5th Council of Lincoln Legislative Introduction Thread

[Esteemed Jimmy]

Can a member of Council sponsor this?

AN ACT
to abolish the office of Chancellor

Section 1 (Title)
i. The title of this Act shall be, the "Chancellorship Abolition Act."

Section 2 (Amendment to the Council Standing Orders)
i. Section 2 of the Standing Orders of the Council of Lincoln shall be amended as follows

Section 2. Movement of Legislation to the Floor
B. The number of threads about legislation that may be opened simultaneously shall be as follows. In Councils with 3 Councillors there may be up to 5 threads about legislation, in Councils with 5 Councillors there may be up to 7 threads about legislation, and in Councils with 7 Councillors there may be up to 9 threads about legislation
i. In Councils with 5 Councillors or less; there may be up to 7 threads about legislation. 5 threads shall be reserved for legislation introduced or sponsored by members of the government and 2 threads shall be reserved for legislation introduced or sponsored by members of the opposition.

ii. In Councils with 6 or 7 Councillors; there may be up to 9 threads about legislation. 6 threads shall be reserved for legislation introduced or sponsored by members of the government and 3 threads shall be reserved for legislation introduced or sponsored by members of the opposition.

iii. In Councils with 8 or more Councillors; there may be up to 11 threads about legislation. 7 threads shall be reserved for legislation introduced or sponsored by members of the government and 4 threads shall be reserved for legislation introduced or sponsored by members of the opposition.

C. The Speaker shall move government and opposition legislation to these threads in the order in which it was introduced in the Legislation Introduction Thread. If a government sponsor has 3 or more pieces of legislation in the floor, or an opposition sponsor has 2 or more pieces of legislation in the floor, legislation from other government or opposition sponsors who do not shall take priority instead.

D. Each piece of legislation on the floor shall receive its own thread. Threads shall be titled as follows:

L 1.1: The BLANK Act, where L acknowledges the legislation is in the Council of Lincoln, 1 indicating that the legislation is in the first meeting of the Council of Lincoln, 1 indicating that the legislation was the first piece of legislation introduced in the Legislation Introduction Thread, and BLANK being replaced with the name of the piece of legislation.

E. If a change in government or in a bill's sponsorship implies that there are more bills than there are slots available for the government or the opposition, the speaker may open temporary extra slots for these pieces of legislation. These slots shall be removed once a permanent slot is opened (at which point the bill in the temporary slot shall moved to the opened permanent slot), or the bill is removed from the floor by the means described in Section 2.F.

F. Each thread shall remain open until the bill either (a) becomes law via the Governor's signature, lack of Gubernatorial action, or referendum override, (b) fails to receive majority support from Council, (c) is sent to the public for a referendum, pursuant to Article I, Section 6 of the Comprehensive Constitutional Amendment, or (d) the Chancellorany Councillor moves to revoke it from the floor, subject to a majority vote.

Section 3. Legislative Debates and Voting
D. After the conclusion of the first 72 hours for debate, any Councillor or the Chancellor may call for a vote on said legislation. The Speaker shall open a vote if neither anotherno other Councillor nor the Chancellor objects within 24 hours of the call for a vote. If a Councillor objects to the motion within 24 hours, a vote shall be held on whether or not to proceed to a final vote, with a two-thirds majority required for the objection to be overruled if the legislation has been on the floor for less than 240 hours; and a simple majority required if the legislation has been on the floor for more than 240 hours.

E. After the conclusion of the first 72 hours for debate, the Chancellor or the Leader of the Oppositionany Councillor may move for cloture. Upon the concurrence of two-thirds of the membership, the Council shall end debate and the Speaker immediately declare a vote on the affected legislation. A motion for cloture shall overrule any ammendments presented and any ongoing debates, but any votes which are already open shall stay open; with the motion for cloture being opened inmediately after said open vote is closed.

F. At the motion of the Chancellorany Councillor, the Council may waive the 72 hour requirement by unanimous consent. Consent shall be granted should no Member object to the motion of the Chancellor within 24 hours of its introduction.

H. Budget bills shall be considered a meaningful vote of confidence in the Government.

I. In the event that passed legislation is recommended to a referendum by the Governor, either the Chancellor or any Councillor may introduce a motion to override the move to a referendum within 72 hours for the Governor's move to a referendum being announced. An override vote shall last 48 hours, or until all Councillors have voted, if earlier. This text shall not be interpreted as to deny Councillors the right to change their vote before the Speaker has officially closed voting via a post in the appropriate legislation thread.

Section 5 is to be repealed in its entirety.

Section 6. Role of Speaker
B. At the beginning of each term of the Council, and at any time when the office is vacant, the secondfirst order of business of the Council shall be to elect the Speaker. after the election of the Chancellor. Prior to the election of a Speaker, the Chancellor may serve as Acting Speaker for the purposes of electing a Speaker only. If there is not a Speaker, The Governor mayshall preside over the election of the ChancellorSpeaker. If the Governor is unavailable for any reason, the most senior Councillor shall preside.

C. The Chancellor shall introduce a piece of legislation to nominate a candidate for Speaker, who will then face a vote before the Council, requiring a majority support to assume office.
C. The Governor shall announce a twenty-four hour period for nominations to the Speakership. Any Councillor may then nominate themselves for the office of Speaker. At the conclusion of the period for nominations, the Governor shall declare a vote of the Council. Voting shall continue until a majority has been reached, or forty-eight hours has elapsed, whichever comes first.

D. The ChancellorGovernor shall certify the results following the election, and the Speaker shall immediately assume office.

E. The Council may, at any time, remove the Speaker by making introducing repeal legislation to the introductory legislation of Section V, Part C a Councillor introducing a Motion of No Confidence in the Speaker. The motion shall take precedence over all other motions and bills before the Council, and shall be conducted in the manner outlined in the section entitled Legislative Debates and Voting. The ChancellorGovernor will designate a Councillor to preside in the place of the Speaker. If the Motion of No Confidence passes then a new Speaker must be elected in accordance with Section 6 of the Standing Orders.

Section 3 (Chancellorship Abolition Amendment)
i. To allow for greater powers to be granted to the Governor, the Constitution of the Region of Lincoln is amended as follows:

Article I. The Legislative Power
4. The Council 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 councilor shall serve simultaneously as Speaker and as Chancellor.

8. Whenever a vacancy should occur in the composition of the Council, a new councilor shall be chosen by means of a by-election to fill the vacated seat. A seat on the council shall be considered vacated upon the resignation, recall, impeachment of the previous occupant; failure of the elected councilor to swear in within one week of the opening of the legislative session; failure of the councilor to vote on six consecutive pieces of legislation without publicly declaring absence.

9. In the event of a tie in a vote of the Council, the governor shall have the power to break the tie.

10. The Council, on the first day after the governor’s appointment of a chancellor, the Speaker or any member of the Council shall introduce a motion, “that this Council has confidence in His (or Her) Excellency’s government”. A simple majority of councilors voting Aye or Nay shall be sufficient to establish confidence. If the new government should fail to gain the confidence of the Council, the appointed chancellor shall be dismissed and the governor shall advance the appointment of a new chancellor whom he shall submit to the judgement of the Council. This vote of confidence in the Chancellor may also take the form of a vote in a thread opened by the Governor about the State Opening of the Council of Lincoln

11. While no chancellor holds office who shall have earned the confidence of the Council, the Council may not conduct any business beyond conducting votes on confidence or on emergency resolutions, as described in Section 13 of this Article.

12. The Council shall have the power to declare no confidence in the chancellor’s government. A motion of no confidence shall require a sufficient second to be voted on by the Council, and if this is achieved, a majority of the membership of the Council voting Aye or Nay is sufficient to declare non-confidence in the government. If a loss of confidence occurs in the government, the governor must call a snap election or appoint a new candidate for chancellor.

13. Legislation shall fall into three categories in the Council once proposed in the Legislation Proposal Thread: government legislation, opposition legislation, and emergency legislation. Government legislation, which is proposed by councilors in the Chancellor’s government, shall have no less than three more slots than opposition legislation, which is proposed by any councilor not in government. The ratio of government to opposition slots shall be determined by the Standing Orders of Council Procedure. Emergency legislation, which must receive a sufficient second and third in the Proposal Thread by councilors other than the proposer, and must be sanctioned as necessary of emergency action by either the Chancellor or the Governor, shall not be confined by any slot as described above. An emergency designation may be denied by three-fifths of the Council voting to deny the designation.

14. Early elections for the Council may be called by the governor as long as the snap election does not occur less than a month before a regular election if he determines that no government can be formed, following the failure of a confidence vote at the beginning of a new parliamentary term or the failure of any councilor to produce a government as described in Section 6 of Article II or following a successful vote of non-confidence in the government and failure of the successive confidence vote to produce a government. In addition, the Governor may call a snap election at the request of the Chancellor, be it that the snap election does not occur less than a month before or after a regularly scheduled election.

Article II. The Executive Power
1. The executive powers and duties shall be divided betweenvested in the Governor of Lincoln. and the Chancellor of Lincoln, with the governor having the powers of the head of state and the chancellor the powers of the head of government.

4. The governor shall appoint a chancellor who he believes will have the confidence of the Council whenever a vacancy opens in the chancellorship by way of resignation, death, or whenever the Council shall pass a motion of no confidence in the government. Additionally, he shall appoint a chancellor who he believes will have the confidence of the Council following a general election.

5. The chancellor, who must be a member of the Council, shall have the power to carry out all acts in association with his role as the head of government of the Region; to lead the government, so long as he commands the confidence of the Council; and to administer the functions of the head of state as acting governor upon the death, impeachment, recall, or resignation of the governor, or whenever he should otherwise become unable to execute the duties of his office. The chancellor shall not forfeit his office upon ascending to the position of acting governor; but should the chancellor be elected governor in an ensuing by-election, he shall forfeit his offices in the Council, including the chancellery.

6. After the Council has been elected, the outgoing chancellor shall have the first right to form a government and seek appointment from the governor to reach a confidence vote. However, if the incumbent chancellor is not a sitting member of the new Council, the Council may suggest an alternative candidate for chancellor to the governor who it believes holds the confidence of the Council. If the governor has determined that a government cannot be formed, writs of election may be issued.

Article III. The People
1. The people of the Region of Lincoln may initiate the recall of any officer of this Region, except the Associate Justice of the Circuit Court or the Minister of Regional Elections or the Chancellor from that office-though they may still be recalled in their capacities as councilors—, by delivering to the Minister of Regional Elections a petition stating the reason for recall and signed by one tenth of the total population of the Region. The Minister of Regional Elections 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 Minister of Regional Elections in their capacity as a councilor, then the Speaker of the Council 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.

Article V. Elections
3. All elections and referendums of this Region shall be administered by the Minister of Regional Elections. The Minister of Regional Elections shall be appointed by the ChancellorGovernor, shall serve at the pleasure of the chancellorGovernor, and may be impeached and removed from office by a vote of two-thirds of the Council. Whenever the Minister of Regional Elections is unable to execute this duty, the Governor shall administer the election. Whenever the Minister of Regional Elections and Governor are both unable to execute this duty, the Speaker of the Council shall administer the election.

7. Except in December, all elections for governor, Council, 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. All special elections for governor and by-elections for Council shall begin on the second Friday following the creation of the vacancy to be filled; but if the vacancy shall occur on a Thursday, the special election shall begin on the third Friday following the creation of the vacancy. All by-elections for Council shall begin on the Friday following the creation of the vacancy to be filled; but if the vacancy shall occur on a 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 (or Eastern Daylight Time from the second Sunday of March to the first Sunday of November.). 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.

10. The terms of the elected governor and councilors shall begin at 12:00:00 PM, Eastern Standard Time, on the Tuesday following their election. 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 Lincoln Region and the Republic of Atlasia.” Appointment of the chancellor by the governor may not be made before this time.

Section 4 (Implementation)
i. §3 shall take effect upon its ratification by the people, according to the procedure prescribed by the constitution of the Region by Article VI thereof.
ii. §2 shall take effect upon the ratification of section §3 in accordance with the constitution of the Region by Article VI thereof.

[Esteemed Jimmy]

Looking for a sponsor:

Preventing Hate-based Intimidation by Police Officers Act

To provide training for police officers in order to prevent acts of hate-based intimidation.

Section 1. Short title

This Act shall be cited as the “Preventing Hate-based Intimidation by Police Officers Act.

Section 2. Definition

As used in Act, unless otherwise provided or indicated by the context, the term “hate-based intimidation” shall mean a threat of physical injury, harm to property or other injury motivated by hatred toward an individual's or group of individuals' actual or perceived:

(1) race; (2) color; (3) religion; (4) national origin; (5) ancestry; (6) sex; (7) gender or gender identity; (8) sexual orientation; (9) intellectual disability; (10) physical or sensory disability; or (11) behavioral or mental health

Section 3. Training

(a) In general. -

There is hereby established a commission to be known as the "Police Hate-based Intimidation Prevention Commission", hereinafter referred to as the “commission”.

(b) Purpose. -

The commission shall develop and provide training on hate-based intimidation to police officers. The commission may also consult with relevant stakeholders in developing the training. The training shall include, but not be limited to:

(1) Identification of hate-based intimidation. (2) Methods to address hate-based intimidation. (3) Reporting of hate-based intimidation. (4) Hate-based intimidation recordkeeping.

Section 4. Implementation

This Act shall take effect 60 days after passage.

[Esteemed Jimmy]

Looking for a sponsor:

Preventing Hate-based Intimidation by Police Officers Act

To provide training for police officers in order to prevent acts of hate-based intimidation.

Section 1. Short title

This Act shall be cited as the “Preventing Hate-based Intimidation by Police Officers Act.

Section 2. Definition

As used in Act, unless otherwise provided or indicated by the context, the term “hate-based intimidation” shall mean a threat of physical injury, harm to property or other injury motivated by hatred toward an individual's or group of individuals' actual or perceived:

(1) race; (2) color; (3) religion; (4) national origin; (5) ancestry; (6) sex; (7) gender or gender identity; (8) sexual orientation; (9) intellectual disability; (10) physical or sensory disability; or (11) behavioral or mental health

Section 3. Training

(a) In general. -

There is hereby established a commission to be known as the "Police Hate-based Intimidation Prevention Commission", hereinafter referred to as the “commission”.

(b) Purpose. -

The commission shall develop and provide training on hate-based intimidation to police officers. The commission may also consult with relevant stakeholders in developing the training. The training shall include, but not be limited to:

(1) Identification of hate-based intimidation. (2) Methods to address hate-based intimidation. (3) Reporting of hate-based intimidation. (4) Hate-based intimidation recordkeeping.

Section 4. Implementation

This Act shall take effect 60 days after passage.

I will sponsor

Thanks Councilor S019.

[Esteemed Jimmy]

Looking for a sponsor:

School Bus and School Vehicle Student Safety Act

To require all school buses to have surveillance cameras and seat belts; requiring school bus and school vehicle drivers to be distraction-free.

Section 1. Short title

This Act shall be cited as the “School Bus and School Vehicle Student Safety Act".

Section 2. Requirements

(a) Surveillance. -

Every school bus registered in the region of Lincoln shall be required to have a video monitoring system that, at a minimum, includes an internal camera positioned so that every seat is within the camera's field of vision and one of the following:

(i) an internal camera positioned outward so that the road ahead is within the camera's field of vision; or (ii) an external camera.

(b) Seat Belts. -

Every school bus registered in the region of Lincoln shall be equipped with or be fitted with retractable seat belts. No passenger may be carried for whom a seat belt is not available. Each passenger shall use a seat belt when the bus is in motion.

Section 3. Distracted Drivers

(a) In general. -

While operating a school bus or a school vehicle registered in the region of Lincoln on any road when the school bus or school vehicle is in motion and is transporting one or more passengers, no individual may:

(i) consume food or beverages; or (ii) operate a cellphone.

(b) Exception. -

The prohibition in subsection (a) does not apply when the school bus or school vehicle is:

(i) parked in a safe area off of a road; (ii) the consumption of food or beverages is necessary for a medical condition; or (ii) the operation of the cellular telephone occurs during an emergency situation.

(c) Fines. -

A person who violates this section commits a summary offense and shall, upon conviction, be sentenced to pay a fine of not less than fifty dollars nor more than two hundred dollars. The fine shall be five hundred dollars if the violation causes a vehicular accident.

(d) Definitions. -

As used in Section, unless otherwise provided or indicated by the context, the term "emergency situation" shall mean a call made to:

(i) an emergency system response operator or 911 public safety communications dispatcher; (ii) a hospital or emergency room; (iii) a physician's office or health clinic; (iv) an ambulance or fire department rescue service; (v) a fire department or volunteer fire department; (vi) a police department; (vii) a school district building or central dispatch; or (viii) an emergency roadside assistance agency or towing or repair businesses.

Section 4. Implementation

Section 2(a) of this Act shall take effect 90 days after passage; Section 2(b) of this Act shall take effect 180 days after passage; Section 3 of this Act shall take effect immediately after passage.

[Esteemed Jimmy]

Looking for a sponsor:

School Bus and School Vehicle Student Safety Act

To require all school buses to have surveillance cameras and seat belts; requiring school bus and school vehicle drivers to be distraction-free.

Section 1. Short title

This Act shall be cited as the “School Bus and School Vehicle Student Safety Act".

Section 2. Requirements

(a) Surveillance. -

Every school bus registered in the region of Lincoln shall be required to have a video monitoring system that, at a minimum, includes an internal camera positioned so that every seat is within the camera's field of vision and one of the following:

(i) an internal camera positioned outward so that the road ahead is within the camera's field of vision; or (ii) an external camera.

(b) Seat Belts. -

Every school bus registered in the region of Lincoln shall be equipped with or be fitted with retractable seat belts. No passenger may be carried for whom a seat belt is not available. Each passenger shall use a seat belt when the bus is in motion.

Section 3. Distracted Drivers

(a) In general. -

While operating a school bus or a school vehicle registered in the region of Lincoln on any road when the school bus or school vehicle is in motion and is transporting one or more passengers, no individual may:

(i) consume food or beverages; or (ii) operate a cellphone.

(b) Exception. -

The prohibition in subsection (a) does not apply when the school bus or school vehicle is:

(i) parked in a safe area off of a road; (ii) the consumption of food or beverages is necessary for a medical condition; or (ii) the operation of the cellular telephone occurs during an emergency situation.

(c) Fines. -

A person who violates this section commits a summary offense and shall, upon conviction, be sentenced to pay a fine of not less than fifty dollars nor more than two hundred dollars. The fine shall be five hundred dollars if the violation causes a vehicular accident.

(d) Definitions. -

As used in Section, unless otherwise provided or indicated by the context, the term "emergency situation" shall mean a call made to:

(i) an emergency system response operator or 911 public safety communications dispatcher; (ii) a hospital or emergency room; (iii) a physician's office or health clinic; (iv) an ambulance or fire department rescue service; (v) a fire department or volunteer fire department; (vi) a police department; (vii) a school district building or central dispatch; or (viii) an emergency roadside assistance agency or towing or repair businesses.

Section 4. Implementation

Section 2(a) of this Act shall take effect 90 days after passage; Section 2(b) of this Act shall take effect 180 days after passage; Section 3 of this Act shall take effect immediately after passage.

I will sponsor

Thanks Councilor S019.

[Esteemed Jimmy]

AN ACT
to abolish the office of Governor

Section 1 (Title)
i. The title of this Act shall be, the "Gubernatorial Abolition Act."

Section 2 (Amendment to the Council Standing Orders)
i. The Standing Orders of the Council of Lincoln shall be amended as follows

Section 1. Proposed Legislation Thread
A. Members of the Council, the GovernorChancellor, and any concerned Lincoln citizen shall post the full text of any proposed legislation in a response to the Council of Lincoln Legislation Introduction Thread. Each response shall contain only one piece of proposed legislation.

Section 2. Movement of Legislation to the Floor
F. Each thread shall remain open until the bill either (a) becomes law via the Governor'sChancellor's signature, lack of GubernatorialChancellor's action, or referendum override, (b) fails to receive majority support from Council, (c) is sent to the public for a referendum, pursuant to Article I, Section 6 of the Comprehensive Constitutional Amendment, or (d) the Chancellorany Councillor moves to revoke it from the floor, subject to a majority vote.

Section 3. Legislative Debates and Voting
I. In the event that passed legislation is recommended to a referendum by the GovernorChancellor, either the Chancellor or any Councillor may introduce a motion to override the move to a referendum within 72 hours for the Governor'sChancellor's move to a referendum being announced. An override vote shall last 48 hours, or until all Councillors have voted, if earlier. This text shall not be interpreted as to deny Councillors the right to change their vote before the Speaker has officially closed voting via a post in the appropriate legislation thread.

Sections 4 and 5 are to be repealed in their entirety.

Section 6. Role of Speaker
B. At the beginning of each term of the Council, and at any time when the office is vacant, the secondfirst order of business of the Council shall be to elect the Speaker after the election of the Chancellor. Prior to the election of a Speaker, the Chancellormost senior Councillor may serve as Acting Speaker for the purposes of electing a Speaker only. If there is not a Speaker, the Governor may preside over the election of the Chancellor. If the Governor is unavailable for any reason, the most senior Councillor shall preside.

C. The Chancellor shall introduce a piece of legislation to nominate a candidate for Speaker, who will then face a vote before the Council, requiring a majority support to assume office.
C. Upon the seating of the Council, or upon the vacation of the office of Speaker, the most senior Councillor, shall announce a 24 hour period for nominations to the Speakership. Any Councillor may then nominate themselves or one of their colleagues for the office of Speaker. At the conclusion of the period for nominations, the most senior Councillor shall declare a poll of the Council. Voting shall continue until a majority has been reached, or until 48 hours have elapsed, whichever comes first. Sitting Councillors not nominated are eligible to be voted for unless they explicitly declined the Speakership during the period for nominations. Votes cast for persons not being sitting Members of the Commons, or for Members who have declined the Speakership, shall be counted void and omitted from the record for the purpose of calculating the majority.

D. The Chancellormost Senior Councillor shall certify the results following the election, and the Speaker shall immediately assume office.

Section 8. Amending the SOAP
A. In recognizing that the Lincoln Council has the right to determine its own operating procedures without outside approval, future amendments to the SOAP will no longer require the Governor'sChancellor's signature upon passing.

Section 9. Terminology
B. All proposed legislation that requires the signature of the GovernorChancellor shall be called a Bill until signed and thereafter an Act.

Section 3 (Gubernatorial Abolition Amendment)
i. To merge the offices of Chancellor and Governor, the Constitution of the Region of Lincoln is amended as follows:

Article I. The Legislative Power
6. Every bill passed by the Council, before it becomes law, shall first be sent to the governorChancellor. If he approves of it, he should sign it and it will become law; but if he disapproves he may refer the bill to a general referendum. The Council may override the reference of the governorChancellor by a majority vote of all elected MCs. If the governorChancellor fails to take any action on a bill within 120 hours of its passage, it shall become law.

7. The Council may, by a four fifths vote of its members, remove the governor of crimes or gross negligence; and they so removed shall be ineligible to any office under this Region for a period not exceeding eighteen months.

9. In the event of a tie in a vote of the Council, the governor shall have the power to break the tie the vote shall be deemed to have failed.

10. The council shall, on the first day of sitting or upon the vacation of the office of Speaker, elect a Speaker as the first order of business, according to the rules of proceedings determined by the Council itself.

10. The Council, on the first day after the governor’s appointment of a chancellor, the Speaker or any member of the Council shall introduce a motion, “that this Council has confidence in His (or Her) Excellency’s government”. A simple majority of councilors voting Aye or Nay shall be sufficient to establish confidence. If the new government should fail to gain the confidence of the Council, the appointed chancellor shall be dismissed and the governor shall advance the appointment of a new chancellor whom he shall submit to the judgement of the Council. This vote of confidence in the Chancellor may also take the form of a vote in a thread opened by the Governor about the State Opening of the Council of Lincoln.

11. Upon the seating of the Council after a Speaker has been elected, or upon the vacation of the office of Chancellor, the Speaker shall announce a 24 hour period for nominations to the Chancellorship. Any Councillor may then nominate themselves or one of their colleagues for the office of Chancellor. At the conclusion of the period for nominations, the Speaker shall declare a poll of the Council. If a Councillor can command the support of the majority of the Council they are then elected as Chancellor.


112. While no Speaker or Chancellor holds office who shall have earned the confidence of the Council, the Council may not conduct any business beyond conducting votes on confidence or on emergency resolutions, as described in Section 13 of this Article.

123. The Council shall have the power to declare no confidence in the chancellor’s government. A motion of no confidence shall require a sufficient second to be voted on by the Council, and if this is achieved, a majority of the membership of the Council voting Aye or Nay is sufficient to declare non-confidence in the government. If a loss of confidence occurs in the government, the governor must call a snap election or appoint a new candidate for chancellor. either a new Chancellor must be elected or snap elections shall be called.

134. Legislation shall fall into three categories in the Council once proposed in the Legislation Proposal Thread: government legislation, opposition legislation, and emergency legislation. Government legislation, which is proposed by councilors in the Chancellor’s government, shall have no less than three more slots than opposition legislation, which is proposed by any councilor not in government. The ratio of government to opposition slots shall be determined by the Standing Orders of Council Procedure. Emergency legislation, which must receive a sufficient second and third in the Proposal Thread by councilors other than the proposer, and must be sanctioned as necessary of emergency action by either the Chancellor or the Governor, shall not be confined by any slot as described above. An emergency designation may be denied by three-fifths of the Council voting to deny the designation.

145. Early elections for the Council may be called by the governorChancellor as long as the snap election does not occur less than a month before a regular election if he determines that no government can be formed, following the failure of a confidence vote at the beginning of a new parliamentary term or the failure of any councilor to produce a government as described in Section 6 of Article II or following a successful vote of non-confidence in the government and failure of the successive confidence vote to produce a government. In addition, the Governor may call a snap election at the request of the Chancellor, be it that the snap election does not occur less than a month before or after a regularly scheduled election.

Article II. The Executive Power
1. The executive power shall be divided between the Governor of Lincoln andvested in the Chancellor of Lincoln, with the governor having the powers of the head of state and the chancellor the powers of the head of government.

2. The governor shall be elected by the entire body of eligible voters. No person shall be governorChancellor who is not a registered voter of Lincoln, nor who has been a citizen thereof for fewer than 730 hours.

3. The governor shall have the power to carry out all acts in association with his role as the head of state of the Region; to command the militia in times of war; 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 send to referendum, all acts passed by the Council.

4. The governor shall appoint a chancellor who he believes will have the confidence of the Council whenever a vacancy opens in the chancellorship by way of resignation, death, or whenever the Council shall pass a motion of no confidence in the government. Additionally, he shall appoint a chancellor who he believes will have the confidence of the Council following a general election.

5. The chancellor, who must be a member of the Council, shall have the power to carry out all acts in association with his role as the head of government of the Region; to lead the government, so long as he commands the confidence of the Council; and to administer the functions of the head of state; to command the militia in times of war; 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 send to referendum, all acts passed by the Council. as acting governor upon the death, impeachment, recall, or resignation of the governor, or whenever he should otherwise become unable to execute the duties of his office. The chancellor shall not forfeit his office upon ascending to the position of acting governor; but should the chancellor be elected governor in an ensuing by-election, he shall forfeit his offices in the Council, including the chancellery.

6. After the Council has been elected, the outgoing chancellor shall have the first right to form a government and seek appointment from the governor to reach a confidence vote. However, if the incumbent chancellor is not a sitting member of the new Council, the Council may suggest an alternative candidate for chancellor to the governor who it believes holds the confidence of the Council. If the governor has determined that a government cannot be formed, writs of election may be issued.

Article III. The People
2. Whenever the Council shall be equally divided over any bill, order, or resolution, the GovernorChancellor may choose to refer the issue to the people. Accordingly, the Minister of Regional Elections 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
2. Senators shall be elected by a direct vote of the people, and no person eligible to vote in elections for governor andthe Council shall be denied the right to vote for Senator.

3. Should a vacancy occur in the representation of this Region in the Senate, the governorChancellor 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 Thursday, the special election shall begin on the second Friday following the creation of the vacancy.

Article V. Elections
3. All elections and referendums of this Region shall be administered by the Minister of Regional Elections. The Minister of Regional Elections shall be appointed by the Chancellor, shall serve at the pleasure of the chancellor, and may be impeached and removed from office by a vote of two-thirds of the Council. Whenever the Minister of Regional Elections is unable to execute this duty, the GovernorChancellor shall administer the election. Whenever the Minister of Regional Elections and GovernorChancellor are both unable to execute this duty, the Speaker of the Council shall administer the election.

4. Regular elections for governor shall be held in the months of March, July, and November. Elections for Council shall be held in the months of January, April, July, and October.

5. The manner for electing the governor shall be as follows, using a two-round voting system: a general ballot of all declared candidates shall begin at 12:00:00 am on the penultimate Friday of the given month and conclude seventy-two hours thereafter. Voters shall mark their ballot for a single candidate only. In the event one candidate should receive a majority of all the votes cast, inclusive of blank or spoilt ballots, that candidate shall be elected governor. Should no majority exist, the recipients of the largest and next-largest shares of the votes cast shall advance to a second ballot to be held beginning at 12:00:00 am on the final Friday of the given month and to conclude seventy-hours thereafter. No more than two candidates shall advance to the second ballot, and none save these shall be eligible to receive votes. Should the number of candidates qualified to advance be greater than two as the result of a tie, the Council shall nominate two candidates to advance to the second ballot, unless a sufficient number should earlier concede. A majority of valid votes on the second ballot shall be sufficient to elect the governor; in the event of a tie, the governor shall be elected by a vote of the Council. Special elections for governor shall be by Instant Runoff Voting.

6. Candidates for governor, Council 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. Party identification of gubernatorial candidates may not be displayed anywhere on the ballot. Party identification for candidates for any other office may be displayed below their name.

7. Except in December, all elections for governor, Council, 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. All special elections for governor and by-elections for Council shall begin on the second Friday following the creation of the vacancy to be filled; but if the vacancy shall occur on a Thursday, the special election shall begin on the thirdsecond Friday following the creation of the vacancy. The appropriate election administrator shall open the voting booth at 12:00:00 AM, Eastern Standard Time (or Eastern Daylight Time from the second Sunday of March to the first Sunday of November.). 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.

10. The terms of the elected governor and councilors shall begin at 12:00:00 PM, Eastern Standard Time, on the Tuesday following their election. 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 Lincoln Region and the Republic of Atlasia.” Appointment of the chancellor by the governor may not be made before this time.

Section 4 (Implementation)
i. §3 shall be ratified by the normal procedures prescribed by the constitution of the Region by Article VI thereof.
ii. §3 shall be enacted after the next regular Council elections following its ratification by the people.
iii. §2 shall take effect upon the enactment of section §3 in accordance with the previous subsections.