Legislation Introduction Thread

[Joe Republic]

I honestly don't see the urgency of those bills, particularly so close to an election.  As the second bill requires the constitutional amendment to pass, can we really pass the amendment without debate and expect the regions to ratify it in time for the elections?  I'm not sure we can do that, and I'd rather not be on the sorry side and end up with a disgusting mess of one or two regions still voting on the amendment's ratification when the SoFA opens up the polls for the midterms, rendering the entire debacle useless until February.

The likelihood is that the bills will be passed in time for the next round of elections in February.  That is my own preferred option.

[Defarge]

The following are bumped to the top of the legislative agenda:

Amendment to Allow a Secret Ballot

Electoral System Reform Bill

I voice my support for bumping these to the top of the agenda.

[Ebowed]

Even so, the Electoral System Reform Bill should not be "bumped" to the top of the agenda until the amendment is dealt with.  Putting both bills on the floor at the same time means that the Electoral System Reform Bill would be unconstitutional when passed.

[Filuwaúrdjan]

Well the one was introduced before 'tuther one anyway. If this becomes a problem, we can just re-bump the normal order in front of the one bill (yes, yes, yes... we've tied ourselves in knots here... but hopefully it'll work out for the best...)

[MasterJedi]

Thanks to Emsworth for the help in writing this (and actually remembering what the name was for the Tennessee Valley Authroity was )


Tennessee Valley Authority Privatization Act

1. The Tennessee Valley Authority shall be auctioned to private persons or corporations.
2. The Secretary of the Treasury is hereby authorized to make necessary rules and regulations relating to the process of privatization.
3. The privatization of the Tennessee Valley Authority shall be completed before the year 2007.

[Peter]

And a certain constituent of mine would like this introduced as well:

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Just noticed this, which is a good thing.

The use of the word Amendment in the title of this legislation suggests that this is written as a Proposed Constitutional Amendment, which means that the author is going to a whole lot of trouble that neither he nor the rest of us need to go through.

Article VIII, Section 2, as suggested by its title is a Section of Miscellaneous Carryovers - things that had previously been designated by the Constitution and never prescribed by statute. I always had found this fact utterly ridiculous - of course the Senate should have power to alter, abolish or create executive departments as it wishes, and so this section was left open to being modified by simple legislation as opposed to the unwieldy constitutional amendment. (see Clause 5: "The Senate shall have appropriate power via legislation to repeal or amend anything in this Section.")

[Joe Republic]

(snip)

Just noticed this, which is a good thing.

The use of the word Amendment in the title of this legislation suggests that this is written as a Proposed Constitutional Amendment, which means that the author is going to a whole lot of trouble that neither he nor the rest of us need to go through.

Article VIII, Section 2, as suggested by its title is a Section of Miscellaneous Carryovers - things that had previously been designated by the Constitution and never prescribed by statute. I always had found this fact utterly ridiculous - of course the Senate should have power to alter, abolish or create executive departments as it wishes, and so this section was left open to being modified by simple legislation as opposed to the unwieldy constitutional amendment. (see Clause 5: "The Senate shall have appropriate power via legislation to repeal or amend anything in this Section.")

Aha, I misread that.  Thank you for the input too.  Technically speaking though, it is still a constitutional amendment, so the name still applies.  But once it reaches the Senate floor, you can be sure I shall mention this.

[Filuwaúrdjan]

The Electoral System Reform Bill has been bumped back down the agenda until the amendment is passed

[Filuwaúrdjan]

The Right to Life Amendment has been bumped up the agenda, pending agreement of the Veep.

Reason for this is to at least begin discussing the idea before Ebowed and PBrunsel leave the Senate.

[Jake]

Amendment to the OPSR on Legislation Introduction

Article III, Section 2, Clause 5 of the Official Senate Procedural Resolution is amended to read:

"In case of a vote on an Amendment to the Constitution, legislation may only be introduced after the Senate has approved the Amendment in question and the President Pro-Tempore has posted a thread notifying the Governor's of the Senate's approval."

[CheeseWhiz]

The Right to Life Amendment has been bumped up the agenda, pending agreement of the Veep.

Reason for this is to at least begin discussing the idea before Ebowed and PBrunsel leave the Senate.

I really don't think this is a good idea.  The Right to Life Amendment isn't important, and doesn't need to be bumped.  Ebowed and PBrunsel choose not to run for reelection, and with that they had to sacrifice being able to vote on a lot of things.  They can still enter the discussion as citizens.

[The Dowager Mod]

I suggest the veep not allow it to be bumped.
We have better things to worry about.

[Jake]

The legislation was proposed in the middle of the session before last and still has not been debated for various reasons (budget, forum affairs). I support the bumping, even if it is simply withdrawn or voted down quickly.

[MAS117]

NEW DEVELOPMENTS....for old times sake....

**To tell you the truth this is more symbolic then anything. I don't care if this gets debated on or not, but I'd like to it be.**

Mr. MAS117, for himself, submits the following bill:

A bill to recognize the government of the Principality of Sealand, a sovereign nation.

Section I. Findings
1. The Government of Their Royal Highnesses Prince Roy and Princess Joan of Sealand are recognized as the legitimate ruling government of the Principality of Sealand.
2. At the time of its conception the Principality of Sealand was outside of the United Kingdom’s territorial waters.
3. On December 6th, 2005 the Government and courts of the United Kingdom finally admitted that the tower, built to help to defend Britain from invasion in the 1940s, is outside British national territory and not part of the United Kingdom.
4. In 1978 the Government of Germany gave a de facto diplomatic recognition to the Principality of Sealand.

Section II. Recognition
1. The State Department of the United States is hereby urged to give diplomatic recognition the Principality of Sealand under the government of His Royal Highness Prince Paddy Roy Bates I and his heirs.
2. The President shall nominate an Ambassador, with advice and senate of the Congress, to open up diplomatic relations with the Principality of Sealand.

[Joe Republic]

It's probably not a good idea to endorse the activities of some subversives within one of our key allies' borders.  For the record, I'll be vetoing it if it ever got that far.

[MAS117]

It's probably not a good idea to endorse the activities of some subversives within one of our key allies' borders.  For the record, I'll be vetoing it if it ever got that far.

Don't worry about it, I just want to enter it on record.

[Filuwaúrdjan]

On the request of a concerned constituent:

Deregistration Bill

Whereas,
1. Federal Statutes and the Constitution are seemingly silent on the matter of "deregistration".
2. To date the ability to deregister has apparently been at the whim of the Executive, with Presidents apparently changing its status by Executive Order.

The Senate resolves that,
1. A right to deregister, specifically, the right to have oneself removed from the voter rolls, is hereby granted to all citizens of Atlasia.
2. Any citizen who has deregistered shall no longer be able to vote in any federal election or vote.
3. Should a citizen who has deregistered, re-register with Atlasia within sixty days of their deregistration, then they remain bound by the requirements of Article V, Section 2, Clause 7 as amended by the Seventh Amendment.
4. The Department of Forum Affairs may make regulations as necessary to specify how requests for deregistration should be made.
5. Previous deregistration requests that have been honored should remain so, and those that have not been honored should remain so.
6. All Executive Orders issued in contradiction of this Law in the past or future are void.

[Ebowed]

Feeble Attempt to Make the Species Bill Slightly More Reasonable Bill

The text of the Species Bill of 2005 is hereby stricken and replaced with:

1. Endangered and Threatened Species
   a. Atlasia hereby recognizes the Endangered and Threatened Species List of animals and plants, as compiled by the Atlasian Fish and Wildlife Service.
   b. Any individual wishing to import into Atlasia an organism of a species that appears on one of these lists shall first purchase from the AFWS a permit for this purpose at a cost of $7,750 for each organism imported, assuming it is listed on the list of endangered or threatened "Vertebrate Animals."  For organisms on the "Invertebrate Animals" and "Flowering Plants," a license shall cost $3,500 per organism imported; for "Non-flowering Plants" a license shall cost $2,000 per organism imported.
   c. This fee shall be waived for any zoo or zoological society, as defined and satisfactorily inspected by the AFWS.
   d. If an organism of an endangered or threatened species is proved in a court of law to have been intentionally killed or died as the direct result of treatment by the party applying for an importation permit, said offender shall pay a fine of as defined by the following table:
First Offense
Threatened Species/Endangered Species
Vertebrate Animals ($15,000 / $40,000)
Invertebrate Animals ($5,000 / $10,000)
Flowering Plants ($3,500 / $7,500)
Non-flowering Plants ($2,000 / $6,000)

Second Offense
Threatened Species/Endangered Species
Vertebrate Animals ($30,000 / $80,000)
Invertebrate Animals ($10,000 / $20,000)
Flowering Plants ($7,000 / $15,000)
Non-flowering Plants ($4,000 / $12,000)

Third Offense
Threatened Species/Endangered Species
Vertebrate Animals ($45,000 / $120,000)
Invertebrate Animals ($15,000 / $30,000)
Flowering Plants ($10,500 / $22,500)
Non-flowering Plants ($6,000 / $18,000)

Any further offenses shall be fined as defined appropriate by the court.

   e. Any entity proved in a court of law to have imported an organism of an endangered or threatened species without first securing an importation permit shall be fined $15,000 per offense.

2. Invasive Species
   a. Atlasia hereby recognizes invasive species as a threat to the nation’s environmental resources.
   b. An invasive species shall be defined as any non-native plant or animal that disrupts or destroys the natural state of the environment.
   c. Only zoos or zoological societies shall be permitted to import invasive species into Atlasia.
   d. Any such organisms imported per the provisions of Section 2c of this act shall not be sold to other parties within Atlasia.
   e. Any entity other than those provided for in Section 2d found in a court of law to have knowingly imported in an invasive species shall pay a fine of $50,000 per offense.

3. Species Tracker
   a. The Atlasian Fish and Wildlife Service shall create a computer system to track the importation and exportation of endangered, threatened, and invasive species into and out of Atlasia.  This system is required to keep on file information identifying each violator.
   b. Any endangered, threatened, or invasive species import or export must be reported the Atlasian Fish and Wildlife Service.
   c. Any individual, company, zoo or zoological society that is found in a court of law to be violating any sections of this bill shall within two years report all of owned endangered, threatened, and invasive species to Atlasia’s Fish and Wildlife Service to be logged in the computer system.

[MAS117]

Mr. MAS117, submits the following bill:

**Offer amendments if you wish**

SENATORIAL DECORUM ACT

§ I.
The Senate shall pass a bill through the following three steps.
A. The presiding officer shall open up a hearing on the bill or amendment on the floor. That hearing is open to anyone in the Republic of Atlasia. Time for such a hearing shall last for 48 or 72 hours, and shall be written by the presiding officer in the orginial post.
B. After the hearing, the presiding officer shall move into a debate on the amendment or bill, which is open to Senators ONLY. Anyone else who wishes to comment or talk about the bill will do so in the hearing. Debate shall last for 48 or 72 hours, or as long as the presiding officer yields time.
C. After debate is concluded the presiding officer shall open up a voting thread on the bill or amendment on the floor.
D. After passage of said amendment or bill, the bill moves to the President's desk for his signature or veto.

§ II.
A. Opening Debate

A presiding officer shall open debate on the Senate Floor by opening a new thread in the Floor forum. The bill or question which is open for debate shall be posted at the top of said thread, and the presiding officer shall state the time and date at which debate will ordinarily end.

Each new question shall be discussed in a new thread, though amended bills may continue to debate in the original thread after considering an amendment.

B. Speaking in debate
Only Senators may speak during Senate debate. Members should address their comments through the presiding officer, opening their comments with “Mr. President” or “Madame President.” When an amendment or other motion is offered, it shall be considered a new question for debate purposes. When a Senator is done speaking, he must yield back to the presiding officer by simply stating, "I yield."

C. Decorum
Members should confine their remarks to the merits of the pending question before the House. In referring to another member, members should avoid referring to their colleagues by name, instead referring to “the gentleman from Ohio”, “the gentlelady from Texas,” “the Senator from New Hampshire” or, as a last resort, “Senator (name)”.

Members shall not threaten, accuse or question the motives of another member; nor act in a manner that disturbs the Senate or its procedures; nor use profanity or sexual innuendo; nor speak against their own motion or bill; nor speak adversely on a prior action not pending; nor speak in a language other than English during debate.

D. Extending Debate

1) Following amendments

If an amendment has been passed, the presiding officer should extend debate so that the bill may be considered for at least the same amount of time as originally allotted. For example, if a bill on which debate opens Monday for seven days is amended on Wednesday and Thursday, the original debate thread should be extended for two days past its original deadline, so that the original question shall have been considered for seven days.

2) On Speaker's (or Chair's) authority

Presiding officers are free to extend debate for several days if it is to the benefit of the Senate. Such extensions are made with the presumption or unanimous consent, but if two members shall object, the question of extending debate shall immediately be put to a vote, where a 2/3rds majority shall be necessary to extend debate.

E. Closing Debate

Debate shall be closed at the end of the allotted time period. It may be closed early if no member has risen to speak on a question in 48 hours.

§ III.
A. UC Motions
It is the right of every Senator to call for a unanimous consent to a bill or amendment. That motion must be seconded by another Senator. After a second, the presiding officer shall give 48 hours for UC objections. If no objection has arised and been seconded, the bill is considered passed by UC.

B. Table motions
It is the right of every Senator to call for a motion to table to a bill or amendment. That motion must be seconded by another Senator. After a second, the presiding officer shall open up a vote on whether to table said bill or amendment on the floor. Objections to tables are noted, but the presiding officer should open up a vote anyway.

[Filuwaúrdjan]

A certain constituent has requested that this is bumped to the top of the agenda:

A certain constituent of mine wants this introduced so:

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[CheeseWhiz]

Why?  Can't it wait its turn?

[Sam Spade]

Why?  Can't it wait its turn?

As long as the VP publicly agrees, it's quite legal unless the following action is taken:

Article VII, Clause 2 and 3:

2. Any Senator shall have seventy-two (72) hours from such a public statement by the PPT and the President of the Senate to call for a resolution in the Senate to overrule the PPT and the President of the Senate in the use of powers designated by Clause 1 of this Article, if any Senator considers their decision to be on infringement of the intention of this resolution.

3. If this resolution passes by a two-thirds (2/3) vote in the affirmative (excluding the PPT), this joint action by the PPT and the President of the Senate shall be overruled.

https://uselectionatlas.org/AFEWIKI/index.php/Current_Senate_Rules%2C_Regulations%2C_and_Procedures

[CheeseWhiz]

I didn't say it was illegal, but I'm starting to get upset with Al:  he keeps bumping unimportant legislation.  That power should be used very little, and only when the legislation is important.

[Joe Republic]

I didn't say it was illegal, but I'm starting to get upset with Al:  he keeps bumping unimportant legislation.  That power should be used very little, and only when the legislation is important.

With respect, the legislation I asked him to bump is very important to the majority of my own legislative program.  To be honest, I have grown more than a little impatient with waiting for the Senate to finish dealing with things that I feel are not crucial to keeping this game running smoothly.

[Filuwaúrdjan]

In the off chance that Lewis reads this at any point; see what I mean about the way the legislative introduction thingy works?

---
As for bumping too much, I don't think so; for several reasons the whole thing has been extremely slow this Senate (even slower than normal) and if this particular piece of legislation (which if passed would change the Government system of Atlasia quite a lot) isn't bumped now (and as pointed out by Mr G.M, it needs to be approved by the V.P; the bumping of the Right to Life Amendment wasn't for example) then it won't be discussed before the session ends and will inevitably be re-introduced in the next session, clogging up an already bunged up and painfully slow system even more.

And I would like to take this moment to request Senators not to re-introduce legislation into the next Senate than is not to do with forum affairs OR is of utmost importence in other ways.