Legislation Introduction Thread

[TJ in Oregon]

Senators of Altasia,

I would like to speak before you today in regards to the proposed Right to Treatment Act here in the senate, which is an attempt to use federal authority to block the Mideast Anti-Marijuana Bill currently being debated in the Mideast Assembly under the faulty guise of ensuring that patients will receive the medical treatment they need and deserve.

Should the Mideast bill pass, the doctors in the Mideast will still be able to prescribe THC in the form of Marinol (which is approved by the FDA in real life http://www.justice.gov/dea/ongoing/marinol.html). This means the set of circumstances where marijuana would need to be smoked for medical reasons and Marinol would not suffice would be undefined and in all likelihood rather remote. The law would still allow a pathway for these circumstances should they arise: the doctor would simply need to obtain permission from the Mideast Department of Health. This is not an attempt to co-opt the authority of doctors but rather a check against the abuse of a drug where prescription abuse is highly likely to occur. As my fellow Assemblyman Zuwo, the bill's sponser, has pointed out this is the system used in Switzerland where it works well to allow the use of cannabis by patients who truly need it and abuse by those who don't. Enacting this as federal law will undoubtedly lead to a legal scramble over what qualifies as "excessive restrictions" and of course that this bill qualifies as a “restriction”. With advent of Marinol, combined with the provisions of the proposed bill, this entire problem of medical marijuana is in my opinion a manufactured crisis aimed at defeating the control of a harmful substance often utilized for the purpose of recreational drug use. I urge the Senate to reject this proposed measure as an undue infringement on the Mideast Region which serves no legitimate federal interest.

[TJ in Oregon]

Amendment to the Caucus Infrastructure and Formation Act

Section 1: Procedure & Implementation

1. Citizens may now register official organizations known as a "Caucus" with the Registrar General and Census Bureau.

2. Membership in a caucus is optional and no restrictions may be placed on membership beyond limiting citizens to registering membership in no more than three caucuses. Leadership and administrative functions of a caucus shall be determined by the caucus itself.

3. A caucus shall be considered an "established caucus" when it gains five or more members.

4. To register as a member of a caucus, a citizen must declare their membership in the New Register Thread in accordance with the Register Thread Act

Section 2: Powers & Privileges

1. "Established" caucus names shall appear on election ballots next to the candidate's party. The Secretary of Federal Elections shall ensure that parties and caucuses are distinguished, such as by not but limited to different text sizes and bold text.

2. Caucuses shall have the same powers of name-changing and membership regulating as political parties in accordance with the Party Name Change Act and Party Empowerment Act, respectively.

[TJ in Oregon]

Co-sponsored with Marokai Blue:

You must be logged in to read this quote.

[TJ in Oregon]

You must be logged in to read this quote.

[TJ in Oregon]

Primary System Introduction Act

1. In the case of multiple candidates of a single party seeking election in a single-position race (such as President, Governor, regional Senator, etc), a party may schedule a primary race between two or more candidates.

2. Only members of the party in question may vote in said primary, the means of which must be held in accordance to the voting system used in the race the candidates are running for.

3. All candidates may continue to run in the election in question, but only the winner of the primary may legally use the party label on the official ballot on election day.

4. Primaries are entirely optional and are left to the discretion of the political parties.

I would like to sponsor this bill in Marokai's absence.

[TJ in Oregon]

Amendment to Article II the Third Constitution: Judicial Term Length

You must be logged in to read this quote.

[TJ in Oregon]

Capital Punishment Abolition Amendment

Article VI of the Third Constitution Shall be amended as follows:

You must be logged in to read this quote.

[TJ in Oregon]

Abolition of Senate Committees Resolution

A resolution to end the standing committee system.

All current standing committees are abolished and Article 7 of the Senate Rules is amended as follows:

You must be logged in to read this quote.

[TJ in Oregon]

Permanent Improvements Act

1. Distressed local governments are eligible to receive interest-free loans from the federal government to fund capital projects if those projects are estimated to save money over the course of their lifetime.

2. To receive funds, the local government must apply to the Department of Public Works and be approved for an interest-free loan. The Department of Public Works must weigh the merits of each proposal based on the project's cost, ability to save money for the local government, and the local government's degree of danger of financial distress.

3. "Local government" is defined for the purposes of this act as a government at the county level or lower.

4. "Distressed" is defined as a local government that has lost 25% or more of its population in the last five decades, a local government with expenditures exceeding 150% of its income, or a local government deemed upon application to the Department of Public Works to be in danger of default now or at some point in the next two decades without corrective action.

[TJ in Oregon]

You must be logged in to read this quote.

On the suggestion of a constituent, Assemblywoman Siren.