maximizing the competitiveness of districts or drawing districts proportional to partisanship
3. In areas where there is a high minority population, and it is possible to draw a seat where the voting age population of a minority coalition is greater than 50%, or where the voting age population of a specific minority group (i.e. African Americans or Latinos) that seat must be drawn by the commission.
4. In areas where it is possible to draw a seat as described in Section 3, Clause 1, but with a minority coalition or individual minority group population of above 40% of the voting age population, it is recommended that the commission draw that seat
5. For the purposes, of this act, the seats in Section 3 shall be known as Voting Rights Act seat (if it is a majority of a single minority) or a Minority Coalition seat (if they seat is formed by a majority of multiple minority groups)
6. For the purposes, of this act, the seats in Section 4 shall be known as Opportunity Seats
7. Redistricting shall occur every two years on this calendar (2021, 2023, 2025, 2027, etc.) as well as when necessitated by an election system change.

IV. Implementation

1. This act shall take effect two weeks after being signed into law

[Attorney General & Senator Dwarven Dragon]

As the council has entered final business, time for this to be locked