Northeast Assembly Thread

[Obnoxiously Slutty Girly Girl]

Aye on the motion

[Smid]

Are you done using the floor of the Assembly for your campaigning?

I assume this was directed at Segway?

[Obnoxiously Slutty Girly Girl]

Are you done using the floor of the Assembly for your campaigning?

I assume this was directed at Segway?

You assumed wrong.

 If you showed up to do your job more often, perhaps you would have been able to follow what was going on.

[#CriminalizeSobriety]

Aye, again.

[cinyc]

The debate period for the People's Court Amendment is over.  It is now time to vote on the merits of it.  Since it is a proposed constitutional amendment, passage requires a vote of at least 2/3rds of the voting members and a majority of all members:

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This vote shall remain open until the earlier of 2:15PM on Sunday, February 14, 2010 or until all Representatives shall have voted.

Please note that because we're ALSO voting on the motion to expedite debate on the proposed Northeast Senate Amendment, Representatives who have not voted on that motion for the second time should specify what they are voting for by using the following form:

On The People's Court Amendment:
On expediting debate on the Northeast Senate Amendment:

[MASHED POTATOES. VOTE!]

On The People's Court Amendment: Present and abstaining

On expediting debate on the Northeast Senate Amendment: Aye   

[cinyc]

On the People's Court Amendment: Aye

I've already voted aye on expediting debate of the Northeast Senate Amendment.

[Obnoxiously Slutty Girly Girl]

On the People's Court Amendment: Aye

Already voted aye on expediting debate of the Northeast Senate Amendment.

[Antonio the Sixth]

Abstain

[cinyc]

By a vote of 5-0, with one express abstention and two absences, the Northeast Senate Amendment will now be put on the floor simultaneously with the ongoing vote.  

Northeast Senate Amendment

"Amendment to Article IV"

i) The legislative branch of the Northeast Region shall consist of the Legislative Assembly of the Northeast Region (lower house) and the Northeast Senate (upper house).
ii) Members of the Legislative Assembly of the Northeast Region are called Representatives and members of the Northeast Senate are called Senators. Members of both houses shall be elected by all Northeast citizens legally registered to vote.
iii) Elections to the Legislative Assembly of the Northeast Region shall be held every February, April, June, August, October and December and elections to the Northeast Senate shall be held every January, April, July, and October.
iv) A polling booth shall be created by the Chief Judicial Officer of the Northeast Region. He or she will open the booth on the third Friday at 12:00:00am EST of every January, February, April, June, July, August, October and December and will close said both the following Sunday at 11:59:59pm EST. Every citizen will be given the opportunity to vote during this time. The Chief Judicial Officer of the Northeast Region must accept any absentee ballot conducted one week prior to the opening of the polls.
v) Candidates for the Legislative Assembly of the Northeast Region and the Northeast Senate will be given until the second Friday of the month in which he or she wishes to run in an election thereof to announce his or her candidacy. This is to be done by officially declaring his or her candidacy in the Candidate Declaration Thread.
vi) When the polls close, the Chief Judicial Officer of the Northeast Region shall be given twenty-four (24) hours to count the votes and declare a winner. The newly elected Representatives and Senators shall officially assume office on the Tuesday following the election.
vii) The number of Representatives to be elected shall be six. The number of Northeast Senators to be elected shall be three.
viii) The method of election shall be PR-STV, as specified in Sections 4 to 17 of the Atlasian Proportional Representation Act (F.L. 21-2), unless the Assembly shall provide otherwise by Law.
ix) Vacancies in the Legislative Assembly of the Northeast Region shall be filled by Gubernatorial appointment, to be confirmed by Legislative Assembly of the Northeast Region before seating. Vacancies in the Northeast Senate shall be filled by special election to be administered on the second Friday following the vacancy and ending 72 hours later.
x) The Legislative Assembly's sessions shall be conducted in public threads at all times of the year.
xi) All ordinary legislation shall first be considered in either the Assembly or the Northeast Senate. Legislation shall be considered by the Legislative Assembly upon petition of any Representative or the Governor, or by being passed in the Northeast Senate. Legislation shall be considered by the Northeast Senate upon petition of any Northeast Senator, or by being passed in the Legislative Assembly of the Northeast Region.
xii) Any piece of legislation attaining a majority (50%+1) of actual votes from Representatives and Senators shall be considered as successful. This shall be the case for all pieces of legislation except constitutional amendments (see Article VIII subsections (i) and (ii)) and previously vetoed legislation (see Article IV subsection (xi)). Every piece of legislation shall relate to but one subject and that shall be expressed in its title. All pieces of legislation and votes of support and consent by the Legislative Assembly and Northeast Senate must go through this process in order to become law.
xiii) Any Representative or Senator that does not take part in three consecutive votes on legislation without posting an official leave of absence beforehand, or that does not take part in any discussion of the Assembly or Northeast Senate for more than one month shall be expelled.
xiv) The Lieutenant Governor of the Northeast acts as the President of the Northeast Senate. He or she officially opens and closes the sessions, organizes votes on legislation and notifies the Senators of the results of any official vote. He does not take part in any vote in the Northeast Senate unless a vote results in a perfect tie. In this case, he or she shall be allowed to vote to break said tie. The Legislative Assembly shall elect its own Speaker of the Northeast Assembly to serve as a presiding officer. He or she officially opens and closes the sessions, organizes votes on legislation and notifies the Representatives of the results of any official vote.
xv) The Assembly shall have the power to override the Governor's veto. If the Assembly passes legislation previously vetoed by the Governor by more than a two-thirds majority vote, it becomes law without the Governor's signature.
xvi) In the event that legislation passed by either the Assembly or Northeast Senate is amended before passing the other house, that legislation must be reconsidered by the house it was initially passed in. Legislation can not be signed by the Governor until both houses come to agreement on a final bill.

Sponsor: Rep. Libertas

Debate on this Amendment will continue until 2:20AM Eastern on Tuesday, February 16, 2010 unless the debate period is shortened or lengthened in accordance with the SOAP.

The sponsor, Rep. Libertas, has the floor with respect to the Northeast Senate Amendment.  

Note that the vote on final passage The People's Court Amendment is still ongoing, and will remain open until 2:15 PM Eastern on February 14.  It is very important for Representatives to cast a vote or make their presence known on proposed amendments, as the standards for passage are higher than a regular bill.

[Antonio the Sixth]

Nay

[Smid]

Are you done using the floor of the Assembly for your campaigning?

I assume this was directed at Segway?

You assumed wrong.

 If you showed up to do your job more often, perhaps you would have been able to follow what was going on.

My other incorrect assumption was clearly that everyone but him actually understood that the earth is round because you also seem to think that when it is day in the US it is also day on the opposite side of the world as you likewise seem to have this idea. As I have explained, I keep track of what is happening here and allow the Speaker to do the excellent job he is doing. So far, I have seen only one person constantly interjecting in this thread, who does not have a role in the Northeast Government - and that person is Segway. If you weren't such a partisan hack, you might be able to acknowledge that.

Segway has criticised both me and the Governor here, even though he has no position in the Northeast Legislature. He is the only one here who has been campaigning in this thread. Therefore the only person to whom you could logically have been referring was Segway.

[Obnoxiously Slutty Girly Girl]

Nay

Care to explain why you vote nay?

[Antonio the Sixth]

Nay

Care to explain why you vote nay?

Yes, it uselessly makes the Northeast institutions more complicated by adding a second house, which is totally ridiculous for a region.

[Obnoxiously Slutty Girly Girl]

Nay

Care to explain why you vote nay?

Yes, it uselessly makes the Northeast institutions more complicated by adding a second house, which is totally ridiculous for a region.

It makes it more realistic for a simulation based upon U.S. states. You would probably be elected to it yourself.

It doesn't change much other than that three assembly seats would become senate seats.

[Antonio the Sixth]

Nay

Care to explain why you vote nay?

Yes, it uselessly makes the Northeast institutions more complicated by adding a second house, which is totally ridiculous for a region.

It makes it more realistic for a simulation based upon U.S. states. You would probably be elected to it yourself.

It doesn't change much other than that three assembly seats would become senate seats.

The smallest US. State is 8500 times more populated than Northeast. Having two houses in an Atlasian region is totally disproportionate. Plus, it would make the legislative process longer and more difficult.

[Obnoxiously Slutty Girly Girl]

Nay

Care to explain why you vote nay?

Yes, it uselessly makes the Northeast institutions more complicated by adding a second house, which is totally ridiculous for a region.

It makes it more realistic for a simulation based upon U.S. states. You would probably be elected to it yourself.

It doesn't change much other than that three assembly seats would become senate seats.

The smallest US. State is 8500 times more populated than Northeast. Having two houses in an Atlasian region is totally disproportionate. Plus, it would make the legislative process longer and more difficult.

And? The Senate would only be three members, while the Assembly would be 6. It is proportionate to real-world numbers.

[MASHED POTATOES. VOTE!]

There is no need to have regional Senate. Adding useless beurecracy.

Ad wouldn't it be weird if federal government have unicameral legislature while region bicameral?

[Obnoxiously Slutty Girly Girl]

There is no need to have regional Senate. Adding useless beurecracy.

Ad wouldn't it be weird if federal government have unicameral legislature while region bicameral?

No, it wouldn't be weird. Regions should have their own identities.

[MASHED POTATOES. VOTE!]

There is no need to have regional Senate. Adding useless beurecracy.

Ad wouldn't it be weird if federal government have unicameral legislature while region bicameral?

No, it wouldn't be weird. Regions should have their own identities.

While it's perfectly legal for us to establish our institutions, I don't see much sense of having Senate.

[cinyc]

Nay

Care to explain why you vote nay?

Yes, it uselessly makes the Northeast institutions more complicated by adding a second house, which is totally ridiculous for a region.

We're NOT voting on the Northeast Senate Amendment yet.  We're voting on The People's Court Amendment for the next hour or so.

[The Age Wave]

Aye on both.

[MASHED POTATOES. VOTE!]

As of People's Court amendment ftr: present and abstaining.

[cinyc]

By a vote of 3-0 with 2 express abstentions and 3 unexcused absences, the People's Court Amendment fails to receive the support of a majority of all 8 sitting Representatives and therefore fails.

Debate on the Northeast Senate Amendment shall continue.

[cinyc]

I have concerns about the Northeast Senate Amendment.  Not about the concept of a Senate itself, but about the large number of elected officials it would require.  We can't maintain an Assembly of 8 for two months without the Governor having to make numerous appointments to fill vacancies.  It will be even more difficult to maintain a government of 9.  For that reason, I hope the Seat Number Amendment passes next week, and we set the number of representatives at 6.

I'd also have to do a check of the Constitution and all proposed Amendments to try to figure out if there are any conflicts that need to be addressed.  Plus, we'd have to figure out how to phase the Senate in.