Legislation Introduction Thread

[Purple State]

The Regional Activity Amendment

1. Article V, Section 1, Clause 1 of the Constitution is hereby amended to read: "No person may simultaneously hold two or more offices of the Republic of Atlasia at the same level of government. This is not to exclude one from holding offices at different levels of government."

[Purple State]

The Regional Activity Amendment

1. Article V, Section 1, Clause 1 of the Constitution is hereby amended to read: "No person may simultaneously hold two or more offices of the Republic of Atlasia at the same level of government. This is not to exclude one from holding offices at different levels of government."

I have no problem introducing bills, but I fell constitutional amendments are pointless when a new constitution is being drafted.  If the constitution fails, then reconsider

I would agree on one level, but the Convention should take a good deal of time and plenty can happen in Atlasia in the meantime. If this didn't relate to increasing activity and reviving Atlasia I would hold off, but it's not a minor issue. This can really boost numbers in the coming elections right away.

[Purple State]

The Regional Activity Amendment

1. Article V, Section 1, Clause 1 of the Constitution is hereby amended to read: "No person may simultaneously hold two or more offices of the Republic of Atlasia at the same level of government. This is not to exclude one from holding offices at different levels of government."

http://

I'll introduce this for you.

Thank you. It was your idea after all. I just figured I would get the ball moving.

[Purple State]

Defense Against Piracy Act
Whereas, the Senate of Atlasia recognizes the danger posed by the presence of pirates off the coast of the Horn of Africa, and

Whereas, this threat must be quelled by the full force of the Atlasia and its allies,
therefor let it be

Resolved, that the following actions be taken:
1. The Senate of Atlasia calls upon the President to send naval and air forces to the region for the purpose of defending Atlasian citizens.
2. A tactical strike team shall be assembled to actively eliminate all known pirate threats in the region.
3. Diplomatic discussions be initiated with Somaliland and other coastal nations in the region to bolster economic conditions to stem pirate recruitment.

[Purple State]

Amendment to the Voting Whilst Banned Act
1. F.L. 30-2 shall hereby be renamed the "Voting While Banned Act"
2. F.L. 30-2 Section 3 shall hereby read as follows: "Sentencing of the crime shall be by the presiding Justice and may be any combination of the following:

• An extension of the the voting ban in any Atlasian election by the following formula: 85 - (90 x % of current sentence fulfilled) = number of days extension of ban
• Up to 6 months ban from holding any office under the Republic of Atlasia.

[Purple State]

Veterans' Care Act
1. The Government of Atlasia hereby establishes a Veterans' Affairs division, headed by the Secretary of External Affairs, to carry out the following responsibilities:
     a. Conduct and report research on the conditions of and challenges to veterans throughout Atlasia
     b. Run subsidized hospitals and medical facilities for the care and treatment of Atlasian veterans.
     c. Provide services for Atlasian veterans and military families.
2. The Senate shall apportion $85 billion for the Veterans' Affairs division for FY 2009, with an increase of 0.5% over inflation each FY thereafter.
3. All funds not used at the end of each FY shall be placed into a fund to provide scholarships for higher education and job training for Atlasian veterans. The Senate shall apportion $15 billion directly to this fund upon passage of this legislation.

[Purple State]

Workers' Bill of Rights Act
Section 1: Labor Research and Reporting
1. The Government of Atlasia hereby establishes the Office of Atlasian Labor (OAL). This office shall be responsible for the research of labor conditions throughout Atlasia.
2. The OAL shall provide regular reports, as determined by the GM, regarding the challenges to labor and business, as well as the impact of Atlasian policy on these and other groups.
3. The labor report shall also include recommendations for changes in policy necessary for the advancement of Atlasian labor.

Section 2: Workers' Bill of Rights
1. The right of workers to organize and act in concert shall not be impeded by the government of Atlasia or any institution under the jurisdiction of Atlasian Law.
2. Workers shall have the right to a living minimum wage, to be determined by the OAL and passed by the Senate according to the most exact level of data collected.
     a. Businesses unable to afford this salary may apply to the government for assistance. Applications shall be reviewed and either accepted or denied by the OAL.
3. Workers shall have the right to address grievances and violations of their rights through the OAL legal branch, which shall here cases involving any form of employment discrimination or rights violations.
     a. The OAL shall have the power to levy fines against the culpable entity based on the determined cost of said violation.
4. Workers shall have the right to form or choose for themselves a union to represent their interests in discussions and negotiations with employers.
     a. This right shall be practiced freely through secret-ballot elections, in which a majority of all workers voting must vote in favor of unionization.
     b. This right shall be protected from any involvement or interference by employers, unions, and other outside organizations.
     c. The OAL shall be responsible for determining the date and certifying the results of the election.
5. There shall be no discrimination on the basis of race, ethnicity, sex, gender, sexual orientation, age, disability, political affiliation, religious affiliation, marital status, or veterans' status in membership to unions or employment, except where a government-issued waiver is granted for special circumstances, including, but not limited to: political organizations or work requiring certain attributes or skills.

[Purple State]

At the request of Persepolis and with my own approval, I present the following legislation:

1. F.L. 13-1, Section 10 of the Needless Celebrations Removal Act is hereby repealed.


For reference:

You must be logged in to read this quote.

[Purple State]

Atlasian Tax Code Resolution

Whereas, Atlasia has existed for years without a functioning or present tax code,
therefore let it be

Resolved, that an independent commission shall be instituted for the formation of a tax code to be presented to the Atlasian Senate for approval. The commission shall be made up of the President or a citizen so designated to fill his place, the Attorney General, the PPT, the five regional Governors or any citizen of the same region so designated by a Governor, and two additional Senators so appointed by the Senate. At any time the commission may, by two-thirds consent, approve the addition of outside members as full voting members.

Resolved, that this tax code shall include, but not be limited to, an income tax, sales tax, social security tax, and estate tax. The proposal shall be prepared and presented before the start of FY 2010.

[Purple State]

Workers' Compensation and Training Bill
Section 1: Workers' Compensation
1. The Government of Atlasia hereby establishes a workers' compensation package under the following guidelines:
     a. All workers that may lose life or limb while carrying out usual activities pertaining to one's area of employment shall receive benefits amounting to the value of lost work. Said payments shall not exceed 120 days of labor or the amount of $150,000, whichever may be less.
     b. All workers that may lose gainful employment due to large-scale and systemic unemployment due to technological change or economic hardship shall be qualified to receive unemployment insurance compensation amounting to the usual salary of the worker, distributed evenly throughout the insurance period. Said payments shall not exceed 120 business days or the equivalent of an annual salary of $75,000.
     c. Workers' compensation shall not pertain to those that may be self-employed and may be only applied to fields of employment deemed to be high or moderate risk by the OAL.

Section 2: Training
1. The Government of Atlasia recognizes the urgent need for worker rehabilitation and retraining for the rapidly changing modern economy and, as such, establishes the following program to spur reentry into the workforce:
     a. All workers that qualify for Section 1 of this legislation shall be eligible to receive government funded training in certain "Key Employments," as defined by the OAL.
     b. Said training shall last no longer than 90 days.
     c. Recipients of government sponsored training shall be required to devote the year following retraining to a business in an underprivileged region, to be determined by need and the OAL. Government assistance shall be provided to find such employment in an area close to the workers' location of residence.

[Purple State]

I would like to expand on my work in the Mideast Assembly with the following:

Federal Libel and Slander Penalization Act

1. It shall hereby be illegal in the Republic of Atlasia to falsely and publicly slander or libel the name of another citizen within the Atlas Fantasy Boards.
2. Slander shall be defined as harmful statements in a transitory form, especially speech, with the intent of causing damage to a member's reputation.
3. Libel shall be defined as harmful statements in a fixed medium, especially writing but also a picture, sign, or electronic broadcast, with the intent of causing damage to a member's reputation.
4. Clause 2 and Clause 3 of this Act shall not be read to limit slander or libel to the listed mediums of defamation.
5. Conviction by the Supreme Court for acts of slander or libel shall result in a sentence of no more than a one month ban from holding office in Atlasia or a two month ban from voting in official elections in Atlasia.

[Purple State]

Something that never was passed, but I believe is a good second step to public school reform and should be debated:

School Standards Reform Bill

Section 1: Terms
For the purposes of this legislation:
1.   “Elementary school” shall refer to any school offering only grades below 5th, inclusive.
2.   “Middle school” shall refer to any school offering only grades below 8th, inclusive, with at least one grade above 6th, inclusive.
3.   “High school” shall refer to any school offering at least one grade above 9th, inclusive.

Section 2: Elementary School Reforms
1.   All public elementary schools shall be required to offer pre-K and Kindergarten programs to all students within the district whose guardians wish them to be enrolled.
2.   All children must be enrolled in school, public or otherwise, within one and a half years of their fourth birthdays.

Section 3: Middle School Reforms
1.   All public middle schools must offer at least one foreign language program. Enrollment in said program may be optional, as dictated by regional and district law.
2.   All students in grades 6 through 8 shall be required to study science, English, history, and mathematics for all of their three years in said grades. All public middle schools must offer said subjects for all three grades.

Section 4: High School Reforms
1.   All public high school students must complete, between 9th and 12th grade, at least four courses in mathematics, four courses in English, three courses in a single foreign language, three courses in the social sciences, one course in Atlasian/American history, four courses of science with at least three of said courses lab intensive, in addition to four elective courses.
2.   All public high schools must offer classes on mathematics, chemistry, biology, physics, English, American/Atlasian history, world history, and at least (but not limited to) two different foreign languages (listed below in 4.2.a) sufficient in number to allow students to complete the above requirements.
   a.   All high schools must offer courses in at least two of the following languages: Spanish,          French, German, Russian, Arabic, Hindi, Chinese and Japanese. Other language courses not listed are allowed providing that at least two of the preceding languages are offered.
3. All public high schools with a student body greater than 400 must offer at least 3 advanced courses (Advanced Placement, Running Start and International Baccalaureate are acceptable), with additional such courses encouraged.

Section 5: Interpretation
This legislation shall not be interpreted as to override any stricter standards upheld by law within any Regions or lower-level authorities, nor to discourage school districts or students from exceeding the minimum requirements.

Section 6: Effective Date
This legislation shall come into effect on August 10, 2011, unless that date is less than a year and a half following passage, in which case it shall come into effect on August 10, 2012.

[Purple State]

Privacy Protection Bill

1. It shall henceforth be a punishable crime in Atlasia to publicly post the contents of private discussions, whether by internet messaging, personal message or other forms of personal communication, without the consent of all parties involved in said correspondence.
2. This crime shall be tried as though it were a crime under the Consolidated Criminal Justice Act.
3. Sentencing of the crime shall be by the presiding Justice; He may sentence the guilty party for up to, but not exceeding, a 1 month ban from holding any office under the Republic of Atlasia.

[Purple State]

Resolution Compelling the President to Appoint a New GM

Whereas, the position of Game Moderator is necessary for the full function of the Senate; and,

Whereas, President bgwah's current GM, Ebowed, has proven sporadic and ineffective in his position; and,

Whereas, the Senate, by statute and subsequent motion, has dismissed GM Ebowed from his office; therefore let it be

RESOLVED, that the Senate hereby calls upon the President to exercise all due haste in nominating for Atlasia a new GM to be confirmed or denied by the Senate.

[Purple State]

Long overdue:

Amendment to the OSPR

Article 5, Section 1 of the OSPR shall include the following as Clause 3: "Under extenuating circumstances in which essential information is presented to the Senate after a final vote has been called on legislation, the PPT, with the consent of the bill's primary sponsor(s), may use his discretion to cancel the vote and resume debate and amendment for no longer than forty-eight (48) hours. After said time has expired, a final vote shall begin immediately."

[Purple State]

A starting point:

Constitutional Revampification Amendment

Article I, Section 1 shall hereby read as follows:

You must be logged in to read this quote.

The following shall be included in Article I as Section 2: The House, with subsequent sections renumbered accordingly:

You must be logged in to read this quote.

Article I, Section 5 shall hereby be renumbered Section 4 and read as follows:

You must be logged in to read this quote.

Article I, Section 4 shall hereby be renumbered Section 5 and read as follows:

You must be logged in to read this quote.

All instances of the words "Senate" or "Senator(s)" in Article I, Sections 5 and 6 shall hereby read "Congress" or "Congressmen," respectively.

Article I, Section 8 is hereby removed.

Article IV shall hereby read as follows:

You must be logged in to read this quote.

[Purple State]

Amendment Regarding the GM

1. Article I, Section 8, Clause 2 of the Constitution is hereby removed, with subsequent clauses renumbered accordingly.


Adding the GM Bill

Article VIII, Section 2 of the Atlasian Constitution shall hereby include the following as Clause 6:

6. The position of Game Moderator is established to provide frequent and timely updates to the President, Senate and people of Atlasia on the foreign and domestic events as they occur.

• The GM shall be appointed by the President with the advice and consent of the Senate.
• The GM shall serve at the pleasure of the President and the Senate and may be dismissed by the President or removed by a two-thirds vote of the Senate.

[Purple State]

Free Iranian Communications Bill

In light of the use of communication jamming equipment by the Islamic Republic of Iran to quell peaceful demonstrations against fraudulent elections, the Senate hereby authorizes the Secretary of External Affairs to discontinue all trade, subsidies, purchases and other economic relations with any company that continues to provide such equipment to the current Iranian regime immediately, at the discretion of the SoEA.

[Purple State]

Clearing Up The Line Of Succession Bill

1. The Line of Succession (Amendment) Act (F.L. 15-6), Section B is hereby repealed.

2. In the event of the absence or incapacitation of the President of Atlasia, the following shall serve as the line of succession:

    * 1. Vice President of Atlasia
    * 2. President Pro Tempore of the Senate
    * 3. Attorney General
    * 4. Game Moderator
    * 5. Dean of the Senate
    * 6. Secretary of Forum Affairs
    * 7. Secretary of External Affairs
    * 8. Each Senator in order of longest continuous service
    * 9. Chief Justice of the Atlasian Supreme Court
    * 10. Senior Associate Justice of the Atlasian Supreme Court
    * 11. Junior Associate Justice of the Atlasian Supreme Court
    * 12. Each of the Governors in order of longest continuous service

[Purple State]

I will reintroduce my Amendment Regarding the GM, as that is a small change that just needs to happen, but am working on revising the Adding the GM Amendment Bill and will reintroduce it at a later time.

[Purple State]

Not Another OSPR Amendment

Article IV, Section 4 shall hereby include the following as Clause 2, with subsequent clauses renumbered accordingly:

2. Any Senator may designate, during times of announced absence, a fellow member of the Senate to cast votes by proxy on amendments to legislation during said leave. Proxy designation shall only be accepted by public post and shall specify whether it be applicable to all relevant or only specifically identified pieces of legislation. Proxy designation shall last for the period determined by public post, or until the absent Senator has removed such designation by public post, or upon the beginning of a new Senate session, whichever comes first.

[Purple State]

Creating a More Dynamic Legislative Procedure

Whereas, the current operating procedures of the Senate provide for a stilted and rigid legislative process, the following changes shall be adopted to the OSPR.

Article IV, Section I shall hereby read as follows:

You must be logged in to read this quote.

Article V, Section 2, Clause 4 is hereby removed.

[Purple State]

Try this again, shall we? With some slight modifications:

School Standards Reform Bill

Section 1: Terms
For the purposes of this legislation:
1.   “Elementary school” shall refer to any school offering only grades below 5th, inclusive.
2.   “Middle school” shall refer to any school offering only grades below 8th, inclusive, with at least one grade above 6th, inclusive.
3.   “High school” shall refer to any school offering at least one grade above 9th, inclusive.

Section 2: Elementary School Reforms
1.   All public elementary schools shall be required to offer pre-K and Kindergarten programs to all students within the district whose guardians wish them to be enrolled. The federal government shall provide matching funds to the regions of up to 40% the total cost of such programs.
2.   All children must be enrolled in school, public or otherwise, within one and a half years of their fourth birthdays.

Section 3: Middle School Reforms
1.   All public middle schools must offer at least one foreign language program. Enrollment in said program may be optional, as dictated by regional and district law.
2.   All students in grades 6 through 8 shall be required to study science, English, history, and mathematics for all of their three years in said grades. All public middle schools must offer said subjects for all three grades.

Section 4: High School Reforms
1.   All public high school students must complete, between 9th and 12th grade, at least four courses in mathematics, four courses in English, three courses in a single foreign language, three courses in the social sciences, one course in Atlasian history, three courses of science with at least three of said courses lab intensive, in addition to four elective courses.
2.   All public high schools must offer classes on mathematics, chemistry, biology, physics, English, Atlasian history, world history, and at least (but not limited to) two different foreign languages sufficient in number to allow students to complete the above requirements.
3. All public high schools with a student body greater than 400 that offer at least 3 advanced courses (Advanced Placement, Running Start and International Baccalaureate are acceptable) shall receive up to 30% the total cost of such programs split evenly between the governing region and federal government.

Section 5: Interpretation
This legislation shall not be interpreted as to override any stricter standards upheld by law within any Regions or lower-level authorities, nor to discourage school districts or students from exceeding the minimum requirements.

Section 6: Effective Date
This legislation shall come into effect on August 10, 2010, unless that date is less than a year following passage, in which case it shall come into effect on August 10, 2011.

[Purple State]

Free Trade Agreement Act

1. All legislation pertaining to the removal of tariffs, customs, or restrictions on movement of goods between Atlasia and another country shall be considered as agreements.

2. Upon the violation of such an agreement, it shall be within the power of the DoEA, with the consent of the Senate, to take appropriate actions to defend against such infringements.


Amendment to the SOEA Role Codification Act

1. F.L. 31-21, Clause 1 shall hereby be amended to read as follows: "Every 2 months a renewed foreign policy review must be presented within the Department of External Affairs Office. Upon the full release of the review, the Senate shall be required to consider, amend if neccessry, and vote on the review as normal legislation.

2. The following shall be inserted as clause 6:
       6. The SOEA shall serve, where appropriate, as the deputy GM for external affairs. In this role, the SOEA may provide the Senate and Atlasia with the necessary information to conduct debate and create legislation pertaining to external matters. All such information shall be considered valid pending approval by the GM.

[Purple State]

Intra Regional Mobility Amendment

1. Article V, Section 2, Clause 7 is hereby amended to read: "Persons may only change their State of registration to that of a State in a different Region, as defined by statute, once every 180 days. Persons may only change their State of registration to that of a State within the same Region, as defined by statute, once every 24 hours."

Or you can just vote for me: https://uselectionatlas.org/AFEWIKI/index.php/Third_Atlasian_Constitution_Draft#Section_2:_Voter_Registration_and_Voting_Rules (see clause 6)