Senate Legislation Introduction Thread (New)

[Sirius_]

UNSAFE DRINKING WATER BAN ACT

1. As used in this act, raw water means any individually-packaged water intended for human consumption that has not been purified, sterilized, or treated to eliminate harmful microbiota below federal safety limits.

2. It shall be a misdemeanor punishable by a fine of no more than $10,000.00 and disgorgement of profits for any person in interregional commerce to sell, manufacture for sale, import for sale, or advertise for sale, any raw water.

3. This act shall take effect 120 days after the date of passage.

[Sirius_]

RAIL FAILS ACT

I. Safety Regulations

1. It shall be unlawful for any railroad company, or any receiver or trustee operating a railroad, to place stationary cars or trains on its track within a distance of 1,500 feet on both sides of any crossing of a railroad with a highway. Any such railroad company, receiver, or trustee violating any of the provisions of this section shall be fined $5,000 per day. This section shall not apply when the train is stopped due to breakdown, mechanical failure, or emergency.

2. No railroad company shall run or permit to be run any train that exceeds 8,500 feet in length on any mainline or branch line. Any railroad company in violation of this section shall be fined $2,500 for each foot by which the train exceeds this limitation.

3. If the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) determines, sua sponte or upon petition or complaint, that a railroad company committed a grossly negligent violation or a pattern of repeated violations that caused an imminent threat of death or injury to individuals or has caused such death or injury, the railroad company shall be fined no less than $100,000 and no more than $250,000 in addition to any other fine imposed pursuant to this act.
4. No railroad company shall use or allow the use of any train, locomotive, or light engine in connection with the movement of freight unless it has a crew consisting of at least two (2) qualified individuals. The provisions of this section shall not apply to the use of a train, locomotive, or light engine for hostler or utility service. Any railroad company violating the provisions of this section shall be fined $2,500. For a second violation within three (3) years, such railroad company shall be fined $5,000. For a third or subsequent violation within three (3) years of the first violation, such railroad company shall be fined $10,000. The number of violations within three (3) years shall be measured by the dates that the violations occur.

5. The FRA, after due notice and hearing upon the company or the employee so offending, may order a railroad company to comply with the requirements of this section.

6. Any fine collected pursuant to this section shall be used for railway safety projects and projects that increase railway crossing safety shall be prioritized.

II. FRA Tweaks

1. An additional $250,000,000 shall be appropriated to the Federal Railroad Administration for the purposes of safety inspection and enforcement.

2. The Federal Railroad Administration shall, within a timely manner, produce a set of standards pertaining to the specifications, location, and maintenance of railroad defect detectors.

III. Timing

1. This act shall take effect sixty (60) days from the date of passage, except for section II.1, which shall take effect in the next fiscal year after the date of passage.

[Sirius_]

RAILS Act

An act to improve rail infrastructure and make the railroad industry more competitive

I. Title

1. The title of this legislation shall be the Railroad Advancement and Investment for Long-term Sustainability Act, shortened to RAILS Act.

II. Railroad Restructuring

1. The Federal Railroad Administration shall be renamed the Consolidated Rail Administration, shortened to Conrail.
2. Conrail shall, at a fair price, purchase the main and branch line railroads of all Class I and Class II railways located within the 48 continental states of Atlasia.
3. All railroads owned the the National Railroad Passenger Corporation (Amtrak) shall be placed under the control of Conrail.
4. Conrail shall be responsible for maintaining and upgrading the railroads under its control, for constructing new railroads as it sees fit, and for facilitating the connection of new customers and rail yards to its network.
5. Conrail shall, for a reasonable fee, allow private operators of freight and passenger trains to utilize its network. Any operator shall be permitted to access all portions of the network, except for railroads which are restricted due to safety reasons or high passenger traffic, and no private operator shall be granted exclusive rights over any section of track.
6. Conrail shall, for no fee, allow publicly operated passenger trains to utilize its network.

III. Railroads for the Future

1. $5 billion shall be appropriated to Conrail for the purposes of electrifying and double tracking railroads under its control.
2. Operators shall only use electric locomotives on electrified rail lines owned by Conrail, except for distances under 50 miles or if granted a special permit by Conrail.
3. The purchase of electric locomotives shall not be subject to sales tax by any level of government.
4. Amtrak shall no longer be required to operate with the intention of earning a profit.

IV. Timing

1. This act shall take effect sixty (60) days from the date of passage.

Authorship Statement: ChatGPT came up with the title of this bill. However, none of the content of this bill was written with the assistance of ChatGPT or other A.I.

[Sirius_]

Authorship Statement: ChatGPT came up with the title of this bill. However, none of the content of this bill was written with the assistance of ChatGPT or other A.I.

Nooooo, not the acronyms! Another timeless tradition lost to the robots!

It wasn't for lack of trying on my part

[Sirius_]

Senate Resolution

To amend the Constitution to disallow secession referendums and other attempts to dissolve the Union.

Be It Resolved in the Atlasian Senate Assembled, that upon ratification by 2/3rds of the Regions, the Constitution shall be amended as follows:

STOP OUR SECESSIONISTS (S.O.S.) AMENDMENT

The following Section is to be amended under Article II of the Fifth Constitution:

No region shall secede from this Republic but by a 3/4 vote of the citizens thereof, nor shall any Region, state, or other entity declare itself outside the jurisdiction of this Constitution so long as it remains party to this Union.

This Constitutional Amendment removes the possibility of secession referendums seeking to dissolve Atlasia. This aims to ensure stability and continuity of the nation and game.

[Sirius_]

The Land Act

An act to implement land value taxation

I. Federal Land Value Tax

1. For each fiscal year, a tax shall be levied on the value of all land held by private individuals and entities. The appraised value of land shall be taxed at a rate of 1% for the first $1,000,000 and 2% for all value above $1,000,000.
2. Land held by non-profit non-governmental organizations shall be exempt from this tax.
3. The market value of land shall be fairly appraised by the Internal Revenue Service every five years. The IRS may stagger appraisal dates by region.

II. Other Tax Adjustments

1. The federal government, nor any region or state, shall not pass any law which restricts the ability of lower levels of government to levy a tax on the value of land. All such laws which currently exist shall be voided.
2. The rate of corporate tax shall be reduced to 23%.
3. The lowest five income tax brackets shall be reduced by 1%.

III. Timing

1. This act shall take effect at the start of the next fiscal year.
2. The IRS shall begin appraising the value of land immediately after the passage of this act.

[Sirius_]

An Amendment

To allow more citizens to participate in governing.


Be it enacted by two-thirds of the Senate of the Republic of Atlasia assembled, and at least two-thirds of the Regions henceforth;

Section 1. Title
1. This amendment may be referred to as the Expanding Public Service Amendment
Section 2. Amendments
1. Article III, Section 1 of the constitution is amended as follows,

4. No person shall be a Senator who has not attained two hundred fifty or more posts, nor whose account is fewer than fourteen hundred and forty seven hundred and twenty hours old, nor shall any person be a regional or subregional senator who is not a citizen of the region or subregion they are chosen to represent

This amendment reduces the post and account age requirements to hold the office of senator, in order to allow a greater number of citizens to hold public office in Atlasia, especially newer citizens.

I request priority as this amendment addresses a current issue.

[Sirius_]

Introducing the following constitutional amendment:

Article I, Section 2 of the Fifth Constitution is hereby amended:

Section 2.

No region or other entity under the jurisdiction of this Constitution at the date of its original adoption shall secede from this Republic but by a 3/4 vote of the citizens thereof, nor shall any Region, state, nor other entity nor declare itself outside the jurisdiction of this Constitution.

I already have an amendment to remove secession in the queue from last session. I'd be happy to adopt your wording when mine comes to the floor.

[Sirius_]

Introducing the following constitutional amendment:

Article I, Section 2 of the Fifth Constitution is hereby amended:

Section 2.

No region or other entity under the jurisdiction of this Constitution at the date of its original adoption shall secede from this Republic but by a 3/4 vote of the citizens thereof, nor shall any Region, state, nor other entity nor declare itself outside the jurisdiction of this Constitution.

I already have an amendment to remove secession in the queue from last session. I'd be happy to adopt your wording when mine comes to the floor.

This sounds good. Perhaps as a compromise, I can see about expediting this via the presidential queue to be on the floor immediately upon electing our PPT (not sure exactly when yours would hit the floor)? Happy to share co-sponsorship!

I can agree to that

[Sirius_]

Senate Resolution

To amend the Constitution to disallow secession referendums and other attempts to dissolve the Union.

Be It Resolved in the Atlasian Senate Assembled, that upon ratification by 2/3rds of the Regions, the Constitution shall be amended as follows:

STOP OUR SECESSIONISTS (S.O.S.) AMENDMENT

The following Section is to be amended under Article II of the Fifth Constitution:

No region shall secede from this Republic but by a 3/4 vote of the citizens thereof, nor shall any Region, state, or other entity declare itself outside the jurisdiction of this Constitution so long as it remains party to this Union.

This Constitutional Amendment removes the possibility of secession referendums seeking to dissolve Atlasia. This aims to ensure stability and continuity of the nation and game.

I hereby remove this resolution from the queue.

[Sirius_]

SENATE BILL
To protect the employment and wellbeing of hard-working Atlasians
Be it enacted in the Senate of Atlasia

Section 1; Title
1. This Act may be cited as the 'Jobs Are Good Act'
Section 2; Substance
1. The Ron Paul Act is repealed in its entirely, and shall be considered to have had no effect on the mandates applying to the Federal Reserve.
Section 3; Implementation
1. This legislation shall come into effect immediately upon passage into law.

Reintroducing this

[Sirius_]

Save Orphan Bills Amendment

A resolution to give sponsorless bills a second chance

1. Article 4, section 2 of the Official Senate Procedures and Rules for Operation is amended as follows,

2.) The sponsor of a piece of legislation may at any time withdraw their sponsorship. In addition, when the sponsor is no longer a Senator, their sponsorship shall be revoked automatically. If no member of the Senate moves to assume sponsorship of the legislation within 48 168 hours, the legislation shall be tabled automatically.

[Sirius_]

I call on the PPT to remove the The Greenland Independence and Environmental Protection Act from the queue for being frivolous, as Greenland is not an Atlasian territory.

[Sirius_]

I call on the PPT to remove the The Greenland Independence and Environmental Protection Act from the queue for being frivolous, as Greenland is not an Atlasian territory.

What GM update has elaborated this because that's not clear to me?

There was never a GM update recognizing Greenland as Atlasia in the first place. It is, and always has been, a territory of Denmark.