Bill: Vote Criminal Code Amendment Act 2025

[Rookieblue14]

A
BILL
To

Amend the Criminal Code Act​

The people of the Commonwealth of Redmont, through their elected Representatives in the Congress and the force of law ordained to that Congress by the people through the constitution, do hereby enact the following provisions into law:

1 - Short Title and Enactment

(1) This Act may be cited as the 'Criminal Code Amendment Act 2025.'

(2) This Act shall be enacted immediately upon its signage.

(3) This Act has been authored by Representative Rookieblue14 with input from several individuals from the Department of Justice and Department of Homeland Security.

(4) This Act has been co-sponsored by Senator Anthony_org.

2 - Reasons

1. The Criminal Code Act needs amending to modernize and clarify several statutes.

3 - Amendments to PART II: PROPER ADMINISTRATION OF GOVERNMENT

5 - Bribery
Offence Type: Indictable
Penalty: Up to 100 Penalty Units; 10 min imprisonment; Up to 2 months disqualification from office government positions
A person commits an offence if the person:
(a) offers, gives, solicits, or receives an item or service of value to influence an individual holding public office in their official capacity as a government employee, holding public office, or serving in a legal capacity.
Relevant Law: Act of Congress - Commercial Standards Act

4 - Amendments to PART III: PROPER ADMINISTRATION OF JUSTICE

3 - Obstruction of Justice
Offence Type: Indictable
Penalty: 60 minutes imprisonment; 3 Penalty Units
A person commits an offence if the person:
(a) willfully interferes with the process of justice by influencing, threatening, harming, or impeding a witness, potential witness, or law enforcement officer any government official investigating or prosecuting a crime, or tasked with enforcing the law, in the course of their duties; or
(b) knowingly provides false information to a law enforcement officer any government official investigating or prosecuting a crime, or tasked with enforcing the law in the course of their duties.
Relevant Law:

7 - Police Misconduct
Offence Type: Indictable
Penalty: Up to 100 Penalty Units; suspension from the Department of Homeland Security for up to 2 months; up to 30 min imprisonment
A person commits an offence if the person commits any of the following:
(a) issues punishments inconsistent with the specific penalties outlined in law.;
(b) commits a crime while acting in their official capacity as a police officer (not to include any in which police officers are entitled immunity).
Relevant Law:

5 - Amendments to PART V: DISRUPTING THE PEACE

6 - Animal Abandonment
Offence Type: Summary
Penalty: 1 Penalty Units; confiscation of animal
A person commits an offence if the person:
(a) leaves an animal unaccompanied in an area a public area or owned plot without the consent of the property owner.
Relevant Law:

9 - Illicit Weapon Offences
Offence Type: Summary
Penalty: 5 Penalty Units
A person commits an offence if the person:
(a) possesses, sells, or distributes weaponry without appropriate license.

6 - Amendments to PART VI: SUBSTANCE OFFENCES

5 - Unauthorized Health Treatment Possession
Offence Type: Summary
Penalty: 20 Penalty Units; 15 minutes imprisonment; Notify Secretary of Health
A person commits an offence if the person:
(a) possesses a health treatment—specifically, one that can only be crafted by Doctors but not Pharmacists—outside of designated areas a designated hospital.
Relevant Law:

7 - Amendments to PART VII: CORPORATE OFFENCES

20 - Auction Levy Payment Neglect
Offence Type: Summary
Penalty:
(a) First offence - Up to 20 Penalty Units, or 10% of the winning bid, whichever is higher
(b) Subsequent offences - Up to 50 Penalty Units, or 30% of the winning bid, whichever is higher
A person commits an offence if the person:
(a) fails to pay the required auction levy their bid after winning an auction within seven days.
(b) more than a week has passed since consideration for the auction has passed.

8 - Amendments to PART VIII: PROPERTY OFFENCES
1 - Duty of Disclosure - Property
Offence Type: Summary
Penalty: 20 Penalty Units
A person commits an offence if the person:
(a) fails to provide legally required property information or documents relevant to a transaction.
Relevant Law: Act of Congress - Property Standards Act

2 - Historical Building Alterations
Offence Type: Summary
Penalty:
(a) Minor - 10 Penalty Units and warning;
(a) Major First Offense - 30 Penalty Units fine and plot eviction;
Demolition Second and Subsequent Offense - 50 Penalty Units fine and plot eviction
A person commits an offence if the person:
(a) changes the physical appearance of a preserved, historical building without permission or consent from the DCT.
Relevant Law: Act of Congress - Property Standards Act

3 - Breach of Plot Limitations
Offence Type: Summary
Penalty: Eviction and/or Department action
A person commits an offence if the person:
(a) owns more properties than allowed under plot limitations, without a Realtor exemption.
Relevant Law: Act of Congress - Property Standards Act

6 - Illicit Renting
Offence Type: Summary
Penalty: 3 Penalty Units; immediate eviction at landlord’s discretion
A person commits an offence if the person commits one of the following:
(a) rents any apartment, office, storage, commercial space, or other rentable region despite the landlord having clearly posted restrictions prohibiting the tenant from renting said region.;
(b) violates any section of the Property Standards Act that apply to the rental space.
Relevant Law: Bill: Draft - Criminal Terminology Act

9 - Amendments to PART IX: MISCELLANEOUS OFFENCES

20 - Accomplice to a Crime
Offence Type: Summary or Indictable in Line with Underlying Crime
Penalty: Up to 75% of the penalty for the principle crime
A person commits an offence if the person commits either of the following:
(a) knowingly assists another in committing a crime.
(b) knowingly provides aid or support after a crime, without directly participating.
(1) Any acts by a lawyer representing a client accused of a crime in this code may not be charged under this code.
Relevant Law:

22 - Conspiracy to Commit a Crime
Offence Type: Summary or Indictable in Line with Underlying Crime
Penalty: Up to 50% of the penalty for the principle crime
A person commits an offence if the person:
(a) intends to commit a crime, even if it has not yet been carried out.
Relevant Law:

23 - Accessory to a Crime
Offence Type: Indictable
Penalty: Up to 50% of the penalty for the principle crime
A person commits an offence if the person:
(a) provides aid or support after a crime, without directly participating.
Relevant Law:

 

[girlfailcoded]

Nay. While this bill aims to clarify several charges, it instead restricts them and makes holding people accountable to them substantially harder or makes the punishment harsher in a way that is both disconnected and disproportionate to the crime at hand. For instance:

5 - Bribery
Offence Type: Indictable
Penalty: Up to 100 Penalty Units; 10 min imprisonment; Up to 2 months disqualification from office government positions
A person commits an offence if the person:
(a) offers, gives, solicits, or receives an item or service of value to influence an individual holding public office in their official capacity as a government employee, holding public office, or serving in a legal capacity.
Relevant Law: Act of Congress - Commercial Standards Act

This amendment does not retain the same meaning as the original crime. "Government positions" in this instance could apply to any position in congress, the judiciary, the executive, and by extension, any department position, no matter the context of the infraction. While it could be argued that the current law does not account for corruption in executive departments, this amendment overreaches in that potential correction.

5 - Unauthorized Health Treatment Possession
Offence Type: Summary
Penalty: 20 Penalty Units; 15 minutes imprisonment; Notify Secretary of Health
A person commits an offence if the person:
(a) possesses a health treatment—specifically, one that can only be crafted by Doctors but not Pharmacists—outside of designated areas a designated hospital.
Relevant Law:

The existing wording of this charge adequately accounts for existing structures and the potential of future structures that may not fall under the "hospital" umbrella term. Tightening this definition to only apply to hospitals does not improve the law in any meaningful way and restricts future developments in the healthcare sector by adding an unnecessary hurdle.

20 - Auction Levy Payment Neglect
Offence Type: Summary
Penalty:
(a) First offence - Up to 20 Penalty Units, or 10% of the winning bid, whichever is higher
(b) Subsequent offences - Up to 50 Penalty Units, or 30% of the winning bid, whichever is higher
A person commits an offence if the person:
(a) fails to pay the required auction levy their bid after winning an auction within seven days.
(b) more than a week has passed since consideration for the auction has passed.

I do not believe that it is codified in law that "bid" is synonymous with "the offered amount with all additional fees and levies". My understanding is that "bid" simply refers to the amount offered for a product, separated from any additional fees and levies. By changing what this crime even refers to, you have removed one crime and replace it with another, whereas my perceived intent of this change is to clarify that the crime should not only apply to the levy, but to the bid itself. Were I to assume the intention was as I have interpreted the amendment, I would put into question the reasoning behind this change entirely.

2 - Historical Building Alterations
Offence Type: Summary
Penalty:
(a) Minor - 10 Penalty Units and warning;
(a) Major First Offense - 30 Penalty Units fine and plot eviction;
Demolition Second and Subsequent Offense - 50 Penalty Units fine and plot eviction
A person commits an offence if the person:
(a) changes the physical appearance of a preserved, historical building without permission or consent from the DCT.
Relevant Law: Act of Congress - Property Standards Act

The purpose of the original crime's punishment scheme was to teach a lesson to those who are granted stewardship of a historical building and, intentionally or not, edit it. To immediately evict the individual for any changes to the building is unnecessary for something that can be solved with a simple slap on the wrist and a stern warning. To remove the nuance between an honest mistake and a malicious attack is to actively worsen the criminal code.

20 - Accomplice to a Crime
Offence Type: Summary or Indictable in Line with Underlying Crime
Penalty: Up to 75% of the penalty for the principle crime
A person commits an offence if the person commits either of the following:
(a) knowingly assists another in committing a crime.
(b) knowingly provides aid or support after a crime, without directly participating.
(1) Any acts by a lawyer representing a client accused of a crime in this code may not be charged under this code.
Relevant Law:

The distinction between an accessory and an accomplice to a crime is an important one, if not in law, then in moral standing. It is the difference between misconduct and conspiracy. Removing that distinction does not improve this code, it worsens it substantially.

 

[Rookieblue14]

Aye.

Bribery should absolutely be criminalized for any government position, executive through judiciary, and I'm uncertain why Representative girlfailcoded thinks it shouldn't be.

Designated areas are currently not defined for health treatments.

The only time levies are paid are in DCT auctions and I will say with an absolute certainty that yes, you in fact have to pay your bid, which includes any required levy, when you bid. As written, the law reads that the DCT may have to split the transaction into the bid and the levy and only criminalizes failing to pay the levy. This change criminalizes not paying the bid in it's entirety, simplifying and clarifying this statute.

For historical building updates, who determines what is a "minor" change? Individuals can already be evicted for making changes to historical plots. This simply makes the law more explicit.

An accessory and an accomplice are the same thing. They are aiding in the commission of said crime by either directly participating or providing some sort of support. This is essentially a duplicate statute.