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DispatchBulletinPolicy

by Chairman ashlawn. . 437 reads.

Senate Legislative Docket

Senate Legislative Docket

To submit a bill to the Senate docket, please find a Senator to sponsor it and then please telegram it to Chairman ashlawn or Ashlawn

Bills are listed in priority to the opinion of the Chair, this is subject to change at any time.




Amendment to L.R.009
-- Written by Toerana V, Of altonianic islands --
-- Sponsored by Toerana V, Nova anglicum --

1. A recall may be initiated by against a member of the House of Commons or Senate for reasons not listed in Article III;
2. To initiate a recall the citizen must do the following;
2-1. Publish a petition on the Regional Message Board that targets a specific, valid individual, stating an explicit reason for the recall, during the format in Article VI;
2-2. Obtain the signatures of five or more citizens excluding the proposer;
2-3. Submit a complete petition to the Electoral Commission within 5 days of the petition's start.

1. Upon receiving a petition, the Electoral Commission must trigger a vote that will follow the following procedure;
1-1. A Vote is opened upon receiving a complete petition;
1-2. The vote will last for 3 days;
1-3. The vote requires the support of 60% of the voters to pass.
2. Upon the successful passing of the recall petition, the target of the petition will be removed from their position;
2-1. If the position is elected, a bi-election will be triggered.
3. If the recall petition fails, the target of the petition may not be recalled for a period of 14 days.

1. A petition is declared invalid if it's reason is declared as being any of the following;
1-1. Problems with Policy
2. A petition is declared invalid if it fails to meet the criteria set out in Article I;
3. The Court may declare a petition invalid if it believes the reasoning is listed, or is a variation on what is listed, in Article III, Section I or II.

1. A recall may be initiated against a member of Congress by three members of Congress, or a citizen sponsored by three member of Congress, in either the House of Commons or Senate;
1-1. The members of Congress may be from either the Senate or House of Commons, regardless of which house the recall is initiated in.
1-2. A Recall may only be enacted against a member of Congress if they are deemed to have broken the laws of Thaecia or of NationStates, repeatedly subverted the official Procedures of their respective chamber, or endured a prolonged period of inactivity.
1-3. If the member cannot be found guilty of any of the aforementioned wrongdoings, a Recall may not be enacted against them.
2. Recall Procedure is outlined in Article V.

1. A recall vote commences in the Senate, lasting 2 days or until all Senators have voted;
1-1. It requires the support of 2/3rds of all incumbent Senators to pass.
2. If it passes the Senate, a recall vote commences in the House of Commons, lasting 2 days or until all MPs have voted;
1-1. It requires the support of 2/3rds of all MPs to pass.
3. If the vote passes the House of Commons, it is sent to the High Court for approval;
3-1. Approval from the court requires unanimous agreement from all incumbent justices.
4. If the recall is passed by the Senate, House of Commons and High Court, the individual is immediately removed from Office;
4-1. A Bi-election is triggered for the vacant seat.
5. If a recall vote fails to pass in either the Senate, House of Commons or High Court, the recall vote is dismissed.

1.
Petitioner:
Reasoning:
Additional Signatories:

1. The Entirety of L.R.009 is replaced with the above proposal.

Read dispatch


Author: Islonia
Co-Author: Brototh
Sponsor: Islonia

Noting that in Thaecian Law, regulations and further expansion the definition of Congress are dispersed throughout different laws and -- acknowledging the need for some of them to be reformed;

Congress hereby agrees to the following:

Section I - For the purposes of this bill, a representative shall be defined as either a Member of Parliament, or a Senator.

Section II - The leader of a legislative chamber shall be as per the Constitution:

    1. The Chairperson of the Senate

    2. The Speaker of the House of Commons

Section III - The leader of a chamber is chosen by a simple majority vote amongst representatives of the chamber. Said vote shall be organised by the Electoral Commission.

Section IV - It is the duty and role of the leader of each chamber to:

    1. Maintain order

      a. If a representative is breaking the rules set out in Article(X) , the leader of the chamber may suspend them from speaking on the floor.

    2. Set the chamber's agenda. This includes organising debates, votes, and maintaining the legislative docket.

      a. However, the leader of a chamber must put a bill to debate and consequently voting after the ongoing business is over if

        - the bill has been sponsored by at least 3/5ths of the chamber's members and;

        - the author of the bill requests that it be given priority.

    3. Any other responsibility set out throughout the rest of this Act.

Section IV - There can be only one leader of a chamber at a time.

Section I - The deputy leader(s) of a legislative chamber shall be:

    1. The Deputy Chairperson(s) of the Senate

    2. The Deputy Speaker(s) of the House of Commons

Section II - The deputy leader(s) of a legislative chamber shall be appointed by the leader of the chamber. A sitting leader cannot appoint themselves as deputy.

Section III - Deputy leader(s) can temporarily take over the leader's role if given direct permission from the latter. They shall exercise the same duties and roles set in Article(I)(IV).

Section IV - Shall a chamber leader be inactive for longer than 2 days with the chamber not adjourned or in recess, the deputy leader shall take over their duties and role until either the leader returns, resigns or loses their seat.

  • 1. If there is more than one deputy leader, then the senior deputy will take over the chamber leader's attributions.

Section V - A chamber must always have a minimum of one and a maximum of three deputy leader(s) at a time.

  • 1. Should a chamber have more than one deputy leader, the chamber leader must officially disclose their seniority.

Section I - As long as they comply with Article(V), bills are entitled to a minimum of 12 hours of debate and a maximum of 5 days of debate. It is up to the chamber leader how long a bill is debated for.

  • 1. The purpose of the debate time is for representatives to share and discuss their thoughts and opinions on the bill in question.

Section II - Amendments may be sponsored by a representative at any time during the debate process.

  • 1. Amendments can change either part or all of the bill on the floor.

      a. In the event one citizen's amendment(s) rewrite more than 70% of a bill, their name shall be added as an author of the bill.

  • 2. Amendments shall be debated during the debate stage of the main bill. However, for each Amendment submitted, up to an additional 12 hours can be added to the maximum debate time set out in Article(III)(I) at the discretion of the chamber leader. This addition cannot total more than 3 days.

Section I - Voting shall work as stated below:

  • 1. Representatives may cast their votes the following way:

      a. Aye, in favour;

      b. Nay, in opposition;

      c. Abstain, abstention.

  • 2. Representatives who do not cast their votes are counted as absentees and discounted from the overall total of votes cast.

  • 3. An overall majority of representatives are required to cast a vote for the chamber to reach quorum. No bill or amendment can be passed without a quorum.

Section II - The voting stage shall occur after the debate period has been closed by the chamber leader.

  • 1. If any amendments have been submitted, the chamber leader is encouraged to put them to vote but can reject any amendment seen unfit for consideration.

      a. Voting time on amendments must be between 6 hours and 2 days.

      b. The main bill shall be changed in accordance with any amendment obtaining a simple majority of the vote.

      c. If the main bill has been amended, this should be noted with the text: “As amended by: [Author's Name]” added under “Author” & “Sponsor”.

  • 2. Once amendment voting is complete or if there was no amendment, the main bill shall be voted on.

      a. Voting time on the main bill must be between 24 hours and 5 days or until all representatives have cast their vote.

      b. A representative may be allowed to cast their vote for a bill in advance should they signal that they might not otherwise be available during the regular voting period, provided no amendments pass on the bill.

Section I - Any Thaecian citizen can author legislation, however;

Section II - In order for legislation to be put up for debate, it must be sponsored by a representative.

Section III - In order for a bill to be legitimate, it must contain a bill name, an author, and a sponsor.

Section IV - The chamber leader may refuse to put a bill on the docket or request the author rewrite the bill if it does not contain the requirements set out in Article(V)(III), is poorly written (spelling, punctuation, grammar) or contains profanity, inappropriate, or offensive language.

Section I - The author(s) of a bill maintains the right to unilaterally amend their bill whilst it is being debated by Congress.

Section II - If the author(s) do unilaterally amend their bill whilst it is being debated by Congress, they must inform the respective Chamber of the amendment they have implemented by a post on the Chamber's Regional Message Board. This post must quote the text of the bill - both before and after amending - and must be presented in a way that makes it clear to Representatives how the text of the bill has been edited.

Section III - The author(s) lose this ability to unilaterally amend a bill when at least one of the following conditions has been met:

    1. One or more amendments has been passed by Congress;

    2. Congress has passed the bill;

    3. The bill is being considered by one Chamber after being passed by the other Chamber;

    4. All representatives in the Chamber voting on the bill have voted.

Section I - A motion will be defined as a proposal made in a deliberative assembly by one of its members or a sponsored citizen.

Section II - Such proposal has to differ from a regular bill or points of order barring the fact they must follow the same procedures as detailed in Article(III) and Article (IV).

Section I - A hearing will be defined as the summoning of an individual to answer questions or state their case in an ongoing investigation.

Section II - A hearing may only be called on for members of the government or a past government. For the purpose of this bill, the following positions shall be defined as member of a government: President, Prime Minister, Minister, Deputy Minister, Justice, Deputy Justice, Electoral Commissioner, Deputy Electoral Commissioner, Secretary, Ministerial and Departmental Staffers (excluding the Roleplay and Worldbuilding Administrations).

Section III- In order for a Hearing to be held, a proposal must be put to the floor of that chamber and passed with a simple majority.

Section IV - Hearings can be called on when a member of the government has been neglecting their duties or is executing them poorly. A hearing can also be called to receive explicit information on an ongoing or past crisis. A crisis will be defined as an important event negatively impacting the community or the reputation of the region.

Section V- An individual called by Congress for a hearing has the right to contest the justification for said hearing in Court if they deem it does not fit the proceeds of Article(VIII)(IV) of this Act.

Section I - Points of Order are direct questions asked by (a) representative(s) to the chamber leader that are proper, relevant, and related to the chamber's business.

Section II - The chamber leader is obliged to respond to Points of Order which fit guidelines in Article(IX)(I).

Section III - In order for a representative to make it clear they are making a Point of Order, they must say “Point of Order”, prior to asking their question.

Section I - All representatives must act orderly in their respective chamber's RMB.

Section II - Disorderly behaviour is defined as using profanity or inappropriate language, personally attacking another representative, unjustly accusing or lying about another representative, treating others with a significant lack of dignity or respect, or any other manner of such actions.

Section III - Being disorderly can result in suspension from the chamber. The duration of the suspension shall be at the discretion of the chambers' leader. This suspension can be contested in court.

Section I - The usage of the chamber's RMB shall be restricted to: Senators for the Senate RMB and Members of Parliament for the House of Commons RMB; The Prime Minister; The President; authors of bills; persons being considered for a position (example: Ministers) and people sponsored to participate in a debate.

Section II - Representatives may be allowed to sponsor citizens to participate in debates by stating on the chamber's RMB who they are sponsoring. A representative may only be allowed to sponsor one individual per debate. If the chamber leader believes this system is being abused, they shall be allowed to revoke the right of a sponsored citizen to speak on the chamber's RMB.

Section III - The usage of one chamber's RMB by individuals who do not fall into any of the categories listed above shall be declared illegal and punishable under the law.

Section I - Tabling occurs when ongoing chamber business is sidelined by the chamber leader to make way for more urgent business.

Section II - In the event a bill is tabled, its entitled debate and voting times are reset for when it goes back on the floor.

Section III - The chamber leader has the right to table any business at any time.

Section I - Adjournments are where the chamber leader deliberately stops all business for a short period of time.

Section II - Adjournments may only be called if there is no other business to be put to the floor.

Section III - Adjournments called by the chamber leader can be long lasting if there is no other business to be put to the floor. As soon as a business is available it must be put to the floor within 2 days except as per Article(XIII)(IV).

Section IV - A chamber will be automatically adjourned 24 hours before whole Chamber elections are held, but this can be as early as 168 hours (7 days) before at the Chamber Leader's choice.

Section V: A Chamber, through a simple majority vote, may motion to temporarily adjourn for any period of time as determined by the motion.

    1. This can be undone at any time by a separate motion, which must also pass with a simple majority vote.

Section I - This act constitutes the repeal of:

  • 1. L.R. 024 Parliament Procedures Act

  • 2. L.R. 027 Shadow Speaker Appointment Act

  • 3. L.R. 034: Congressional Toolbox Act

  • 4. L.R. 037 Senate Procedures Act

Read factbook


Repeal of L.R. 036 The Thaecian Anti-Discrimination in Government Act

Author: Marvinville
Sponsor: Marvinville

Preamble:

Recognizing how L.R. 036 The Thaecian Anti-Discrimination in Government Act serves no valuable purpose in the region.

Congress hereby agrees,

Article I:

  • Section I - This bill hereby repeals L.R. 036 The Thaecian Anti-Discrimination in Government Act


Read dispatch


Author(s): Dendrobium
Sponsor(s): Dendrobium

Noting that Thaecia generally aims to improve relations with other regions through, among other things, inter-regional pacts and treaties;
Observing how the procedures put forward in the Constitution of Thaecia surrounding inter-regional pacts and treaties are limited in their specific execution;
Concluding that inter-regional pacts and treaties are by nature no ordinary forms of legislation subject to standard procedures in the Senate;

Congress Hereby Agress:

Changes Article I, Section VII of the Constitution of Thaecia as follows:

Section VII - The Prime Minister and any other ministers the Prime Minister delegates the power to have the power to sign inter-regional pacts and treaties and the Prime Minister has the power to withdraw from inter-regional pacts and treaties once they've been ratified. Both these actions require Congressional approval in the form of a simple majority vote in the Senate which is entitled to a voting time between 24 and 48 hours and a prior debate entitled to a timespan between 24 and 96 hours.

Read factbook


Author(s): Dendrobium
Sponsor(s): Dendrobium
Preamble:

Concerned at the lack of legislation currently in the Docket of the Senate of Thaecia;
Observing parts of L.R. 038 could be improved;

Congress Hereby Agrees:

Article I

Changes Article I of L.R. 038 Contractual Obligations Act to say:

A position shall be created under the Minister in charge of Legal Affairs (or the Minister of Legal Affairs themselves, as defined later in the bill) Ministry of Legal Affairs to oversee the signing, drawing up, and termination of legally binding contracts. This position can also be combined with the Minister of Legal Affairs at the discretion of the Minister,. This position may also or may be someone that has been appointed by the Minister of Legal Affairs if the Minister so wishes. The holder of said position should be granted the title of “Contractual Overseer”.

Article II

Changes Article II, Section V of L.R. 038 Contractual Obligations Act to say:

A contract may be terminated at any time by one of the filings after informing the Contractual Overseer and all other fillings of the contract in question. If a contract has more than two filings, a filing may be allowed to revoke only their involvement in the contract.

Read factbook


Author(s): Dendrobium
Sponsor(s): The Islamic Country of Honour

Preamble:

Observing the way L.R. 045 Designated Survivor Act (2021) is laid out;
Believing continuity is essential for the functioning of important procedures and the region as a whole;
Admitting I'm pretty bad at preambles, but did find a way of using gradients in factbooks like these;

Congress Hereby Agrees:

Changes L.R. 045 Designated Survivor Act (2021) Article III - Acceptance and Elections, Section I to say:

In the circumstance where the Prime Minister takes the role of the President and is WA-Waivered, the Prime Minister must appoint a cabinet member to be acting-delegate until the inauguration of a new President, in accordance with the order laid out in Article II - President, Section I.

Read factbook


Chairman ashlawn

Edited:

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