Southern Legislation Introduction Thread

[reagente]

Cherokee County Act

Section 1: Renaming Leinad County, GA
1. The Leinad Appreciation Act is hereby repealed.
2. Cherokee County, GA will receive $25,000 from the regional government to replace road signs.

Section 2: Implementation
1. This act is effective immediately upon passage.

[reagente]

AN ACT
To Build a Dam on the Meramec River for Purposes of Generating Hydroelectric Power and Controlling Flooding

Be it enacted by the Southern Chamber of Delegates

1.)  This Act shall be referred to as the Make Every River A Malleable Electricity Creator Act or MERAMEC Act

2.) An earth embankment hydroelectric dam will be created on the Meramec River near the town of Sullivan, Missouri according to the plan proposed by the Army Corps of Engineers in the 1960s.

3.) All land owned by the Southern Region that borders the newly created reservoir shall be sold to residential developers.

4.) Ameren Missouri shall be placed in charge of operating the hydroelectric dam upon completion. 50% of net profits from the dam will be dispersed to the Southern Government.

5.) The Southern Government will issue $600,000,000 in regional bonds to fund the construction of the dam over a 10 year period.

[reagente]

Introducing eleven bills...

Fairness in Academic Admissions Act

Section I. Title
i. This bill may be known as the “Fairness in Academic Admissions Act.”

Section II. Substance
i. This act applies to any University, College, Graduate School, or other post-secondary institution (hereafter “post-secondary institutions”) that accepts money from the Southern Regional Government or any local government in the South
ii. Post-Secondary Institutions that accept money from the Southern Regional Government or any local government in the South may not use race, ethnicity, religion, income, sex, gender, political ideology, or “legacy status” as a factor in admissions.

Section III. Enforcement
i. Post-Secondary Institutions found to violate this act by the Southern Attorney General shall be required to forfeit all government funds received in years where the institution violated this statute and shall additionally be fined the larger of $1,000,000 or 1% of the institution’s endowment.
ii. Residents of the Southern Region shall retain a private right of action against post-secondary institutions that violate this statute

Banning Discriminatory Hiring Act

Section I. Title
i. This bill may be known as the “Banning Discriminatory Hiring Act.”

Section II. Enforcement
i. This act applies to any corporate entity that conducts business in the Southern Region or is incorporated in the Southern Region
ii. Any corporate entity that conducts business in the Southern Region or is incorporated in the Southern region may not use race, ethnicity, religion, income, sex, gender, political ideology, or past incarceration status as a factor in hiring.
iii. This bill shall not apply to non-profits or charities

Section III. Enforcement
i. Corporate entities found to violate this act by the Southern Attorney General shall be fined the larger of $1,000,000 or 1% of yearly revenues.
ii. Residents of the Southern Region shall retain a private right of action against corporate entities that violate this statute

Promoting Domestic Minds Act

Section I. Title and Definitions
i. This bill may be known as the “Promoting Domestic Minds Act”
ii. “Non-permanent resident” refers to all individuals who are not citizens or permanent residents of Atlasia

Section II. Substance
i.  This act applies to any University, College, Graduate School, or other post-secondary institution (hereafter “post-secondary institutions”) that accepts money from the Southern Regional Government or any local government in the South
ii. Post-Secondary Institutions that accept money from the Southern Regional Government or any local government in the South are prohibited from charging non-permanent residents “in-state” or otherwise reduced or preferential tuition rates.  
iii. Post-Secondary Institutions that accept money from the Southern Regional Government or any local government in the South are prohibited from offering any financial aid or scholarships to individuals who are not citizens or permanent residents of Atlasia.

Defending Homeownership Act

Section I. Title
i. This bill may be known as the “Defending Homeownership Act”

Section II. Substance
i.  It shall be illegal for investment management companies, private equity firms, banks, or any other Investment company to purchase single-family houses for the purpose of turning those homes into rental properties.
ii. It shall be illegal for non-citizens to own or rent more than one property in the Southern Region

The Southern Open Shop Act

Section I. Title
i. This bill may be known as the “The Southern Open Shot Act.”

Section II. Substance
i. The LABORER Act (S.19.4-2) is repealed, effective immediately.

It is okay to use Plastic Utensils and Styrofoam Containers Act

Section I. Title
i. This bill may be known as the “It is okay to use Plastic Utensils and Styrofoam Containers Act”

Section II. Substance
i. Article III of the The Southern Environmental Act (S.19.4-3) is repealed, effective immediately.

Liberalize Rental Markets Act

Section I. Title
i. This bill may be known as the “Liberalize Rental Markets Act”

Section II. Substance
i. The Tenant Protection Act (S.20.1-12) is repealed, effective immediately.

End Rotten Boroughs Act

Section I. Title and Definitions
i. This bill may be known as the “End Rotten Boroughs Act”
ii. “Voter Eligible Population” (VEP) is defined as the citizen population over the age of eighteen that is not barred from voting on account of incarceration or mental incompetence.

Section II. Substance
i. All legislative districts in the Southern Region shall be drawn to have equal Voter Eligible Populations – allowing for up to a ten percent total deviation.
ii. The Southern Attorney General’s Office shall compile VEP data utilizing federal census data and Southern administrative records. This VEP data shall be compiled at least yearly and produced at the census block level.
iii.  Upon the production of the first set of VEP data, all governments within the Southern regional shall immediately redraw legislative boundaries to comply with this act. Thereafter, legislative boundaries must be redrawn at least once every decade.

Combatting Prostitution Act

Section I. Title
i. This bill may be known as the “Combatting Prostitution Act”

Section II. Substance
i. The Ho's Gotta Grind Act (S.19.1-26) is repealed, effective immediately.

Banning Racist Curriculum Act

Section I. Title
i. This bill may be known as the “Banning Racist Curriculum Act”

Section II. Substance
i. No teacher, administrator, or other employee in any state agency, school district, campus, open-enrollment charter school, or school administration in the Southern Region shall require, or make part of a course the following concepts:
     1. one race or sex is inherently superior to another race or sex;
     2. an individual, by virtue of his or her race or sex, is inherently racist, sexist, or oppressive, whether consciously or unconsciously;
     3. an individual should be discriminated against or receive adverse treatment solely or partly because of his or her race or sex;
     4. members of one race or sex cannot and should not attempt to treat others without respect to race or sex;
     5. an individual's moral character is necessarily determined by his or her race or sex;
     6. an individual, by virtue of his or her race or sex, bears responsibility for actions committed in the past by other members of the same race or sex;
     7. any individual should feel discomfort, guilt, anguish, or any other form of psychological distress on account of his or her race or sex;
     8. meritocracy or traits such as a hard work ethic are racist or sexist, or were created by a members of a particular race to oppress members of another race.

Official Language of the South Act

Section I. Title
i. This bill may be known as the “Official Language of the South Act”

Section II. Substance
i. English shall be the official language of the Southern Region
ii. Nothing in this act shall be construed to infringe upon the right of sub-regional jurisdictions to adopt additional official languages beyond English

[reagente]

Bringing these back to the floor:

Fairness in Academic Admissions Act

Section I. Title
i. This bill may be known as the “Fairness in Academic Admissions Act.”

Section II. Substance
i. This act applies to any University, College, Graduate School, or other post-secondary institution (hereafter “post-secondary institutions”) that accepts money from the Southern Regional Government or any local government in the South
ii. Post-Secondary Institutions that accept money from the Southern Regional Government or any local government in the South may not use race, ethnicity, religion, income, sex, gender, political ideology, or “legacy status” as a factor in admissions.
iii. This act shall not apply to historically black colleges, historically same-sex colleges, or seminaries or other theological school.

Section III. Enforcement
i. Post-Secondary Institutions found to violate this act by the Southern Attorney General shall be required to forfeit all government funds received in years where the institution violated this statute and shall additionally be fined the larger of $1,000,000 or 1% of the institution’s endowment.
ii. Residents of the Southern Region shall retain a private right of action against post-secondary institutions that violate this statute

Promoting Domestic Minds Act

Section I. Title and Definitions
i. This bill may be known as the “Promoting Domestic Minds Act”
ii. “Non-permanent resident” refers to all individuals who are not citizens or permanent residents of Atlasia

Section II. Substance
i.  This act applies to any University, College, Graduate School, or other post-secondary institution (hereafter “post-secondary institutions”) that accepts money from the Southern Regional Government or any local government in the South
ii. Post-Secondary Institutions that accept money from the Southern Regional Government or any local government in the South are prohibited from charging non-permanent residents “in-state” or otherwise reduced or preferential tuition rates. 
iii. Post-Secondary Institutions that accept money from the Southern Regional Government or any local government in the South are prohibited from offering any financial aid or scholarships to individuals who are not citizens or permanent residents of Atlasia.
iv. The Southern Attorney General can grant waivers from this law provided Post-Secondary Institutions make a showing that admitting a foreign or out-of-state student would accrue appreciable soft power gains to the Southern Region

The Southern Open Shop Act

Section I. Title
i. This bill may be known as the “Southern Open Shot Act.”

Section II. Substance
i. The LABORER Act (S.19.4-2) is repealed, effective immediately.

[reagente]

Official Language of the South Act

Section I. Title
i. This bill may be known as the “Official Language of the South Act”

Section II. Substance
i. English shall be the official language of the Southern Region
ii. Nothing in this act shall be construed to infringe upon the right of states and domestic dependent nations to adopt additional official languages beyond English.
iii. A total of $500,000,000 annually shall be block granted to the states in the Southern Region to fund English as a second or foreign language (hereafter "ESL") education programs
iv. The funds provided in this act shall be apportioned according to a state's share of ESL speakers as a total of the total number of ESL speakers in the South

[reagente]

Uniform Corporate Law Act
Section 1. Definitions
i. This law shall be known as the “Uniform Corporate Law Act”
Section 2. Provisions
i. The Southern Region adopts the “Uniform Commercial Code”, except for the provisions that conflict with prior Southern legislation
ii. The Southern Region adopts Title 8 of the Delaware Code.
iii. To enforce the previous clauses, the Southern Region shall establish a “Court of Chancery” modeled after the Delaware Court of Chancery.
Section 3. Enactment
This Law shall come into force on January 1, 2022

Southern Marriage Act:
Section 1. Definitions
i. This act shall be known as the “Southern Marriage Act”
ii. “Married” shall hereafter refer to all individuals in a civil marriage recognized by the Southern Region, “Unmarried” shall hereafter refer to all other individuals.
Section 2. Validity and Parameters
i. To be valid and recognized in this region, a civil marriage shall exist only between two adults.
ii. Individuals who have a Coefficient of relationship of 10% or higher with each other are prohibited from marrying.
iii. Nothing in this act shall be construed to compel religious institutions to recognize, endorse, or provide civil marriages.
Section 3. Civil Marriage Incentives
i. Section 2(i) of the Family Opportunity Fund Act (S.20.3-16) is replaced with the following section:
“Each Married person with a dependent child shall be eligible for an annual child tax credit of $6,000 per dependent, up to four. The credit shall be divided and dispersed at the beginning of each month ($500 per month). Each Unmarried person with a dependent child shall be eligible for an annual child tax credit of $3,600 per dependent, up to four. The credit shall be divided and dispersed at the beginning of each month ($300 per month).
Section 4. At-Fault Civil Divorce
i. To obtain an at-fault civil divorce in the South, one spouse must show that the other spouse has committed a fault.
ii. Faults shall include adultery, abandonment, capital felony, and crimes against children. State governments may augment this list.
iii. A spouse accused of a fault can utilize recrimination as a defense.
iv. If only one spouse is shown to have acted without fault in the civil marriage, that spouse shall be awarded primary custody of non-adult children and two-thirds of commonly held real property.
v. No alimony payments are owed to a spouse who has committed a fault.
Section 5. No-Fault Civil Divorce.
i. A spouse can obtain a civil divorce in the South without a showing of fault. However, the initiating spouse forgoes any right to alimony payments, and cannot receive more than 50% of commonly held real property or primary custody in the divorce settlement.
Section 6: Enactment
Sections 2 and 3 of this act are valid immediately upon passage. Sections 4 and 5 will enter effect on January 1, 2023.

[reagente]

Southern Electoral Districts Amendment

Section I: Names and Definitions

This law shall be officially referred as the Southern Electoral Districts Amendment

Section II: Amendment

1. Article IV, Section 1 shall be amended as the following: “The legislative power of The South shall be vested to the Southern Legislature, which shall be composed of five representatives. Three of these representatives shall be elected by a region-wide vote, while one representative will be elected by voters from the Deep South (Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, Puerto Rico, South Carolina, and Texas), and one representative will be elected by voters from the Upper South (Arkansas, Delaware, Kansas, Kentucky, Maryland, Missouri, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Tennessee, Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia).

2. Article IV, Section 2 shall be amended as the following: “Representatives are to be elected by all citizens registered to vote in The South. Representatives must be registered to vote in The South. The representative for the Deep South must be registered in the Deep South, and the representative for the Upper South must be registered in the Upper South.”

3. Article IV, Section 4 shall be amended as the following: “Candidates for the Southern Legislature will be given until the Wednesday at 11:59:59 pm EDT preceding the first date of polling in the election they wish to contest to announce their candidacy and appear on the ballot. This is to be done by officially declaring their candidacy in the Candidate Declaration Thread and specifying if they are running region-wide, in the Deep South, or in the Upper South.

Section III: Approval

Per the Southern Constitution, this amendment shall be voted on by the members of the Chamber of Delegates. If approved by two-thirds or more of the Chamber, the citizens of the Southern Region are to vote on this amendment. If approved by a majority of Southern Citizens, it shall go immediately into effect.

[reagente]

The Second Southern Referendum Act

1. The Southern Referendum Act (S.21.2-5) shall be amended to read:

1. In the case of any bill there is taken a vote on in the Southern Chamber of Delegates in which no majority of total votes is reached (either "Yes" votes or "No" votes do not reach a majority due to abstentions) and a majority of members voted on that bill, that the bill is passed or denied instead as a part of a referendum. If an absolute majority of participating voters in that referendum votes either in favor or against that bill, then it gets sent directly to the governor's office.
2. Legislation filed as Amendments will be exempted from all provisions of the Southern Referendum Act
3. The referendum would take place at the same time as the regional elections directly following the original vote inside the chamber, and sponsors and supporters, or opponents of the bill are encouraged to share their arguments as to why they think the bill is a good or bad idea.
    3A. The format of the referendum is as follows. After all previous questions regarding ballots for elected office, a section of the ballot is dedicated to referendums. In these sections, all bills eligible to be placed as referendums will be titled "[INSERT BILL NAME HERE]" + "Referendum". After this, a link to the bill inside the Southern Chamber is presented along with one paragraph describing what the bill does, one paragraph arguing for the bill, and one paragraph arguing against the bill. The writers of the paragraphs are the first paragraph is written by the person who introduced the bill and/or sponsored it. The second paragraph is written by the first person who voted "Aye!" (if someone did vote Aye, if nobody voted Aye then that paragraph isn't written) and the third paragraph is written by the first person who voted "Nay!" (if someone did vote Nay, if nobody voted Nay then that paragraph isn't written). Also, details about the vote of the bill which came to pass are given. An example is given below in section 2B, for better understanding. Maximum word counts for each paragraph are 200 words, no minimum word count. If nobody writes a paragraph, then that paragraph will not be written. The referendum will carry on though.
   3B.

The [INSERT BILL NAME HERE] Referendum

Link to Bill in Southern Chamber

If this referendum passes with a majority of participating voters choose "Aye" then the above bill passes and will be presented to the governor for signature. If a majority of participating voters choose "Nay" then the above bill is rejected and will not be presented to the governor for signature, and will not be signed into law.

This bill was sponsored by [Person A].

The vote in the Southern Chamber went as follows:

Aye!

Person A
Person B

Nay!

Person C
Person D

Abstain

Person E

Description of bill contents (written by Person A)

The bill will do [things].

Advocation for bill (written by Person B)

You should vote for this bill because [reasons].

Advocation against bill (written by Person C)

You should vote against this bill because [reasons].

3. This bill is effective August 01, 2021.

2. This bill shall be effective immediately.

[reagente]

AN ACT relating to abortion, including abortions after detection of an unborn child's heartbeat; authorizing a private civil right of action.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE SOUTHERN CHAMBER OF DELEGATES

SECTION 1: TITLE
(1) This Act shall be known as the Southern Heartbeat Act.

SECTION 2.  DEFINITIONS:
(1)  "Fetal heartbeat" means cardiac activity or the steady and repetitive rhythmic contraction of the fetal heart within the gestational sac.
(2)  "Gestational age" means the amount of time that has elapsed from the first day of a woman's last menstrual period.
(3)  "Gestational sac" means the structure comprising the extraembryonic membranes that envelop the unborn child and that is typically visible by ultrasound after the fourth week of pregnancy.
(4)  "Physician" means an individual licensed to practice medicine in this region, including a medical doctor and a doctor of osteopathic medicine.
(5)  "Pregnancy" means the human female reproductive condition that:

• (A) begins with fertilization;
• (B) occurs when the woman is carrying the developing human offspring; and
• (C) is calculated from the first day of the woman's last menstrual period.

(6)  "Standard medical practice" means the degree of skill, care, and diligence that an obstetrician of ordinary judgment, learning, and skill would employ in like circumstances.
(7)  "Unborn child" means a human fetus or embryo in any stage of gestation from fertilization until birth.

SECTION 3:  LEGISLATIVE FINDINGS.
The legislature finds, according to contemporary medical research, that:
(1)  fetal heartbeat has become a key medical predictor that an unborn child will reach live birth;
(2)  cardiac activity begins at a biologically identifiable moment in time, normally when the fetal heart is formed in the gestational sac;
(3)  The South has compelling interests from the outset of a woman's pregnancy in protecting the health of the woman and the life of the unborn child; and
(4)  to make an informed choice about whether to continue her pregnancy, the pregnant woman has a compelling interest in knowing the likelihood of her unborn child surviving to full-term birth based on the presence of cardiac activity.

SECTION 4:  PROHIBITED ABORTION OF UNBORN CHILD WITH DETECTABLE FETAL HEARTBEAT;
(1) a physician may not knowingly perform or induce an abortion on a pregnant woman if the physician detected a fetal heartbeat for the unborn child or failed to perform a test to detect a fetal heartbeat.
(2)  A physician does not violate this section if the physician performed a test for a fetal heartbeat as required by Section 5

SECTION 5:  DETERMINATION OF PRESENCE OF FETAL HEARTBEAT
(1)  For the purposes of determining the presence of a fetal heartbeat under this section, "standard medical practice" includes employing the appropriate means of detecting the heartbeat based on the estimated gestational age of the unborn child and the condition of the woman and her pregnancy.
(2)  In making a determination under this section, the physician must use a test that is:

• (A)  consistent with the physician's good faith and reasonable understanding of standard medical practice; and
• (B)  appropriate for the estimated gestational age of the unborn child and the condition of the pregnant woman and her pregnancy.

(3)  A physician making a determination shall record in the pregnant woman's medical record:

• (A)  the estimated gestational age of the unborn child;
• (B)  the method used to estimate the gestational age; and
• (C)  the test used for detecting a fetal heartbeat, including the date, time, and results of the test.

SECTION 6: EXCEPTION FOR MEDICAL EMERGENCY
(1) Sections 4 and 5 do not apply if a physician believes a medical emergency exists that threatens the life of the pregnant woman
(2)  A physician who performs or induces an abortion under such circumstances shall make written notations in the pregnant woman's medical record of:

• (A)  the physician's belief that a medical emergency necessitated the abortion; and
• (B)  the medical condition of the pregnant woman that prevented compliance with this section

(3)  A physician performing or inducing an abortion under this section shall maintain in the physician's practice records a copy of the notations made under Section 5

SECTION 7:  SCOPE OF STATUTE.
(1)  This statute does not create or recognize a right to abortion before a fetal heartbeat is detected.
(2)  This statute may not be construed to:

• (a)  authorize the initiation of a cause of action against or the prosecution of a woman on whom an abortion is performed or induced or attempted to be performed or induced in violation of this statute;
• (b)  wholly or partly repeal, either expressly or by implication, any other statute that regulates or prohibits abortion
• (c)  restrict a political subdivision from regulating or prohibiting abortion in a manner that is at least as stringent as the laws of this region.

SECTION 8:  LIMITATIONS ON PUBLIC ENFORCEMENT.
(1)  The requirements of this statute shall be enforced exclusively through the private civil actions described in Section 9.  No enforcement of this statute may be taken or threatened by this region, a political subdivision, a district or county attorney, or an executive or administrative officer or employee of this region or a political subdivision against any person, except as provided in Section 9.

SECTION 9:  CIVIL LIABILITY FOR VIOLATION OR AIDING OR ABETTING VIOLATION.
(1)  Any person, other than an officer or employee of a state or local governmental entity in this region, may bring a civil action against any person who:

• (A)  performs or induces an abortion in violation of this statute;
• (B)  knowingly engages in conduct that aids or abets the performance or inducement of an abortion, including paying for or reimbursing the costs of an abortion through insurance or otherwise, if the abortion is performed or induced in violation of this statute, regardless of whether the person knew or should have known that the abortion would be performed or induced in violation of this statute; or
• (C)  intends to engage in the conduct described in the prior two subsections

(2)  If a claimant prevails in an action brought under this section, the court shall award:

• (A)  injunctive relief sufficient to prevent the defendant from violating this statute or engaging in acts that aid or abet violations of this statute;
• (B)  statutory damages in an amount of not less than $10,000 for each abortion that the defendant performed or induced in violation of this statute, and for each abortion performed or induced in violation of this statute that the defendant aided or abetted

(3)  a court may not award relief under this section if the defendant demonstrates that the defendant previously paid the full amount of statutory damages under a previous action for that particular abortion preformed or induced in violation of this statute, or for the particular conduct that aided or abetted an abortion performed or induced in violation of this statute.
(4)  A person may bring an action under this section not later than the fourth anniversary of the date the cause of action accrues.
(5)  Notwithstanding any other law, the following are not a defense to an action brought under this section:

• (A)  ignorance or mistake of law;
• (B)  a defendant's belief that the requirements of this statute are unconstitutional or were unconstitutional;
• (C)  a defendant's reliance on any court decision that has been overruled on appeal or by a subsequent court, even if that court decision had not been overruled when the defendant engaged in conduct that violates this statute;
• (D)  a defendant's reliance on any regional or federal court decision that is not binding on the court in which the action has been brought;
• (E)  non-mutual issue preclusion or non-mutual claim preclusion;
• (F)  the consent of the unborn child's mother to the abortion; or
• (G)  any claim that the enforcement of this section or the imposition of civil liability against the defendant will violate the constitutional rights of third parties

(6)  This section may not be construed to impose liability on any speech or conduct protected by the Article I, Section Two of the Atlasian Constitution, nor Article II, Section one of the Southern Constitution
(7)  Notwithstanding any other law, this region, a regional official, or a district or county attorney may not intervene in an action brought under this section.  This subsection does not prohibit a person described by this subsection from filing an amicus curiae brief in the action.
( 8 )  A court may not award costs or attorney's fees to a defendant in an action brought under this section.
(9)  Notwithstanding any other law, a civil action under this section may not be brought by a person who impregnated the abortion patient through an act of rape, sexual assault, or incest

SECTION 10: CIVIL LIABILITY: UNDUE BURDEN DEFENSE LIMITATIONS.
(1)  A defendant against whom an action is brought under Section 9 does not have standing to assert the rights of women seeking an abortion as a defense to liability under that section unless:

• (A)  the Atlasian Supreme Court holds that the courts of this region must confer standing on that defendant to assert the third-party rights of women seeking an abortion in the regional court as a matter of federal constitutional law; or
• (B)  the defendant has standing to assert the rights of women seeking an abortion under the tests for third-party standing established by the Atlasian Supreme Court

Section 11:  CIVIL LIABILITY:  VENUE. 
(1)  Notwithstanding any other law a civil action brought under Section 9 shall be brought in:

• (A)  the state in which all or a substantial part of the events or omissions giving rise to the claim occurred;
• (B)  the state of residence for any one of the natural person defendants at the time the cause of action accrued;
• (C)  the state of the principal office in this region of any one of the defendants that is not a natural person; or
• (D)  the state of residence for the claimant if the claimant is a natural person residing in this region.

(2)  If a civil action is brought under Section 9 in any one of the venues described in this section, the action may not be transferred to a different venue without the written consent of all parties.
       
SECTION 12:  SOVEREIGN, GOVERNMENTAL, AND OFFICIAL IMMUNITY PRESERVED. 
(1)  This region has sovereign immunity, a political subdivision has governmental immunity, and each officer and employee of this region or a political subdivision has official immunity in any action, claim, or counterclaim or any type of legal or equitable action that challenges the validity of any provision or application of this chapter, on constitutional grounds or otherwise.

SECTION 13:  SEVERABILITY.
(1) It is the intent of the Southern Chamber of delegates that every provision, section, subsection, sentence, clause, phrase, or word in this chapter, and every application of the provisions in this chapter, are severable from each other
(2)  If any application of any provision in this chapter to any person, group of persons, or circumstances is found by a court to be invalid or unconstitutional, the remaining applications of that provision to all other persons and circumstances shall be severed and may not be affected.  All constitutionally valid applications of this chapter shall be severed from any applications that a court finds to be invalid, leaving the valid applications in force, because it is the legislature's intent and priority that the valid applications be allowed to stand alone.  Even if a reviewing court finds a provision of this chapter to impose an undue burden in a large or substantial fraction of relevant cases, the applications that do not present an undue burden shall be severed from the remaining applications and shall remain in force, and shall be treated as if the legislature had enacted a statute limited to the persons, group of persons, or circumstances for which the statute's application does not present an undue burden.
(3)  If any court declares or finds a provision of this statute facially unconstitutional, when discrete applications of that provision can be enforced against a person, group of persons, or circumstances without violating the Atlasian Constitution and Southern  Constitution, those applications shall be severed from all remaining applications of the provision, and the provision shall be interpreted as if the legislature had enacted a provision limited to the persons, group of persons, or circumstances for which the provision's application will not violate Atlasian Constitution or Southern Constitution.
(4)  The legislature further declares that it would have enacted this chapter, and each provision, section, subsection, sentence, clause, phrase, or word, and all constitutional applications of this chapter, irrespective of the fact that any provision, section, subsection, sentence, clause, phrase, or word, or applications of this chapter, were to be declared unconstitutional or to represent an undue burden.
(5)  If any provision of this chapter is found by any court to be unconstitutionally vague, then the applications of that provision that do not present constitutional vagueness problems shall be severed and remain in force.
(6)  No court may decline to enforce the severability requirements of the preceding subsections on the ground that severance would rewrite the statute or involve the court in legislative or lawmaking activity.  (7) A court that declines to enforce or enjoins a state official from enforcing a statutory provision does not rewrite a statute, as the statute continues to contain the same words as before the court's decision.  A judicial injunction or declaration of unconstitutionality:

• (A)  is nothing more than an edict prohibiting enforcement that may subsequently be vacated by a later court if that court has a different understanding of the requirements of the Southern or Atlasian Constitutions
• (B)  is not a formal amendment of the language in a statute; and
• (C)  no more rewrites a statute than a decision by the executive not to enforce a duly enacted statute in a limited and defined set of circumstances.

Section 14: CONSTRUCTION OF ABORTION STATUTES.
(1) A Southern statute that regulates or prohibits abortion may not be construed to repeal any other statute that regulates or prohibits abortion, either wholly or partly, unless the repealing statute explicitly states that it is repealing the other statute.
(2) A statute may not be construed to restrict a political subdivision from regulating or prohibiting abortion in a manner that is at least as stringent as the laws of this region unless the statute explicitly states that political subdivisions are prohibited from regulating or prohibiting abortion in the manner described by the statute.
(3)  Every Southern statute that regulates or prohibits abortion is severable in each of its applications to every person and circumstance.  If any statute that regulates or prohibits abortion is found by any court to be unconstitutional, either on its face or as applied, then all applications of that statute that do not violate the Atlasian Constitution and Southern Constitution shall be severed from the unconstitutional applications and shall remain enforceable, notwithstanding any other law, and the statute shall be interpreted as if containing language limiting the statute's application to the persons, group of persons, or circumstances for which the statute's application will not violate the Atlasian Constitution and Southern Constitution
    
SECTION 14: APPLICABILITY
(1)  The change in law made by this Act applies only to an abortion performed or induced on or after the effective date of this Act.

SECTION 15: EFFECTIVE DATE
(1) This Act takes effect November 11, 2021.

[reagente]

Constitutional Convention Resolution:

Pursuant to Article VII, Section 4 of the Southern Constitution, this chamber considers it desirable to comprehensively improve this constitution, and we ask the governor to call a Constitutional Convention.

Per the aforementioned article, this resolution shall not be considered operative without the assent of four-fifths of the chamber.

[reagente]

CARRY ME BACK TO VIRGINIA ACT

Article I - "Logan Land Transfer"
1. Logan Township in Gray County, KS shall be transferred to West Virginia.
2. The afformentioned transferred area shall be added to West Virginia as a new county known as "New Logan County"
3. The unincorporated community of Charleston located within New Logan County shall be incorporated as "New Charleston," and will be the county seat of New Logan County
4. The capital of West Virginia shall be New Charleston
5. This Article shall take effect immediately.

Article II - "Amy Coney Barrett was Right"

1. The following counties of West Virginia shall be transferred to Virginia:
a. Barbour County, WV
b. Ben Lincoln County, WV
c. Berkeley County, WV
d. Boone County, WV
e. Boyd County, WV
f. Braxton County, WV
g. Brooke County, WV
h. Cabell County, WV
i. Calhoun County, WV
j. Clay County, WV
k. Doddridge County, WV
l. Fayette County, WV
m. Gilmer County, WV
n. Greenbrier County, WV
o. Hampshire County, WV
p. Hancock County, WV
q. Hardy County, WV
r. Harrison County, WV
s. Jackson County, WV
t. Jefferson County, WV
u. Lee County, WV
v. Lewis County, WV
w. Logan County, WV
x. Marion County, WV
y. Marshall County, WV
z. Mason County, WV
aa. McDowell County, WV
ab. McKenna County, WV
ac. Mercer County, WV
ad. Mineral County, WV
ae. Mingo County, WV
af. Monongalia County, WV
ag. Monroe County, WV
ah. Morgan County, WV
ai. Nicholas County, WV
aj. Nixon County, WV
ak. Pendleton County, WV
al. Pleasants County, WV
am. Pocahontas County, WV
an. Preston County, WV
ao. Putnam County, WV
ap. Raleigh County, WV
aq. Randolph County, WV
ar. Ritchie County, WV
as. Roane County, WV
at. Summers County, WV
au. Taylor County, WV
av. Tucker County, WV
aw. Tyler County, WV
ax. Upshur County, WV
ay. Wayne County, WV
az. Webster County, WV
ba. Wetzel County, WV
bb. Wirt County, WV
bc. Wood County, WV
2. The State of Virginia shall consist of 150 counties and 38 independent cities
3. The State of West Virginia shall consist of 1 county
4. This article shall take effect 1 minutes after passage

Article III - Renaming Fund
1. $10 million from the Pay-Go Fund shall be made available to assist local governments replace names and signage.
2. This article shall take effect 1 minutes after passage

[reagente]

STATEMENT ON SOUTHERN SOVERIGNITY RESOLUTION

Relating to SR 114-7: Regional Rights Amendment, being debated before the Atlasian Senate

1. Whereas, the citizenry of the South voted to permit a New Economic and Political Partnership with Atlasia with 82.7% in support
2. Whereas, the amendment provides that the South shall become sovereign after having made a formal offer to Atlasia for a new economic and political partnership
3. Whereas, SR 114-7: Regional Rights Amendment is currently being debated before the Atlasian Senate

4. Resolved, that a) the Southern legislature supports passage of the SR 114-7: Regional Rights Amendment, b) the Southern legislature endorses this proposal as an offer for a New Economic and Political Partnership, c) the Southern legislature recognizes that the South would obtain sovereignty from this proposal

[reagente]

GOVERNMENT RESTRUCTURING AMENDMENTS

Changes in government structure in recognition of the South's decision to become sovereign

Article III

1. The executive authority of The South shall be vested in the Governor President of The South. The governor President must be a registered voter in The South.

2. The governor President must be elected democratically by the people of The South. Elections are to be held every January, April, July and October for governor President. The appropriate election administrator will open the voting booth at 12:00:00am EDT of the penultimate Friday of the month and will close said booth the following Sunday at 11:59:59pm EDT. The election administrator must accept any absentee ballot received no more than 168 hours prior to the opening of the polls.

3. Candidates for governor President will be given until the Wednesday at 11:59:59 pm EDT preceding the first date of polling in the election they wish to contest to announce their candidacy and appear on the ballot. This is to be done by officially declaring their candidacy in the Candidate Declaration Thread.

4. When the polls close, the appropriate election administrator of The South shall be given twenty-four hours to count the votes and declare a winner. All gubernatorial Presidential elections shall be by single transferable vote, unless otherwise specified by law. The newly elected governor President is to be officially sworn in on the Friday following the election. In the case of a tie, all tied candidates are to run in a runoff election occurring in the weekend following the regularly scheduled election to determine a winner the members of the outgoing House of Burgesses will vote between the tied candidates to elect the new President. The winner will be eligible to swear in immediately. In the case of a tie in a runoff election, the newly elected legislature will vote between the tied candidates to elect the new governor. There may only be one governor President at any point in time. Once a new governor President is sworn in, the old one forfeits their office.

5. Should the office of governor President fall vacant at any point during the term, the chief officer of the legislature, or, should none be available, the longest continually-serving available member of the legislature, shall assume the role of acting governor until the legislature can vote to elect a new governor. If the legislature fails to select a new governor within 14 days of the vacancy, the acting governor shall become governor for the remainder of the term and vacate their seat in the legislature. If the acting governor fails to open a vote to elect a new governor within 3 days of the vacancy, any member of the legislature may open a vote to elect a new governor. the Vice President shall assume the role of President.

6. In the event that the governor President of The South, Vice President of the South, or any other executive official, commits an action or an instance of negligence that is deemed injurious to the public welfare or morals or to the interests of the Region and that is legally prohibited, The South Legislature House of Burgesses shall begin impeachment proceedings upon the sponsoring of one or more articles of impeachment by a member of the legislature and the seconding of such articles by another member. Should two-thirds three-fourths of the legislatureHouse of Burgesses vote to convict on one or more articles, the executive officer in question shall immediately forfeit their office.

7. The governor President shall have the power to carry out all acts in association with the enforcement of the laws passed under this Constitution; to fill vacancies in the legislature House of Burgesses; to command the regional militia in times of war; to appoint, with the consent of the Assembly House of Burgesses, the heads of any executive departments which may be established by law; to issue pardons and reprieves for crimes committed under the laws of this Region, which shall be permanent upon their issuance, though he shall have no power to pardon himself; to appoint, in accordance with Article V of the Constitution of the Republic of Atlasia, the Associate Justice for this Region; and to approve, or veto, all acts passed by the Assembly House of Burgesses.

8. The governor President has veto power over any piece of legislation passed by The Southern LegislatureHouse of Burgesses. The governor President may have the power to veto sections of legislation as opposed to the whole of any legislation, if provided for by law. The governor President must either sign or veto a piece of legislation or if applicable sections of legislation within one week of its passage, otherwise it will go into effect.

9. The governor President is obligated to present a yearly budget by March 1 July 1 of each year. The structure and procedure for the budget process are to be determined by law. The budget of all government activities is to be voted on by the legislature after a normal debate period. The budget shall remain in effect for 1 year from its date of passage, or until March 21st July 21st of the calendar year after that of its passage, whichever is earlier. The governor President is obligated to ensure that the budget does not provide for any deficits except in times of emergency or war, a condition the legislature House of Burgesses must successfully endorse by a two-thirds three-fourths majority. All budgets must include a plan for revenue and taxation.

10. Elections and referendums conducted under the authority and according to the provisions of this Constitution, shall be administered by the executive of the region; and the governor President of The South, in their capacity as chief of the executive branch, shall therefore bear title as administrator of elections for the region; but by their prerogative, the governor President may confer these duties upon a secondary office as may be established by law. In the event the governor President, or secondary officer so designated, should be unable to fulfill this obligation, then the chief officer of the legislature House of Burgesses, or in their absence the most senior member thereof, shall assume the title and authority of the administrator.

11. The office of governor President is to be deemed vacant upon the resignation, recall, or impeachment of the sitting governor President. A governor President who takes no action over a ten (10) day period shall automatically forfeit their office unless an official leave of absence is acknowledged prior.

12. The Vice President must be elected democratically by the people of The South separately from the President of The South. Elections are to be held every April for Vice President. The appropriate election administrator will open the voting booth at 12:00:00am EDT of the penultimate Friday of the month and will close said booth the following Sunday at 11:59:59pm EDT. The election administrator must accept any absentee ballot received no more than 168 hours prior to the opening of the polls.

13. Candidates for Vice President will be given until the Wednesday at 11:59:59 pm EDT preceding the first date of polling in the election they wish to contest to announce their candidacy and appear on the ballot. This is to be done by officially declaring their candidacy in the Candidate Declaration Thread.

14. When the polls close, the appropriate election administrator of The South shall be given twenty-four hours to count the votes and declare a winner. All vice-presidential elections shall be by single transferable vote, unless otherwise specified by law. The newly elected Vice President is to be officially sworn in on the Friday following the election. In the case of a tie, the outgoing President will select one of the tied candidates to be the new Vice President. There may only be one Vice President at any point in time. Once a new Vice President is sworn in, the old one forfeits their office.

15. Should the office of Vice President fall vacant at any point during the term, the President shall appoint, with the consent of the House of Burgesses, a new Vice President.

16. The House of Burgesses may pass a law providing an order of succession in the event that both the office of President and Vice President are vacant

Article IV:

1. The legislative power of The South shall be vested to the Southern Legislature House of Burgesses, which shall be composed of five (5) four (4) representatives. Three (3) representatives will be elected at-large, and one (1) will be elected by each of the two subregions. The House of Burgesses shall be divided into two classes, Class I and Class II. Each class will consist of one (1) representative elected by each of the two sub-regions.

2. At-large Representatives are to be elected by all citizens registered to vote in The South. Representatives elected from a given subregion are to be elected by all citizens registered to vote in the respective subregion. Representatives must be registered to vote in The South to qualify.

3. Elections to the Southern Legislature shall take place once every January, April, July, and October. Elections to Class I seats of the House of Burgesses shall occur every April. Elections to Class II seats of the House of Burgesses shall occur in April of 2023, then every subsequent October. Each Class of seat to the House of Burgesses shall always be voted on separately, as their own ballot line. The appropriate election administrator will open the voting booth at 12:00:00am EDT of the penultimate Friday of the month, and will close said booth the following Sunday at 11:59:59pm EDT. The election administrator must accept any absentee ballot received no more than one week prior to the opening of the polls.

4. Candidates for the Southern Legislature House of Burgesses will be given until the Wednesday at 11:59:59 pm EDT preceding the first date of polling in the election they wish to contest to announce their candidacy and appear on the ballot. This is to be done by officially declaring their candidacy in the Candidate Declaration Thread. Candidates should specify if they are running at-large, for the Upper South seat, or for the Deep South seat. which subregional seat and seat class they are running for.

5. When the polls close, the appropriate election administrator shall be given twenty-four (24) hours to count the votes and declare elected representatives. All legislative elections shall be by single transferable vote, unless otherwise specified by law. The newly elected representatives shall officially assume office on the Friday following the election, marking the beginning of a new legislative session. In the case of a tie, all tied candidates are to participate in a runoff election the following week to determine a winner, organized by the appropriate election administrators. If a tie remains, the Southern Governor President shall appoint a new Delegate until a new one is elected, in which case the appointed legislator shall forfeit their office.

6. Vacancies in the Southern Legislature House of Burgesses shall be filled in a manner specified by law, and until such determination is made, by Gubernatorial Presidential appointment. Vacancies occur upon resignation, recall, impeachment, failure to swear in within one week of the legislative session opening or failure to vote on final passage of four consecutive pieces of legislation without publicly declaring absence.

7. All legislation shall first be considered in the Southern Legislature House of Burgesses. Legislation shall be considered by the legislature House of Burgesses upon petition of the governor President, Vice President, any representative, or two Southerners.

8. Any piece of legislation attaining a majority of votes cast in the legislature shall be considered passed by the legislature House of Burgesses. Every piece of legislation shall relate to but one subject that is to be expressed in its title. No legislation shall become law without obtaining such a majority. In the event of a tie, the Vice President is empowered to break the tie, giving the piece of legislation a requisite majority

9. The legislature House of Burgesses shall determine its own methods of proceedings, and shall have the power to select its own officers and to judge the qualifications of its members.

10. The legislature House of Burgesses shall have the power to override the governor’s President's veto by a two-thirds three-fourths majority vote.

12. The laws of the legislature House of Burgesses shall be the supreme law of the South, and no State, local, territorial, tribal, or other subordinate government in the South shall be entitled to nullify, countermand, or contradict Southern law. The legislature House of Burgesses shall have the power to determine the eligibility and methods of organizing and electing any subordinate NPC State or local government office or title in the South.

13. The Vice President of the South shall be the president of the House of Burgesses.

Article VI

6. If the office of senator is to become vacant at some point while they are in office, the governor President may appoint a Southern citizen to fill out the remainder of the term if the next scheduled election for the seat is less than 2 weeks away. If the vacancy occurs 2 weeks to 8 weeks before the next scheduled election for the seat, the governor President may appoint a Southern citizen with the advice and consent of the Southern Legislature to fill out the remainder of the term. If the vacancy occurs more than 8 weeks before the next scheduled election for the seat, the election administrator shall conduct a special election to fill the seat for the remainder of the term. Said election must occur within 14 days of the vacancy.

Article VII:

1. The people of The South shall have the power to recall any regional or sub-regional elected official by the process of petition. Petitions that collect seven or more signatures shall be considered valid. When a valid petition is presented, the appropriate election administrator shall open the voting booth on the following Friday at 12:00:00am EDT and shall close said booth the following Sunday at 11:59:59pm EDT. The recall question is: “Shall [name of officer] be recalled from the office of [name of office held]?” The recall election may not occur within three days before the seventh signature is collected. Every citizen who is eligible to be voted for the office being recalled will be given the opportunity to vote YES to recall and NO to retain during this time. Abstentions will not affect the results. A majority of Southern citizens and no less than Four fifths of eligible voters must vote affirmatively to recall an elected official. Recalled officials shall forfeit their offices immediately.

2. The people of The South shall have the power to call a referendum on any law signed by the governor President during the legislative session in which it was passed by the process of petition. Petitions that collect seven or more signatures shall be considered valid. When a valid petition is presented, the appropriate election administrator shall open the voting booth on the next Friday at 12:00:00am EDT and shall close said booth the following Sunday at 11:59:59pm EDT. The referendum question is: “Shall [name of law, followed by text] be upheld as law?” Every citizen will be given the opportunity to vote YES to uphold and NO to repeal during this time. Abstentions will not affect the results. Any bill that fails to receive a majority approval will become null and void.

Article VIII:

4. Wheneverfour-fifths of the legislature three-fourths of the House of Burgesses or one-fourth of the registered voters of the Southern Region considers it desirable to comprehensively improve this constitution, the governor President shall call for a Constitutional Convention to propose revisions to this document, or replace it entirely. The Constitutional Convention shall consist of a minimum of three members chosen at the discretion of the governor President.

Article IX:

4. These changes shall go into effect immediately prior to, and shall be operative for, the scheduled April 2023 regional elections.
5. Any prior references to the "Governor" (and any synonyms or derivations) in Southern legislation shall be substituted with President (and appropriate synonyms or derivations). Any prior references to the "Southern legislature" (and any synonyms or derivations) in Southern legislation shall be substituted with House of Burgesses (and appropriate synonyms or derivations)

[reagente]

St. Louis County Reorganization Act

Relating to County Borders in Missouri

1. The areas denoted in Appendix A shall be separated from St. Louis County, Missouri and organized as "West County, Missouri"

2. The county seat of West County shall be Ballwin

3. All property and assets owned by St. Louis County, Missouri physically located in West County, Missouri shall be transferred to the ownership of West County, Missouri

4. $100 thousand from the Pay-Go Fund shall be made available to assist the new West County government in replacing names and signage

Appendix A:

[reagente]

ELECTION AMENDMENTS PACKAGE


Article III

3. Candidates for President will be given until the Wednesday Thursday at 11:59:59 pm 11:49:59 pm EDT preceding the first date of polling in the election they wish to contest to announce their candidacy and appear on the ballot. This is to be done by officially declaring their candidacy in the Candidate Declaration Thread.

11. The office of President is to be deemed vacant upon the resignation, recall, or impeachment of the sitting President. A resident who takes no action over a ten (10) day fourteen (14) day period shall automatically forfeit their office unless an official leave of absence is acknowledged prior.

12. The President of the South shall have the authority to put non-binding ballot questions to a vote. The President of the South shall have complete discretion to schedule these non-binding ballot questions, except that the voting booth for such questions must open 12:00:00am EDT on a Friday and close the following Sunday at 11:59:59pm EDT. The ballot question must specify that it is non-binding.

12. 13. The Vice President must be elected democratically by the people of The South separately from the President of The South. Elections are to be held every April for Vice President. The appropriate election administrator will open the voting booth at 12:00:00am EDT of the penultimate Friday of the month and will close said booth the following Sunday at 11:59:59pm EDT. The election administrator must accept any absentee ballot received no more than 168 hours prior to the opening of the polls.

13. 14. Candidates for Vice President will be given until the Wednesday Thursday at 11:59:59 pm 11:49:59 pm EDT preceding the first date of polling in the election they wish to contest to announce their candidacy and appear on the ballot. This is to be done by officially declaring their candidacy in the Candidate Declaration Thread.

14.15. When the polls close, the appropriate election administrator of The South shall be given twenty-four hours to count the votes and declare a winner. All vice-presidential elections shall be by single transferable vote, unless otherwise specified by law. The newly elected Vice President is to be officially sworn in on the Friday following the election. In the case of a tie, the outgoing President will select one of the tied candidates to be the new Vice President. There may only be one Vice President at any point in time. Once a new Vice President is sworn in, the old one forfeits their office.

16. The office of Vice President is to be deemed vacant upon the resignation or impeachment of the sitting Vice President. A Vice President who takes no action over a fourteen (14) day period shall automatically forfeit their office unless an official leave of absence is acknowledged prior.

15. 17. Should the office of Vice President fall vacant at any point during the term, the President shall appoint, with the consent of the House of Burgesses, a new Vice President.

16. 18. The House of Burgesses may pass a law providing an order of succession in the event that both the office of President and Vice President are vacant

Article IV:

6. Vacancies in the Southern Legislature shall be filled in a manner specified by law, and until such determination is made, by Gubernatorial appointment. Vacancies occur upon resignation, recall, impeachment, failure to swear in within one week of the legislative session opening or failure to vote on final passage of four consecutive pieces of legislation without publicly declaring absence

11. Initiatives may be proposed for public referendum with the support of at least 25% of the number of registered voters in The South. Alternatively, initiatives may be proposed for public referendum with the support of the Governor and a member of the House of Burgesses. The Secretary of Elections, or should that office be vacant the Dean of the House of Burgesses, shall have complete discretion to schedule these initiatives, except that the voting booth for such initiatives must open 12:00:00am EDT on a Friday and close the following Sunday at 11:59:59pm EDT.


Article VII:
1. The people of The South shall have the power to recall any regional or sub-regional elected official by the process of petition. Petitions that collect seven or more signatures shall be considered valid. When a valid petition is presented, the appropriate election administrator shall open the voting booth on the following Friday at 12:00:00am EDT and shall close said booth the following Sunday at 11:59:59pm EDT. The recall question is: “Shall [name of officer] be recalled from the office of [name of office held]?” The recall election may not occur within three days before the seventh signature is collected. Every citizen who is eligible to be voted for the office being recalled will be given the opportunity to vote YES to recall and NO to retain during this time. Abstentions will not affect the results. Four fifths of eligible voters must vote affirmatively to recall an elected official. Recalled officials shall forfeit their offices immediately.

2. 1.The people of The South shall have the power to call a referendum on any law signed by the President during the legislative session in which it was passed by the process of petition. Petitions that collect seven twelve or more signatures shall be considered valid. When a valid petition is presented, the appropriate election administrator shall open the voting booth on the next Friday at 12:00:00am EDT and shall close said booth the following Sunday at 11:59:59pm EDT. The referendum question is: “Shall [name of law, followed by text] be upheld as law?” Every citizen will be given the opportunity to vote YES to uphold and NO to repeal during this time. Abstentions will not affect the results. Any bill that fails to receive a majority approval will become null and void.

Article VIII:
1. Amendments to this Constitution shall be proposed by the citizens of The South or the Southern Legislature by the House of Burgesses. A proposed amendment in the legislature House of Burgesses shall be forwarded to the citizens of the Southern Region for ratification by popular vote by the citizens of the Southern Region upon an affirmative vote of two-thirds three-fourths of voting members and a majority of total members of the Southern Legislature of the total members of the House of Burgesses. An amendment proposed by a citizen of The South which receives the signatures of one-fourth of the total number of registered voters in The South must be presented to the Legislature in a timely manner. Alternatively, should an amendment be approved unanimously by the Legislature House of Burgesses, the Legislature House of Burgesses can amend the constitution with the signature of the Governor President.

2. For amendments forwarded to the citizens of the Southern Region, Except in November or December, the appropriate election administrator shall open the polling booth at 12:00:00am EDT on the penultimate Friday after the Amendment is referred out of the House of Burgessesof the month for all proposed Amendments approved by the Southern Legislature before 12:00:00am EDT on the second Friday of a month that have not already received a vote. In November or December, the appropriate election administrator shall open the polling booth at 12:00:00am EDT on the second Friday of the month for all proposed Amendments approved by the Southern Legislature before 12:00:00am EDT on the first Friday of the month that have not already received a vote. In all cases, the appropriate election administrator shall close the polling booth at 11:59:59pm EDT on the following Sunday. If the date for opening the polling booth coincides with another Southern election, the appropriate election administrator shall include the vote on any proposed Amendments in the polling booth for that election

3. Any Amendment proposed by the Southern Legislature House of Burgesses shall only become effective upon an affirmative vote of a majority of those citizens of the Southern Region who vote for or against the proposed Amendment.

Article IX:

4. These changes shall go into effect immediately prior to, and shall be operative for, the scheduled April 2023 regional elections.
5. 4. Any prior references to the "Governor" (and any synonyms or derivations) in Southern legislation shall be substituted with President (and appropriate synonyms or derivations). Any prior references to the "Southern legislature" (and any synonyms or derivations) in Southern legislation shall be substituted with House of Burgesses (and appropriate synonyms or derivations)
5. Every Article and Section of this Constitution is severable from the other. If a section of this Constitution is found invalid, the text of that section shall be replaced by its previous version, should a previous version exist

[reagente]

Speedy Referendums Amendment

Article VIII:

2. For amendments forwarded to the citizens of the Southern Region, Except in November or December, the appropriate election administrator shall open the polling booth at 12:00:00am EDT on the penultimate Friday after the Amendment is referred out of the House of Burgessesof the month for all proposed Amendments approved by the Southern Legislature before 12:00:00am EDT on the second Friday of a month that have not already received a vote. In November or December, the appropriate election administrator shall open the polling booth at 12:00:00am EDT on the second Friday of the month for all proposed Amendments approved by the Southern Legislature before 12:00:00am EDT on the first Friday of the month that have not already received a vote. In all cases, the appropriate election administrator shall close the polling booth at 11:59:59pm EDT on the following Sunday. If the date for opening the polling booth coincides with another Southern election, the appropriate election administrator shall include the vote on any proposed Amendments in the polling booth for that election

Article IX:

6. Article VIII, Section 2 shall apply to Amendments referred to the Southern public prior to the ratification of this article that have not yet received a vote as of the time of the ratification of this article

[reagente]

Impeachment Penalties Amendment

Article III:

6. In the event that the President of The South, Vice President of the South, or any other executive official, commits an action or an instance of negligence that is deemed injurious to the public welfare or morals or to the interests of the Region and that is legally prohibited, House of Burgesses shall begin impeachment proceedings upon the sponsoring of one or more articles of impeachment by a member of the legislature and the seconding of such articles by another member. Should three-fourths of the House of Burgesses vote to convict on one or more articles, the executive officer in question shall immediately forfeit their office and be banned from running for any Southern office for two years.

[reagente]

Enriching UlmerFudd Act

Section I. Title
1. This bill shall be called the "Enriching UlmerFudd Act"

Section II. Definitions
1. Corruption shall refer to "based"

Section III. Substance
2. UlmerIndustries shall be granted a yearly subsidy of $200,000
3. Southern Delegate UlmerFudd shall be granted a monthly pension of $50,000 upon leaving office
4. An 80 ft tall statue consisting of pure gold shall be commissioned in UlmerFudd's likeness
5. June 13th will be designated as UlmerFudd Day
6. The southern motto shall be designated as "Boys Only, Women Forbidden"
7. UlmerIndustries shall be granted special license to employ workers under the age of 10

co-sponsoring. I think will be the year we get this passed.

[reagente]

Country Roads Act

1. S.23-1.35: Carry Me Back to Virginia Act is hereby repealed
2. $10 million from the Pay-Go Fund shall be made available to assist local governments replace names and signage.
3. Babydog shall be designated the state dog of the South

[reagente]

Federal Elections Amendment

Article VIII:

5. Amendments to the federal constitution shall be voted upon by the people of The South in the same manner as amendments to the Southern Constitution, except that the polling booth shall be opened on the penultimate Friday of the month, rather than the Friday immediately following passage from the Atlasian Senate.

[reagente]

Executive Officer Codification Act

Section 1 - Cabinet Level Offices

1. The following Executive Branch positions shall be permanent, cabinet level offices of the South:
a. Secretary of State
b. Attorney General
c. Southern Archivist

2. The Secretary of State shall be the chief election administrator of the South, in charge of running elections, conducting Southern censuses, and any other constitutional duties of the "appropriate election administrator."

3. The Attorney General of the South will be tasked with prosecuting criminal violations, appointing special prosecutors, representing the South in Court whenever the South is a defendant.

4. The Southern Archivist will be tasked with maintaining records (including the Wiki pages)

Section 2 - Miscellaneous

5. Upon request of the cabinet level officer, the Prince may appoint a deputy to assist the cabinet level officer

6. All of the aformentioned offices, and their deputies are subject to recall according to the provisions of the Southern Constitution.

7. This law shall go into effect on 18 August 2023