Expired Legislation Thread

[Emsworth]

Per Article 3, Section 3 of the Official Senate Procedural Resolution, this is the Expired Legislation Thread. This is the thread in which Senators may reintroduce legislation that was introduced in the previous Senate session, but expired without being debated OR without receiving a final vote.

"In order for legislation to be reintroduced, said legislation must not have received public debate time on the Senate floor, or if debate time has been given, must have not come up for a public vote in front of the full Senate." (Official Senate Procedural Resolution)

This thread will be closed in seventy-two hours.

Note: I realize that the resolution requires the PPT to open this thread. However, Senator Gabu's term expires with the beginning of the new session; thus, as Vice President, I am responsible for creating this thread.

[MasterJedi]

These two had debate but not a final vote.

Written by Joe Republic, introduced by me.

Secret Ballot Procedure Bill

Section 1

1. During any federal election, a registered voter may choose to submit their ballot or absentee ballot in secret.  This is considered an optional alternative form of voting to a public ballot.  The method of vote submission is outlined in Section 2, Clause 4 below.

2. All secret ballots must satisfy all clauses outlined in Section 1 of the Omnibus Election System, Procedure and Certification Act.

3. No registered voter may vote both publicly and secretly in the same election.  If this occurs, the Secretary of Forum Affairs will discount both votes.

Section 2

1. For the purposes of counting and validating secret ballots, an Electoral Committee will be assembled by no later than a week before the election is scheduled to begin.

2. The Committee will be comprised of three members, consisting of the Secretary of Forum Affairs, the Vice President, and the President Pro Tempore of the Senate.

3. In the event that any of the office holders listed either are themselves candidates in the election or are not present to fulfill their duty, those in the aforementioned situation shall be replaced by the highest office holder in the following list who is not a candidate present in the election and who is present to fulfill the duty:

Secretary of State
Attorney General
Secretary of Defense
Secretary of the Treasury
District 1 senator
District 2 senator
District 3 senator
District 4 senator
District 5 senator
Mideast Regional senator
Midwest Regional senator
Northeast Regional senator
Pacific Regional senator
Southeast Regional senator

4. Identical copies of all secret ballots will be submitted for counting by the voter to each of the three members of the Committee in the form of a personal message.

5. Once voting has officially ended, the Committee will convene in a private and suitable manner.  Each member will ensure that their own collected ballots are identical to the corresponding ballots collected by the other two members.

6. In the event that any one of the three copies of a ballot does not match the corresponding copies, the ballot will be discounted.

7. All legitimate ballots will then be incorporated into the vote count and subsequent certification for the relevant election.

8. Once the election has been certified, the Committee will disband.

9. Corruption, electoral fraud, the changing of votes, and tampering with votes in any way, is hereby criminalized in Atlasia. All members of the said committee who are found guilty of any of these charges will have their voting rights striped for a maximum of one year. Trials will be conducted according to the provisions set in place by the Omnibus Criminal Law Act.

Also had debate but not a final vote.


Atlasian Wetlands Act

Section One - What is a Wetland?
•  Wetlands shall be considered any area of undeveloped land greater then five acres which is either partially submerged or submerged under water for greater then six months of the year.
•  Wetlands shall be considered any area in which development has not already occurred and/or development has not already begun.

Section Two - Protections
•  All undeveloped wetlands shall henceforth be protected under federal law and be enforced by the regional governors under their discretion.
•  Wetlands shall not be drained, rechanneled or otherwise damaged once declared as a declared protection zone.
•  ATVs and Airboats shall not be restricted from recreational usage of these waterways but their usage (ie speeds) shall be determined by the regional governors.
•  Wetlands will be protected from use as sewage dumps, drain off points or other such non-natural usages.

Section Three - Penalties
•  Violators shall face a ladder penalty of $5,000  for the first offence, $10,000  for the second offence and $25,000 for the third offence and $100,000 for any subsequent offences.
•  Habitual violators shall face the above mentioned fines plus up to 3 years imprisonment to be determined by the court.

[MasterJedi]

These three never had debate.



Pacifican Statehood Act of 2005

I. After a majority of vote by the citizens of Guam, Atlasian Samoa and the Northern Mariana Islands voting in the affirmative in a referendum administrated five days after the passage of this act by the territory governments of the commonwealths of Guam, Atlasian Samoa and the Northern Mariana Islands are hereby entered in the Union of Atlasia as the 52nd state of Pacifica (or 51st if Puerto Rico doesn’t come in).
II. The Senate shall vote on the region/district the state of Pacifica shall be entered into.
III. The state of Pacifica shall be given full rights under whichever region/district it’s placed into and be under full jurisdiction of the Atlasian Constitution.

Written by Joe Republic, introduced by me.


VOTING SYSTEM REFORM RESOLUTION

Preamble

Whereas, the current system of preferential voting used for federal elections has been called into question,

Whereas, there are several potential alternative systems that could be used instead,

The Senate hereby recognizes the need for a discussion on reforming the current system of voting.

Section 1 - Forming a Commission

1. The Administration and Senate will jointly form a Commission, that will address the issue of reforming the voting system.

2. The President will appoint the Secretary and Deputy Secretary of Forum Affairs, and two Atlasian citizens who do not currently hold federal office, to join the Commission.

3. The President Pro Tempore (PPT) will appoint two senators (including himself if he wishes), and two Atlasian citizens who do not currently hold federal office (and are not the same citizens appointed by the President), to join the Commission.

4. The Chief Justice of the Supreme Court will also be a member of the Commission.

4. The members of the Commission will decide among themselves who will chair the Commission, by any means they see fit.

Section 2 - The role of the Commission

1. The Commission will discuss any and all systems of voting that they feel would be appropriate for use in Atlasian federal elections, including the current system of preferential voting.

2. The Commission may conduct these discussions in any way that they see fit.

Section 3 - Report

1. Once the Commission has reached a conclusive decision that meets the approval of the majority of its members, the Chairman will report the findings to the Senate.  The report will state which system(s) of voting they recommend for use in Atlasian federal elections.

2. Once the Chairman has delivered his report, the Commission will disband.

A small change to this one but still the same.


Atlasian Land Acquisition Act of 2005

1. After the passage of this bill Atlasia shall begin talks with Denmark for the purchase of Greenland.
2. If purchase occurs Greenland shall become a full territory of Atlasia, completely governed by its constitution and laws.

[Sam Spade]

I wish to reintroduce my own legislation, as listed below:
Addition to the Bill of Rights, Article VI

16.  Each individual shall have the inherent Right of defending the life, liberty and property of any individual using whatever force is necessary, through whatever means available, including the use of deadly force.
Addition to the Bill of Rights, Article VI

17.  No individual shall ever be imprisoned for debt, taxes, alimony, or "child support"; "child support" being defined commonly as the giving of money to one's ex-mate.
Constitutional Amendment to Article IV, Section 2, Clause 4

Article IV, Section 2, Clause 4, of the Constitution of Atlasia shall be amended to read thus:

A State by plebiscite shall be able to veto its transfer from one Region to another, or initiate a transfer to a different Region.
Striking of the 24 Waiting Period

Primary Sponsor:[/b] Senator Sam Spade
Co-Sponsor:[/b] Senator Colin Wixted, Senator King, Senator MasterJedi, Senator Gabu

1.) Article 3, Section 2, Clause 6 is hereby removed from the Official Senate Procedural Resolution.
Reunification of the Southeast Bill[/u]

Clause I

The State of Virginia shall henceforth be located in the Southeast Region.

Clause II

This bill shall take effect immediately on September 1, 2005 or once approved by the residents of Virginia by plebiscite and by the Southeast and Mideast Regions, whichever occurs at a later time.
Repeal of the Prescription Drug and Medicare Improvement Act of 2003

Section 1:  Definitions

1.  All estimates on projections of spending for the "Medicare Part D benefit" come from CBO estimates listed below.

Testimony on estimating the Cost of the Medicare Modernization Act, circa March 24, 2004

Projection of Spending for the Medicare Part D Benefit, circa February 9, 2005

2.  Through these estimates, it is assumed that the Repeal of the programs created under this Act shall save roughly $557.7 billion dollars over these next 10 years, and that the savings of the Repeal of these programs for FY 2006 shall be roughly $1.8 billion dollars

Section 2: Provisions

1.  The Prescription Drug and Medicare Improvement Act of 2003 is hereby repealed.

2.  All funds previously appropriated by the Senate for FY 2005 to fulfill the requirements of this legislation shall be honored by the Federal Government.

3.  All appropriations and other moneys set to be authorized for fulfillment of this legislation in the Preliminary Version of the Federal Budget for FY 2006 and all future Fiscal Years shall be terminated.
I would also like to reintroduce and sponsor a bill brought by former Senator MAS117 that did not have a chance to reach the floor of the Senate.
Diplomatic Mission Bill


§ I. The President of Atlasia shall have power to negoitiate Treaties and establish diplomatic relations with other micronations or forums, but such Treaties and relations shall only have effect where ratified by the Senate.

§ II. The President may appoint ambassadors to foreign nations to help facilitate relations between the said nation and the Republic of Atlasia. These said ambassadors must be confirmed with the advice and consent of a majority of the Senate.

§ III. The Ambassadorship does not qualify as an Office under the Government of Atlasia.

§ IV. The Presidential nominee for an Ambassadorship must be be voted for in the affirmative by a majority of the Senate in order to be confirmed.

§ V. The Ambassador's will report directly to the Secretary of State, who in turn will report directly to the President of Atlasia.

§ VI. It shall be the job of the Bureau of Diplomatic Security (a sub-department within the Department of State) to protect Ambassdor's in foreign nations. It shall be the job of the Marine Security Guard Battalion to guard and protect Atlasian Embassies in foreign nations.

[jokerman]

Supreme Court Adjustments of 2005

Section 1:  Article III, Section I, Clause II of the constitution will now read as follows:

The Supreme Court shall consist of five Justices who shall all be registered voters, one of whom shall be the Chief Justice. Justices shall hold their office during good behavior.

Section II:
This will take effect upon ratification by the regions, as specified in the constitution.
_________________________________________________________
Marijuana Criminalization Act

Section I
The Marijauana Legalization and Taxation act is hereby repealed.

Section II
Regions shall be given the right to decide the status of Marijuana legaliziation in their state.
_______________________________________________________
Atlasian Tax Reform Package of 2005

Section I
The Alternative Minimum Tax is now alterted in which the minimum base to be qualified increases proportionally to inflation annually.  The minimum base is now set at $80,000.

Section II
Coporate Income Tax deductions and subsidies not pertaining to discouraging a negative externality or encouraging scientific research and development or any other positive externality shall be cut 25%.

Section III
The Earned Income Tax Credit (ETIC) is increased by 10%

Section IV
For all married couples filling jointly, the income will be taxed at the rate average of the rates of the two individuals should they have filled seperately

Section V
The Federal Estate Tax is renewed to 1999 levels for all estates of valued over $5,000,000. 

Section VI
The current FY 2005 tax cuts for those in the top 1% tax bracket are eliminated and the tax cuts for the top 2-5% are cut in half.

Section VII
The income tax rate for small buisnesses is decreased 5%.  A small buisness in this case will be defined as any buisness that's gross revenue is between $50,000 and $5,000,000.

Section VIII
Taxes for all making less than $75,000 anually are cut 1%.

[King]

This simple initiative is the first step toward real education reform and will save taxpayers over $350 million by taking a projected 500,000 Atlasian students out of public schools in areas across the country.

The Atlas Educational Scholarship and Choice Initiative

Section 1.   

Beginning in the fiscal year of 2006, the Treasury of the Republic of Atlasia shall activate a nonrefundable personal income tax credit valued at $500 per applicable dependent for the reimbursement of funds spent on the tuition of a K-to-12 school which is not a member of a government-sponsored public school district. 

Section 2.

Beginning the fiscal year of 2006, the Treasury of the Republic of Atlasia shall activate a nonrefundable personal income tax credit for the donation of funds to an I.R.S. 501(c)3 K-to-12 scholarship clearing-house charity valued at 50 percent of the total annual donation.

Section 3.   

Individual taxpayer shall be allowed to apply for both tax credits in 1.(a) and 1.(b) only if the credited return does not exceed their income tax liability for the fiscal year.

Section 4.

For a taxpayer to receive the credit, they shall be required to enclose a standard receipt for each dependent from the applicable schools or charities.

Expanding the language and actions of this bill is probably a good idea, but here is the real jist of it:

Atlasian Road and Rail Deregulation and Privatization Initiative

Section 1
(a).  The Senate recognizes that the regulation and subsidization of freight and passenger rail is fiscally irresponsible and economically dangerous for the industry.

(b).  The Senate recognizes that the nationalization of highways, roads, and bridges is unnecessary and dangerous for the designing of future infrastructure.

(c).  The Senate recognizes that the federal taxation of automotive fuel is economically dangerous and an unnecessary tax.

Section 2
All Federal taxes on the purchase of all fuel used for the powering of automotive vehicles shall be hereby repealed.

Section 3
(a). The Urban Mass Transit Act of 1964, Railway Labor Act of 1926, and the Railroad Retirement Act of 1934 are hereby repealed.

(b). All subsides on freight rail, subways, and other forms of passenger rail are shall be declared void by FY2006.

Section 4
(a).  The management of all highway, road, and bridge networks in Atlasia shall be transfered to their respective regional governments by FY2006.

[King]

By the request of the SoFA:

Amendment to the (F.L. 6-12) Government Thread Act

Clause 2 of the (F.L. 6-12) Government Thread Act shall be amended to read:

It is the responsibility of each member of the Cabinet to create and/or maintain a thread in the either the Atlas Forum Government Board or the Atlas Forum Elections Board relating to their office. There shall also be a similar thread for the President of the nation. If the Vice-President determines it useful, a Vice-Presidential thread shall be created using the same guidelines outlined for the previously listed thread.
[/list]

The Mideast has the right idea:

Signature and Avatar Amendment
1.  The Senate of the Republic of Atlasia hereby recognizes that a mandatory statement of a voter's registration in a person's avatar or signature is no longer necessary to aide the administrator of an election to determine the state in which a voter is registered.

2.  Upon this recognition, the Senate of Atlasia with the formal consent of the Regions shall repeal Article V, Section 2, Clause 2 of the Atlasian Constitution effective on August 18, 2005.

[Emsworth]

This thread is now closed.

[Emsworth]

I regretfully declare the Pacifican Statehood Act unconstitutional and remove it from the Senate floor. (See the main Legislation Introduction Thread for the full ruling.)