Legislation Introduction Thread

[bgwah]

Competitive Presidential Elections Bill

Section 1
1) In order to stimulate competitive presidential elections, a presidential candidate from a political party may only select a running mate who is a member of the same party.
2) If a candidate or their running mate changes parties after declaring their candidacy, and the two are not members of the same party come the declaration deadline, the ticket shall be excluded from the ballot.
3) If a candidate or their running mate changes parties after the declaration deadline, the Secretary of Forum Affairs shall ignore the change and put the party the candidates were both members of at the declaration deadline on the ballot.

Section 2
1) An independent may only select another independent as their running mate. The same rules regarding party changes in Section 1, Clauses 2 through 3, shall apply to independent candidates and their running mates.

[bgwah]

I would like to introduce this... I will explain in more detail once it is brought up for debate. Sorry if it seems a bit wordy at the moment.


Third Amendment to the Consolidated Criminal Justice Act

Section 1, Clause 3 of the Consolidated Criminal Justice Act is amended as follows:

3. Voter fraud, defined as the creation of identities other than ones primary identity in Atlasia and subsequently entering this identity into the tally of registered.

i. If a citizen no longer has access to their previous forum account and wishes to register and/or vote with a new forum account in Atlasia, then they shall be allowed to do so legally only if they make it clear in the registration thread who they are and which forum account they previously registered under so that the SoFA may appropriately update the registration without having any duplicate accounts on the voter roll.

a. This shall exclude those who have had their previous account banned from the Atlas Forum.


The following text is added to Section 3 of the Consolidated Criminal Justice Act as Clause 7:

7. Impersonation of another member of the Atlas Forum and then attempting to alter the impersonated member's status of registration within the Republic of Atlasia.
i. This includes but is not limited to attempting to register a member of the Atlas Forum who is not currently registered in Atlasia, or changing the registration of a member who is currently registered in Atlasia.

[bgwah]

De-registration of Banned Members Bill
1) Any citizen who is banned from the U.S. Election Atlas forums shall immediately be de-registered and removed from the voter rolls in Atlasia. A forum moderator must confirm the banishment.
2) Any citizen who is banned and de-registered shall be barred from re-registering in Atlasia.
3) Should the forum administrator restore a banned account, or publicly give permission to a banned member to return under a new account, then re-registration will be allowed.

[bgwah]

Wiki Authority Bill

Section 1
1) The Senate shall have the power to set guidelines and standards for the Atlasia Wiki. This includes but is not limited to determination of proper table formats, colors, and main page configuration.
2) The Attorney General's present role regarding the Wiki is not affected by this legislation. The same applies to any regional office designated to maintain their region's Wiki.

Section 2
1) Clause 8 is added to Section 1 of the Consolidated Criminal Justice Act: "Knowingly violating and/or disregarding Senate-imposed Atlasia Wiki guidelines and standards."
2) Section 2, Clause 1 of the Consolidated Criminal Justice Act is amended to read "For offenses described in Clauses 1, 2, 3, 7, and 8 of Section 1:"

[bgwah]

This is kind of wordy but I've wanted to propose something like this for a while, so here it goes:



Major Legislation Clarification Bill

1) Whereas major pieces of legislation have been amended numerous times, often leading to difficulty interpreting current statute on the Wiki. The current Wiki policy of adding each amendment as a new page makes it unnecessarily difficult to figure out which articles and clauses have been removed and which have been added.
2) With use of authority from the Wiki Authority Act, the Senate hereby decides that major pieces of legislation shall have their main pages updated with all current  amendments. A new page titled the name of the legislation followed by "(original)" shall be created to provide a location for the original, unaltered legislation. All amendments shall retain their own pages and pages shall continue to be added for new amendments.
3) Major pieces of legislation shall be defined as the Consolidated Criminal Justice Act and the Consolidated Electoral Reform Act, as well as this piece of legislation if it is passed by the Senate.

[bgwah]

Primate Protection Act
1) Animal testing on non-human primates is banned effective January 1, 2011.
2) Any person, firm, or institution found to be conducting animal testing on non-human primates after January 1, 2011 shall be fined $5,000,000 per primate with the possibility of up to five years in prison for guilty persons.

[bgwah]

Whale Protection Act
1) Whaling is banned in the Republic of Atlasia effective immediately.
2) Any person or firm found to be whaling shall be fined $50,000,000 per whale and face between 20 to 40 years in prison based on the severity of the crime.
3) A 20% tariff shall be imposed on all goods imported from countries found to be engaged in whaling.

[bgwah]

Human Rights Act
1) The Republic of Atlasia shall enforce a trade embargo against any foreign state in which homosexuality is punishable by death.

[bgwah]

Safe Injection Center Trial Program Act of 2010
1. The federal government shall invest $30 million into the construction and maintenance of ´safe injection sites´ effective FY 2011, to be located within the three largest cities by population.

[bgwah]

Arctic National Wildlife Refuge Protection and Prohibition of Profit-Based Resource Extraction Act of 2010
1) The ANWR Drilling Authorization Act is repealed.

[bgwah]

Amendment to the Proportional Representation Act

1) The Proportional Representation (By-Elections) Act and Proportional Representation (Class A seats) Act are repealed.

2) The first three sections of the Proportional Representation Act shall become clauses of  a Section 1 titled "Introduction."

3) Sections 4 through 17 shall become clauses 1-14 of a Section 2 titled "Rules on the counting of votes in PR-STV elections."

4) Sections 18 through 22 are repealed and will be replaced by a Section 3 titled "Vacancies."
a) Section 3, Clause 1 shall read: "In the event of a vacancy arising for whatever reason in a seat filled by Proportional Representation, a by-election shall be held on a nationwide basis in accordance with the terms outlined within the Consolidated Electoral System Reform Act (F.L. 14-2) and the Proportional Representation Act."
b) Section 3, Clause 2 shall read "In the event of further such vacancies arising before the commencement of the by-election, a single by-election shall be held for all the vacant seats."
c) Section 3, Clause 3 shall read "If there are less than six weeks left in the term of a vacant seat filled by the Proportional Representation Act, where the concerned ex-Senator is a member of major party at the time the vacancy arises, the same party shall be responsible for filling the vacancy by whatever means they deem fit and the party's leader shall inform the Senate of its decision. If
d) Section 3, Clause 4 shall read "Where: (i) There are six weeks left of the term, and (ii) the ex-Senator is not a member of a major party at the time the vacancy arises; or (iii) the party fails to comply with Section 3, Clause 3; a by-election for the seat shall be held on a nationwide basis and in accordance with the terms outlined within F.L. 14-2 Consolidated Electoral System Reform Act."
e) Section 3, Clause 5 shall read "Where there exists any doubt as to party affiliation; major party status; or time of vacancy arising, it shall be the responsibility of the Department of Forum Affairs to clarify these matters upon request by any citizen."
f) Section 3, Clause 6 shall read "Any decision of the Department under Section 3 Clause 5 may be appealed to the Supreme Court, which may in its discretion suspend any relevant time periods applicable under this Act or under F.L. 14-2 Consolidated Electoral System Reform Act until the Court reaches a decision."

5) Section 23 is amended to become Clause 1 of a Section 4 titled "Repeal of Census Legislation."

6) Section 24 is amended to become Clause 1 of a Section 5 titled "Commencement Order"

[bgwah]

Labeling Requirements Act
1. All products containing any material originating from animals being sold within areas under federal jurisdiction must be explicitly labeled to designate as such.
2. Any exemptions preventing the requirement of a full listing of ingredients and nutritional information for alcoholic beverages are repealed.
3. All fast food restaurants must list total calories next to each item on their menus.

[bgwah]

I am introducing this on behalf of one of my constituents (Jbrase). I did not write it:

The Don Quixote Amendment

1. All "At-Large" elected senators shall after the passage of this amendment be elected by the legislatures of the respective regions.

2. Every April, August, & December the Legislatures of the respective regions shall decided on one Senator each and shall submit their choice to the Secretary of Federal Elections no later than when an at-large election would have normally ended.

[bgwah]

High-Fructose Corn Syrup Warning Act
1) Any product containing high-fructose corn syrup shall include a warning label reading "Consuming high-fructose corn syrup is hazardous to your health."

[bgwah]

Airport Renaming Act
1) Reagan International Airport shall henceforth be known as Mondale International Airport.
2) Dulles International Airport shall henceforth be known as Arbenz International Airport.

[bgwah]

Wiki Article of the Month Bill
1) In order to stimulate interest in and increase contributions to the Atlasia Wiki, a commission shall be created to select one article per month for its overall quality to be showcased on the main page of the Atlas Wiki, as well as in the main Atlasia sub-forum in a thread to be stickied by the Moderator General. The "Introduction to Atlasia" thread may be used for this purpose should the commission or Moderator General decide anymore stickied threads would clutter the main page.
2) The commission shall be officially known as the "Wiki Commission," and shall consist of three members; one Senator to be selected among the Senate, one citizen to be selected by the Senate (who may also be a Senator), and one citizen selected by the President. There will be no specified terms for the seats on the commission, but the Senate and President may replace their respective appointed members at any time they wish.



...Okay!! I promise I'll wait a little bit before introducing any more bills!!

[bgwah]

Feline Protection Act
1) It shall be illegal to de-claw felines.
2) Any person found performing this act shall be fined $5,000, and permanantely lose any veterinary licences they hold.

[bgwah]

Second Amendment to the Proportional Representation Act

Section 1
1) A fourth clause shall be added to the Section 1 saying "The five class B seats will be numbered from one through five and named At-large Senator #X"
2) The seats held by the following Senators as of 2/22/11 shall be numbered as follows:
     a) Lief: At-large Senator #1
     b) Bacon King: At-large Senator #2
     c) Dallasfan: At-large Senator #3
     d) AHDUke99: At-large Senator #4
     e) Antonio V: At-large Senator #5

Section 2
1) A Section Six, titled Succession of Seats, shall be added to the Proportional Representation Act.
2) Clause 1 of Section Six will read: "If a vacant seat is filled by either special election or appointment, that person shall be the successor of that seat."
3) Clause 2 of Section Six will read: "If a seat of a departing Senator is won by a member of the same party, then they shall be viewed as the successor to that seat."
4) Clause 3 of Section Six will read: "If a party has multiple departing Senators and multiple incoming Senators, then the successors shall be organized alphabetically beginning at the lowest numbered seat held by the party."
5) Clause 4 of Section Six will read: "If a party has a net loss of seats in a regularly scheduled election for Class B seats, but retains control of at least one at-large seat, and there are no at-large incumbents of the party, then the new senator of that party shall be the successor to the seat currently held by that party for the longest amount of continuous time."
6) Clause 5 of Section Six will read: "If only one seat changes parties in a regular election, then the additional Senator of the victorious party shall be viewed as the successor to that seat. Should the victorious party have multiple incoming Senators due to retirement, the alphabetical and numerical process described in Clause 3 shall be used.
7) Clause 6 of Section Six will read: "If a party loses multiple seats to more than one different opposition party, then the alphabetical and numerical process described in Clause 3 shall be used.
8.) Clause 7 of Section Six will read: "If multiple parties lose seats to multiple other parties, the political persuasion of the departing and incoming Senators may be used to determine who is the successor. Should a dispute arise, the Attorney General shall decide. Should there be no clear political match, the alphabetical and numerical process described in Clause 3 shall be used.
9) Clause 8 of Section Six will read: "Independents shall be treated as if they were a party for succession purposes.

[bgwah]

Infant Abandonment Act
1. Any woman who gives birth may abandon the infant to medical personnel, or to a police station or fire station, without financial or legal penalty up to four weeks after birth.

[bgwah]

Elections Correction Amendment

1) Article I, Section 4, Clause 3 shall be amended to read as follows:
"Regular elections to the Senate shall begin between midnight Eastern Standard Time on the Thursday preceding the penultimate Friday of the month and 0001 Eastern Standard Time on the penultimate Friday itself, and shall conclude exactly 72 hours after beginning, except in the month of December. Regular elections to the Senate in the month of December shall begin between midnight Eastern Standard Time on the Thursday preceding the penultimate Friday of the month and 0001 Eastern Standard Time on the penultimate Friday itself, and shall conclude exactly 72 hours after beginning."
2) Article II, Section 2, Clause 1 shall be amended to read as follows:
Presidential elections shall be held in the months of February, June and October. Elections shall begin between 0000 Eastern Standard Time on the Thursday preceding the penultimate Friday of the election month and 0001 Eastern Standard Time on the penultimate Friday itself, and shall conclude exactly 72 hours after beginning.
3) Article I, Section 4 and Article II, Section 2 of the Constitution shall be amended by adding the following as a new clause:
"Federal elections shall not be held during a holiday weekend, with the holidays being defined as Christmas, Easter, Thanksgiving, Memorial Day and Labor Day. In cases where the constitutionally-set election would normally fall upon such a holiday weekend, the federal general election shall be held a week earlier, or a week later in cases of special elections.

[bgwah]

Candidacy Declarations Thread Bill
1) All candidate declarations for elected office must be made in the Candidate Declaration Thread (defined as topic 40247.0) to be considered official. Should the existing thread ever be locked or deleted, it shall be the responsibility of the Secretary of Forum Elections to create a new thread and the Moderator General to sticky it.

[bgwah]

Register Thread Bill
1) All voter registrations must be made within the "New Register Thread" (defined as topic 34355.0) to be valid. Should the existing thread ever be locked or deleted, it shall be the responsibility of the Registrar General to create a new thread and the Moderator General to sticky it.

[bgwah]

Island Enfranchisement Act
1) The territories of Guam, American Samoa, and Northern Mariana Islands shall be combined to form the state of Oceania, which shall be abbreviated as "OC."
2) Oceania shall become the 11th state of the Pacific Region.
3) Palau, the Marshall Islands, the Federated States of Micronesia, and Samoa shall be eligible to join Oceania should they choose to do so by democratic means.

[bgwah]

Canine Protection Act
SECTION 1:
1) The commercial production, sale, and purchase of canine meat is hereby criminalized.
2) Any restaurant found selling dog meat shall be fined $1,000,000 per violation and closed if unable to pay the fine.

SECTION 2:
1) The practice of "docking," defined by cutting or trimming the tail or ears, a canine is hereby criminalized.
2) Individuals and businesses shall be fined $10,000 per violation. If they are unable to pay the fine, they shall face two weeks in jail per violation.

[bgwah]

Amendment to the Anti-Opebo Act
1) The Anti-Opebo Act shall be renamed the Anti-Child Pornography Act.