Office of Governor Sirius

[Sirius_]

Welcome to the office of the governor of Lincoln! Here is where I will post executive orders and any other updates I have for the citizens of the region. My office has an open doors policy, so feel free to stop by and leave your questions and comments for me.

[Sirius_]

Executive Orders:
001: Appointment of a Regional Senator
002: Appointing a General Court Deputy
Signed Legislation:
LGC 15.3 Protect Children's Mental Health Act
LGC 15.4 The Surrogacy Act
Vetoed Legislation:
LGC 15.1 Lincoln Guest Worker Program Act (redrafted)
LGC 15.5 Rail Platform Safety Act (redrafted)

[Sirius_]

Appointment of a Regional Senator

1. Nerd73 is hereby appointed to fill the vacant region-wide senate seat until a special election is held.

[Sirius_]

Appointing a General Court Deputy

1. Heughbeugh is hereby appointed to fill the vacant seat on the General Court until a special election is held.

[Sirius_]

Madam Governor, the following bill has been passed by the LGC and awaits your signature or veto.

The Protect Children's Mental Health Act

To protect the mental health of children

1. The regional government of Lincoln shall allocate to every school district within the region a $500,000 grant for the school district to invest into anti-bullying and suicide prevention resources for all students.
2. This bill shall take effect the day after it is either signed into law by the governor, or the governor's veto is overridden.

Passed 3-0-0-1 in the Lincoln General Court

x. WB. LGC Speaker

x Sirius

[Sirius_]

Madam Governor, the following bill has been passed by the LGC and awaits your signature or veto.

Lincoln Guest Worker Program Act

To protect the rights of guest workers

1. The Lincoln Department of Labor shall establish the Lincoln Labor Union of Guest Workers (hereinafter the LUGW).

2. For the first three months, the LUGW will be chaired by a person chosen by the Lincoln Department of Labor. Thereon, every three months, the LUGW members will choose a new chairman, with a limit of two consecutive terms.

3. The Lincoln Department of Labor shall create a W-visa valid in the Lincoln region: https://www.hooyou.com/reform/w-visa.html

4. The LUGW offers membership to workers who arrived to Lincoln from foreign countries on H-1B, H-2A, H-2B, H-3, I-1, J-1, L-1, O-1A, O-1B, P-1, P-2, P-3, Q-1, TN, W visas.

5. The main duty of the LUGW is to help its members protect their labor rights. The Lincoln Department of Labor shall monitor the activities of the LUGW.

6. Within the framework of Lincoln National Guard, a Foreign Legion is being created, into which guest workers have the right to join. Military service in the Foreign Legion of Lincoln National Guard shall revoke their membership in the LUGW.

7. This Act shall go into effect upon its signature by the governor.

Passed 2-0-1-1 in the Lincoln General Court

x. WB. LGC Speaker

Veto with redraft:

Lincoln Guest Worker Program Act

To protect the rights of guest workers

1. The Lincoln Department of Labor shall establish the Lincoln Labor Union of Guest Workers (hereinafter the LUGW).

2. For the first three months, the LUGW will be chaired by a person chosen by the Lincoln Department of Labor. Thereon, every three months, the LUGW members will choose a new chairman, with a limit of two consecutive terms.

3. The Lincoln Department of Labor shall create a W-visa valid in the Lincoln region: https://www.hooyou.com/reform/w-visa.html

4. The LUGW offers membership to workers who arrived to Lincoln from foreign countries on H-1B, H-2A, H-2B, H-3, I-1, J-1, L-1, O-1A, O-1B, P-1, P-2, P-3, Q-1, TN, W visas.

5. The main duty of the LUGW is to help its members protect their labor rights. The Lincoln Department of Labor shall monitor the activities of the LUGW.

6. Within the framework of Lincoln National Guard, a Foreign Legion is being created, into which guest workers have the right to join. Military service in the Foreign Legion of Lincoln National Guard shall revoke their membership in the LUGW.

7. This Act shall go into effect upon its signature by the governor.

[Sirius_]

Madam governor, the following bill has been passed by the LGC and awaits your signature or veto.

The Surrogacy Act
To Expand Options for Parenthood in Lincoln

1. Section 10 of the LGBTI Rights Protection Act is repealed and re-enacted to read as follows:
"10.
a. A woman may choose to serve as a surrogate mother.
b. If a woman chooses to serve as a surrogate mother, they shall, on a form created by the Lincoln Vital Records Office, both affirm they have willingly and freely agreed to enter into the surrogacy as well as disavow themselves of any parental rights for the child which they have carried, in addition to signing and notarizing a surrogacy contract.
c. A surrogacy contract must be registered with the local court of the place of residence of the surrogate mother prior to the insemination.
d. Only two married persons and a woman, not otherwise a partner to or relative of either of the two married persons, may be party to a surrogacy contract, with the additional signature of an advising physician.
e. A violation of this statute shall be subject to a fine of no more than $2,000 or a prison sentence of no more than 90 days."

Passed 4-0-0-0 in the Lincoln General Court

x. WB, LGC Speaker

x Sirius

[Sirius_]

Madam governor, the following bill has been passed by the LGC and awaits your signature or veto.

Rail Platform Safety Act
To Increase Safety at Rail Platforms

1. Any local or regional transit organization that receives funding from the Regional Government of Lincoln must install platform screen doors on all rail platforms open to the general public no later than January 1, 2025.
2. This act shall apply to all metro, light rail, monorail, commuter rail, or high speed rail systems in Lincoln.
3. This act shall not apply to tram or bus rapid transit networks.
4. A $500,000,000 fund is established within the Office of Public Transportation Grants (OPTG) to assist local or regional transit organizations in funding the installation of platform screen doors. Any local or regional transit organization may apply for matching funds up to 50% of the cost to procure, purchase, and install platform screen doors.
5. OPTG shall use a grading rubric to decide which applicants to be awarded the grants, giving priority to programs that:
a. Operate fully electrified networks;
b. Offer fare-free services;
c. Offer student and senior-citizen discount programs;
d. Serve more census tracts with lower-than-average household incomes; or
e. Do not install hostile infrastructure in waiting or boarding areas.

Passed 4-0-0-0 in the Lincoln General Court

x. WB, LGC Speaker

Veto with redraft:

Rail Platform Safety Act
To Increase Safety at Rail Platforms

1. Any local or regional transit organization that receives funding from the Regional Government of Lincoln must install platform screen doors on all rail platforms open to the general public no later than January 1, 2025.
2. This act shall apply to all metro, light rail, monorail, commuter rail, or high speed rail systems in Lincoln.
3. This act shall not apply to tram or bus rapid transit networks.
4. A $500,000,000 fund is established within the Office of Public Transportation Grants (OPTG) to assist local or regional transit organizations in funding the installation of platform screen doors. Any local or regional transit organization may apply for matching funds up to 50% of the cost to procure, purchase, and install platform screen doors.
5. OPTG shall use a grading rubric to decide which applicants to be awarded the grants, giving priority to programs that:
a. Operate fully electrified networks;
b. Offer fare-free services;
c. Offer student and senior-citizen discount programs;
d. Serve more census tracts with lower-than-average household incomes; or
e. Do not install hostile infrastructure in waiting or boarding areas.

[Sirius_]

Madam governor, the following bill has passed the LGC and awaits your signature or veto.

Lincoln Rail Expansion Act of 2023

To provide services beyond the High Speed network

1. LincolnRail shall establish a subsidiary organization for the purpose of providing passenger services on conventional railways to destinations not served by the high speed rail network.
2. $50,000,000,000 shall be appropriated to LincolnRail for the purposes of constructing stations, purchasing a fleet, and other service startup costs.
3. LincolnRail shall be permitted to negotiate with owners of rail infrastructure to use their tracks for passenger service.
4. LincolnRail shall be permitted to negotiate with the relevant authorities to operate services in the states of Delaware, Maryland, West Virginia, Kentucky, Missouri, Iowa, Minnesota, and the District of Columbia.
5. LincolnRail shall be permitted to accept subsidies from state governments to operate rail services.
6. LincolnRail shall be permitted to lay new tracks as it sees fit within its budget.
7. A fund of $1,000,000 shall be established within the Office of Public Transportation Grants for the purpose of railway improvement. This fund may be awarded to owners of rail infrastructure for electrification and doubling of tracks to improve passenger service.
   a) This fund may be expanded as deemed necessary.
8. This act shall take effect immediately upon its passage.

Passed 3-0-0-1 in the Lincoln General Court
X. WB, LGC Speaker

x Sirius

[Sirius_]

Madam Governor, this bill has passed the LGC and awaits your signature or veto.

Stephen Davoll Memorial Flood Relief Act
To provide monetary aid to flooded areas in Vermont, New Hampshire, and New York

I. Name
a. This bill may be referred to as the Stephen Davoll Memorial Flood Relief Act.

II. Providing Relief
Whereas flooding has greatly damaged Vermont, New Hampshire, and northern New York, and has caused one death, fifteen injuries, and approximately 5 billion dollars in damage, the Lincoln General Court authorizes the following:
a. $5 Billion shall be appropriated from Lincoln's reserves, with $2 Billion to be spent on repairing regional infrastructure and state buildings, and the remaining $3 billion to be sent to the state governments of New York, Vermont, and New Hampshire, in order to rebuild homes and businesses. b. An additional $500 million shall be appropriated from Lincoln's reserves for flood mitigation and prevention projects, including but not limited to reinforcing river banks, repairing and upgrading flood walls, and increasing river flood capacity.

III. Timing
a. This bill shall go into effect immediately upon signature by the governor.

Passed 3-0-0-1 in the Lincoln General Court

X. WB, LGC Speaker

x Sirius

[Sirius_]

Madam Governor, this has passed the LGC and awaits signature or veto.

IN THE LINCOLN GENERAL COURT
A RESOLUTION

Establishing the budget for the Lincoln Government lasting from November 2023 to September 2024
Resolved by the Lincoln General Court convened,

Expenditures

Health - $329.4867 bn + 2.377187 bn (L.C. 10.5) + 100 M (Vaccines) + 50 M (MDMA) =  $332.013887 bn

Pensions - $107.532 bn

Education - $108.3457 bn + $ 35.63bn (LC5.05, LC6.01, L 12.9, L 13.06) + $246.58645 Billion (LGC 2.5) + $4.25 Million (LGC 4.9) + $90 Million (LGC 4.10) + 95 M (Addl Schools funding) + 20 M (libraries)  = $390.7714 Billion

Defense - $6.37125 bn

Transport - $55.8054 bn + $0.48bn (L 15.6) + $850 Million (LGC 4.13) + $2 Billion (LGC 5.0) + 500 M (Railway Safety) + 50 B (Lincoln Rail)   = $109.6354002 bn

Welfare - $62.7579 bn + $0.22bn (L 11.4.2, L 14.9) + 5.5 bn (Flood Relief) + 750 M (Cooperative Enterprises) = $69.2279 bn

General Govt - $20.8781bn + -$0.11bn (L513, L 15.9) + 50 M (Parks) = $20.8181 bn

Debt Interest - N/A

Protection - $24.5449 bn + $4.86bn (L 6.4.3, L 7.3.1, L 10.16.5) + 400 Million (LGC 4.16) +2 Billion (LGC 9.10) + 2 Billion (additional police surplus funds to be directed to NYC) + 250 M (Firefighting)  = $34.0549 bn

Prisons - 1 Bn

Animal Rehab - 500 M

Grants - Public Transit (LC 8.5): $29.79172 B

Abortion Restriction Enforcement - $23.175 Million (LGC 11.54)
Except for use in Abortions, legally performed, in cases of rape, incest, or life of the mother, the Lincoln Government shall not accept any federal money designed to fund the performance of abortions. Nor shall it re-direct other federal funds, or use its own funds, to fund the performance of abortions, except in the three cases just noted. This shall not be construed to deny the citizenry the right to obtain and provide abortions legal under LGC 11.54, it merely mostly prohibits the use of federal or regional government funds in doing so.

Gun Restriction Enforcement - $141.1145217 Million (L.C. 10.14) + $304 Million (Supplemental funding to assist in enforcement of LGC 5.2, LGC 8.3, LGC 8.8, LGC 9.13) = $445.1145217 Million

Farming Support - $1.442 Million (L.C. 9.17)

Electric Vehicle Subsidies - $7.5 Billion (LGC 4.7)

Solar Farms - $100 Billion (LGC 13.9)

Police Transparency - $100 Millon (LGC 4.8 )

Video Game Looting Restriction - $10 Billion (LGC 6.10, LGC 6.11)

Other - 32.2739071738 bn (inc. L 14.9) + $0.98bn (LC 1.13) + 3 mil (LC 8.2) +50 mil (L.C. 5.8 ) +20 mil (L.C. 4.2) + 252 mil (L.C. 5.15) + 250 mil (L.C. 9.8 ) = $33.8289071738 bn


None of the funds shall be used to implement any remaining executive orders or other action taken under the auspices of LGC 6.12 or LGC 7.1, Section 2, 2.

===============================


TOTAL EXPENDITURES - 1.1536151958955 Tn


===============================

PROPOSED TAXES

Income Tax


153,567,551,466



Alcohol Tax


7,045,200,000



Tobacco Tax


10,270,425,000



Cannabis Tax


3,852,200,000



Property Tax


1,545,000,000,000



Estate Tax


3,141,806,253.34



Corporate Tax


105,546,022,000


Carbon Tax (LC 2.20)  $45 per metric ton of CO2: 60.3066471 bn

Cap and Trade (LGC 4.7): $10.23 Billion

========

TOTAL REVENUES - 1.8989599 Tn

=========

PROJECTED 2023-24 SURPLUS - 645.344704105 Bn
RESERVES - 2.038399140090 Tn

PROJECTED CUMULATIVE SURPLUS - 2.68374384419 trn

Passed 2-0-0-0 in the General Court

x. WB, LGC Speaker

x Sirius

[Sirius_]

Madam Governor, the following bill has passed the LGC and awaits signature or veto.

1. Pleasure Beach, a deserted island off the coast of Bridgeport CT, shall be purchased for $2,500,000.

2. This Island will be turned into an amusement park and renamed to Pen Island.

3. There will be at the front of the park a big electric sign that spells out "Pen Island Amusement Park" spelled all caps and with no spaces.

4. This park will be run by the Lincoln government to help fund public schools in Connecticut and Rhode Island.

5. As part of this project, a new bascule drawbridge shall be built from the Bridgeport mainland to Pleasure Beach, spanning the Lewis Gut portion of Bridgeport Harbor.

Passed 2-0-0-2 in the Lincoln General Court

x. WB, LGC Speaker

x Sirius

[Sirius_]

Madam Governor, the following bill has passed and is ready for your action:

PASSES 4-0-0-1

Henry George Memorial Act for the Liberation of Lincoln from NIMBYism

Section I: New Housing Policies
1. No jurisdiction shall prohibit the construction of residential buildings with multiple units on land otherwise deemed suitable for residential development.
2. No jurisdiction shall prohibit the construction of residential buildings on land deemed suitable for commercial development with 1/2 mile of a fixed rail transit stop.
3. No jurisdiction shall prohibit the construction of residential buildings where 50% or more units are sold or rented below market rate on land deemed suitable for commercial development.
4. All jurisdictions in Lincoln responsible for the permitting of construction are expected to make a reasonable amount of land available for residential development and/or to allow upzoning such that a reasonable number of new housing units are constructed.
5. All jurisdictions in Lincoln responsible for the permitting of construction shall be required to provide a valid justification for the denial of permission to construct residential buildings.
   a) Environmental impact may be considered a valid justification if direct undue environmental damage can be demonstrated. Excessive sprawl caused by single unit residences may be considered a valid form of environmental damage. Tenants shall not be considered a form of pollution.
   b) Unsafe building design or land that is unsafe for construction may be considered a valid justification.
   c) Historical preservation may be considered a valid justification if the demolition of a building which is on the national register of historic places or is a UNESCO world heritage site is proposed, or if an overwhelming desire of the public to maintain a historic place can be demonstrated.
   d) Local opposition to the construction of new housing shall not be considered a valid justification.
   e) The fact that a parcel of land is currently owned by a school, business, person, or similar, and that no relevant authority can afford to compensate them a fair market value for the land, may be a valid justification.
6. All jurisdictions in Lincoln responsible for the permitting of construction shall process applications for construction within a timely manner.
7. Residential buildings with 50% or more units sold or rented below market rate shall be eligible for expedited environmental review conducted by the region of Lincoln.
Section II: Litigation and Penalties
1. Any person, entity, or class which feels they have been impacted by a violation of Section 1 of this act shall be permitted to file a civil suit in the court system of Lincoln.
2. Plaintiffs may be awarded damages and legal fees from any jurisdiction found to be in violation of this act. In addition, such jurisdictions shall be fined up to the maximum amount which will not disrupt public services.
Section III: Revenue and Appropriation
1. A 1% annual tax shall be levied on the assessed value of land.
2. In addition to all fines collected under Section II.2 of this act, $20,000,000 shall be appropriated each year for the construction of social housing and homeless shelters.

x Sirius

[Sirius_]

Madam Governor, the following bill has passed and is ready for your action:

PASSES 4-0-0-0

Lead Abatement Act

1. $1,000,000,000 shall be appropriated annually to award to water utility operators in Lincoln to for the replacement of lead pipes.
2. It shall not be mandatory to award the full amount should it not be needed.
3. This act shall expire when no residential or commercial building in Lincoln is served by a lead service line.

x Sirius

[Sirius_]

Madam Governor, the following bill has passed and is ready for your action:

PASSES 4-0-0-0

Regional Minimum Wage Act

1. Within the region of Lincoln, a Minimum Wage of $16.25 per hour shall be established upon enactment of this legislation.
2. One year after enactment, the Minimum Wage shall be raised to $17.75.
3. Two years after enactment, the Minimum Wage shall be raised to $19.50.
4. Thereafter, the Minimum Wage shall be adjusted every 12 months according to inflation in the prior 12 months, for instance a 3% inflation rate in the prior 12 months shall result in a 3% increase of the minimum wage. The first such adjustment will be three years after enactment of this legislation.

5. A wage lower than established in this legislation, but never lower than any applicable federal law, may be paid in the following situations:
a. As a temporary training wage, which in no event shall last longer than 90 days. The fact that an individual resigned or was fired and was subsequently re-hired by the same employer will NOT restart the 90 days.
b. In a family owned business that does not hire non-family members.
c. In a business or franchise of fewer than 10 employees.
d. If the employee is under 19 years of age, for their first 90 days of employment only.  The fact that an individual resigned or was fired and was subsequently re-hired by the same employer will NOT restart the 90 days.

I have spent a lot of time deliberating on this, but I have decided to veto with redraft. I am sympathetic to the desire for a higher minimum wage and support tying it to inflation, but the bill in its current form also ignores the diversity of the region. There's a large difference in the living wage between New York and Indiana, and states are free to set higher minimum wages. I think that $16.25 and tied to inflation is reasonable.

[Sirius_]

Madam Governor, the following bill has passed and is ready for your action. I understand your personal viewpoint, but the view of the people as expressed through their legislators should also be considered. Furthermore, the steel industry will die if this bill is not passed. We cannot wait on the federal government any longer. I would implore you to sign this bill or at least send it to referendum.

PASSES 3-2-0-0

Lincoln Steel Act

1. All Lincoln steel manufacturers are brought into public ownership immediately upon passage of this act and shall be placed under the control of a Lincoln Steel Authority.

2. To complete the undertaking as outlined above, the Lincoln region shall establish a Lincoln Steel Authority (hereafter LSA) which shall be comprised of all former privately-held steel companies within Lincoln and shall hold a legal monopoly in these sectors.

3. The purpose of the aforementioned LSA shall be the economization of operations and the modernization of production methods to raise safety and efficiency standards across the region, as well as provide steel at a low cost, prevent competitive waste, and co-ordinate research and development in those sectors.

4. The government of the LSA shall consist of a board of directors composed of representatives of labor, the consumers, security, and the environment. The number of labor directors shall be two, and the number of directors for all other constituencies shall be one.
 
5. The labor directors shall be chosen by a vote of the steel workers; other directors will be appointed by the Governor.

6. The term of a Board director shall be four years.

7. The Governor shall appoint a Chair of the LSA Board of Directors who shall have no vote unless they are equally divided. The Chair shall serve a four year term.

8. All persons owning any of the aforementioned industry brought into public ownership shall be fairly compensated for the sale of said industries to the Lincoln Region.

VETO

[Sirius_]

Madam Governor, the following bill has passed and is ready for your action:

PASSES 5-0-0-0

Age of Culpability Act

1 . For purposes of any Lincoln criminal prosecution, a minor child aged twelve (12) years or older shall generally be deemed to be capable of criminal culpability for purposes of establishing the mens rea required for a conviction. The defense may rebut this presumption for any minor child aged at least twelve (12) years but less than fourteen (14) years. The defense may not rebut this presumption for any minor child aged at least fourteen (14) years but less than eighteen (18) years.

2 . For purposes of any federal criminal prosecution, a minor child younger than twelve (12) years shall generally be deemed to be incapable of criminal culpability for purposes of establishing the mens rea required for a conviction. The prosecution may rebut this presumption for any minor child aged older than ten (10) years but less than twelve (12) years.

3 . Nothing in this act shall limit any civil lawsuit arising from the otherwise criminal conduct of a minor child. In any such civil lawsuit, the parents or guardians of the minor child shall be jointly and severally liable for any damages awarded due to the otherwise criminal conduct of their minor child.

4 . This act shall take effect thirty (30) days after the date of passage.

x Sirius

[Sirius_]

Madam Governor, the following bill has passed and is ready for your action:

PASSES 2-0-3-0

AN ACT
To legalize and regulate medical euthanasia


Be it enacted by the General Court of Lincoln

Section 1. Title

This legislation may be cited as the Lincoln Euthanasia Act of 2024.

Section 2. Euthanasia and end-of-life care

1. Medical euthanasia shall be a legal option for persons with terminal illness or progressive physical or mental deterioration, upon consulting two doctors who each confirm that the patient is of sound mind, not under coercion, and has either exhausted or refused all other avaliable, legal treatment options.

2. The Lincoln Department of Health is hereby authorized to allow for individual euthanasia directives made prior to progression of terminal and debilitating physical or mental illnesses.

3. This act shall take effect ninety (90) days after passage.

x Sirius

[Sirius_]

Madam Governor, the following bill has passed and is ready for your action:

PASSES 3-0-0-2

Lincoln Forestry Act

1. The region of Lincoln shall establish the Lincoln Forest Fire Fighting Corps (L3FC).
2. L3FC shall be tasked with assisting with the prevention and fighting of forest fires in Lincoln.
3. The states shall be required to allow L3FC to conduct fire prevention activities in state forests, including controlled burns and brush clearing.
4. L3FC shall provide fire prevention services at no cost to privately owned forests at their request.
5. L3FC shall not cause undue damage to the environment in forest fire prevention. The region of Lincoln shall litigate disputes between the states and L3FC.
6. In the event of a forest fire in Lincoln, L3FC shall be immediately deployed to contain and end the fire.

x Sirius

[Sirius_]

Appointing a General Court Deputy

1. Liminal (Lawer) is hereby appointed to fill the vacant seat on the General Court until a special election is held.

[Sirius_]

I have decided that I will not run for a third term. I hope to get a few more bills passed over the next month. It's been an honor and a pleasure to serve as your governor!

[Sirius_]

Madam Governor, the following bill has passed and is ready for your action:

PASSES 4-1-0-0

Reasonable Traffic Enforcement Act

LGC 18.1 Shall be amended as follows:

1. Any Police Officer or Prosecutor in Lincoln is prohibited from issuing a traffic ticket, or any other consequence, for a violation of the speed limit, provided the alleged speed is less than twenty (20) ten (10) miles over the posted limit, unless:

- the ticket or warning is being issued as a result of a collision
- the speed limit is less than 30 miles per hour
- The offense is occurring in a school zone, regardless of the limit currently in effect, and/or
- the officer is citing careless or reckless driving (or similar), and factors beyond speed prove their case.

2. States and localities may not modify speed limits for the sole purpose of circumventing this law.

3. Any currently pending court case relating to any matter listed above is hereby dismissed and expunged.

4. Any prior court case relating to any matter listed above shall be immediately and retroactively dismissed and expunged, and removed from any driving record.

5. Privately-owned roads are not required to post a speed limit, and drivers cannot be ticketed for allegedly speeding on a privately-owned road.

6. Traffic enforcement cameras that collect photographic or video recordings shall be forbidden on all public roads.

7. Collection of tolls will be forbidden on all public roads.

I made a mistake in my inaction on this bill, but I hope the court will consider these changes in good faith.

x Sirius