HB 29-15: Bir Tawil Research Base Establishment Act (Final vote)

[Dr. MB]

AN ACT OF CONGRESS
To grant statehood for Bir Tawil

Section I: Title
1. The title of this bill shall be called the "Bir Tawil Statehood Act"

Section II: Statehood
1. The territory of Bir Tawil shall be granted statehood after the passage of this bill.

Section III: Impact
1. Should this bill pass the impacts is as follows:
a. All Atlasian nationals in Bir Tawil shall be granted citizenship
b. Bir Tawil shall become a state, effective immediately
c. Any person born within Bir Tawil shall be granted citizenship immediately upon statehood.
2. Bir Tawil shall be in the region of Lincoln.

Sponsor: Ishan

Sponsor, please advocate and then there will be 72 hours for debating.

[KoopaDaQuick 🇵🇸]

of course that sh!thole would be in lincoln

[Continential]

Bir Tawil is currently a territory, and what this bill does, is that it grants Bir Tawil statehood, and I hope that this Congress decides to pass this act because the residents of Bir Tawil deserve statehood, if there are any residents.

[P. Clodius Pulcher did nothing wrong]

Does Bir Tawil have enough residents to become a state?

[OBD]

NPC elections in bir Tawil yessss

[KaiserDave]

Bir Tawil is Sudan

[Sirius_]

Does Bir Tawil have enough residents to become a state?

IRL Bir Tawil has no residents but the Game Moderator may decide otherwise. Its barren, remote, and has no way to the mainland of Atlasia except by air or through Sudan and Egypt. Not a great place for Atlasian settlement, but if the GM decides that there are people there, it might as well become a state.

[Talleyrand]

I would rather have the territory become an Atlasian research or military base, remaining directly under the jurisdiction of the federal government. Perhaps we could use Ishan's bill as an opportunity to clarify Bir Tawil's status? 

[Peanut]

Ninja asked me this in my thread, but I'll clear it up here as well: Bir Tawil is still uninhabited, and no permanent settlements have been established there.

[Sirius_]

In this case I do not support admitting a state with no population.

[Continential]

I would rather have the territory become an Atlasian research or military base, remaining directly under the jurisdiction of the federal government. Perhaps we could use Ishan's bill as an opportunity to clarify Bir Tawil's status? 

I'd be fine with Bir Tawil becoming a military/research base, should you offer an amendment to to do that, I won't object to that amendment.

[Talleyrand]

Perhaps we could build a government-run airport there? It would provide a nice strategic hub in the eastern hemisphere.

[Sirius_]

Perhaps we could build a government-run airport there? It would provide a nice strategic hub in the eastern hemisphere.

This raises a question though of whether this is worth the cost. We already have a base in Djibouti, covering much the same area but with far better logistics. Almost everything would most likely have to come through air, which is not exactly a good thing, unless we convinced Egypt or Sudan to build 100 miles or so of new road for our benefit. And it could be easily blockaded. I would agree that research is the most viable usage of this land.

[OBD]

Perhaps we could build a government-run airport there? It would provide a nice strategic hub in the eastern hemisphere.

This raises a question though of whether this is worth the cost. We already have a base in Djibouti, covering much the same area but with far better logistics. Almost everything would most likely have to come through air, which is not exactly a good thing, unless we convinced Egypt or Sudan to build 100 miles or so of new road for our benefit. And it could be easily blockaded. I would agree that research is the most viable usage of this land.

shhhhhh its ok

just accept NPC elections in bir tawil pog pog pog

[Southern Senator North Carolina Yankee]

Bir Tawil is currently a territory, and what this bill does, is that it grants Bir Tawil statehood, and I hope that this Congress decides to pass this act because the residents of Bir Tawil deserve statehood, if there are any residents.

This has got to be one of the most odd bill advocacy I have seen.

[Joseph Cao]

This bill seems excessive. If there are no settlements there and no obvious reason to grant statehood, why are we doing this?

Why not admit an uninhabited patch of public land in the Virgin Islands as a state too, while we're at it? Or a nine-foot-square section of runway on a random aircraft carrier in the Pacific? They have as much claim to that right, if not better in the case of the aircraft carrier.

[Dr. MB]

Perhaps we could build a government-run airport there? It would provide a nice strategic hub in the eastern hemisphere.

Are you going to propose an amendment for this?

[Talleyrand]

Perhaps we could build a government-run airport there? It would provide a nice strategic hub in the eastern hemisphere.

Are you going to propose an amendment for this?

Yes. Later today.

[Southern Senator North Carolina Yankee]

I mean granted he didn't say military airport, but this is one heck of a way to achieve power projection in a region without stating such.

[Dr. MB]

Perhaps we could build a government-run airport there? It would provide a nice strategic hub in the eastern hemisphere.

Are you going to propose an amendment for this?

Yes. Later today.

?

[Talleyrand]

AN ACT OF CONGRESS
To facilitate exploration of different worlds

Section I: Title
1. The title of this bill shall be called the "Bir Tawil Statehood Act" "Bir Tawil Research Base Establishment Act"

Section II: Statehood
1. The territory of Bir Tawil shall be granted statehood after the passage of this bill.

Section III: Impact
1. Should this bill pass the impacts is as follows:
a. All Atlasian nationals in Bir Tawil shall be granted citizenship
b. Bir Tawil shall become a state, effective immediately
c. Any person born within Bir Tawil shall be granted citizenship immediately upon statehood.
2. Bir Tawil shall be in the region of Lincoln.


Section II: Research Base
1. A research base operated by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration shall be established in the territory of Bil Tawil.
2. The base shall be a center for NASA's Desert Research and Technology Studies (RATS) program.
3. The base shall be called "Base Barnes" in honor of longtime Atlasian public servant and former Senator Roy Barnes 2010.

Section III: Funding
1. The Department of the Treasury shall allocate $120 million for the establishment of the base.
2. The Department of the Treasury shall allocate $30 million each year following the establishment of the base to fund its core activities.

This is my proposed amendment to spur debate.

[Continential]

The amendment by Representative Talleyrand is friendly.

[Dr. MB]

AN ACT OF CONGRESS
To facilitate exploration of different worlds

Section I: Title
1. The title of this bill shall be called the "Bir Tawil Statehood Act" "Bir Tawil Research Base Establishment Act"

Section II: Statehood
1. The territory of Bir Tawil shall be granted statehood after the passage of this bill.

Section III: Impact
1. Should this bill pass the impacts is as follows:
a. All Atlasian nationals in Bir Tawil shall be granted citizenship
b. Bir Tawil shall become a state, effective immediately
c. Any person born within Bir Tawil shall be granted citizenship immediately upon statehood.
2. Bir Tawil shall be in the region of Lincoln.


Section II: Research Base
1. A research base operated by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration shall be established in the territory of Bil Tawil.
2. The base shall be a center for NASA's Desert Research and Technology Studies (RATS) program.
3. The base shall be called "Base Barnes" in honor of longtime Atlasian public servant and former Senator Roy Barnes 2010.

Section III: Funding
1. The Department of the Treasury shall allocate $120 million for the establishment of the base.
2. The Department of the Treasury shall allocate $30 million each year following the establishment of the base to fund its core activities.

This is my proposed amendment to spur debate.

Amendment has been adopted.

[Joseph Cao]

I have no intrinsic objections to research bases, but is Bir Tawil – smack in the middle of a politically unstable region – the best place for such a base?

[Dr. MB]

I have no intrinsic objections to research bases, but is Bir Tawil – smack in the middle of a politically unstable region – the best place for such a base?

Yes, yes it is