5th Pacific Legislation Introduction and Discussion Thread

[President Tyrion]

We as a region are going to be the recipient of a government stimulus. There's many ways to spend it and one beneficial one, in my opinion, would be a high speed rail system. Unlike the East Coast and Midwest many cities in the Pacific are very far apart. Portland, Seattle, Salt Lake, San Francisco, Phoenix, Los Angeles, San Diego, Santa Fe etc. are hours from one another. Creating a faster, more efficient mode of transportation in the form of a rail line would not only be better for the environment but it would help bring in revenue, allowing our economy to recover somewhat. Jobs would obviously be created through the process of creating the line as well as upkeep after completion. What do you guys think?

This idea has been brought up a few times and there have been a few bills proposed to advance it. Sadly inactivity has killed them all good.

May I draft such a bill?

[President Tyrion]

So I was researching the high speed rail bill, and I think the spending necessary would be excessive. I understand that we need anywhere from 10M to 86M per mile of high speed rail. Even the lowest estimate, for 4000 miles of track, would already eat up out allotted 40B.

Now, we could be pretty stingy with our track usage. It's about 1200 miles from San Diego to Seattle through LA, Oakland, and Portland. Then, it's 700 miles from LA to Salt Lake City through Las Vegas, and about 300 miles from Las Vegas to Phoenix. All in all, that's 2200 miles, or 22B at the cheapest.

I'm not sure we can afford this project.

[President Tyrion]

So I was researching the high speed rail bill, and I think the spending necessary would be excessive. I understand that we need anywhere from 10M to 86M per mile of high speed rail. Even the lowest estimate, for 4000 miles of track, would already eat up out allotted 40B.

Now, we could be pretty stingy with our track usage. It's about 1200 miles from San Diego to Seattle through LA, Oakland, and Portland. Then, it's 700 miles from LA to Salt Lake City through Las Vegas, and about 300 miles from Las Vegas to Phoenix. All in all, that's 2200 miles, or 22B at the cheapest.

I'm not sure we can afford this project.

You might want to get the GM's estimations first.

If it is over the amount, my understanding is that we'd incorporate the remainder by using regional funds. There are many long term and short term benefits from this project.

I don't doubt it. We should also consider the alternatives, including beefing up education and perhaps making significant investments in our university system, but that all depends on the numbers.

[President Tyrion]

GM Griffin offered up the numbers, and they're not pretty.

Hey Adam,

Can I get an estimate on cost/mile of high speed railway? We're estimating a minimum of 2200 miles.

There is already a HSR route in between L.A. and San Francisco; please let me know if you wish to include a second line (this quote excludes it):

1821 miles @ $38.24 million/mile:
120 mph: $69.635 B

1821 miles @ $70.05 million/mile:
220 mph: $127.75 B

I don't think this project is tenable. A minimum of 30 B will have to come out of the region's pocket.

[President Tyrion]

How would one even build a train line going north from SF? It would have to go east of the bay, because it's not really a good idea to build a rail bridge right next to the Golden Gate Bridge.

Let's assume that you could branch the rail lines in San Jose somewhere, and send northbound trains through the East Bay and SF bound trains to SF, of course.

Rail from SJ->Portland->Seattle
838 miles @ $38.24 million per mile
$32,045,120,000

I'm sure with other costs, like station retrofitting and the like, we would use our entire $40 billion, but not much more. This seems like a fairly good solution if this is how you want to use stimulus funds.

[President Tyrion]

bumping for visibility on the HSR issue

Also, I am introducing a bill:

Pacific Sports Venue Funding Act

Whereas, the Pacific understands the term "professional sports team" to mean a team that is a franchise of Major League Baseball, the National Football League, the National Hockey League, Major League Soccer, Major League Soccer, or Major League Lacrosse. The leagues are professional sports leagues, and games played between members of the same league are professional sports games. Any other teams, leagues, or games are considered semipro or amateur, with no necessary distinction in this statute.

1. A professional sports team must be listed as a "primary rights holder" to play a home game in that venue. Professional sports teams may apply to the city, county, or other appropriate jurisdiction to receive primary rights.

2. Neither the Pacific Region nor any jurisdiction thereof shall subsidize the construction of a venue whose primary purpose is hosting the professional sports games of a single team without the guarantee of no less than one hundred (100) live sporting events to be scheduled per calendar year.

3. Multiple professional teams from the same league or different professional leagues petitioning to share a venue must satisfy the one hundred (100) game threshold to be eligible for regional funding.

4. The professional sports team(s) that is(are) the primary residents of a venue funded by the Region, or a jurisdiction thereof, may attempt to reach the threshold, if their schedule is insufficient, by inviting semipro and amateur teams. However, the professional sports teams are obligated to meet the scheduling threshold, and a failure to do so will result in seizure of the stadium by the state. The professional, amateur, and semipro sports team(s) may continue to play in the stadium while it is regional property. However, all operating costs plus a 100% fine are billed to the professional sports team which holds the primary rights to play in the stadium at the end of each month, until the schedule for the next calendar year is finalized with the threshold met and any unmet games from the previous calendar year applied to the next season.

[President Tyrion]

I would like to introduce another bill. Do note that there have not been pay raises since pay was cut in 2005 by 5%. The cost would be estimated at approximately $3 billion based on 2005 numbers, but I'll go to GM Griffin for more recent numbers. I would like to use the remaining stimulus funds after the HSR initiative for this. :

Pacific Region Salary Increase Initiative

1. The salaries of all regional employees shall be increased ten percent (10%) effective January 1, 2014.

2. The salaries of all regional employees shall be increased by no less than two percent (2%) and no more than five percent (5%) on the first of January of every calendar year from 2015 to 2020, inclusive. With no further legislative action before the first of September of the previous calendar year, the increase for that year's regional employee salary is to be 2%.

[President Tyrion]

Pacific 2014 Minimum Wage Bill

1. The minimum wage shall be raised by $0.50, to $9.25, effective January 1, 2014.

[President Tyrion]

Owing to various time commitments, I have not been able to perform as Speaker of the Pacific Council the way I would like. Consequently, I hereby resign as Speaker and appoint TyrionTheImperialist as Speaker in my stead.

Thank you former Speaker. I will perform the duties required of me to the best of my abilities.

[President Tyrion]

Pacific Universal Disc Act

All CDs, DVDs, and Blu-Ray discs sold in the Pacific Region may not be region-locked, effective January 1, 2014.