The White House (Former Office of President Sestak)

[Sestak]

Signing Statement
This bill goes a long way to expand access to naloxone in order to better treat opioid overdose and combat the opioid crisis.

SENATE BILL

To expand access to naloxone

Be it enacted in both Houses of Congress Assembled,

Naloxone Saves Lives (NSL) ACT

1.) Naloxone shall hereby be made available in secure but accessible locations at the federal institutions listed below

1A.) Federal Prisons

1B.) Federal Transport facilities

1C.) Federal Courts

1D.) Government Buildings in Nyman

1E.) Military bases and Operations centres in Atlasia

1F.) Federal Law Enforcement buildings

2.) Grant funding can be applied for to allow state & regional governments to establish Naloxone access at similar locations- $10 million shall be appropriated to pay for this.

3.) Staff at locations with Naloxone dispensers on the above list shall be allowed to carry Naloxone- in order to be eligible to do so they must receive training, guidance and annual refresher classes into the safe use of Naloxone and how to safely secure and store the drug.   

4.) $100 million shall hereby be appropriated for non-federal locations, including schools, colleges, transport hubs, workplaces, community centres and other similar locations to buy and maintain Naloxone dispensers.

5.) $10 million shall be appropriated for a trial program to expand access and the use of Naloxone in rural communities and those disproportionally impacted by opioid addiction.

People's Regional Senate
Passed 6-0 in the Atlasian Senate Assembled,

People's House of Representatives
Passed 7-0-0-2 in the House of Representatives

President of Congress

   
I. C. SESTAC PRAESES ATLASIENSIS LII

[Sestak]

Signing Statement
The treatment of the HIV/AIDS pandemic by our country and its predecessor has, at times, been disgracefully negligent, with the LGBT community as well as minority groups being the most disproportionately impacted. While those actions and inactions cannot be undone, it is my hope that this bill can at least rectify a small part of that injustice and work towards the eventual goal of an AIDS-free world.

HOUSE BILL

To eradicate transmission of HIV/AIDs by 2030

Be it enacted in both Houses of Congress Assembled,

Making HIV/AIDs History Act

Section 1: 2030

1A.) This act hereby commits the Atlasian Government to reach zero HIV/AIDs transmissions by 2030. It recognises the estimated 700,000 Atlasians estimated to have died from HIV/AIDs and the millions who continue to live with HIV/AIDs.

1B.) A Taskforce between State, regional and Federal Government departments shall be created, along with the appointment of a '2030' Director to organise the taskforce to reach the 2030 target. £500 million shall be appropriated to support this taskforce.

Section 2: History

2A.) This act hereby recognises the failure of the Atlasian Government, the medical and international community to take action against the HIV/AIDs epidemic in the 1980s, and recognises the burden of this injustice fell disproportionately on LGBT+ and African-American communities across Atlasia.

2B.) The Government of Atlasia hereby commits $50 million to establishing a national HIV/AIDs Memorial, Museum and Institute. A panel shall hereby be created, including of HIV/AIDs activists to select a short-list of locations.

Section 3: Ending Stigma.

3A.) No travel restrictions shall be placed on individuals on the sole basis of their HIV/AIDs status.

3B.) The Evergreen-Tmth Equality Act of 2016 and the 1964 Civil Rights Act are hereby amended to include HIV/Patients as a protected party under these acts.  

3C.) All universities, high schools, colleges and other education institutions receiving federal funding shall be required to carry out anti-discrimination training and awareness courses around HIV/AIDs.

Section 4: Keep Prepping.

4A.) All Health insurance plans sold in Atlasia shall be required to include Prep (pre-exposure prophylaxis) medication.

4B.) Pharmacies shall be able to dispense and authorise prescriptions of PREP

4C.) $100 million shall be spent on a public awareness campaign for PREP, with 25% of this funding targeted at increasing awareness in communities with low-levels of PREP use.

4D.) $25 million shall be spent on expanding tele-health trials to promote and encourage the use of PREP.

People's Regional Senate
Passed 6-0 in the Atlasian Senate Assembled,

People's House of Representatives
Passed 6-0-0-3 in the House of Representatives

President of Congress

   
I. C. SESTAC PRAESES ATLASIENSIS LII

[Sestak]

Signing Statement
This bill takes important steps to protect those with learning disabilities. I am especially pleased to sign the DNR restrictions into law; the procedure for issuing such orders has always felt rather suspect to me and these protections will be very helpful with preventing abuse.

A BILL
To protect the wellbeing and rights of Atlasians with learning disabilities

Be it enacted by the Senate and the House of Representatives in Congress assembled,

SECTION I: TITLE
1. This legislation may be referred to as the Stop Abuse of DNACPR Notices and End Waitlist Situations (SADNEWS) Act.

SECTION II: DEFINITIONS
1. For the purposes of this bill,
   a. "Vaccine" shall refer to COVID-19 vaccines that have received approval from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
   b. "Do Not Attempt Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (DNACPR) orders," also known as "Do Not Resuscitate (DNR) orders," shall refer to medical orders written by doctors instructing healthcare providers not to administer cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) if a patient's breathing stops or if the patient's heart stops beating.
   c. "Learning disabilities" shall refer to clinically diagnosed conditions adversely affecting a person's ability to receive and process information, manifested by significant difficulties in the acquisition and use of listening, speaking, reading, writing, reasoning, or mathematical abilities.

SECTION III: FINDINGS
1. The Atlasian Congress finds:
   a. That, as presently defined, DNACPR orders are vulnerable to abuse by medical practitioners, administrators, or institutions;
   b. That COVID-19 patients with learning disabilities suffer an injustice when inappropriate DNACPR orders are issued for them without their consent;
   c. That, as a result of numerous environmental and bureaucratic obstacles to accessing treatment, people with learning disabilities are more likely than the average person to die of COVID-19 if they contract the disease and should be included among the highly-prioritized for COVID-19 vaccinations forthwith.

SECTION IV: RESTRICTIONS ON DNACPR ORDERS
1. DNACPR orders must not be issued in blanket form to any group of people.
2. Medical officers shall be required to notify the patient (if possible) and any relevant family members, legal guardians, or healthcare advisors before issuing a DNACPR order for the patient.
3. DNACPR orders shall not be issued without the patient's explicit and official consent to the decision, provided the patient is able to give such.
   a. If—and only if—the patient is incapacitated or otherwise unable to consent, their family member(s), legal guardian(s), or a previously designated healthcare professional (if any) may make the decision on their behalf.
4. The presence, or lack thereof, of learning disabilities shall not be grounds for consideration or issuance of DNACPR orders for patients.


SECTION V: IMPLEMENTATION
1. This legislation shall take effect immediately upon passage.

By a vote of 9-0-0, this bill passes the House.

People's Regional Senate
Passed 5-0-0-1 in the Atlasian Senate assembled,

President of Congress

   
I. C. SESTAC PRAESES ATLASIENSIS LII

[Sestak]

EXECUTIVE ORDER
to make provisions for the expedient administration of Congress

FalterinArc, Senator, of the state of Washington, is hereby renominated to be Deputy President of Congress


    
I. C. SESTAC PRAESES ATLASIENSIS LII

[Sestak]

EXECUTIVE ORDER
to end pandemic restrictions which are no longer necessary

WHEREAS, the coronavirus pandemic which has decimated the world over the last year is finally winding to a close within the Republic of Atlasia; and

WHEREAS, Vaccination efforts have been extremely successful in getting the Atlasian public vaccinated; and

WHEREAS, A majority of all adults in Atlasia have been fully vaccinated and a majority of all Atlasians have been administered at least one shot, with more vaccinations occuring every day; and

WHEREAS, An overwhelming majority of Atlasians aged 65 and up, the group most vulnerable to the disease, have been fully vaccinated, including a majority in nearly every Atlasian county; and

WHEREAS, Vaccinations have been available to the general public in every region and every state for at least one full month; and

WHEREAS, The first vaccines for children aged 12 to 16 have been approved and are now beginning administration; and

WHEREAS, Scientific research indicates that mask usage is unnecessary for people who have been vaccinated; and

WHEREAS, The Centers for Disease Control yesterday released an updated advisory reflecting this; now, therefore



All requirements for mask usage and distancing pertaining primarily to the COVID-19 pandemic on federal property and within any other area of federal jurisdiction are hereby rescinded effective immediately.



On this fourteenth day of May in the year two thousand and twenty-one,
    
I. C. SESTAC PRAESES ATLASIENSIS LII

[Sestak]

EXECUTIVE ORDER
to conjoin enforcement of outdated statutory masking requirements tied to regional funding

WHEREAS, Congress last year passed legislation tying certain forms of federal funding regional, state, and local authorities to the institution of masking requirements in order to combat the COVID-19 pandemic; and

WHEREAS, vaccination efforts have reached the point where blanket mask mandates are unnecessary; and

WHEREAS, the federal government shall no longer be enforcing masking or distancing requirements with regards to the pandemic on its property; and

WHEREAS, there is no reason to tie the hands of regional, state, and local governments through federal legislation to benchmarks which the federal government itself no longer considers necessary to meet; now, therefore


It is hereby ordered that the statute F.L. 26-05 no longer be enforced by any branch of the federal executive in any capacity. All relevant federal budgetary authorities are hereby ordered to make all appropriations as otherwise would occur to the regions irrespective of compliance to the requirements therein.



On this fourteenth day of May in the year two thousand and twenty-one,
    
I. C. SESTAC PRAESES ATLASIENSIS LII

[Sestak]

Signing Statement
Atlasia stands in firm support of self determination. We recognize the sovereignty of both the PRC and the ROC. The Republic will work against all attempts to subvert democratic values and self determination. We hope that peaceful reconciliation between these two states may one day be possible.

ROC Act of 2021

1. The Republic of Atlasia will recognize the Republic of China and shall establish a embassy in Taipei, Republic of China
2. The Republic of Atlasia shall recognize that the Republic of China currently controls Taiwan Main Island/Formosa, Kinmen Main Island, Penghu Main Island, Orchid Island, Xiyu Island, Waisanding Shoal Island, Green Island, Lesser Kinmen Island, Baisha Island, Nangan Island, Cimei Island, Lamay Island, Wang'an Island, and Beigan Island.

Passed 6-2-0-1 in the Atlasian House assembled



People's Regional Senate
Passed 4-2-0-0 in the Atlasian Senate assembled,

President of Congress

   
I. C. SESTAC PRAESES ATLASIENSIS LII

[Sestak]

Signing Statement
Far too many have lost their loved ones during the COVID-19 pandemic. This bill will help Atlasians set up proper services to put those loved ones to rest.

HOUSE BILL

To reduce the burden of COVID-19 related expenses for Atlasians

BE IT ENACTED IN BOTH HOUSES OF THE CONGRESS OF THE REPUBLIC OF ATLASIA ASSEMBLED,

COVID-19 Funeral Relief Assistance Act

Section 1. Purpose

a. Countless Atlasians lost their lives due to COVID-19 and it is the responsibility of the federal government to reduce the financial burden that Atlasians experience as a result of the losses of loved ones.
b. This bill shall establish a COVID-19 relief fund to lessen the burden of funeral expenses, for those experiencing hardship and financial difficulty.

Section 2. Eligibility for assistance for COVID-19 expenses

a. An Atlasian citizen must experience the death of a loved one due to the COVID-19 disease.
b. An Atlasian citizen must not have insurance to pay for such expenses
c. Prove COVID-19 as a cause of death pursuant to death certificate verified by a physician and coroner
d. The amount shall not exceed $10,000 to the affected individual
e. An Atlasian citizen must be have a gross monthly income that is equal to, or below 130% of the federal poverty level for their household.
F. Must be the next of kin for the deceased.

Section 3. Funding
a. The fund shall be established through the use of taxation and accrue an amount of $50,000,000

Section 4. Distribution

a. Grants earmarked to the regions of the Republic of Atlasia
b. Regions must designate the grants to localities

People's Regional Senate
Passed 5-0-1 in the Atlasian Senate Assembled,

People's House
Passed 7-0-0-2 in the House

President of Congress

   
I. C. SESTAC PRAESES ATLASIENSIS LII

[Sestak]

Signing Statement

Repeated flagrant violations of internatonal law deserve condemnation. This resolution does so and has my full support.

SENATE RESOLUTION

To condemn the trade policies and territorial expansion by the Peoples Republic of China.

Be it Resolved in both Houses of Congress Assembled,

Chinese Trade and Territorial Expansion Resolution

Section 1. Background

In flagrant violation of international law, the People's Republic of China has taken a series of actions that involve uses of force to instigate retaliation between its neighbors such as India. If no action is taken on the part of Atlasia, the two countries will be set on a path toward war. The purpose of this resolution is to condemn China's practices and tactics as it relates to their un-quenched desire for territorial expansion at the expense of the rest of the world.

As it relates to currency manipulation, China is able to set the value of its currency as it sees fit as it possesses a centrally-planned economy. This provides an unfair advantage to the People's Republic of China because the value of other nations' currency continues to fluctuate. By lowering the value of their currency, China gains an unfair advantage. While steps have been taken in recent years, the Republic of Atlasia shall monitor this activity closely to regain an international trade balance.

Section 2. Definition
1. Salami slicing practices entail using subversive tactics to expand their territorial claims by being the aggressor and then claiming self-defense when another nation retaliates.

Section 2. Adoption
1. The passage of this resolution will create a watch-list and add China as a member country
2. Upon passage, The Republic of Atlasia will officially condemn China's "salami-slicing" practices in Asia.

People's Regional Senate Passed 3-1-1

House of Representatives Passed 7-0-0-2

President of Congress

   
I. C. SESTAC PRAESES ATLASIENSIS LII

[Sestak]

Signing Statement

This minimum wage increase seems sensible and has garnered broad support in Congress.

AN ACT
To increase the minimum wage
Be it enacted in both houses of Congress

Section 1; Title
1. This legislation may be cited as the "Rewarding Hard Work Act"
Section 2; Minimum Wage Increase
1. 29 U.S.C § 206(a)(1) is amended to read as follows:

(1) except as otherwise provided in this section, not less than $11.00  $15.00 an hour;

Section 3; Implementation
1. The increase in the federal minimum wage shall take effect over a period of two years-
a) Starting from January 1, 2022, the federal minimum wage shall increase by $2 at the start of each year until it reaches $15.

People's Regional Senate
Passed 6-0 in the Atlasian Senate Assembled,

House of Representatives Passed 4-2-0-3

President of Congress

   
I. C. SESTAC PRAESES ATLASIENSIS LII

[Sestak]

Signing Statement
Congress has elected to reduce the deregistration cooldown; on this I defer to the decision they have made by a substantial margin.

AN ACT
To reduce the eligible time between re-registrations after voluntary deregistrations

Be it enacted by the Congress of the Republic of Atlasia assembled

Section 1. Title

This legislation may be cited as the Deregistration Forgiveness Act.

Section 2. Amendment to the Census Act of 2019

1. Section 5 of the Census Act of 2019 is hereby amended:

If a voter deregisters voluntarily, they may not register again until one hundred and sixty eight hours have passed

People's Regional Senate
Passed 4-0-2 in the Atlasian Senate Assembled,

House of Representatives Passed 3-1-2-3

President of Congress

   
I. C. SESTAC PRAESES ATLASIENSIS LII

[Sestak]

Signing Statement
The potential of owning a home is a pivotal part of Atlasia's economy and culture. This bill today furthers this opportunity by strengthening our assistance programs.

SENATE BILL

Be it enacted in both houses of the CONGRESS OF THE REPUBLIC OF ATLASIA

Home Buyer Assistance Stabilization Act

Section 1. Title

A) The title of this bill shall be the Home Buyer Assistance Stabilization Act

Section 2. Administration

A) Departments of housings in regions across Atlasia shall establish and administer the home buyer assistance program to:

1. Assist home buyers by providing low-interest mortgage loans, with down payment and closing cost assistance options for the purchase of homes. 

2. Coordinate with, as appropriate, provide matching monies for similar programs that are offered by private employers and county and municipal governments so to maximize the total amount that home buyers can receive under this program.

B) The home buyer assistance fund is hereby established which shall consist of legislative appropriations to be compiled to at least $1,000,000 via monies received from the repayment of loans provided by the program and interest earned on those monies. The departments of each region shall administer the fund for continuous appropriation.

C)  For loans provided under this program, the departments shall:

1. Allow home buyers to use the loans for the purchase of newly constructed or existing homes, including homes that are held in cooperative or condominium forms of ownership.

2. Require that borrowers under this program do not own other residential real estate at the time of the loan request.

3. Require a home purchased under this program be occupied by the home buyer as a princiapl residence.

People's Regional Senate
Passed 5-0-1 in the Atlasian Senate Assembed,

House of Representatives Passed 6-1-0-2

President of Congress

   
I. C. SESTAC PRAESES ATLASIENSIS LII

[Sestak]

Signing Statement

Facial recognition is a dangerous technology that can be used to gather vast amounts of personal information on individuals without their consent. This bill is necessary in order to protect the privacy of all Atlasians.

Sticking a Middle Finger to Big Brother Act

Be it enacted in both houses of Congress assembled,

Section 1. Saving Face
a. A "facial recognition camera" is any camera which includes a feature to recognize a person's face.
b. All facial recognition cameras, with the following exceptions, are hereby banned in the Republic of Atlasia.
  i. Smartphones, tablets, and other personal, mobile devices not permanently mounted to a surface shall be exempt from this law.
c. "Permanently mounted" is defined as any electronic device that ceases to function if unplugged from a power outlet
d Owners of such devices shall have until July 1, 2021 to dispose of them.
e. Owners may report the exact model to a government website where they will be sent directions to their local police station.
f. Local police stations will collect cameras that are brought to them and provide reimbursement for the value of when the model first reached the public market, adjusted for inflation. These cameras will be turned over to the federal government at once.
g. Manufacturers of such devices shall immediately cease production of all such devices. They shall be reimbursed for the costs of their stockpile using current market price if they turn their stockpile over to the federal government.
h. Any person or entity found in violation of parts 2(c) and 2(d) may be fined an amount not to exceed $5,000, and shall have such device confiscated.
i. Any police department which fails to turn over cameras received will lose 50% of it's federal funding for a minimum of one fiscal year.

Section 2. Cur-phew
a. "Curfew laws" are defined as all laws prohibiting people of any age group, or in general, from being in public areas during a certain time (usually at night), outside of a state of emergency as declared by either the President or local authorities.
b. Any jurisdiction that passes curfew laws shall lose federal funding
c. All persons cited for violating curfew laws shall have their records expunged.

Passed 5-2-1-1 in the House assembled
People's Regional Senate
Passed 4-0-1-1 in the Atlasian Senate assembled (amended)

House of Representatives Passed 5-2-1-1

President of Congress

   
I. C. SESTAC PRAESES ATLASIENSIS LII

[Sestak]

Signing Statement

While copyright protections do have an important role, it is paramount that they do not overly stifle creativity and artistic expression. I am very pleased to sign this bill into law today in order to better ensure that copyrights cannot be abused against artists.

A BILL

protecting the right to produce music that is inspired by other works

Be it enacted by the Senate and the House of Representatives, in Congress assembled:

SECTION 1. TITLE.

This Act may be cited as the "Inspiration Is Not Theft Act of 2020".

SECTION 2. FINDINGS.

A. In 2013, defendants Mr. Pharrell Williams, Mr. Robin Thicke, and Mr. Clifford Harris, Jr., were served with a lawsuit from plaintiffs representing the estate of Marvin Gaye, Jr. (Mr. Frankie Christian Gaye, Mr. Marvin Gaye III, and Ms. Nona Marvisa Gaye, respectively).  

B. The defendants, which may be referred to as the "Thicke Group", are songwriters and musicians by trade.

C. The matter at issue in this case involves copyright infringement; specifically, does the musical composition "Blurred Lines" (as written by Williams, Thicke, and Harris) copy the essential elements in the Gaye composition "Got To Give It Up" (as written by Mr. Marvin Gaye, Jr.) (thus entitling the plaintiffs to financial relief)?

D. Although the two songs share a similar style, the underlying melodies and harmonies are not sufficiently similar to one another.  

E. A district court entered judgment for the plaintiffs; on appeal, this was affirmed by the Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit.  

F. As decided by the Ninth Circuit, the ruling in this case effectively declares that works imitating, but not specifically copying, other works may be regarded as copyright infringements.  

G. This decision has had, and will continue to have, a "chilling effect" on the capability of songwriters to produce works evoking other eras or styles.  

H. As a matter of routine, many musical acts and works imitate the style of other musical acts and works.  

SECTION 3. PROTECTION OF CERTAIN RIGHTS.

A. It shall not be a violation of copyright law to:

1. Imitate, or borrow from, the style of another artist or composition.  

2. Produce a work parodying another's compositions or style.  

3. Employ, or assist in employing, any person who created, or assisted in the creation of, another act or work.  

SECTION 4. ACT NOT TO BE MISCONSTRUED.

This Act shall not be so construed as to prohibit certain individuals or groups the right to seek credit, and/or financial compensation for, the direct copying of specific works (in the music industry, this act is known as "sampling")

SECTION 5. WHEN EFFECTIVE.

This Act will become effective when signed by the president.

House of Representatives
Passed the House of Representatives 3-2-1-3

People's Regional Senate
Passed 3-2-0-2 in the Atlasian Senate Assmbled

President of Congress

   
I. C. SESTAC PRAESES ATLASIENSIS LII

[Sestak]

Statement

I did not really want to have to do this; however, I made a long post explaining my major concerns with the bill as written and what needed to be done to fix it - a post that seems to have been largely ignored. The bill remains in a state that - in the beginning - everyone seemed to agree was unfinished. A lot of time was spent waiting for amendments that never came - to tell the truth I still don't fully understand how it went to a final vote in the Senate.

To reiterate briefly my points, this bill does not properly coordinate with regions (including by authorizing the building of a federal West Coast HSR when Fremont is already building one) and places far too much of a focus on "transnational" lines which would involve extremely expensive undertakings such as building high-speed viable routes through the Rockies. There is absolutely no reason to do this when the currently existing projects are already considerably expensive and have still not been finished, with many of them also being in a state of funding limbo.

I consider myself a supporter of high speed rail and would be willing to sign something that focuses more on building existing projects and linking a national network through those regional projects. However, as the bill is written I cannot sign it.

AN ACT
To improve transport and connectivity across our nation.

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the Republic of Atlasia in Congress assembled,

Section I. Title

i. The long title of this bill shall be the "Expansion of High Speed Rail and Mass Transit Act." It may be cited as the "High Speed Rail Act."

Section II. Definitions
i. High speed rail is defined as a railroad capable of supporting trains in excess of 120 mph.

Section III. Construction of High Speed Rail Arteries
i. A high speed railway shall be constructed along the western coast.
     a. The Department of Transportation should negotiate possible connections through Canada and Mexico.
ii. A high speed railway shall be constructed along the eastern coast.


Section IV. Creation of National Rail Authority
i. The National Rail Authority is hereby established under the Department of Transportation and tasked with the responsibility of overseeing construction, rail route development, and consumer-end transit program implementation.
ii. The National Rail Authority shall consist of members appointed by the President of Atlasia.
iii. The layout of the seaboard routes and placement of cross-country rail routes shall be the responsibility of the National Rail Authority.
iv. Congress shall retain the ability to legislate new routes or override the decisions of the National Rail Authority if necessary.

Section V. Appropriations
i. $80 billion shall be appropriated for the construction of new rail and adaptation of old rail for the creation of the seaboard routes.
$10 billion of this shall be appropriated for upgrading of the Northeast Corridor High-Speed Rail Line.
ii. $250 million shall be appropriated for surveying and planning of cross-country rail routes.
iii. $3 billion shall be appropriated for the construction of connecting routes to off-route cities.
iv. $150 billion shall be released for construction of new rail and adaptation of old rail for the creation of cross country routes pending a finalized route plan from the National Rail Authority.
v. $8 billion shall be released for the construction of connecting routes to off-route cities pending a finalized route plan from the National Rail Authority.

With a final tally of 5-2-0-2, this bill passes.
X SevenEleven
People's Regional Senate
Passed 3-0-0-3 in the Atlasian Senate Assembled

Passes 4-3-0-3 in the House (Amended)

VETO

    
I. C. SESTAC PRAESES ATLASIENSIS LII

[Sestak]

EXECUTIVE ORDER
to hold a non-binding referendum for a new flag of Atlasia

The Department of Federal Elections is hereby directed to open the voting booth for the purposes of a referendum on a new flag for the Republic, from 12:00 AM, Eastern Daylight Time, on Friday 28 May 2021 until 12:00 AM on Monday 31 May. The options listed shall be those given in this post, labeled 'A' through 'F' as ordered in said post. The referendum shall be tabulated as a ranked-choice ballot.


     
I. C. SESTAC PRAESES ATLASIENSIS LII

[Sestak]

EXECUTIVE ORDER
to ensure fair ballot access

WHEREAS, the Fifth Constitution was ratified this past weekend, replacing the bicameral Congress with a new unicameral Senate; and,

WHEREAS, the June 2021 elections shall be the first held under the auspices of the Fifth Constitution; and,

WHEREAS, the old House of Representatives has been directly replaced by the nine at-large seats of the new Congress; and,

WHEREAS, several candidates declared for the House of Representatives prior to the ratification of the Fifth Constitution; and,

WHEREAS, it would be unfair to exclude these candidates from the at-large Senate ballot; now, therefore



The Department of Federal Elections is hereby directed to interpret all declarations of candidacy for House of Representatives in the previously scheduled June 2021 elections made prior to the ratification of the Fifth Constitution as valid declarations of candidacy for the at-large Senate seats in the June 2021 elections.

    
I. C. SESTAC PRAESES ATLASIENSIS LII

[Sestak]

EXECUTIVE ORDER
to honor a late former Vice President of our predecessor

Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport is hereby renamed Walter F. Mondale Memorial National Airport.

     
I. C. SESTAC PRAESES ATLASIENSIS LII

[Sestak]

Signing Statement
Sure, I guess.

A BILL
To protect our unseen animals.

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the Republic of Atlasia in Congress assembled,

Section I. Title

i. This bill may be known as the Unidentified Primate Protection Act.

Section II. Definition

i. "Bigfoot" may be defined as any previously unknown-to-science bipedal hominid or ape-like creature inhabiting the wild of Atlasia.
ii. This creature may be known by multiple names, including Sasquatch, Skunk Ape, and a variety of others in Native cultures.

Section III. Protective Measures
i. The Congress of Atlasia hereby recognizes Bigfoot's existence.
ii. Bigfoot is hereby placed on the Endangered Species List.
iii. It shall be prohibited to kill or seriously injure a Bigfoot unless provoked.
iv. Killing a Bigfoot may be punished with a fine not exceeding $30,000 and/or up to one year in prison.
v. Any person who has seen a Bigfoot in a national park, forest, or other protected area may report the sighting to the park's administration. The park shall put a notice up alerting visitors of the creature's presence.

Section IV. The Deep State Gets Squatched
i. No government funds may be directed toward civilian or military operations intended to hunt or exterminate Bigfoot.
ii. No government funds may be directed toward civilian or military operations intended to hunt or exterminate any group of people commonly described as "feral" or "wildmen" living on the fringes of society.
iii. All government files regarding the 1969 disappearance of Dennis Martin, including those relating to the involvement of the Green Berets in the search and rescue operation, must be declassified.
iv. All government files relating to helicopter operations after the 1980 eruption of Mount St. Helens, specifically those relating to the removal and subsequent burning of Sasquatch corpses, must be declassified.
v. All government files relating to capture of Sasquatch after the 1999 Battle Mountain Fire in Nevada must be declassified.

Section V. Effect
i. This bill shall go into effect immediately after signature by the President.

Passed 6-1-1-1 in the Atlasian House assembled



Passed 5-0-0-1 in the Atlasian Senate Assembled



President of Congress

   
I. C. SESTAC PRAESES ATLASIENSIS LII

[Sestak]

EXECUTIVE ORDER
to give a pass to a legend

The individual who identified themselves as 'Dan Cooper' in Portland International Airport on November 24, 1971, if they still live, is hereby pardoned for any federal crimes which occurred during or as were commited as a direct result of the hijacking of Northwest Orient Airlines Flight 305 on that day.

    
I. C. SESTAC PRAESES ATLASIENSIS LII

[Sestak]

Signing statement

I am a bit ambivalent about some of the stuff in here and how it will actually work; however, there are no specific sticking points for me and Congress seems to have overwhelming support; thus, I have elected to sign it into law.

A Bill

Ensuring fairness regarding payment of winnings at gaming facilities

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the Republic of Atlasia in Congress assembled,


SECTION 1 - TITLE

This bill may be cited as the "Fair Play in Gaming Act". 


SECTION II - DEFINITIONS 

1. The term "gaming machine" is hereby defined as any device which, as installed at a non-Native American operated casino, purports to pay out any jackpot or sum of money. 

2. The term "malfunction" is defined as a failure of a gaming machine's operating system which renders the game unplayable. 

3. The term "violation" is defined as the refusal of a non-Native American operated casino to pay out any sum that is legitimately won (subject to the terms of this bill). 


SECTION III - FINDINGS

1. Congress finds as follows:

  A. There have been numerous instances of casinos that have refused to award advertised jackpots to winners of such.

  B. In the majority of these cases, such refusals are based upon claims of gaming machines having "malfunctioned".  In this regard, casinos claim that devices mistakenly and erroneously show the winning of a prize. 

  C. Mechanical breakdowns of slot-based gaming machines are extremely rare in occurrence. 

  D. In the event of a legitimate win, casinos should pay amounts that they advertise as potentially being paid. 


SECTION IV - GENERAL PROVISIONS

1. In order to ensure the good working order of gaming machines, inspections of such shall take place every six months.  The gaming commissions of individual states shall be charged with the operation and oversight of these inspections. 

2. In cases of legitimate jackpot wins, casinos shall pay at least the amount advertised as the "maximum jackpot", excepting cases where a malfunction or player fraud is conclusively proven. 

3. Any casino subsequently required to pay a jackpot shall begin payments of funds no later than one hundred twenty (120) days after a claim of victory. 

4. Nothing in this bill shall be construed as requiring jackpot payouts from Native American-operated casinos. 


SECTION V - PENALTIES

1. A casino found to be in violation of Section IV sub-section 2 shall have its gaming license suspended for no less than ninety (90) days. 

2. Thereafter, for every thirty (30) days that a casino continues to be in violation of Section IV sub-section 2, no less than thirty (30) days shall be added to the suspension of such a casino's gaming license. 

3. If a casino continues to be in violation of Section IV sub-section 2 for a period exceeding one (1) year, the associated state gaming commission may choose to permanently suspend the casino's gaming license. 


SECTION VI - IMPLEMENTATION

1. This legislation shall take effect immediately after passage. 

Passed 5-1-2-1 in the Atlasian House assembled



Passed 5-0-0-1 in the Atlasian Senate assembled



Person of Color

   
I. C. SESTAC PRAESES ATLASIENSIS LII

[Sestak]

Signing statement

This makes some important changes to game statute to bring it in line with the new Constitution, most importantly giving subregion assignments to members residing in the UK under the terms of the common market agreement. I thank Congress for its quick passage ahead of the election.

AN ACT
to bring federal law in line with the Fifth Constitution
Be it enacted by both houses of Congress assembled:

Section 1 (Title)
1. The title of this act shall be, the "Federal Game Procedure Amendments Act of 2021" It may be cited as the "FGPA Act 2021" or "FGPA 21".

Section 2 (Amendments to the Federal Electoral Act)
The Federal Electoral Act is hereby amended with the following substitutions:

Elections to the House of Representatives at-large Senate seats shall be held in the months...

Elections to the House for at-large Senate held in December shall be begin at...

Special elections to the House of Representatives at-large Senate seats, in accordance...

All candidates elected in special elections to the House of Representatives at-large Senate seats shall be eligible...

The declaration period for a special election for the House of Representatives at-large Senate shall begin...

The declaration period for any regularly scheduled or special election for the House of Representatives at-large Senate shall terminate...

During Presidential elections, the candidate listing for Presidential tickets and House of Representatives at-large Senate should be clearly separated...

Elections to the House of Representatives at-large Senate seats shall be conducted...

No write-in for the House of Representatives at-large Senate shall be considered...

Special elections for a single at-large Senate seat in the House of Representatives shall be conducted...

In elections for multiple at-large Senate seats in the House of Representatives, single transferable vote...

...with one ticket’s term of office coinciding with the Congress whose House of Representatives was Senate for which at-large seats were elected at the same election, and the other ticket’s term of office coinciding with the subsequent Congress Senate. ...

If, in a runoff for a single at-large Senate seat in the House of Representatives, both candidates have...

2. Section 10 of the Federal Electoral Act is hereby amended as follows:

1. Should a significant calamity in the operation of Atlasia occur, leaving the federal election authority portfolio unassigned, the Presidency vacant, and the Presidential line of succession completely empty, with too few members in either House of Congress the Senate to elect a presiding officer, then the moderators of the Atlas Fantasy Elections board and modadmins and administrators of the Atlas Forum are statutorily authorized to hold a special election(s) for the House of Representatives so that a Speaker to the Senate as necessary so that a presiding officer may be elected and elevated to the Presidency.

Section 3 (Other Amendments to Federal Law)

1. Section 4.2 of the Census Act is hereby repealed.

2. F.L. 7.1§1 (i), (iv) are hereby repealed and remaining subsections renumbered accordingly. All instances of "nor Speaker of the House of Representatives" are hereby stricken, as is the text "nor member of the House of Representatives" in subsection (v) [now renumbered subsection (iii)]. The text "nor member of Congress" in subsection (vi) [now renumbered subsection (iv)] is hereby amended to "nor Senator".

Section 4 (Addendum to the Common Market Agreement)

1. The following is added as an addendum to the Atlasia-UK Common Market Agreement:

For the purposes of subregional allocation, citizens of Atlasia residing in England and Wales shall be considered to reside within the Upper South subregion, citizens of Atlasia residing in Scotland shall be considered to reside within the Great Lakes subregion, and citizens of Atlasia residing in Nortern Ireland and Gibraltar shall be considered to reside within the Mountain West subregion.

Section 5 (Effective Date)

1. This bill shall go into effect immediately upon passage into law.

People's House of Representatives
Passed 8-0-0-1 in the House of Representatives


Passed 6-0-0-0 in the people’s regional senate

Deputy President of Congress

   
I. C. SESTAC PRAESES ATLASIENSIS LII

[Sestak]

For his two years of continuing service as Lincoln's regional justice, and his long history of contributions to Atlasia's legal sphere,

Bacon King

is hereby awarded the Silver Star of the Order of the Star of Atlasia.

    
I. C. SESTAC PRAESES ATLASIENSIS LII

[Sestak]

For having served the Southern region as a delegate continuously for two years and counting and always striving to keep the regional government active,

Reagente

is hereby awarded the Silver Star of the Order of the Star of Atlasia.

    
I. C. SESTAC PRAESES ATLASIENSIS LII

[Sestak]

Signing statement

The recent pandemic has demonstrated to us more starkly than ever how necessary broadband access has become in this day and age. I am glad to sign this bill to improve our broadband infrastructure across the country.

SENATE BILL

To expand access to broadband

Be it enacted in Both Houses of Congress Assembled,

Lets Get Wired (LGW) Act

1.) This Act hereby recognises the importance of broadband and data access for communities across Atlasia, and recognises that too many communities still lack reliable, affordable and high quality broadband. This act takes the following steps to remedy this inequality.

2.) The Lets Get Wired Task-Force is hereby created to work alongside existing commissions , with an NPC chairman and 5 other representatives appointed by the President, along with one representative from each of Atlasia's region. This taskforce is hereby empowered to expand, improve and introduce high-speed broadband across Atlasia and its regions.

3.) $20 billion shall hereby be appropriated over the next 5 years to aims and objectives of the LGW Act. The $20 billion is hereby broken down in the following areas. 

3A.) $10 billion of this funding is for the up-front cost of installing new broadband route in areas currently not receiving an connection of least 25 megabits per second, an upload speed of at least 3 megabits per second.

3B.) $5 billion is hereby granted to the regions of Atlasia to spend on the improving and expanding broadband access.

3C.) $2 billion is hereby allocated for the installation of broadband for rural areas and areas under the oversight of the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA)

3D.) $1 billion is hereby allocated for a federal jobs training and apprenticeship scheme designed to train employees for the skills needed in the installation of broadband infrastructure.

3E.) $1 billion is hereby allocated for public schools and libraries to improve and expand broadband access.

3F.) $500 million is hereby allocated for hospitals and other medical facilities to invest, expand and improve tele-health programs for patients, with the funding designated for improving services for patients with historic difficulty in accessing broadband connections.

3EG) $500 million is hereby allocated to be granted to small business (those with less than 10 employees) to improve internet accessibility for the business, and for employees working from home. The maximum grant amount shall be capped at $5,000 per company. 

People's Regional Senate
Passed 6-0 in the Atlasian Senate Assembled,

People's House of Representatives
Passed 7-0-0-2 in the People's House of Representatives

Deputy President of Congress

   
I. C. SESTAC PRAESES ATLASIENSIS LII