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Cerdenia wrote:While I don't believe this is necessarily a bad idea, the amount of work put into something purely done for roleplay purposes is a bit worrying considering I haven't been seeing much demand for this. I don't see a lot of citizens excited or wanting to participate on this project, so knowing it'll add new work for the Electoral Commission, which already has stuff to do pretty constantly, is a bit worrying.

That's a fair point- something I didn't really think about. However I don't think this is exactly a massive amount of work, considering it's only one leader election every 4 months. It happens at the same time as the Chair/Speaker stuff as well, which I think certainly makes it much easier to run. I also think because this is a dormant system, it doesn't really need to gather loads of support and excitement in one go for it. It can come and go whenever something is written, without really causing any kind of hassle.

I think it's very good for passing the RP legislation that we have missed out on over time, as I explained before, the work load doesn't really go up, and we can both get the RP stuff done and proper IC business can still be prioritised as well. I think there is some kind of interest, for a long time people have wanted the climate emergency bill, and I think once we show we can pass bills like this now, people will get more involved- especially newcomers, this is a great way for them to start to get involved in legislating as they then work their way up to Congress itself.

Dendrobium

I agree with Cerd. I'm not a huge fan of RP legislation and I think that it's usually a waste of time unless there are a large number of Thaecians requesting it.

I slightly agree with both Dendro and Cerd here. RP legislation is a great way to get newer members involved and getting good experience of how legislature works here, however I do feel that this is a lot of effort for something that I feel isn’t the most pressing matter for the region. The HAM deals with many things that are more important than RPL, and having to put in a significant amount of effort in RPL isn’t the best idea. I’m fine with RPL, as long as we ensure that it doesn’t take up too much time and effort from the government. I also want there to be significant demand for the RPL, because I don’t want this to be another situation with a good idea in theory, that doesn’t work in practice. I’m sure if we do it right that won’t happen, but I want to make sure that it is something that will benefit the region rather than take away from the region

Something to note here when talking "taking up precious time" is that if anything this bill would save that precious time from the Legislative. As a matter of fact, right now RP legislation would have to pass through both Chambers of Congress to pass, taking up at least 36 hours in each; and if not that it would end up cluttering the dockets. Besides that the task of the HAM and EC is very minimal. So, similarly to what Brototh said, this bill would allow for more activity and more time for all parties involved.

On the topic of interest in something like the Assembly of Roleplay, it is a very pessimistic standpoint to simply say "no-one wants this, it won't have anything to do". Emphasizing on "pessimistic" and not simply "critical". We did not know how active the Military would become, simply that some people were interested, and look at it now. Here we have a similar situation where some are interested and some are not. There is only one way to find out how much activity it will actually get.

Lastly, I would like to give some more attention to what chances this bill creates. Previously the point of getting people involved was mentioned. I believe this isn't something to glance over and then forget. We know many people are interested in geting involved in the Thaecian government but dont have the courage or oppurtunity to do so. This would give them that chance. Next to that, some complain about the region having become boring with nothing to do and everything going wrong; what better way to solve exactly that? Not to mention, the Assembly of Roleplay can be a great oppurtunity to bring attention to IRL-focused matters which can be brought together with the attempts of the President to get people involved in the WA, which does similar things.

To me, there is no question here, and, repeating myself, I urge everyone to vote in favour of this bill.

Ermica wrote:I agree with Cerd. I'm not a huge fan of RP legislation and I think that it's usually a waste of time unless there are a large number of Thaecians requesting it.

I don't think this is a waste of time at all- I think Cerdenia makes a fair point about the Electoral Commissioner, but considering that it happens at the same time as the House/Senate leadership elections, I don't think this puts any kind of workload on them. However, this is something that, as Dendrobium said, would save time from the legislature. It doesn't matter if you're not a huge fan of RP Legislation- it's not a secret that I'm not- this bill would both allow people that are interested in it to get it done, and Congress to get our own, more pressing IC matters done.

Pap sculgief wrote:I slightly agree with both Dendro and Cerd here. RP legislation is a great way to get newer members involved and getting good experience of how legislature works here, however I do feel that this is a lot of effort for something that I feel isn’t the most pressing matter for the region. The HAM deals with many things that are more important than RPL, and having to put in a significant amount of effort in RPL isn’t the best idea. I’m fine with RPL, as long as we ensure that it doesn’t take up too much time and effort from the government. I also want there to be significant demand for the RPL, because I don’t want this to be another situation with a good idea in theory, that doesn’t work in practice. I’m sure if we do it right that won’t happen, but I want to make sure that it is something that will benefit the region rather than take away from the region

Well, as stated before, this wouldn't really require a significant amount of effort at all- I'll say it from a former Senate Chair, put the bill up, wait 24hr, vote on it, wait 24hr, repeat. With a system that would only have the Assembly active when there is a bill available, it's not even like it has to be a constant thing- so I don't think burnout is something that will really exist in this scenario. And I've already made my position on EC workload clear.

I think over time we have seen a significant demand for RPL. We've seen more and more interest over time in things like the climate bill, LGBTQ rights bills, even the yogurt viscosity bill, to an extent. It's definitely not a thing that sees one huge massive wave of activity- hence why the Assembly remains dormant until something new comes along. But I 100% guarantee you, with this bill or not, there will be a period of time where it is popular again.

This would be very, very good for the region. There's honestly no cons here- it allows us to try out new things that have seen more popularity recently, like unicameralism and a citizens' legislature. It allows us to revisit things we previously thought stupid, like RP Legislation. And I think it will certainly help newcomers get involved. Besides, it's always a good look when we can show "Hey look, our region, as a collective, not just like 10 of us, passed a bill protecting LGBTQ rights of Thaecians :3".

Considering the only "time" this "takes away" from Congress is the debate of this bill now and never again, I seriously urge for all Senators to vote AYE on this bill. I am happy to respond to any more concerns.

Pap sculgief and Dendrobium

Senators, we have begun voting on the Assembly of Roleplay Act (2021).

Assembly of Roleplay Act (2022)

-- Written by Brototh --
-- Sponsored by Toerana V --

PREAMBLE
Noticing the growing interest in Roleplay Legislation [RP Legislation, RPL],
Realising the passage of the Law Registry Act was designed to encourage more RP Legislation,
Concerned that despite the passing of LR 039, only one piece of RP Legislation has ever passed, due to IC Legislation being prioritised,
Believing that with a roleplay body, Congress can both prioritise their IC Legislation, while also being able to debate and vote on RP Legislation when the time arises,
Noting that only one piece of RP Legislation has ever passed through Congress,

Congress hereby agrees,

  • Section I - Roleplay Legislation, which may also be referred to as RP Legislation or RPL, is defined as, for the purposes of this bill, as legislation that either does not directly affect the running of this region, legislation that exists for flavour, and legislation that exists for reasons solely related to IRL purposes. For example, bills that declare a climate emergency, bills that protect certain rights however do not make it an IC crime punishable by the High Court or any lower court created in the future to violate these rights (such as a LGBTQ+ marriage protection bill), etc.

  • Section II - It is the duty of the Ministry in charge of Domestic Affairs (which for the purposes of this bill shall be referred to the Ministry of Domestic Affairs, and their Minister as the Minister of Domestic Affairs, this Ministry is the same one as outlined in the Constitution, which also goes by names such as Home Affairs Ministry, Interior Ministry, etc.) to make sure that only RP Legislation that is debated by the Assembly of Roleplay.

    • Section IIa - If there is a debate in the Ministry of Domestic Affairs whether a bill is indeed RP Legislation, or an individual believes that any bill debated by this assembly is not RP Legislation, the issue shall be raised in the High Court of Thaecia. The High Court shall have the final say in this circumstance, and bills should be judged on a case by case basis.

  • Section III - Any Roleplay Legislation passed by the Assembly of Roleplay shall not, for the purposes of this bill, be considered laws as defined in the Constitution. As it does not directly affect the running of the region, it must not be considered the same as typical bills passed by Congress, and thus shall not be considered Thaecian law.

  • Section I - There shall be an established Assembly of Roleplay, comprised entirely of the citizen nations of Thaecia. The Assembly of Roleplay shall write, draft, and vote on, RPL, as defined in Article I, Section I of this bill. Any citizen of Thaecia may participate in the Assembly of Roleplay. The Assembly of Roleplay shall not be considered part of any branch of Government.

    • Section Ia - All business of the Assembly of Roleplay shall take part of the Assembly of Roleplay Regional Message Board.

  • Section II - Any citizen of Thaecia can author RP Legislation. In order for the legislation to be legitimate, it must contain a Bill Name and Author. No bill may be debated if it does not have fulfil the above criteria. Additionally, the bill may also include a section stating the "Sponsors" of the bill. If the bill contains profanity, inappropriate, or offensive language, it may not be debated.

  • Section III - The Assembly of Roleplay shall be led by one citizen of Thaecia, whom shall be called the Leader of the Assembly, which may also be referred to as the ASL (Assembly Leader), they shall be decided by a vote amongst citizens once every four months, this being the same time as the inauguration of the Prime Minister at the start of a new regularly scheduled term. There may also be a vote for this position if the position becomes vacant. These votes shall be overseen by the World Assembly Delegate.

    • Section IIIa - The ASL shall be responsible for running debates and votes within the Assembly of Roleplay. They must put legal bills on the floor in the priority order of the following: 1) the number of sponsors the bill has, 2) the date and time in which the legislation was last edited. The ASL does not have the permission to determine the agenda of the Assembly based on their own personal beliefs of the bills, and must follow the above criteria.

    • Section IIIb - The ASL may be removed from office with a special RP Legislation known as a "Removal of ASL", which requires 3 sponsors to be debated on. This legislation shall receive the highest priority, and will immediately go on the floor if it receives 5 sponsors if the author requests so, otherwise it shall go on the floor immediately after current business has concluded. Debate of the Removal of ASL shall last at least 24 hours, must end after 48 hours, the vote shall last at least 24 hours, and must end after 48 hours. The debate and vote of the removal shall be overseen by the Electoral Commissioner, whom will serve as Acting ASL for the time.

      • Section IIIba - This vote shall require a 3/5th majority of voting members to pass.

    • Section IIIc - The ASL may not serve as Electoral Commissioner.

  • Section IV - The position of Deputy ASL shall be held at all times. The Deputy ASL(s) will be appointed by the ASL and can be any citizen other than the ASL. Deputy Chairmen can temporarily take over the ASL's role if given direct permission from the ASL. In this situation, Deputy ASLs may exercise the rights set out for the ASL in Article II and Article III. These powers are retracted from the Deputy ASL upon the ASL's return.

  • Section V - All citizens must act professional and orderly in the Assembly of Roleplay. Disorderly behaviour is defined as using profanity or inappropriate language, personally attacking another citizen, unjustly accusing or lying about another citizen, treating others with a significant lack of dignity or respect, or any other manner of such actions.

    • Section Va - Punishment may result in suspension from the Assembly for the rest of the debate, and may also be taken to an established court of law.

  • Section I - The Assembly of Roleplay shall be open whenever RPL is available. When there is no RPL available, the Assembly shall be considered in temporary recess. As soon as a legal RPL is available, it must be put to the floor within 2 days.

  • Section II - The purpose of the debate stage is for citizens to share and discuss their opinions of the bill in question. Bills are entitled to a minimum of 12 hours debate. All bills are entitled to a debate, as long as it complies with Article II Section II.

  • Section III - Amendments may be put forward by any citizen at any time during the debate process. Amendments can change either part or all of the bill on the floor. Amendments shall be debated during the debate stage of the main bill. If the amendment contains profanity, inappropriate, or offensive language, removes the entire text of the bill, or would result in the bill violating Article II of this law, it shall not be debated or voted on.

  • Section IV - The voting stage shall occur after debate has been closed by the ASL. If any amendments have been submitted, the ASL shall put them to vote. Voting time on amendments must be between 6 hours and 48 hours. Citizens can cast either an “Aye”, “Nay”, or “Abstain” vote. "Aye" votes represent a vote in support on the bill or amendment, "Nay" votes represent a vote in opposition to the bill or amendment, "Abstain" votes represent an abstention from voting and are discounted from the overall total of votes cast.

  • Section V - A Citizen 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. If amendments on the bill pass, however they announced their intention to vote Aye, Nay or Abstain to the bill prior to the amendments being proposed, their vote shall be recorded as an Abstention, unless they return during the vote period.

  • Section VI - All bills and amendments require a simple majority of voting members to pass. A simple majority shall be defined as 50%+1 of all voting members. Once passed, the bill shall become an Act, enshrined in the RP Law Registry.

Amends Article II to read as follows

  • Section I - The Ministry of Domestic Affairs will be obligated to create, maintain, and publicly display, a separate factbook, dispatch, or a separate set of factbooks or dispatches, to the region that quickly and easily show the RP legislation that Congress or the Assembly of Roleplay has passed (separate from the IC Law Registry).

    • Section Ia- RP Legislation to be defined for the purposes of this bill as legislation that either does not directly affect the running of this region, legislation that exists for flavour, and legislation that exists for reasons solely related to IRL purposes. For example, bills that declare a climate emergency, bills that protect certain rights however do not make it an IC crime to violate these rights (such as a LGBTQ+ marriage protection bill), etc.

  • Section II - When a bill passes through Congress, fulfilling legal requirements to become law, it shall lose the suffix of 'bill', to be defined as legislation that has not yet been passed through Congress, and gains the suffix 'Act', to be defined as the opposite. This shall be reflected in the name of the law in the Registry.

    • Section IIa - Constitutional Amendments shall not be considered 'acts' for the purpose of this Act only, as so that they are not included in the Law Registry.

  • Section III - RP Bills that pass through Congress or the Assembly of Roleplay must be added to the RP Law Registry. These bills shall be written into the RP Law Registry with the following format:

      • The bill's number in law, followed by its title, for example if this bill were passed as the first piece of Thaecian RP legislation, it would be titled as ‘R.P. 001 Law Registry Act'. The next bill to pass would be R.P. 002 and so on increasing in increments of one each time.

      • The bill's authors, sponsors, and those who amended it, if applicable must be named.

      • The content of the bill, ranging from the preamble, to all of the articles and sections within it.

    • Section IIIa - If an act is repealed or amended it should not be removed/added again (with a new number) from the RP Law Registry. Should a bill be repealed or spent, the original bill should be clearly marked out with strike tags (for example), and moved to the Inactive RP Law Registry, or in the instance it has been amended, the amended text added/the original text removed without strike tags, as well as adding the amenders to the 'Amended by' section of the bill.

Amends Article III's changed sections to read as follows

  • Section III - RP bills that pass through Congress or the Assembly of Roleplay and fulfil the criteria in Section I will be placed in the Inactive RP Law Registry, which shall be separate from the Inactive IC Law Registry, which shall host IC bills that have passed through Congress and fulfil the criteria in Section I. All bills that fit the criteria defined in Section I will be moved out of their previous law registry into one of these. These bills shall be written into their Inactive Law Registry with the following format:

Read dispatch

Antenion (IND)
Cerdenia (IND)
Dendrobium (SOL)
Ermica (TCU)
Pap sculgief (IND)
Toerana V (IND)

Brototh and Dendrobium

Aye

Brototh and Dendrobium

Aye

Brototh and Dendrobium

Aye

#CitizensLegislature

Brototh and Dendrobium

Results:
Aye (4) Antenion Dendrobium Pap sculgief Toerana V
Nay (2) Cerdenia Ermica
Abstain (1) Ashlawn

The bill has passed and will be sent to the House.

Senators, we have begun debate on the Designated Survivor Act.


Designated Survivor Act

Author: Snowflame
Sponsor: Marvinville
As amended by: Marvinville & Nova anglicum

Understanding that there is not a law that establishes an organized line of succession for the President and Prime Minister, hereby enacts the following:

Congress hereby agrees,

  • Section I - During any time that the office of the Prime Ministry is vacant, the following list shows the order in which another office can take over:

    1. President

    2. Minister tasked with Foreign Affairs

    3. Minister tasked with Domestic Affairs

    4. Minister tasked with Legal Affairs

  • Section II - The individual who takes the office of the Prime Minister will temporarily execute the powers and duties of the office until a new Prime Minister is inaugurated.

  • Section I - During any time that the office of the Presidency is vacant, the following list shows the order in which another office can take over:

    1. Prime Minister

    2. Vice President, in the event where the outgoing President is a World Assembly waivered citizen

    3. Minister tasked with Foreign Affairs

    4. Minister tasked with Domestic Affairs

    5. Minister tasked with Legal Affairs

  • Section II - The individual who takes the office of the President will temporarily execute the powers and duties of the office until a new President is inaugurated.

  • Section I: 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.

  • Section II: When an individual takes the Office of President or Prime Minister, they will temporarily hold the powers of both the office they are currently holding. Once an election has been held for the office they are temporarily holding, they will return to their previous office.

  • Section I: Any new Ministerial position created that is not designated by Constitutional law at the passing of this bill, whether that position be created by the Prime Minister or a Constitutional Amendment, will go at the end of the line of succession for Prime Minister and President. It will continue this way based on the order in which each new ministry is created.

Read dispatch

This is fine

Senators, we have begun voting on the Designated Survivor Act.


Designated Survivor Act

Author: Snowflame
Sponsor: Marvinville
As amended by: Marvinville & Nova anglicum

Understanding that there is not a law that establishes an organized line of succession for the President and Prime Minister, hereby enacts the following:

Congress hereby agrees,

  • Section I - During any time that the office of the Prime Ministry is vacant, the following list shows the order in which another office can take over:

    1. President

    2. Minister tasked with Foreign Affairs

    3. Minister tasked with Domestic Affairs

    4. Minister tasked with Legal Affairs

  • Section II - The individual who takes the office of the Prime Minister will temporarily execute the powers and duties of the office until a new Prime Minister is inaugurated.

  • Section I - During any time that the office of the Presidency is vacant, the following list shows the order in which another office can take over:

    1. Prime Minister

    2. Vice President, in the event where the outgoing President is a World Assembly waivered citizen

    3. Minister tasked with Foreign Affairs

    4. Minister tasked with Domestic Affairs

    5. Minister tasked with Legal Affairs

  • Section II - The individual who takes the office of the President will temporarily execute the powers and duties of the office until a new President is inaugurated.

  • Section I: 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.

  • Section II: When an individual takes the Office of President or Prime Minister, they will temporarily hold the powers of both the office they are currently holding. Once an election has been held for the office they are temporarily holding, they will return to their previous office.

  • Section I: Any new Ministerial position created that is not designated by Constitutional law at the passing of this bill, whether that position be created by the Prime Minister or a Constitutional Amendment, will go at the end of the line of succession for Prime Minister and President. It will continue this way based on the order in which each new ministry is created.

Read dispatch

Aye

Antenion (IND)
Cerdenia (IND)
Dendrobium (SOL)
Ermica (TCU)
Pap sculgief (IND)
Toerana V (IND)

Aye

Aye

Aye

Aye

Aye

Seems kinda dumb but sure

Aye

Results:
Aye (7) Ashlawn Antenion Cerdenia Dendrobium Ermica Pap sculgief Toerana V
Nay (0)
Abstain (0)

The bill has passed.

Senators, we have begun the confirmation hearing of Armentieux for Election Commissioner.

No Opposition, Full Support

Good Morning,

Let me begin by saying it is an honor to have this opportunity to speak before you, and to have been nominated by the President to hold such a coveted regional office.

The Office of the Electoral Commissioner is one of great cultural significance and civic importance. Its role in conducting, regulating, and safeguarding Thaecia’s election process is an important root of stability and civility for the region. The E.C. 's current reputation with the region because of that is good and this is directly a result of the dedication shown to the institution by past Commissioners.

My goal is to respect that standing and past work while also taking the opportunity of my appointment to expand the E.C.’s reach and function. My goals are as follows:

  • Create an educational series of regional advertisements promoting voter registration, participation, and candidacy in elections.

  • Continue the work of my predecessor in standardizing and modernizing the graphics and tools utilized by the Electoral

  • Commission in order to promote efficiency and productivity.

  • Begin a regular report to the Parliament and people on the business of the E.C., election integrity, and other administrative matters.

  • Lead new creative efforts to develop and encourage interaction between political candidates and voters beyond the traditional debate.

  • Be able to develop and reflect on my term with a full report on the Thaecian Electoral System to be delivered to Congress.

With these goals, and the tremendous trust and confidence placed in me by the President, I hope that you will see my appointment as an opportunity to renew and re-enforce the Electoral Commission for months to come. I ask that you vote ‘yes’ to confirm my appointment and thank you for this time today.

Respectfully,
Armentieux

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1E43DY02ndHZteMmRiD-OY6Vf5oniuB1U43pZTlsMOL4/edit?usp=sharing
Ashlawn, Antenion, Cerdenia, Dendrobium, Ermica, Pap sculgief, Toerana V

Ashlawn, Cerdenia, Indian genius, Brototh, and 1 otherToerana V

Senators,

I need not explain to you why this is an excellent nomination. As Actias, he has proved himself time and time again.
I understand any concerns over immediatly nominating a newcomer/returning oldtimer, however I'd like to remind you he was removed from NS due to natural disaster.

I have full trust and confidence in Armen in this position. I am prepared as Armen is to answer any questions you may have.

Ashlawn, Toerana V, and Armentieux

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