Legislation Introduction Thread

[Gabu]

I think we at least could use some discussion on the following topic:

Amendment to Allow the Senate to Set a Minimum Wage

Article I, Section 5, Clause 9 of the Constitution is modified as follows:
"To fix standards of weights and measures and of such items of commerce, and to set a minimum wage, as it deems neccessary throughout the Republic of Atlasia."

Credit to Ebowed for the text (save for one minor edit).

[Jake]

Amendment to Introduce a Parliamentary System to Atlasia

I. The following sections of the Constitution are hereby amended to read:

Article I, Section 1:

1. The Senate shall be composed of twelve Senators, each elected for a four month term from six Districts.

2. No person shall be a Senator if they have not attained a hundred or more posts, and is not a registered member of the District that they represent.

3. The Prime Minister of Atlasia shall be the Presiding Officer of the Senate.

4. The Senate shall choose their other officers, and a Speaker of the Senate, who shall act as Presiding Officer in the absence of the Prime Minister. The Senate may provide for the election of these officers. All elections shall be by public post.

5. The Senate shall sit for two month terms, beginning with the inauguration of the newly elected Senators at noon on the first Friday in the month following their election. Each term shall end with the beginning of a new term. All officers of the Senate shall remain in office until a replacement is elected.

Article I, Section 3:

1. The Senate may establish rules for its own proceedings, and with the concurrence of two-thirds of its number, expel a Senator.

2. The Senate shall have fulfilled a quorum if a majority of its members are capable of discharging their offices and sworn into office. A quorum of Senators shall have voted on any Resolution, Bill, Impeachment or Constitutional Amendment for it to be considered valid.

3. For any Bill or Resolution to pass the Senate, it shall have gained a majority in a valid vote.

Article I, Section 4:

1. The Senate shall be divided into two classes, Class A, which shall comprise all Senators elected for terms beginning in February, June, and October, and Class B, which shall comprise all Senators elected for terms beginning in April, August, and December.

2. Elections for the seats in Class A shall be held in the months of February, June and October; Elections for the seats in Class B shall be held in the months of April, August and December. 

3. Elections shall be held from noon Eastern Standard Time on the second to last Thursday of a given month and shall conclude exactly 72 hours later, except in the month of December, in which case elections shall be held from midnight Eastern Standard Time on the second Thursday of the month and conclude exactly 72 hours later.

4. If a vacancy shall occur in a Senate seat, then a special election shall be called to fill the remainder of the vacated term within one week of the vacancy occurring; such special election shall be held from noon Eastern Standard Time on the first Thursday and shall conclude exactly 72 hours later. However, if a vacancy shall occur when there is a person due to assume that office within two weeks, then no special election shall be necessary.

5. The Senate shall have necessary power to determine regulations for the procedure of and the form of Senate elections and shall have necessary power to determine a procedure for declaration of candidacy for such elections. All elections to the Senate shall be by public post.

6. Those elected in ordinary elections to the Senate shall take office at noon Eastern Standard Time on the first Friday in the month after their election. Those elected in special elections to the Senate shall take office as soon as the result of their election has been formally declared.

Article I, Section 8:

1. The Senate shall be responsible for drafting and approving a Budget at the opening of each Senate session beginning in  May and November. The Preliminary Budget for the upcoming fiscal year shall be drafted in October, and the Final Budget shall be prepared in November.

2. The GM must provide the Senate with comprehensive economic figures (such as GDP estimates, estimates of tax revenue, or needed additional appropriations, etc.) at the above-specified times of drafting and approving each and every budget.

3. This yearly budgetary work will comprise an entire Fiscal Year in Atlasia. A Fiscal Year in Atlasia will comprise of one calendar year (12 months).

4. All Senate legislation passed in the four (4) months preceding an approval of the Revision or Final Version of the Budget must be included in the Budget of that same Fiscal Year. Any Senate legislation passed after the Final Version of the Budget has been approved must be included in the Budget for the upcoming Fiscal Year.

5. Each and every Budget must be approved by a majority vote of the Senate.

6. After the Final Version of the Budget is approved by the Senate, the Senate shall appropriate money raised by the Budget as it deems appropriate.

Article II, Section 1:

1. The executive authority shall be vested in the Prime Minister. He shall be elected by the Senate

2. No person shall be elected Prime Minister who is not a member of the Senate.

3. The Prime Minister shall be the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of the Republic of Atlasia.

4. The Prime Minister shall appoint the Principal Officers of the executive departments, who shall constitute the Cabinet, with the advice and consent of the Senate, who shall all be registered voters. The Prime Minister shall have the power to dismiss any member of the Cabinet.

5. When vacancies arise on the Supreme Court, the Prime Minister shall nominate a replacement, with the advice and consent of the Senate.

6. Following his election, the Prime Minister shall prepare a plan of government, which shall be delivered to the Senate, recommending such measures as he sees necessary and expedient.

Article II, Section 2:

1. The Prime Minister shall be elected by a majority vote of the full Senate at the beginning of each Senate term. He shall take office immediately following the certification of his election.

2. Should a vacancy occur in the office of the Prime Minister, the full Senate shall immediately elect a new Prime Minister. Until such time, the Speaker of the Senate shall act as Acting Prime Minister.

3. The Senate shall have necessary power to determine regulations for the procedure and form of the Prime Minister elections. All elections for Prime Minister shall be by public post.

Article II, Section 3:

1. Whenever the Prime Minister transmits to the Speaker of the Senate his written declaration that he is unable to discharge the powers and duties of his office, and until he transmits to them a written declaration to the contrary, such powers and duties shall be discharged by the Speaker of the Senate as Acting Prime Minister.

2. Whenever a majority of Senators transmit to the Speaker of the Senate their written declaration that the Prime Minister is unable to discharge the powers and duties of his office, the Speaker of the Senate shall immediately assume the powers and duties of the office as Acting Prime Minister. Thereafter the Prime Minister shall resume the powers and duties of his office upon his declaration that he is capable of discharging the said powers and duties, or when the Senate annuls their previous declaration.

Article II, Section 4:

1. Whenever a majority of Senators transmit to the Speaker of the Senate their written declaration that they support removal of the Prime Minister, the Speaker of the Senate shall immediately begin a vote for removal of the Prime Minister. The Senate shall have the power to establish procedures for this vote. All votes shall be made by public post. A majority of the full Senate must vote to remove the Prime Minister for his removal to become official

Article II, Section 5:

1. The Cabinet shall be comprised of the executive officers of the Department of Forum Affairs, the Department of Foreign and Military Affairs, and the Department of Domestic Affairs. The principal officers of these departments shall be Secretaries.

Article IV, Section 4:

1. The Districts used for the purposes of electing Senators need not be contiguous. However, there can be no more than one State dividing the States in a District.

2. The Governors of the five Regions shall apportion the various States to the Districts by a two-thirds majority every four months according to the census of those registered voters who voted in the last scheduled federal election which shall be carried out as the Senate may specify with appropriate legislation.

3. The difference between the number of those registered voters who voted in the last scheduled federal election in any two Districts shall be no more than three more than the minimum possible difference.

4. Districts shall be numbered from one to six in any way that the Governors shall see fit.

5. For the purposes of this Section, the District of Columbia shall be treated as a State.

6. Should a State lack land borders with other States, then the Senate may establish reasonable contiguity borders for the purposes of this Section by appropriate legislation.

[Jake]

Article VII, Section 2:

Upon application of the citizens of a majority of the Regions, the Senate shall call a Constitutional Convention to amend or replace this Constitution. The Convention shall be constituted under regulations determined by the Senate. Such amendments or the replacement proposed by the Convention shall become operative when ratified by two-thirds of the Convention and the citizens of three-quarters of the Regions, in a public poll administered by the Governor or other officer as Regional Law may provide. All public polls mandated under this section shall be via public post and shall last for exactly one week.

Article VIII, Section 2:

1. The Department of Forum Affairs shall be responsible for administering all elections to the Senate.

2.The candidacy declaration deadline for election to the Senate shall be seven days, except for special elections to the Senate, in which case the candidacy declaration deadline shall be two days.

3. The procedure for absentee voting will be to make such declaration publicly to the Department of Forum Affairs, and then for the absentee voter to email their vote to the Chief Justice, Secretary of Forum Affairs and Secretary for Domestic Affairs.

4. The Senate shall have appropriate power via legislation to repeal or amend anything in this Section.

[MasterJedi]

With the election results certified I believe I have enough votes to get this passed now.


Term Limit Removal Resolution

1. Clause 1 of Section 2: "PPT Guidelines" from Section 4, Article 8 of the Official Senate Procedural Resolution shall be stricken and replaced with:
"No limit on the number of terms any Senator may serve as President pro tempore shall exist."

[Emsworth]

With the election results certified I believe I have enough votes to get this passed now.


Term Limit Removal Resolution

1. Clause 1 of Section 2: "PPT Guidelines" from Section 4, Article 8 of the Official Senate Procedural Resolution shall be stricken and replaced with:
"No limit on the number of terms any Senator may serve as President pro tempore shall exist."

Is this resolution really necessary? The Senate already runs rather slowly; procedural resolutions clog up the agenda even more. Unless this resolution is absolutely indispensable, I would respectfully request that it be removed, especially since it has already been debated and defeated.

[MasterJedi]

With the election results certified I believe I have enough votes to get this passed now.


Term Limit Removal Resolution

1. Clause 1 of Section 2: "PPT Guidelines" from Section 4, Article 8 of the Official Senate Procedural Resolution shall be stricken and replaced with:
"No limit on the number of terms any Senator may serve as President pro tempore shall exist."

Is this resolution really necessary? The Senate already runs rather slowly; procedural resolutions clog up the agenda even more. Unless this resolution is absolutely indispensable, I would respectfully request that it be removed, especially since it has already been debated and defeated.

I won't remove it because as I said I have enough votes to pass it. And it was never debated, it just sat 3 days before I opened the vote. I'll probably only four terms but I don't want to Senate to turn back to what it was under Defarge/Al (no offense to them). That's one of the reasons this could be good, to keep an active PPT in so the Senate doesn't slow to a snail's pace.

[True Federalist (진정한 연방 주의자)]

I really don't expect this to be debated this Senate, but since there has been interest in the past for possibly forming some sort of committee system. I'm going to present the following, since I've taken the time to prepare it.  It probably won't be passed without being tweaked, but I've tried to make it so that a lack of interest in committee work won't stall the Senate.

A Resolution to Amend the OPSR to allow for Committees

§1. Be it resolved that the operation of the Senate would be improved by introducing committees to debate legislation before it arrives on the floor.

§2. The Official Senate Procedure Resolution (OPSR) is amended by adding the following Article 9:

“Article 9: Committees

“Section 1: Standing Committees

“1. The standing committees of the Senate shall be the Committee on Defense and Security, the Committee on Economic Affairs, Committee on Foreign Affairs, the Committee on Forum Affairs, and the Committee on Law and Justice.

“2. The Committee on Defense and Security shall have jurisdiction over any legislation involving the Department of Defense and Security and the nomination of officers thereof by the President.

“3. The Committee on Economic Affairs shall have jurisdiction over any legislation involving the Department of Treasury and the nomination of officers thereof by the President.

“4. The Committee on Foreign Affairs shall have jurisdiction over any legislation involving the Department of State and the nomination of officers thereof by the President.

“5. The Committee on Forum Affairs shall have jurisdiction over any legislation involving the Department of Forum Affairs and the nomination of officers thereof by the President.

“6. The Committee on Law and Justice shall have jurisdiction over any legislation involving the Department of Justice and the nomination of officers thereof by the President.

“Section 2: Membership of the Standing Committees

“1. After the election of a President Pro Tempore (PPT) under Article 8, then in order of seniority each Senator, other than the PPT, may select a standing committee to be the chair and senior member thereof.  If after all Senators have had the opportunity to claim the chairship of a standing committee, there are any chairships left unclaimed, then the chair may be claimed at any time by any Senator not already the chair of a standing committee, but until the standing committee has a chair it shall transact no business. 

“2. After the determination of the chairs of the standing committees, then in order of Seniority, each member of the Senate shall select one or more standing committees to be a member of.  No Senator shall be a member of more than half (rounding up) of the standing committees and no standing committee shall have more than five members. A Senator may join or resign from a standing committee at any time, subject to the limits on standing committee membership, save that he may not rejoin a committee he resigned from earlier in that Senate save with the approval of either the chair or the PPT.

“3. In the event that the chair of a standing committee should subsequently be chosen to be PPT or should become the chair of a different standing commitee, he shall remain a member of said committee, but the chairship thereof shall pass to the senior member of the committee who desires to be the chair.  If there be no such member of the committee, then the senior member of the Senate who desires to be the chair shall become both chair and member of the committee, not withstanding if that would cause the committee to have more members than allowed by clause 2.

“4. In the event that the chair of a standing committee should subsequently be no longer a member of the Senate, the chairship of the committee shall pass to the senior member of the committee who desires to be the chair of the committee.  If there be no such member of the committee, then the senior member of the Senate who desires to be the chair of the committee.

“5. In the event that more than one Senator has equal seniority, it shall be the perogative of the PPT to determine the order of selection to be used under this section.  The PPT shall not be bound by any previous determination under this section.

“Section 3. Select Committees

“1. From time to time, select committees may be formed to consider particular legislation.

“2. A select committee may only be formed by the PPT when legislation or a nomination reaches the Senate floor without having been the subject of hearings by any other committee.  A select committee may also be formed by a motion of the Senate under Article 4 Section 5 Clause 2.

“3. The first five members to indicate an interest shall be members of said select committee.  If the chair of a select committee be not determined by a motion of the Senate under Article 4 Section 5 Clause 2, the chair shall be chosen by the PPT no earlier than 24 hours after the select comittee has formed, and subject to the restriction that he shall give first consideration to those members of the select committee who are not the chair of any other committee. Hearings shall be conducted in the same manner as if the select committee were a standing committee, save the attachment of a rule.

“4. If after 72 hours, no Senator has expressed a desire to be a member of a select committee on a piece of legislation, the legislation shall be returned to the head of the legislation introduction queue and shall have been considered to have been the subject of hearings by a committee.

“5. If after 72 hours, no Senator has expresses a desire to be a member of a select committee on a nomination, the nomination shall be sent to the Committee of the Whole Senate for debate and questions.”

“Section 4. Powers of the Standing Committees

“1. Standing committees shall, by decision of either the chair thereof or a majority of the committee, be able to hold hearings on any legislation in the legislation introduction thread for which falls within its jurisdiction.  Such hearings shall last at least 72 hours once begun and once completed, the chair shall return the bill to the legislation introduction queue at either the place it held before, or at the top of the queue.  Each standing committee may only hold hearings on one particular piece of legislation at a time.

“2. Standing committees shall be able to amend any legislation before it, notwithstanding any rule attached under clause 4.

“3. In the case where more than one standing committee claims jurisdiction on a particular legislation, the PPT shall decide which shall have primary jurisdiction. Only the committee with primary jurisdiction shall be able to attach a rule under clause 4 or 5 or to place the legislation at the top of the legislation queue under clause 1.”

“4. Standing committees shall be able to attach a rule to any legislation that it has considered requiring that any amendment to the legislation considered on the floor have from one to three cosponsors before being introduced under Article 4 Section 2.

“5. Standing committees shall be able to attach a rule limiting the period of floor debate to a maximum period of time that may be no less than 72 hours.

“Section 5. Committee of the Whole Senate

“1. All Senators shall be members of the Committee of the Whole Senate and the PPT shall be the chair thereof.  Save for rules concerning membership of the committee or as provided in this section, the Committee of the Whole Senate shall operate in the same manner as a standing committee.

“2. The Committee of the Whole Senate shall have primary jurisdiction in any question involving the rules of the Senate.

“3. The Committee of the Whole Senate shall have jurisdiction in any nomination for which a standing committee does not have jurisdiction and for which a select committee fails to be formed as specified by Section 3 Clause 5 of this Article.”

[True Federalist (진정한 연방 주의자)]

(continued)

§3. Article 6 of the OPSR is repealed and replaced by the following:

“Article 6: Rules on Presidential Nominations

“Section 1: General Statements on Nominees

“1. From time to time, various nominations may be made by the President requiring the advice and consent of the Senate for approval.

“2. Each nominee shall be referred by the PPT to the standing committee with appropriate jurisdiction, or if there be no such standing committee to a select committee.  The chair of such committee shall immediately begin hearings on each nominee referred to the commitee.

“3. After concluding such hearings, the commitee shall send the nomination to the floor of the Senate immediately, with or without a recommendation for or against approving the nomination.  The PPT may skip the processes dealing with Legislation Introduction, as so laid out in Article 3 of this Resolution.

“4. Nominees under consideration specifically do not count towards the restrictions laid out towards in Article 3, Section 2, Clause 2 in limiting the amount of legislation on the Senate floor at one time.

“Section 2: Rules on Committee Debate and Questioning of Nominees

“1. For each Presidential nomination, the chair must give each Nominee under consideration an amount of debate and question time in front of the committee of no less than twenty-four (24) hours and no greater than seventy-two (72) hours.

“2. If debate and questions with regards to the Nominee under consideration have halted for longer than twenty-four (24) hours, the chair may call for a vote on the presumptive Nominee.

“3. After seventy-two (72) hours, debate and question time shall cease, and the chair must call for a vote on the Nominee under consideration.

“4. If needed, an injunction may be brought by a member of the committee to keep debate and question time on the Nominee under consideration open for another forty-eight (48) hours, after which time the debate and question time shall end for good and a vote shall be called.

“5. Once debate and question time has ended, the chair shall open a vote on said Nominee. This vote shall last forty-eight (48) hours during which time the members of the commitee must vote whether the comittee shall recommend to the Senate that the nominee be approved, shall recommend to the Senate that the nominee be rejected, or that the committee not make any recommendation.  Any and all members of the committee who do not vote will be considered to have voted that the committee not make any recommendation.  The option with the most votes shall be passed save that if two or more options are tied for the most votes, then the committee shall send the Nominee to the Senate floor with no recommendation.

“Section 3: Rules on Senate Debate of Nominees

“1. For each Presidential nomination, the PPT must give each Nominee under consideration an amount of debate time in front of the Senate of no less than twenty-four (24) hours and no greater than seventy-two (72) hours.

“2. If debate with regards to the Nominee under consideration have halted for longer than twenty-four (24) hours, any Senator may call for a motion to vote on the presumptive Nominee.

“3. After seventy-two (72) hours, debate time shall cease, and the PPT must call for a vote on the Nominee under consideration.

“4.  Once a motion has been brought to bring the Nominee under consideration to a vote or debate and question time has publicly ended, the PPT shall open a vote on said Nominee. This vote shall last seventy-two (72) hours during which time the Senators must vote. Any and all Senators who do not vote will be considered to have abstained.”

§4. Article 2 Section 1 of the OPSR is ammending by adding the following clause 4:
“4. The PPT may not be the chair of a standing committee of the Senate, nor may he select himself to be the chair of a select committee, but he may be specified as the chair of a select commitee pursuant to a motion under Article 4 Section 5 Clause 2.”

§5. Article 4 Section 2 Clause 1 of the OPSR is amended by adding the following sentence:  “Such amemdments shall be subject to any rule attached to the legislation by a standing committee under Article 9 Section 4 Clause 3.”

§6. Article 4 of the OPSR is amended by adding the following Sections 5 and 6:

“Section 5: Rules for Referring Legislation to a Committee

“1. If legislation is ready to reach the Senate floor without a committee hearing, then the PPT may at his discretion refer the legislation to either a standing committee or a select committee.  Legislation may be referred by the PPT to a select committee only if there is no standing committee that has primary jurisdiction over the bill and is not currently holding hearings on a piece of legislation.”

“2. Once legislation has reached the Senate floor without a committee hearing, then a motion to send the legislation shall be in order at anytime except during a vote on an amendment. cloture, or passage of the legislation. The motion may designate that the legislation be sent to a select committee and may specify the chair of the committee. If the motion does not specify the chair, the PPT shall select the chair.  If the motion does not specify that the legislation shall be sent to a select committee, it shall be referred by the PPT to a committee as if he had done so under clause 1.

“3. Once legislation has reached the Senate floor with a committee hearing, then a motion to send the legislation to a committee shall be in order only during the first 72 hours of floor debate.  If the motion passes then the legislation shall be referred to a committee as under clause 2, save that it may not be sent back to a standing committee that has already held hearings on the legislation. No legislation may be sent to a select committee more than twice.

“Section 6: Rules for Recalling Legislation from a Committee

“1. If legislation would be debatable on the Senate floor save for the fact that it is the subject of hearings by a committee, and such hearings have lasted at least 72 hours, then such legislation shall be recallable from the committee either by the PPT or by a motion subject to the same requirements as a motion for cloture.”

“2. A motion for recall shall not be deemed to be occupying any debate slot.

“3. Legislation recalled from committee either by the PPT or a motion shall be brought to debate in the next available debate slot.”

[Ebowed]

If a Senator would be so kind, I request the introduction of the following bill:

Expansion of Gun Rights Bill

Section 1: Applicability
1. This law shall only apply in the District of Columbia and in federal territories that do not form part of any Region.

Section 2: Concealed Carry
1. All persons shall have the right to conceal and carry firearms in public areas, except as otherwise provided by this law.
2. It shall not be necessary to obtain a license or pay a fee to be able to conceal and carry firearms.
3. The right to conceal and carry firearms shall not extend to anyone under the age of eighteen, to anyone who is insane, or to anyone whose right to bear arms has been suspended as a punishment for the commission of a crime.

Section 3: Disallowing Concealed Carry
1. Any person may disallow the concealed carrying of firearms on his private property.
2. The government may disallow the concealed carrying of firearms in any government-owned building, including but not limited to courthouses and schools.

Section 4: Repealed Legislation
1. Section 3, "Concealed Carry", of the Protection of the Right to Bear Arms Act is hereby repealed.

[MasterJedi]

I'll introduce this for you Ebowed.

If a Senator would be so kind, I request the introduction of the following bill:

Expansion of Gun Rights Bill

Section 1: Applicability
1. This law shall only apply in the District of Columbia and in federal territories that do not form part of any Region.

Section 2: Concealed Carry
1. All persons shall have the right to conceal and carry firearms in public areas, except as otherwise provided by this law.
2. It shall not be necessary to obtain a license or pay a fee to be able to conceal and carry firearms.
3. The right to conceal and carry firearms shall not extend to anyone under the age of eighteen, to anyone who is insane, or to anyone whose right to bear arms has been suspended as a punishment for the commission of a crime.

Section 3: Disallowing Concealed Carry
1. Any person may disallow the concealed carrying of firearms on his private property.
2. The government may disallow the concealed carrying of firearms in any government-owned building, including but not limited to courthouses and schools.

Section 4: Repealed Legislation
1. Section 3, "Concealed Carry", of the Protection of the Right to Bear Arms Act is hereby repealed.

[Ebowed]

Another bill for a willing Senator to introduce.  For reference, here is the full text of the Regional Quarters Act.


Regional Quarters Extension Bill

Section 1: Findings
1. The demand of Clause 4 of the "Regional Quarters Act" is as follows: "The Senate requests Regions to submit their decisions to the Secretary of the Treasury within one month of the passage of this Act."
2. The bill passed on September 16, 2005, and was signed into law by President Siege40 on September 17, 2005.  The demand in Clause 4 was never met, and that the time to meet this demand has long past.

Section 2: Removal of Original Requirement
1. Clause 4 of the "Regional Quarters Act" is hereby repealed.

Section 3: Extension of Requirement
1. The Senate requests Regions to submit their decisions, which must be in accordance with Clauses 2 and 3 of the "Reqional Quarter Act", to the Secretary of the Treasury within one month of the time that this bill becomes law.

[MasterJedi]

I'll introduce this for you as well Ebowed.

Another bill for a willing Senator to introduce.  For reference, here is the full text of the Regional Quarters Act.


Regional Quarters Extension Bill

Section 1: Findings
1. The demand of Clause 4 of the "Regional Quarters Act" is as follows: "The Senate requests Regions to submit their decisions to the Secretary of the Treasury within one month of the passage of this Act."
2. The bill passed on September 16, 2005, and was signed into law by President Siege40 on September 17, 2005.  The demand in Clause 4 was never met, and that the time to meet this demand has long past.

Section 2: Removal of Original Requirement
1. Clause 4 of the "Regional Quarters Act" is hereby repealed.

Section 3: Extension of Requirement
1. The Senate requests Regions to submit their decisions, which must be in accordance with Clauses 2 and 3 of the "Reqional Quarter Act", to the Secretary of the Treasury within one month of the time that this bill becomes law.

[Peter]

Asbestos Ban Amendment Bill
Whereas,
   1. The Asbestos Ban Act bans the mining, sale and use in construction of asbestos within Atlasia.
   2. The Senate recognises thats these restrictions do not appear to have been grounded in any enumerated power granted to the Senate by the Second Constitution

Therefore,
   1. The Asbestos Ban Act is repealed.
   2. The Secretary of State and Secretary of the Treasury shall have necessary power to regulate the importation and exportation of asbestos into and out of Atlasia as they shall feel necessary to protect the public health and the environment.
   3. The Secretary of the Treasury shall have necessary power to regulate the transportation of asbestos throughout Atlasia through the issuing of licenses and other regulations that he feels necessary to protect the public health and the environment.
The text of the original act can be found here.

[True Federalist (진정한 연방 주의자)]

While I think banning asbestos is overkill, Section 1 of the Act falls under clause 3 of the Enumerated Powers section of the Constitution; Section 3 falls under clause 10,; Section 4 and 5 falls under clause 9; and Section 6 is a statement of what the Act doesn't do.  The only potentially dicey section is Section 2, but if you can't sell, transport, or make something from the Asbestos once you've mined it, I think a reasonable intrepetation that it falls under clause 30 as a means to enforce the other Constitutional provisions can be made.  In short, while the Asbestos Ban Act has its faults, I don't think Constitutionality is among them.

[TeePee4Prez]

Large and Mid-Size Corporate Heath Insurance Bill

Sec 1.  Any corporation, partnership, or sole proprietorship in Atlasia that has-

         (a) over $20 million in average gross receipts over the past 3 years shall pay at least a 65% portion of their employee's health premiums towards a qualified health insurance plan.

         (b) over $100 million in average gross receipts over the past 3 years shall pay at least an 80% portion of their employee's health insurance premiums towards a qualified health insurance plan.   

Sec. 2  Tax Credits

        (a) Corporate employers who have to comply with these new regulations shall receive a tax credit of 10% of premiums paid on their Form 1120.

        (b)  Partnership and sole proprietors shall receive a pro rata portion of the 10% credit on their Form 1040 after profits have been distributed.

                       

[Ebowed]

What follows is a package of bills I'd like any willing Senators to introduce.  The first deals with Columbus Day, which I believe should be abolished; the second introduces restrictions on abortion in federal territories; the third is my own nationwide minimum wage law which I will push for should the applicable constitutional amendment pass; the final two are Cabinet reforms that give the Secretary of State and Attorney General respectively something to do, also conveniently closing some holes in previously passed legislation.


Abolition of Columbus Day Bill

Section 1: Applicability
1. This law shall not be construed as to alter or repeal any regional laws regarding Columbus Day.

Section 2: Abolition of Columbus Day
1. Columbus Day, as a federal holiday celebrated on the second Monday every October, is hereby abolished.
2. References to Columbus Day in previous legislation are hereby stricken.


Abortion Restriction in Federal Territories Bill

Section 1: Applicability
1. This law shall only apply in the District of Columbia and in federal territories that do not form part of any Region.

Section 2: Definitions
1. The term 'abortion' means the use or prescription of any instrument, medicine, drug, or any other substance or device intentionally to terminate the pregnancy of a female known to be pregnant with an intention other than to increase the probability of a live birth, to preserve the life or health of the child after live birth, or to remove a dead unborn child who died as the result of a spontaneous abortion, accidental trauma or a criminal assault on the pregnant female or her unborn child.
2. The term 'minor' means any person under the age of 18.
3. The term 'legal guardian' means the guardian of a minor under federal law.
4. The term 'union' means two individuals united in Civil Union.
5. The term 'spouse' means an individual engaged in a civil union with another individual.

Section 3: Restriction of Abortions, and Exceptions
1. It shall be against the law to induce an abortion on or after the 90th day following the beginning of the pregnancy.
2. Clause 1 shall not apply in the case of a severe threat to the mother's physical health or to the mother's life, in which case an abortion may be performed at any time in the pregnancy.
3. Clause 1 shall not apply if the mother's pregnancy is the result of rape, in which case it shall be against the law to induce an abortion on or after the 180th day following the beginning of the pregnancy.

Section 4: Parental Consent
1. To undergo an abortion, a minor must have the consent of at least one of her legal guardians unless otherwise provided in Clause 2.
2. Exceptions to Clause 1 will be made in the following circumstances:
(a) The minor signs a written statement of sexual abuse, physical abuse, or neglect by her parents.
(b) The abortion is necessary to save the life of the minor because her life was endangered by a physical disorder, physical injury, or physical illness, including a life endangering physical condition caused by or arising from the pregnancy itself.
3. No medical practitioner in the District of Columbia or federal territories may preform an abortion on a minor without a signed statement from the minor's legal guardian witnessed by at least two others unless otherwise provided in Clause 2.

Section 5: Spousal Consent
1. It shall be against the law to induce an abortion without the written consent of both spouses.
2. Exceptions to Clause 1 will be made in the following circumstances:
(a) The spouse seeking an abortion signs a written statement of sexual abuse or physical abuse by her spouse.
(b) The abortion is necessary to save the life of the mother because her life was endangered by a physical disorder, physical injury, or physical illness, including a life endangering physical condition caused by or arising from the pregnancy itself.
3. No medical practitioner in the District of Columbia or federal territories may preform an abortion on a mother who is united with a spouse in Civil Union without a signed statement from the mother's spouse witnessed by at least two others unless otherwise provided in Clause 2.

Section 6: Penalties
1. Any individual who induces a prohibited abortion shall have any existing licence from the federal government or a federal territory, or a subdivision thereof, to practice a medical profession revoked and shall be permanently barred from the same.
2. Any individual who induces a prohibited abortion shall be sentenced to three years in prison. Any person knowingly facilitating the inducement of a prohibited abortion shall be subject to a criminal fine of $500,000.


This is, of course, only legitimate in the event that the constitutional amendment to allow the Senate to set a minimum wage is passed by the Senate and ratified.

Fair Minimum Wage Bill

Section 1: Nationwide Minimum Wage Standard
1. The minimum wage shall be set at $7.40 hourly for all persons aged 18 and above.
2. The minimum wage shall be set at $5.75 hourly for all persons aged 15 through 17.
3. Regions are permitted to pass a higher regional minimum wage than the national standard, should they so desire.  Regional laws with lower wages than defined in Clauses 1 and 2 will be overridden by this law.

Section 2: CPI Indexing
2. The nationwide minimum wage shall be indexed annually to the Consumer Pricing Index (CPI).


Foreign Aid Accountability Bill

Section 1: Findings
1. The "Foreign Aid Reduction Aid Act" states in Clause 1 that the budget for foreign aid, which is defined as $7 billion, "...shall be used at the discretion of the State Department."
2. There is no way to find out how much aid goes to which countries on a consistent and regular basis.

Section 2: Requirement of Secretary of State
1. The Secretary of State shall be required, using the timetable given in Clause 2, to provide a report stating:
(a) Which countries are receiving foreign aid;
(b) How much aid is going to each country; and
(c) What sort of programs and/or activities receive funding.
2. This report shall be delivered once every four months: on the third week of January, May, and September.


Hate Crimes Statistics Bill

Section 1: Findings
1. The "Hate Crime Laws Abolition Bill" states in Clauses 4 that "[t]he Atlasian government shall keep track of the number of racially motivated crimes committed after the passage and implementation of this bill."
2. Clause 5 of said bill states that "[t]he Atlasian government shall keep track of the number of crimes committed because of the victim's sex or sexual orientation after the passage and implementation of this bill."
3. The bill was signed into law by President Siege40 on October 13, 2005.  Since taking effect on that date, the Atlasian government has not released these statistics collected regarding crimes that were committed based on the victim's race, sex, or sexual orientation.

Section 2: Requirement of Attorney General
1. The Attorney General shall be required, using the timetable given in Clause 2, to provide a report stating the number of crimes committed based on the victim's race, sex, or sexual orientation in the previous four months, including specific breakdowns by category of crime and region.
2. This report shall be delivered once every four months: on the third week of January, May, and September.

[MasterJedi]

I'll introduce all the bills for you except the minimum wage one. $7.40 is too high, if it was $6 I'll go for it though.

[Gabu]

In that case, I will introduce the minimum wage one.

[jokerman]

I'll introduce all the bills for you except the minimum wage one. $7.40 is too high, if it was $6 I'll go for it though.

7.40 too high?  If we had kept minimum wage up to inflation in the first place it'd be higher than 10 bucks right now.

[Emsworth]

I'll introduce all the bills for you except the minimum wage one. $7.40 is too high, if it was $6 I'll go for it though.

7.40 too high?

$7.40 would be quite high in some parts of the country, but quite low in others.

[The Dowager Mod]

Budget proposal

The budget shall be unchanged from here except the following:
*F.L. 3-5 Shall be repealed.
*F.L. 5-2 Shall be repealed
*F.L. 5-8 Shall be repealed
*F.L. 6-21Shall be repealed
*F.L. 11-3Shall be changed to 2.0 Billion
An additional 10% shall be cut from 1.  Defense and Security Dept. - $619.531 billion

[Gabu]

Budget proposal

The budget shall be unchanged from here except the following:
*F.L. 3-5 Shall be repealed.
*F.L. 5-2 Shall be repealed
*F.L. 5-8 Shall be repealed
*F.L. 6-21Shall be repealed
*F.L. 11-3Shall be changed to 2.0 Billion
An additional 10% shall be cut from 1.  Defense and Security Dept. - $619.531 billion

You don't need to propose legislation when the budget is being officially considered on the Senate floor; you can just propose the change directly to the budget itself, to be added to the official version of the budget that will be adopted by the Senate.

[Sam Spade]

Budget proposal

The budget shall be unchanged from here except the following:
*F.L. 3-5 Shall be repealed.
*F.L. 5-2 Shall be repealed
*F.L. 5-8 Shall be repealed
*F.L. 6-21Shall be repealed
*F.L. 11-3Shall be changed to 2.0 Billion
An additional 10% shall be cut from 1.  Defense and Security Dept. - $619.531 billion

You don't need to propose legislation when the budget is being officially considered on the Senate floor; you can just propose the change directly to the budget itself, to be added to the official version of the budget that will be adopted by the Senate.

Yep.

[The Dowager Mod]

Just getting it noticed.

[Peter]

Useless Defense Spending Repeal Bill

1. The Missile Defense Initiative Act is repealed.
2. All appropriations associated with the above are terminated.