Information Legislative Standards Act

[1950Minecrafter]

Presidential Assent

This bill has been granted assent and is hereby signed into law.

1950minecrafter
20th President of the Commonwealth of Redmont
Member of the WPR​

 

[1950Minecrafter]

Presidential Assent

This bill has been granted assent and is hereby signed into law.

1950minecrafter
20th President of the Commonwealth of Redmont
Member of the WPR​

 

[Omegabiebel]

House Vote: 9-0-0
Senate Vote: 4-3-0

A
BILL
To

Amend the Legislative Standards Act and Change Bill Quorums​

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 'Bill Quorum Change Act.'
(2) This Act shall be enacted immediately upon its signage.
(3) This Act has been authored by Senator CaseyLeFaye.
(4) This Act has been co-sponsored by Senator CaseyLeFaye.

2 - Reasons
(1) To make quorum on Bills in Congress dependent on statutory seats, not filled seats.
(2) To make the quorum on Bills in Congress equal to or greater than 50% rather than just greater than 50%.
(3) Note that this basically just makes Bills’ quorums the exact same as all other quorums in Congress, as defined in the Constitution.
(4) To amend the Legislative Standards Act.

3 - Amendment
(1) 10(3)(b) of the Legislative Standards Act shall be amended as follows:

“(i) Passage shall be considered as a simple majority of ayes out of all non-abstention votes cast, and rejection shall be a failure to reach such a majority.​

(ii) No bill shall pass the House unless over at least 50% of all sitting statutory Representatives have voted on the bill.”​

(2) 10(5)(b)(ii) of the Legislative Standards Act shall be amended as follows:

“(i) Passage shall be considered as a simple majority of ayes out of all non-abstention votes cast, and rejection shall be a failure to reach such a majority.​

(ii) No bill shall pass the Senate unless over at least 50% of all sitting statutory Senators have voted on the bill.”​

 

[Omegabiebel]

House Vote: 9-0-0
Senate Vote: 4-0-0

A
BILL
To

Amend the Legislative Standards Act and Codify the Process and Rules for Resolutions​

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 'Resolution Process Act.'
(2) This Act shall be enacted immediately upon its signage.
(3) This Act has been authored by Senator CaseyLeFaye.
(4) This Act has been co-sponsored by Senator CaseyLeFaye.

2 - Reasons
(1) Currently, resolutions do not have any explicit process or rules. This Bill seeks to codify that they have the same process and rules as Bills.
(2) To amend the Legislative Standards Act.

3 - Amendment
(1) Section 9 of the Legislative Standards Act shall be amended as follows:

“(1) Congress may pass non-binding resolutions to express opinions or make formal requests as formal requests to the Executive and the Departments. These do not require presidential assent.​

​

(2) The template for Resolutions will be annexed to this act in a separate thread. Any amendments to the Resolution format will be an amendment to the Legislative Standards Act.​

​

(3) Resolutions shall follow the same process and rules of Bills as outlined in this Act unless otherwise specified.​

​

(4) Standing orders and other legislation may still make distinctions between Bills and Resolutions.​

​

(5) Sub-subsection 10(5)(a) and Subsection (6) do not apply to Resolutions. After a Resolution passes both chambers of Congress, it shall be moved to the Resolutions forum rather than await assent.”​

 

[Omegabiebel]

House Vote: 8-0-1
Senate Vote: 4-0-0

A
BILL
To

Amend the Legislative Standards Act to Clarify How Motions of Reconsideration Work​

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 'Motion of Reconsideration Clarification Act.'
(2) This Act shall be enacted immediately upon its signage.
(3) This Act has been authored by Senator CaseyLeFaye.
(4) This Act has been co-sponsored by Senator CaseyLeFaye.

2 - Reasons
(1) Currently, restrictions about the re-proposal of bills and motion still exist even if a new Congressional session has begun.
(2) Some have previously interpreted Motions of Reconsideration to mean that the same bill is automatically reproposed. Clarifying it as simply allowing the same or a similar bill to be proposed gives legislators more flexibility.
(3) To amend the Legislative Standards Act.

3 - Terms
(1) Subsection 8(2) of the Legislative Standards Act shall be amended as follows:

“(2) A rejected bill or a bill of the same nature will not be proposed for a period of 14 days unless a motion of reconsideration has been approved by Congress.​

(a) A motion to reconsider, if passed, permits the proposal of an identical bill to the rejected bill or a bill of the same nature.​

(b) Vetoed bills and bills that failed at referendum are considered rejected bills, and are thus subject to the same limitation.​

(c) All bills will automatically be reconsidered following the enactment of results of a congressional general election."​

 

[Omegabiebel]

House Vote: 9-0-0
Senate Vote: 4-0-0

A
BILL
To

Amend the Legislative Standards 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 'Renumbering Act'
(2) This Act shall be enacted immediately upon its signage.
(3) This Act has been authored by xEndeavour.
(4) This Act has been co-sponsored by Senator xEndeavour.

2 - Reasons
(1) Fix the numbering of acts (when required)!
(2) To amend the Legislative Standards Act.

3 - Amendments
(1) The following shall be added under Section 7 - The Office of Congressional Affairs of the Legislative Standards Act:

“(8) The Office of Congressional Affairs is authorised to adjust the numbering of sections and subsections within acts, provided that such changes do not alter the substantive meaning of the act and are limited to correcting administrative errors in the sequential numbering.”​

 

[1950Minecrafter]

Presidential Assent

This bill has been granted assent and is hereby signed into law.

1950minecrafter
20th President of the Commonwealth of Redmont
Member of the WPR​

 

[Pepecuu]

A
BILL
To


Amend the Legislative Standards Act to expand on bill formatting standards.​

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 'Parts and Subsections Act'
(2) This Act shall be enacted immediately upon its signage.
(3) This Act has been authored by Senator xEndeavour.
(4) This Act has been co-sponsored by Senator xEndeavour.

2 - Reasons
(1) To provide for clearer communication of bill content.

3 - Amendments
(1) To amend the formatting of bills from:

SECTION FORMATTING
(1) Subsection
(a) Sub-subsection

To:

FORMATTING STANDARDS

PART I - <PART NAME> (if required; stylistic choice)

1 - <Section>

(1) Subsection

(a) Subsubsection

(i) Subsubsubsection

 

[End]

Nay - if it hasn't been considered by more than half of the chamber then it needs to be reconsidered.

 

[End]

This would allow for 1 person in the house or senate to aye something and for it to pass if no one else votes.

 

[CaseyLeFaye]

This would allow for 1 person in the house or senate to aye something and for it to pass if no one else votes.

This is quite literally not true, because we have the quorum clause in the Constitution which states, "Quorums apply to all voting conducted in Congress, and a quorum to make a decision must be no less than 50% of the statutory number of seats in the chamber." I don't know how you're forgetting this, considering you literally proposed the amendment that added quorums to the old Constitution.

 

[YeetBoy1872325]

With the power vested in me as Vice President, I hereby vote in favor of this bill.

 

[1950Minecrafter]

Presidential Assent

This bill has been granted assent and is hereby signed into law.

1950minecrafter
20th President of the Commonwealth of Redmont
Member of the WPR​

 

[1950Minecrafter]

Presidential Assent

This bill has been granted assent and is hereby signed into law.

1950minecrafter
20th President of the Commonwealth of Redmont
Member of the WPR​

 

[Omegabiebel]

House Vote: 8-0-0
Senate Vote: 4-0-0

A
BILL
To

Amend the Legislative Standards Act to Reform Congressional Hearing Procedures​

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 'Congressional Hearing Reform Act.'
(2) This Act shall be enacted immediately upon its signage.
(3) This Act has been authored by Senate President CaseyLeFaye.
(4) This Act has been co-sponsored by Senate President CaseyLeFaye.

2 - Reasons
(1) Our law on hearings is currently written as if all hearings are held in-game.
(2) Much of the law is repetitive, contradictory, and redundant.
(3) There are unreasonable limitations, such as not allowing Congress to require testimony from a Secretary more than once in a 6 week period — something that applies to no other government position. This is a restriction on Congress’s ability to hold the Executive accountable.
(4) There is currently no procedure on how to close a hearing.
(5) To amend the Legislative Standards Act.

3 - Terms
(1) The Legislative Standards Act shall be amended as follows:

“14 - Congressional Hearings​

(1) Functionality​

(a) To ensure transparency and accountability, all hearings must be summarised in writing by the Presiding Officers' Office and published.​

(b) There must be a minimum of three representatives in attendance at each question time and the most Senior Member will act as Chair of the Committee overseeing question time.​

(1) Location​

(a) Hearings must take place in a Discord channel visible to the public.​

(2) Initiating a Hearing​

(a) Through a simple majority vote in a chamber of Congress, that chamber can open a chamber-specific hearing. Through a simple majority vote in both chambers of Congress, Congress can open a joint hearing.​

(b) In chamber-specific hearings, only members of Congress from that chamber shall be able to participate. In joint hearings, members of both chambers of Congress shall be able to participate.​

(c) A motion to hold a hearing may specify whether it is a chamber-specific hearing or a joint hearing. If unspecified, then it shall automatically be assumed to be a chamber-specific hearing.​

(d) A chamber-specific hearing can become a joint hearing through a simple majority vote in both chambers, with such a motion initiating in the chamber that the hearing began in.​

(i) If a subpoena is issued in a chamber-specific hearing that later becomes a joint hearing, the subpoena is still valid and in effect.​

(e) A motion to hold a hearing may include one or more subpoenas as a part of the motion. Further subpoenas can be issued through passage of a motion in the chamber(s) holding the hearing.​

(3) Closing a Hearing​

(a) A hearing shall automatically be closed after five (5) days of no:​

(i) invitations to testify;​

(ii) questions asked by participating members of Congress;​

(iii) proposals of motions to subpoena;​

(iv) votes on motions to subpoena; and​

(v) passage of motions to subpoena.​

(b) A hearing may be closed through a consent of a simple majority of the chamber(s) holding the hearing.​

(c) No hearing shall close solely as the result of a Congressional election.​

(d) The five-day count mentioned in 3(a) of this Section shall pause when:​

(i) at least one of the chambers of Congress participating in the hearing has no presiding officer;​

(ii) at least one of the chambers of Congress participating in the hearing has not amended or reaffirmed its extant standing orders as required by law; and/or​

(iii) the hearing has no chairperson.​

(4) Attendance Subpoenas​

(a) Through a simple majority, the chamber(s) of Congress holding a hearing Congress can subpoena any citizen number of persons or entities to appear before a that hearing. The Presiding Officers' Office will arrange a time that works for Congress and the individual being subpoenaed. Failure to attend the agreed meeting time appear within 72 hours of being summoned will result in a Contempt of Congress charge.​

(b) The subpoena must state the reasoning for the hearing its reason.​

(c) In extraordinary circumstances, the executive member may be granted the ability to submit a written response to questions put forward by the Congress. This will be reviewed and decided upon by Congress.​

(c) Where the subpoena relates to is for a Government or business entity, the subpoenaed citizen entity may offer an alternative representative to attend in their place. However, if any individual (e.g. the President or a Secretary) is specifically summoned, then an alternative representative cannot be offered. e.g. The President may nominate a member of cabinet to attend in their place.​

(d) Subpoenaed persons and entities are required to testify in the hearing when questioned by any member of a participating chamber of Congress.​

(5) Invitations to Testify​

(a) The chairperson of a hearing may offer an invitation to testify to any person or entity. This does not require the consent of any other member of Congress, but may be overridden through a simple majority in the relevant chamber(s). An invitation to testify may still be overridden even if it has been accepted to the invitee, which the invitee shall no longer have permission to testify in the hearing.​

(i) If an invitation to testify in a specific hearing is overridden, then another invitation to testify in that hearing cannot be offered to the same person or entity.​

(b) Those invited to testify cannot provide false testimony, but they may choose to not answer certain questions as long as they explicitly state that they are opting not to answer.​

(c) A person or entity invited to testify may dismiss itself from the hearing at any time, and the chairperson of the hearing may dismiss any invited persons or entities at any time.​

(i) If dismissed, the person or entity shall require another invitation to testify or a subpoena to testify in the hearing once more.​

(d) Any offered invitations to testify must be disclosed to the chamber(s) of Congress holding the hearing.​

(6) Chairperson​

(a) The chairperson of a hearing shall be the member of Congress who proposed that hearing.​

(b) If the chairperson of a hearing ceases to be a member of a chamber participating in that hearing, the presiding officer of the chamber in which the hearing motion was proposed shall become the new chairperson of that hearing (once elected, if not yet elected).​

(c) The chamber(s) holding the hearing may change the chairperson of the hearing to a different member of Congress through a simple majority vote.​

(7) Right to Not Self-Incriminate​

(a) A person or entity that is subpoenaed and/or invited to testify may invoke their right not to produce self-incriminating evidence during the hearing.​

(8) Confirmation Hearings​

(a) A Confirmation Hearing shall occur within 24 hours whenever an individual is nominated for a position in which the Senate must vote on the nomination.​

(i) Positions may be exempt from this as specified in the Standing Orders of the Senate.​

(b) Confirmation Hearings shall be Senate chamber-specific hearings and may not be expanded to include both chambers.​

(c) The nominee shall automatically be subpoenaed.​

(d) Unless otherwise specified by the Standing Orders of the Senate, the President of the Senate shall be the initial chairperson of a Confirmation Hearing.​

(9) Standing Orders​

(a) Each chamber of Congress may create further rules for their own chamber-specific hearings in their Standing Orders, as long as such rules do not conflict with any law.​

(i) The Senate may create separate rules for Confirmation Hearings and other hearings specific to the Senate.​

(b) Further rules for joint hearings must be agreed upon by both chambers of Congress.​

(c) Further rules may substitute the provisions for the automatic closure of hearings described in Subsection 3(a) of this Section.​

​

​

15 - Congressional Question Time​

(1) Functionality​

(a) To ensure transparency and accountability all question times must be recorded and written down by the Clerk in a document or by another congressional official if the Clerk is unavailable, These documents should be made available to the general public at the earliest possible time.​

(b) There must be a minimum of Three representatives in attendance at each question time.​

(2) Schedule​

(a) Question time will occur when the Congress passes a motion by a simple majority to request the testimony of a secretary.​

(b) The Speaker of Congress shall propose not fewer than two and not more than four times to the Secretary/Secretaries requested to appear before Congress.​

(c) If no time proposed by the Speaker works for the Secretary/Secretaries, the Secretary may request an alternate time from the Speaker or a member of their office.​

(d) Once a time is agreed upon, the Speaker of Congress is to announce via #government-announcements that a meeting has been scheduled. This announcement is to come no fewer than three days prior to the meeting.​

(e) In the event that a time cannot be arranged with a Secretary, they may nominate their deputy or a member of the relevant cabinet department to represent them, or to submit responses to Congress' questions in writing.​

(2) Conduct​

(a) Testimony is to be heard in either of the hearing rooms in the capitol.​

(b) The hearing is to be presided over by either the chair of the committee impaneled to hear testimony or the Speaker of Congress. How the members of Congress determine the chair of the committee is to be up to the members of Congress, as is the composition of the committee.​

(c) Representatives will ask questions of the Secretary or their appointed representative in descending order of seniority.​

(d) If requested, members of the committee impaneled to hear testimony shall provide written copies of the questions they wish to ask.​

(e) Meetings are to be open to the public, and a report is to be published by the congressional Press Assistant following each meeting.​

(3) Legal Obligation​

(a) When a Secretary's presence is requested by the Congress, they are required to attend a hearing when scheduled as outlined above.​

(b) Secretaries are obligated to attend a hearing or provide testimony in writing when summoned by Congress. Secretaries may meet their legal obligation under this clause by appointing their deputy or another member of their department to stand in for them, or by submitting responses to questions asked by Congress in writing.​

(c) If a Secretary fails to meet their obligations under this section, they may be fined an amount not greater than 500 dollars if a super majority in Congress holds the Secretary in contempt.​

(d) If a Secretary fails to meet their obligations repeatedly, Congress reserves the power to remove the Secretary through Impeachment.​

(4) Limitations​

(a) Congress may not require testimony from any one secretary more than once in a period of 6 weeks.​

(b) This limitation does not apply to summons before an impeachment trial.​

​

16 - Congressional Subpoenas​

(1) Process​

(a) Any member of the Congress may propose a motion to subpoena any number of people or entities to testify.​

(b) Motions to exercise Congressional Subpoenas are accepted or denied by the chamber that they are proposed. Congressional Committees are also able to accept or deny Congressional Subpoenas.​

(c) Should the motion pass, the subject(s) of the motion will be compelled to testify before Congress by the date specified in the motion.​

(d) Should the subject of a subpoena fail to appear before Congress without reasonable justification they will be charged 1% of their balance for each day with a minimum of $100.​

(e) Subjects of Congressional subpoenas may invoke their right not to incriminate themselves during the hearing.”​

4 - Transition
(1) All ongoing House of Representatives-specific hearings shall hereby have their chairperson be the Speaker of the House.
(2) All ongoing Senate-specific hearings shall hereby have their chairperson be the President of the Senate.
(3) All ongoing joint hearings shall hereby have their chairperson be the Speaker of the House.
(4) All ongoing hearings shall hereby be subject to the rules set out by this Act.

 

[1950Minecrafter]

Presidential Assent

This bill has been granted assent and is hereby signed into law.

1950minecrafter
20th President of the Commonwealth of Redmont
Member of the WPR​

 

[1950Minecrafter]

Presidential Assent

This bill has been granted assent and is hereby signed into law.

1950minecrafter
20th President of the Commonwealth of Redmont
Member of the WPR​

 

[1950Minecrafter]

Presidential Assent

This bill has been granted assent and is hereby signed into law.

1950minecrafter
20th President of the Commonwealth of Redmont
Member of the WPR​

 

[Omegabiebel]

House Vote: 9-0-0
Senate Vote: 4-0-0

A
BILL
To

Amend the Legislative Standards 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 'OCA & IG Act.'

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

(3) This Act has been authored by Moyfr and Senator CaseyLeFaye.

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

2 - Reasons

(1) As the Legislative Standards Act currently stands in law, there are multiple references to offices which are no longer used, those being the “Office of Presiding Officers”, “Presiding Officers’ Office”, and the “Speaker’s Office”.

(2) This bill seeks to update the Legislative Standards Act through legislation to replace these outdated terms with the modernly used “Office of Congressional Affairs.”

(3) To guarantee that Congress can use its funds to pay the Inspector General of the Federal Reserve, since it employs that position.

(4) To let Senators also have the opportunity to receive appropriations to assist them in the course of their official duties, just like Representatives.

3 - Amendments

(1) Section 10 of the Legislative Standards Act shall be amended as follows:

“(6) If a bill is passed by Congress, the President will do the following:​

​

(a) The President will sign the Bill and move it to the Acts of Congress forum. The Speaker’s​

Office Office of Congressional Affairs will update the relevant Rules and Laws; or”​

(2) Section 10 of the Legislative Standards Act shall be amended as follows:

“(7) Once the changes have been made, the Speaker's office Office of Congressional Affairs will announce the changes to the public, assuming the law is of significant public interest. Laws of significant public interest include but are not limited to the following:”​

(3) Section 12 of the Legislative Standards Act shall be amended as follows:

“(3) Motion of Commendation​

(a) Scope of Commendation. The motion must specify whether it seeks a Congressional​

Commendation (requiring approval from both chambers) or recognition in just one chamber.​

(b) Public Acknowledgment. If passed, the Office of the Presiding Officers Office of Congressional Affairs will issue a public statement of commendation, which may be awarded to any community member.”​

(4) Section 16 of the Legislative Standards Act shall be amended as follows:

“(2) Facilitation of Funding​

​

(a) The Office of the Presiding Officers Office of Congressional Affairs is responsible for appropriating the proper funds once a motion is passed, unless otherwise directed in such motion​

​

(3) Legislative bonuses​

​

(a) Congressional members are barred from appropriating themselves and or accepting bonuses for the purpose of extra remuneration.​

​

(i) The Inspector General of the Federal Reserve and members of the speakers office Office of Congressional Affairs are the only members exempt from this exclusion.​

​

(b) Representatives and Senators may still receive appropriations to assist them in the course of their official duties (e.g. paying a staffer).​

​

(4) Any official gifts made to a Representative or Senator are to be property of the state and​

should be surrendered to the Speaker's office Office of Congressional Affairs at the member's first opportunity.​

​

(a) The speaker's office Office of Congressional Affairs may choose to display or simply retain and archive these gifts.”​

(5) Section 18 of the Legislative Standards Act shall be amended as follows:

"(1) A 'Redundant' prefix will be made available to the Speaker's office Office of Congressional Affairs.​

​

(2) This prefix may be applied to bills by the Speaker's office Office of Congressional Affairs, where a bill no longer has legal relevance. Bills with the redundancy prefix will be moved to the rescinded / vetoed / rejected forum."​

 

[Moyfr]

HOR: 6-2-3
Senate: 3-2-0

A
BILL
To

Standardize the Motto and Insignia of Redmont and Amend the Legislative Standards 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 'In Staff We Trust Act.'
(2) This Act shall be enacted immediately upon its signage.
(3) This Act has been authored by Representative Moyfr.
(4) This Act has been co-sponsored by Representatives Jesseya, ToadKing, and Sir_Dogeington.

2 - Reasons
(1) In the current law, officers who are newly appointed or elected must swear an oath that includes the phrase “So help me End and Tech”.
(2) In the current national coat of arms and numerous seals of high office, the phrase “In End and Tech We Trust” appears inscribed under the Redmont Flag.
(3) To make the Commonwealth of Redmont beholden to no one, as well as to distance herself from figures who may or may not change in popularity overtime, it is necessary to make the coat of arms and oath mirror the sentiment that all may thrive in our society on their own merit.

3 - The Official Motto of the Commonwealth of Redmont
(1) The official motto of the Commonwealth of Redmont shall be: “In Staff We Trust”
(2) The motto of the Commonwealth of Redmont shall never include the name or nickname of a player or person.

4 - Standardization of the Coat of Arms
(1) The Coat of Arms of Redmont shall have the following design:
(2) A shield shape with the Redmont Standard inside shall make up the base of the design.
(3) Hovering slightly above the shield shall be the gray star, the symbol of leadership and excellence.
(4) A white ribbon shall overlay the bottom part of the shield, which shall have the national motto “In Staff We Trust” inscribed on it.

(i) Any seal which contains the coat of arms that does not include “In Staff We Trust” shall be determined as an invalid source of government authority.​

(5) “REDMONT” shall be listed underneath the shield in bold silver lettering.
(6) The outside of the shield shall be lined with mantling, which shall be colored in silver.
(7) The Coat of Arms shall appear on the Seal of the President.
(8) The Coat of Arms shall appear on the Seal of the Vice President.
(9) The Coat of Arms shall appear on the Seal of the Executive Cabinet.

5 - Amending the Legislative Standards Act
(1) The Legislative Standards Act shall be amended as follows:

20 - Oath of Office

(2) All Representatives and Senators in attendance of such a ceremony shall be sworn in by the Clerk with the following oath: 'I, (username), do solemnly swear that I will support and defend the Constitution of the Commonwealth of Redmont for the people. So help me End and Tech Staff.'

 

[Kaiserin_]

Presidential Assent

This bill has been granted assent and is hereby signed into law.

 

[Kaiserin_]

Presidential Assent

This bill has been granted assent and is hereby signed into law.

 

[Scassany]

A
BILL
To

Amend the Legislative Standards 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 'Legislative Standards Amendment Act.'

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

(3) This Act has been authored by Senator Gribble19 and Representative Scassany.

(4) This Act has been co-sponsored by Speaker Multiman155 and Senator Gribble19.

2 - Reasons

(1) Multiple sections of the Legislative Standards Act are either outdated or inconsistent, and this bill attempts to fix those.

(2) The current style requirements for bills are overly specific, causing unnecessary amendment motions needing to be filed when noticed.

3 - Amendments

(1) Section 4 and 5 of the Legislative Standards Act shall be amended as follows:

“4 - Standing Orders
(1) Upon commencing a new congressional session, the first order of business for each chamber is to amend or reconfirm its extant standing orders.

4 - The House of Representatives

(1) Upon commencing a new Congressional session, the chamber's first order of business is to amend or reconfirm it's extant standing orders.

5 - The Senate

(1) Upon commencing a new Congressional session, the chamber's first order of business is to amend or reconfirm it's extant standing orders.”

(2) Section 6 of the Legislative Standards Act shall be amended as follows:

“5 - Sergeant at Arms

(1) The Sergeant at Arms is a temporary position, that is appointed before each Congressional session or hearing by at the discretion of the relevant Presiding Officer, and is relieved when the meeting is adjourned may be relieved at any time.

(a) The Sergeant-at-Arms must be a serving Police Officer.

(2) The Police Officer will be responsible for the following while acting in the capacity of Sergeant-at-Arms:

(a) Ensuring the safety and the security of the Capitol Building.

(b) Ensuring the safety and the security of Representatives, Senators, and citizens on Capitol Grounds.

(c) Removing anyone from the Capitol grounds at the request of the relevant Presiding Officer.”

(3) Section 7 of the Legislative Standards Act shall be amended as follows:

“6 - The Office of Congressional Affairs

(1) The Office of Congressional Affairs is a statutory body which provides both chambers of congress with administrative support.

(2) The Office of Congressional Affairs is overseen by the Presiding Officers.

(3) The Office of Congressional Affairs is charged with:

(a) Making all necessary changes to documents of law

(b) Assisting the Speaker with the administration of the House

(c) Assisting the President of the Senate with the administration of the Senate

(d) Communicates with the Press and assists in the formatting and drafting of bills, if requested.

(d) Communicating with the Press

(e) Assisting in the formatting and drafting of bills

(f) Managing and publishing congressional transparency reports.

(g) Regularly informing the public of motions of significant public interest via government-announcements. Motions of significant public interest include but are not limited to the following:

(i) Nominations/Confirmations

(ii) Impeachments/Removals

(iii) Censures

(iv) New committees or changes to committees

(v) Veto overrides

(4) The members of the Office will be referred to as 'Congressional Staff’ and will comprise of at least two clerks.

(5) The Office of Congressional Affairs will comprise at least two clerks.

(6) Hiring

(a) The Presiding Officers must receive the approval of the Congress to hire Congressional Staff by way of nomination.

(b) A Congressional Staff position will carry over each term until a Presiding Officer actions §6.(7).(a).

(c) Congressional Staff may receive a salary decided by law outside of the Constitution.

(7) Dismissal Process

(a) Congressional Staff serve at the Presiding Officers pleasure.

(8) In the Presiding Officer’s absence, or if otherwise delegated, the Deputy Presiding Officer will assume the Presiding Officer's authority over Congressional Staff.

(9) The Office of Congressional Affairs is authorised to adjust the numbering of sections and subsections within acts, provided that such changes do not alter the substantive meaning of the act and are limited to correcting administrative errors in the sequential numbering. “

(4) Section 8 of the Legislative Standards Act shall be amended as follows:

“7 - Bills

(1) Representatives have the ability to officially propose bills to Congress. In order to propose a bill, the Representative will follow the congressional process as defined in §9.

(2) A rejected bill or a bill of the same nature cannot be proposed for a period of 14 days after its rejection unless a motion of reconsideration has been approved by Congress.
(a) A motion to reconsider, if passed, permits the proposal of an identical bill to the rejected bill or a bill of the same nature.
(a) Vetoed bills and bills that failed at referendum are considered rejected bills, and are thus subject to the same limitation.
(b) This limitation only applies to bills rejected during the current congressional session.
(c) All bills will automatically be reconsidered following the enactment of results of a congressional general election.

(3) If there’s a tie (this is there are the same number of votes in favour and against independently of the number of abstains), the poll will be held again without the abstain option. If there is a tie once more, the bill will automatically be rejected.

(3) The template for bills will be annexed to this act in a separate thread. Any amendments to the Bill format will be an amendment to this Act.

(4) The title of a bill must explain the purpose of the bill and may not contain any personal identifiers such as names, initials and abbreviations referring to persons.

(5) When assigning a title to a bill it may not contain any personal identifier such as, any names, initials, abbreviations or other such personal identifiers. The bill title should exist to explain the purpose of the bill.”

(5) Section 9 of the Legislative Standards Act shall be amended as follows:

“8 - Resolutions

(1) Congress may pass non-binding resolutions to express opinions or make formal requests. These do not require presidential assent.

(2) The template for Resolutions will be annexed to this act in a separate thread. Any amendments to the Resolution format will be an amendment to the Legislative Standards Act.

(3) Resolutions shall follow the same process and rules of Bills as outlined in this Act unless otherwise specified.

(4) Standing orders and other legislation may still make distinctions between Bills and Resolutions.

(5) §9.(5).(a) and §9.(6) do not apply to Resolutions. After a Resolution passes both chambers of Congress, it shall be moved to the Resolutions forum rather than await assent.”

(6) Section 10 of the Legislative Standards Act shall be amended as follows:

"9 - Congressional Process

(1) The Bill is posted to forums by the sponsoring Representative as a Bill: Draft. A link will be posted to #bills by the representative.

(2) After at least 24 hours have passed, the Speaker will then add a publicly visible poll in which congressional members will be able to change their vote on the bill for a 48 hour voting period and the prefix will be changed to Bill: Voting.

(3) After the 48 hours have passed, all votes have been submitted, or a majority is reached, there will be 2 situations:

(a) If the Bill is passed, the Presiding Officer of the House will change the Bill status to Bill: Pending and move it to the Senate, notifying the President of the Senate; or

(b) If the Bill is rejected, the Presiding Officer of the House will change the Bill status to Bill: Rejected and move it to the Rejected sub-forum.

(c) Passage shall be considered as a simple majority, unless otherwise provided by law, of ayes out of all non-abstention votes cast, and rejection shall be considered as a simple majority, unless otherwise provided by law, of nays out of all non-abstention votes cast. a failure to reach such a majority.

(d) If there’s a tie, the poll will be held again without the abstain option. If there is a tie once more, the bill will automatically be rejected.

(4) When debate is finished in the Senate, the President of the Senate will re-open the publicly visible poll for 48 hours. The prefix will be changed to Bill: Voting.

(5) After the 48 hours have passed;, all votes have been submitted;, or a majority is reached, there will be 2 situations:

(a) If the Bill is passed, the Presiding Officer of the Senate will move the bill to the Congressional forum applying the 'awaiting assent' prefix, notifying the President for their assent; or

(b) If the Bill is rejected, the Presiding Officer of the Senate will change the Bill status to Bill: Rejected and move it to the Rejected sub-forum with Senate recommendations in the comments.

(c) Passage shall be considered as a simple majority, unless otherwise provided by law, of ayes out of all non-abstention votes cast, and rejection shall be considered as a simple majority, unless otherwise provided by law, of nays out of all non-abstention votes cast. a failure to reach such a majority.

(i) In the case that there is neither a passage nor a rejection, the Vice-President will cast a tie-breaking vote resulting in passage if an aye is cast and rejection if a nay is cast.

(6) If a bill is passed by Congress, the President will do either of the following:

(a) The President will sign the Bill and move it to the Acts of Congress forum. The Speaker’s Office will update the relevant Rules and Laws; or

(b) The President will Veto the Bill and move it to the Rejected forum, providing the reason in the comments.

(7) Once the changes have been made, the Speaker's office Office of Congressional Affairs will announce the changes to the public assuming if the law is of significant public interest. Laws of significant public interest include but are not limited to the following:

(a) Changes to tax or property laws

(b) New restrictions against common or widespread crimes

(c) Laws requiring public referendum"

(7) Section 11 of the Legislative Standards Act shall be amended as follows:

"10 - Acts of Congress
(1) When amending a bill, all changes must be marked with the appropriate color.

(a) All text being removed from an amended bill must be in a shade of red.

(b) All text being added to an amended bill must be in a shade of green.

(c) All text being reworded in an amended bill must be in a shade of yellow.
(1) When amending a Bill everything being edited or changed to the bill must be highlighted in this way.

(a) Any text being removed from the bill must be in red and made bold.

(b) Any text being added to the bill must be in green and made bold.

(c) Any changes to the wording of the text in a bill must be made yellow and be made bold.

(d) In addition changes made must be clear so the previous bill in its entire before any edits must be posted on the thread so it is clear what is being changed.

(2) Sub Forums

(a) Acts of Congress shall be split into the following categories and Acts will be sorted between them based on their primary function:

(i) Budgets

(ii) Constitutional Law

(iii) Property Law

(iv) Wilderness Law

(v) Economic & Business Law

(vi) Breach of Peace Law

(vii) Administrative Law

(viii) Miscellaneous Laws

(ix) Resolutions

(3) Amendments

(a) When an amendment to a bill passes, it will be added as a reply to the original act’s thread under the Bills in Acts of Congress.

(b) The original act will be edited and updated as new amendments are added to it.

(c) When a bill intends to amend an Act of Congress, a link to the Act of Congress must be present within the reasons section of a bill.

(4) All votes on bill polls on the forums are to be made public to ensure Transparency between the public and the elected representatives."

(8) Section 12 of the Legislative Standards Act shall be amended as follows:

"11 - Congressional Motions

A motion in Congressional channels motion is a formal request for approval or disapproval by Congress. Unless otherwise provided, all motions are passed or failed on a majority basis and can be proposed by any member of a congressional chamber. Motions will be voted on by both chambers of congress, unless it is specified within the motion and not required by law for that type of motion. In order for a motion to be passed, it must pass a vote in all of the chambers in which it was voted on. Examples include, but are not limited to:

(1) Motion of No Confidence
(a) A Motion of No Confidence seeks to remove a presiding officer in a Congressional chamber from their function.
(b) A Motion of No Confidence against a presiding officer may be proposed only by a member in the Congressional chamber which the officer is presiding over and will only be voted on by that chamber.
(c) After a Motion of No Confidence has been proposed, and before it is voted on, the officeholder subject to the motion shall be given 24 hours to submit a response, which, if submitted, will be posted alongside the motion before it is voted on.
(d) A passing Motion of No Confidence will revert the subject of the motion to their regular role (Representative or Senator).
(a) Response Requirement. Before voting begins, the officeholder subject to a motion of no confidence must submit a response, which will be posted alongside the vote. If no response is received within 12 hours, the Presiding Officer will proceed without it.
(b) Government Stability. This motion carries serious consequences, as it can destabilize the government. If removal is for an appointment (presiding officer), the subject of the motion will revert to their regular role (Representative or Senator).

(2) Motion to Fund
(a) A Motion to Fund seeks to allocate funds appropriated to Congress and may be used for any purpose that supports legislative operations.
(a) Allocation of Funds. Congress may allocate funds through a simple majority vote, following bugetary regulations.
This motion may be used for any purpose that supports legislative operations.
(b) Individual Chamber Approval. Either the House of Representatives or the Senate may pass a motion to fund independently.
(c) Spending Limits. No chamber may spend more than 50% of the legislative branch’s allocated funds in a fiscal period without joint approval from both chambers.

(3) Motion of Congressional Commendation
(a) A Motion of Congressional Commendation seeks to award an individual with a Congressional Medal.
(b) A Motion of Congressional Commendation requires a majority in both chambers of congress to pass.
(a) Scope of Commendation. The motion must specify whether it seeks a Congressional Commendation (requiring approval from both chambers) or recognition in just one chamber.
(b) Public Acknowledgment. If passed, the Office of the Presiding Officers will issue a public statement of commendation, which may be awarded to any community member.

(4) Motion of Commendation
(a) A Motion of Commendation seeks to recognize an individual for their contributions.
(b) A Motion of Commendation may be specified to be from either chamber independently, only requiring a majority vote in said chamber.

(5) Motion of Consideration
(a) A Motion of Urgent Consideration seeks to have a bill urgently considered. If passed, the voting on the bill that was motioned for Urgent Consideration must be opened within 12 hours and the bill will receive priority when advancing to the senate.
(b) Proposal and Voting. A Only Representatives may propose this motion, and it will be voted on only by the House of Representatives.
(b) Expedited Process. If passed, the bill must be opened for voting within 12 hours. If approved by the House, it will receive priority when advancing to the Senate.

(6) Motion of Censure
(a) A Motion of Censure seeks to publicly condemn an individual, government department or government agency, and their actions.
(b) A Motion of Censure serves as a formal reprimand but does not impose penalties.
(c) A Motion of Censure may only be made against a single individual or government department at a time. In order to censure multiple individuals, separate motions must be filed.
(d) A Motion of Censure may be passed by any congressional chamber independently.
(a) Purpose and Scope. Any Representative or Senator may move a motion of censure against an individual to publicly condemn their actions. Censure does not impose penalties but serves as a formal reprimand.
(b) Restrictions. A motion to censure may only target one individual at a time. Multiple individuals cannot be censured under a single motion; separate motions must be filed. However, government departments or agencies may be censured collectively.

(6) Motion of Replacement
If a Representative or Senator resigns or is removed, their replacement will be appointed according to constitutional procedures.

(7) Motion of Removal
(a) A Motion of Removal seeks to remove a member of a congressional chamber from their position in congress.
(b) A Motion of Removal may only be made against a single individual at a time.
(c) A Motion of Removal must be made and voted on in accordance with the constitutional processes for removal of a member of congress, and the passing requirements shall be those that are defined in the Constitution.

Congress may remove a member in accordance with constitutional processes.
This power should only be exercised under appropriate circumstances, such as repeated censures.

(8) Motion of Nomination
(a) Legislative Nominations. A majority vote in both chambers is required to confirm a nomination to the Legislative Branch.
(b) Judicial Nominations. A majority vote in the Senate alone is required to confirm a nomination to the Judiciary.

(8) Motion to Override
If the President vetoes a bill, Congress may override the veto with a two-thirds majority vote.
(a) A Motion to Override seeks to override a presidential veto.
(b) A Motion to Override requires a supermajority in both chambers of congress to pass.

(9) Motion to Subpoena
(a) Congress may A Motion to Subpoena seeks to subpoena personnel or records for the purposes of a hearing or investigation.
(b) A Motion to Subpoena may be passed by any congressional chamber independently.

(10) Motion for Classification and Motion for Declassification
(a) Motion for Classification. A Representative or Senator may propose a motion A Motion for Classification seeks to classify information, a motion and its voting records, preventing public release.
(b) A Motion for Declassification. A previously classified motion may be declassified through a separate motion. seeks to declassify information that is currently classified, allowing for public release of the information.
(c) A Motion for Classification may be passed by any congressional chamber independently.
(d) A Motion for Declassification requires to be passed in all chambers where the Motion for Classification that originally classified the information was passed in order to pass.
(c) Voting Requirements. Classification or declassification requires a simple majority in all chambers where the original motion was passed.
(d) Justification for Classification. A motion should only be classified if its disclosure could harm government stability or the well-being of Redmont.
(d) Voting Restrictions. While a Motion for Classification is under vote, the Motion for Classification and the information it seeks to classify motion in question may not be publicized unless classification fails.

(11) Motion to Amend
(a) A Motion to Amend seeks to amend a bill that is currently undergoing voting in a Congressional Chamber.
(a) Amendments During Voting. A Representative may propose a motion to amend a bill that is currently undergoing voting in the House of Representatives, and a Senator may propose a motion to amend a bill that is currently pending in the Senate or undergoing voting in the Senate. A Motion to Amend a bill cannot be proposed once that bill has passed voting in both chambers.
(b) Members of either chamber can propose a Motion to Amend a bill that is currently up for vote in the chamber they are a part of.
(c) Required Majority. A Motion to Amend proposed in the House of Representatives requires the same majority required for passage of that bill in only that chamber, and a Motion to Amend proposed in the Senate requires the same majority required for passage of that bill in both chambers.
(d) Procedure. Following the passage of a Motion to Amend a bill, the bill will restart voting for 48 hours in the chamber it was in when the motion to amend was proposed, if that bill was up to vote in that chamber at any point between the motion’s proposal and the motion’s passage.
(i) In case the Motion to Amend changes neither the wording, nor the interpretation of a bill, it will not be required to restart the voting process in this manner under the discretion of the presiding officer with agreement from the proposer of the bill.

(12) Motion of Reconsideration
(a) A Motion to Reconsideration seeks to allow a bill to be re-proposed within 14 days of its rejection.
(b) The passage of a Motion of Reconsideration permits the proposal of a bill identical to or of the same nature as the rejected bill which has been motioned for reconsideration.
(c) A Motion of Reconsideration must be voted on and pass the vote in both chambers in order to pass.

(13) Motion to Hold in Contempt
(a) A Motion to Hold in Contempt seeks to summarily convict someone of Contempt of Congress.
(b) A Motion to Hold in Contempt may be passed by any congressional chamber independently.
(c) Upon passage of a Motion to hold in Contempt, the presiding officer of the chamber which passed the motion shall inform the Department of Homeland Security to action the punishment.

(14) Motion of Nomination
(a) A Motion of Nomination seeks to nominate someone to be hired as congressional staff.
(b) A Motion of Nomination must be voted on and pass the vote in both chambers in order to pass.

(15) Motion of Confirmation
(a) A Motion of Confirmation seeks to confirm a nominated candidate to the Cabinet or Judiciary.
(b) A Motion of Confirmation will only be voted on in the Senate, requiring a majority vote to pass.

”


(9) Section 13 of the Legislative Standards Act shall be amended as follows:

"12- Voting
(1) Conflict of Interests. If or when there is a motion against or relating specifically to a member of Congress, that member of congress shall not be allowed to vote on that motion. their vote shall not be included. (e.g. Motion of nomination, no confidence, removal)
(2) Abstentions. An abstention vote may be submitted during voting if the member does not wish to vote for or against a matter before congress. Failure to vote at all will be considered a non-vote and for the purposes of all other acts will be counted as an abstention.”

(10) Section 16 of the Legislative Standards Act shall be amended as follows:

"13 - Congressional Funds

(1) Codified Spending:

(1) The reference to the legislative budget in this bill relates to the respective balance of the 'DCGovernmentLEG' account.

(2) The legislative branch may pass bills to limit or enforce spending on a specific subject.

(3) Spending of congressional funds remains subject to all bills regarding appropriations, including the logging and transparency of such spending.

(2) Facilitation of Funding

(4) The Office of Congressional Affairs is responsible for appropriating the proper funds once a Motion to Fund is passed, unless otherwise directed in the motion.

(3) Legislative bonuses

(5) Congressional members are barred from appropriating themselves and or accepting bonuses for the purpose of extra remuneration.

(a) Members of the Office of Congressional Affairs are the only members exempt from this exclusion.

(b) Representatives may still receive appropriations to assist them in the course of their official duties (e.g. paying a staffer).


(11) Section 17 of the Legislative Standards Act shall be amended as follows:

"17 - Contempt of Congress

(1) The House of Representatives, Senate, or any committee may vote to hold a person "in contempt" by a majority vote. The Speaker will then report the incident to the Department of Justice to be actioned.

To refuse to testify, won't provide information requested by the House or the Senate, or obstructs an inquiry by a congressional committee.
First Offence: $1500 fine and 10 minutes of jail time
Second Offence: $2000 fine and 20 minutes of jail time
Third Offence: $4000 fine, 40 minutes of jailtime, and a Censure”

(12) Section 18 of the Legislative Standards Act shall be amended as follows:

"16 - Redundancy

(1) A 'Redundant' prefix will be made available to the Speaker's office.

(2) This prefix may be applied to bills by the Speaker's office where a bill no longer has legal relevance. Bills with the redundancy prefix will be moved to the rescinded / vetoed / rejected Congress’s archive folder on the forum.

(3) Redundant bills will remain law until they are formally rescinded.”

(13) Section 19 of the Legislative Standards Act shall be amended as follows:

"17 - Peer Review

(1) A co-sponsor is required on all bills proposed.

(a) A co-sponsor must be a willing Representative or Senator who is not the proposer of the bill and this co-sponsor must be willing in the process of co-sponsorship.

(b) The bill and resolution format will be updated to include a space under section 1 for the co-sponsor to be put.

(b) If a listed co-sponsor claims that legislation was introduced without their consent, it is to be withdrawn from consideration at the discretion of the presiding officer of the House unless evidence of consent is provided. Consent may not be withdrawn once legislation is introduced.”

(14) Section 20 of the Legislative Standards Act shall be amended as follows:

"18 - Oath of Office

(1) Any Presiding Officer of a chamber of Congress may choose to hold a swearing-in ceremony for their chamber each term.

(2) All Representatives and Senators in attendance of such a ceremony shall be sworn in by the Clerk with the following oath: 'I, (username), do solemnly swear that I will support and defend the Constitution of the Commonwealth of Redmont for the people. So help me End and Tech.'

(a) Congressional staff may be sworn in by a Presiding Officer with the same oath.

(3) Congressional swearing-ins are entirely ceremonial and shall have no legal effect.”

(15) Section 21 of the Legislative Standards Act shall be amended as follows:

"19 - Ethical Standards

(1) Members of Congress must recuse themselves from any investigations in which they may have a conflict of interest.

(2) Members of Congress cannot engage in questioning, proposing subpoenas, or any other investigative matter in which they have a conflict of interest. This may only be overridden via a supermajority of Congress.

(3) Members of Congress should maintain the same level of activity required for voters in Section 16 of the Electoral Act. If a member of Congress continues to not be active on Discord, Forums, or in-game it may be considered a failure to perform duty and a removable offense.”

(16) Section 22 of the Legislative Standards Act shall be amended as follows:

"22 - Amendments

(1) Any changes to this process the legislative process should take the form of an amendment to the Legislative Standards Act.”

 

[Franciscus]

Before re-voting

 

[Pepecuu]

Before Revote

 

[juniperfig]

Presidential Assent

This bill has been granted assent and is hereby signed into law.