HR 25-09: Federal Initiative System Amendment (Final Vote)

[SevenEleven]

I probably shouldn't sponsor, as there is absolutely zero chance I will be voting for this.

[SevenEleven]

The legislature ceding its own power to an initiative process is worse for the game. It basically would enable everyone to blindly vote for their party while retaining tools to accomplish individual policy goals by other means. Whomever gets elected to the House and Senate should be meaningful and impactful. I've always run an issues-based campaign. This amendment makes doing so much more difficult.

The process as currently described also circumvents one of the most important parts of our political dialogue, as it doesn't provide for organized debate and potential amending. Much proposed legislation is made better by the input of multiple elected Representatives working together. Taking that away does everyone a disservice.

[SevenEleven]

I move for a final vote.

[SevenEleven]

It's way too early to call for a final vote? Shouldn't at the very least the amendment be processed first?

I don't believe any Representative has proposed your amendment.

[SevenEleven]

Aye

[SevenEleven]

Hopefully the next Presiding Officer nullifies the cloture vote and lets the new Congress debate. I’m not going to open a final vote under these circumstances.

I'm not seeing anything in the rules that allows for this.

As the 2/3 majority required for cloture has been met, the debate period for this Amendment is over.

[SevenEleven]

Representatives, this Amendment is at Final Vote. 72 hours.

AN AMENDMENT
to the Constitution of the Republic of Atlasia

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

Section 1 (Title)
i. The title of this Amendment shall be, the “Federal Initiative System Amendment.” It may be cited by its ordinal number in order of ratification.

Section 2 (Federal Initiative System Amendment)
i. Article II, Section 1 of the Constitution of the Republic of Atlasia shall be amended as follows:

1. All legislative powers herein granted shall be derived from the people, who ordinarily vest this power in the Congress of the Republic of Atlasia, which shall consist of a Senate and a House of Representatives.
2. The Vice President shall be the President of the Congress, but shall have no vote in the House of Representatives, nor in the Senate save when they be equally divided.

ii. Article II, Section 5 of the Constitution of the Republic of Atlasia shall be amended as follows:

1. Legislation may ordinarily originate in either house, and both houses shall reserve the right to propose and concur with amendments; but all bills for raising revenue shall originate in the House of Representatives.

2. Whenever either house shall vote to pass a bill, order, or resolution that shall have originated in the other, having previously made amendment to the same, the President of the Congress shall immediately call the amended bill to a vote in the house in which it originated. If the original house should then vote to pass the amended bill, it shall proceed to the President; otherwise, the President of the Congress shall instruct the other house either to pass the bill as it stood prior to its amendment by that house, or else reject it entirely.

3. Every bill, order, or resolution which shall have passed the Senate and the House of Representatives shall, before it becomes law, be submitted to the judgment of the President. If they approve of it they should sign it; but if they disapproves they should return the bill to the house in which it originated with their objections. If, after considering the objections of the President, both houses should by a 2/3 vote agree to pass the same bill, it shall become law regardless of the President's objections.If any bill, order, or resolution shall not be returned by the President within ten days after it has been presented to him, the bill shall become law.

4. If so specified in the text of the bill, order or resolution in question, the bill may be required to pass a national referendum before its enactment. In that case, the person responsible for the management of federal elections shall be duly notified and organize a national referendum at a date specified by the Congress in the text of the bill, order or resolution; or during the next federal election, whichever happens sooner. If no date for the referendum is specified in the text of the bill, order or resolution; it shall be assumed that the referendum is to take place alongside the next federal election.

5. The People of the Republic of Atlasia shall reserve themselves the power to directly introduce legislation. Any citizen of the Republic of Atlasia shall have the right to post a bill in the Atlas Fantasy Elections board, clearly specifying that the post in question is a bill to be submitted as a National Legislative Initiative. If this Legislative Initiative gets signatures representing 10% of the voters at the last federal election and accounting for 5% of the last Federal Census within 10 days from its introduction; the Legislative Initiative shall be considered to be accepted. Otherwise it shall be considered to be rejected.

6. Legislative Initiatives considered to be accepted shall be duly taken note of by the person responsible for Federal Elections. The person responsible for Federal Elections shall take a public note of this in their office thread, and open a vote on the initiative in question alongside the next federal election.

7. Any Initiatives introduced by the people of the Republic of Atlasia shall not exceed the ordinary powers of the Congress.

8. Initiatives introduced by the people of the Republic of Atlasia may not deal with the following subjects:
a) Constitutional Amendments of any kind
b) The Federal Budget

9. All citizen introduced initiatives appropriating money must either raise taxes or cut other spending to cover the costs of the appropriations contained therein. This restriction shall not be applied to regular bills introduced by and passed by the House of Representatives and/or the Atlasian Senate.

10. Any national referendums shall be considered to have passed if a simple majority of voters votes in favour of the bill, order, resolution or initiative in question.

11. Any national referendums shall be operated under the same rules as federal elections for the Presidency of the Republic of Atlasia

Section 3: Explanation
1. This amendment allows the people of the Republic of Atlasia to directly introduce legislation and submit it to a national referendum. This amendment also allows the Congress of the Republic of Atlasia to divert pieces of legislation to a national referendum if it finds it is in the national interest.

[SevenEleven]

Nay.

[SevenEleven]

A majority of representatives have indicated opposition, 24 hours to change votes.

[SevenEleven]

By a vote of 0-6-1, this initiative fails.

Nays: SevenEleven, FalterinArc, Beeman, Jessica, Joseph Cao, Razze
Abstentions: Laki