Bill: Draft Redmont Economic Standards Act

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CONGRESS OF THE
COMMONWEALTH OF REDMONT
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A BILL TO
Restate the Standards of Public Remuneration
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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:
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PART I — PRELIMINARIES

1. Short Title and Enactment

(1) This Act may be cited as the 'Redmont Economic Standards Act' or the 'RESA'.

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

(3) This Act has been authored by President xXTheoryXx, Commerce Secretary Planke32.

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

(5) This Act repeals and replaces the following act:

(a) Economic Standards Act

(6) This Act is to be read with the Redmont Corporate Entities Act, the Redmont Commerce and Finance Act, the Redmont Revenue Act and the Bankruptcy Act.

2. Reasons and Intent

(1) The Economic Standards Act sets the pay of every public servant in Redmont and then leaves the levels frozen in statute, so the only way to correct a salary that has fallen behind is a bill, and the only way to correct one that is too high is the same bill nobody will file.

(2) The bonus rule states a figure and a sentiment. It does not say who may award a bonus, whether a person may award one to themselves, or where the award is recorded, so the only real check on public money is the good sense of whoever holds the chequebook.

(3) Nothing in the Act requires any salary, bonus or commission to be published. A citizen cannot find out what the government pays its own officers without asking them.

(4) The provisions on deported and banned players predate the Bankruptcy Act. They give the Department of Commerce a ticket system for creditors while that Act gives the same creditors a trustee, a priority waterfall and a clawback power, and neither says which prevails.

(5) Those provisions also assume every business is unincorporated. They say nothing about shares in an incorporated entity, which do not vanish when their holder is banned, and nothing about what happens if a ban is later reversed, so a wrongly banned player is stripped permanently.

(6) This Act therefore restates public remuneration in one place, states who may award what and on whose signature, adds a mechanism for adjusting pay by Executive Order rather than by bill, and rebuilds the deported-assets provisions to work with the Bankruptcy Act and the Redmont Corporate Entities Act.

3. Definitions

(1) For the purposes of this Act:

(a) Active Playtime. Playtime as defined by Staff.

(b) Appointing Authority. The person or body with power to appoint to the position concerned.

(c) Banned. Subject to a permanent ban or a Long Deport, as those terms are used in the server rules and in Part XI of the Bankruptcy Act.

(d) Bonus. A one-time supplementary payment for performance or contribution beyond ordinary duties. It is neither routine nor guaranteed.

(e) Commission. A supplementary payment associated with the completion or outcome of specific work.

(f) Department. The Department of Commerce, except where another department is named.

(g) Public Servant. A person holding a position in the Executive, the Legislature, the Judiciary, or a governmental entity, whether elected, appointed or employed.

(h) Salary. The amount of money a public servant receives from the Government per 15 minutes of active playtime, external to appropriations.

(i) Salary Level. A level in the table in section 8.

4. Interpretation

(1) A payment of public money is lawful only where this Act, an appropriation, or another Act of Congress authorises it.

(2) Where a payment could be characterised as a salary, a bonus or a commission, it is treated as whichever this Act regulates most strictly.

(3) A reference in any enactment to the Economic Standards Act is read as a reference to this Act.

PART II — PRINCIPLES OF PUBLIC REMUNERATION

5. Principles

(1) Apolitical. Salary adjustments must be based on objective factors such as relative workload, fair remuneration and demand. Salaries must not be withheld, reduced or increased for political advantage.

(2) Comparative. Comparable work performed across the public service must receive comparable levels of remuneration.

(3) Performance based. A supplementary payment may only be issued where it is supported by demonstrable work or contribution, and not for a purpose unrelated to the performance of duties.

(4) Accountable. Every payment made under this Act must be capable of being justified by reference to the work it rewards.

6. No Self-Award

(1) A public servant may not award, approve or increase their own bonus, commission or salary level.

(2) Where the person who would ordinarily approve a payment is its intended recipient, the approval must be given by:

(a) in the case of a Secretary or Deputy Secretary, the President;

(b) in the case of the President or Vice President, a resolution of Congress;

(c) in the case of a judicial officer, the Chief Justice, and in the case of the Chief Justice, the remaining Justices of the Supreme Court; and

(d) in the case of a presiding officer of a chamber, that chamber by resolution.

(3) A payment made in contravention of this section is recoverable under section 17 and is a ground for Abuse of Power under Part II of the Criminal Code Act.

PART III — SALARIES

7. Salary

(1) A public servant is paid the salary for the salary level assigned to their position, per 15 minutes of active playtime.

(2) A person holding more than one position is paid at the higher applicable level only, and may not draw two salaries for the same period of playtime.

(3) Salary is payable from the point of appointment and ceases on the point of removal, resignation or the expiry of the term.

8. Pay Scales

(1) The following pay scales establish the framework of responsibilities associated with each salary level, to inform positional assignment.

Level	Salary	Characteristics	Occupations
0	Commission	Fully commission based roles, pay tied entirely to outcomes. Typically volunteer or special roles. May be issued alongside a retainer wage level.
1	$90	Leaders of Government Branches. High responsibility, management and governance. Significant on and off server work.	President Chief Justice President of the Senate Speaker of the House of Representatives
2	$80	Deputy leaders and Department heads. Major responsibility, management and governance, considerable off server work.	Vice President Department Secretaries Justices Deputy Department Secretaries Deputy President of the Senate Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives Federal Reserve Board Governor
3	$70	Members of peak bodies within government branches. High responsibility, active management and governance, some off server work.	Senators Representatives Judges Chief of Staff
4	$60	Middle management of departments. Large responsibility, some management.	Magistrates Press Advisor Executive Advisor Federal Reserve Board Member
5	$50	Senior staff with specialised duties. Moderate responsibility, occasional management, elevated skill required.	Court Staff Congressional Staff RBA Chairperson
6	$40	Standard government employees. Some responsibility, no management.	RBA Councillors
7	$30	Entry level employees. Minimal responsibility, routine tasks, no management or governance.
8	$25	Support roles or trainees. Basic tasks, primarily learning, no governance and no off server work.

(2) Not every characteristic is true or relevant to every position within a level.

9. Assignment of Positions

(1) A position not assigned to a level by this Act is assigned by Presidential Executive Order, and only to level 0 or to levels 4 through 8.

(2) A position may be assigned to a level above or below its responsibility descriptor having regard to required in game activity, relative workload compared to other public service positions, leadership and institutional responsibilities, necessary skills, demand, receipt of commission, and the level of public scrutiny the position attracts.

(3) An assignment under subsection (1) takes effect on publication of the Executive Order and applies only to playtime after that point.

(4) A position within the Legislature or the Judiciary may not be assigned or reassigned by Executive Order.

10. Adjustment of Salary Levels

(1) The President, acting with the advice of the Secretary of Commerce, may adjust the dollar figure attaching to any salary level by Executive Order.

(2) The Order shall state the level affected, the old and new figures, and the reason.

(3) An adjustment takes effect on publication of the Order, or on any later date the Order states, and applies only to playtime after it takes effect.

(4) The table in section 8 states the figures in force on the enactment of this Act. A figure adjusted under this section replaces the figure in that table, and the Salary Guide under section 11 shall record the figure in force.

(5) An adjustment to the figure for level 1 takes effect at the start of the next presidential term.

(6) The creation or removal of a salary level requires an Act of Congress.

(7) Section 6 does not apply to an adjustment under this section that applies to a salary level generally.

11. Salary Guide

(1) The Department of Education shall maintain a guide on the wiki called 'Government Pay' listing the salary levels and the occupations assigned to them by Congress and by Executive Order.

(2) The guide is informative. Where it conflicts with this Act or an Executive Order, this Act or the Order prevails.

(3) The guide need only be updated when a position is assigned or reassigned, and no periodic review of it is required.

PART IV — COMMISSIONS AND BONUSES

12. Commissions

(1) Commission is issued at the following rates from the Department or Branch budget, or as otherwise provided in the written policies of executive departments, the judicial branch, or the Office of Congressional Affairs, in addition to these statutory commissions.

Commission Type	Position	Amount	Notes
Case Loading	Justice	$800	Per case, per day presiding, including up to seven days of recess. Days of recess from the eighth day are compensated at 50% of the base rate.
	Judge	$600	Per case, per day presiding, including up to seven days of recess. Days of recess from the eighth day are compensated at 50% of the base rate.
	Magistrate	$400	Per case, per day presiding, including up to seven days of recess. Days of recess from the eighth day are compensated at 50% of the base rate.
Departmental Loading (per month)	Secretary	Category A: $20,000 Category B: $16,000 Category C: $12,000	Awarded according to the category assigned under section 13.
	Deputy Secretary	Category A: $10,000 Category B: $8,000 Category C: $6,000	Awarded according to the category assigned under section 13.
Legislative Loading	Clerk	Processing an Act of Congress: $1,000 Processing a Motion: $350 Fixing an error in legislation: $750	Error correction is capped at $750 per document, act or resolution per week.
	Draftsman	Comprehensive policy or bill review: $2,000 Standard policy or bill review: $500 Advising Congress on what it can do: $1,000

(2) Case loading is payable only to the judicial officer actually presiding over the case, and only for days on which the case was live before them.

(3) Departmental loading is payable only for a month in which the officer held the position, and is charged pro rata where they held it for part of the month.

(4) A commission may not be claimed twice for the same work, and two officers may not each claim the same commission for the same item.

13. Department Categories

(1) The President assigns each Department a category of A, B or C by Executive Order.

(2) Categories are assigned having regard to required in game activity, relative workload compared to other public service positions, leadership and institutional responsibilities, necessary skills, and the level of public scrutiny the department attracts.

(3) A change of category takes effect from the first day of the month after the Executive Order is published.

14. Bonuses

(1) A bonus may be awarded only where it is supported by demonstrable work or contribution beyond ordinary duties.

(2) A bonus may not be awarded as routine practice, without justification, or for a purpose unrelated to the performance of duties.

(3) A bonus of more than $3,000 requires a written justification stating the work relied on and the reason the ordinary salary and commission do not reflect it.

(4) A person may not receive more than $10,000 in bonuses in any calendar month without the approval of the President, or in the case of a judicial officer, the Chief Justice.

(5) A bonus may not be awarded to a person in the 14 days before a general election except for work completed and published before that period began.

15. Limits

(1) A payment under this Part is made from the budget of the department or branch concerned, and may not be made where that budget is exhausted.

(2) A payment under this Part is void to the extent it exceeds a limit in this Act, and the excess is recoverable under section 17.

(3) Nothing in this Part authorises a payment to a person who does not hold the position to which the payment attaches.

PART V — ADMINISTRATION

16. Payment

(1) A salary, commission or bonus is paid from the budget of the department or branch to which the position belongs.

(2) No payment may be made under this Act without an appropriation or other lawful authority covering it.

17. Overpayment and Recovery

(1) An amount paid under this Act to which the recipient was not entitled is a debt due to the Government.

(2) The Department of Commerce may recover the amount by deduction from future payments to that person, or by action in the Federal Court.

(3) A recipient who knew, or ought reasonably to have known, that they were not entitled to the payment is liable for the amount in full. Where the recipient received the payment in good faith, the Department may waive recovery in whole or in part.

(4) Recovery under this section does not bar prosecution for an offence arising from the same conduct.

PART VI — ASSETS OF DEPORTED AND BANNED PLAYERS

18. Application

(1) This Part applies to a player who is permanently deported or banned.

(2) This Part is subject to the Bankruptcy Act. Where a bankruptcy case is on foot in respect of the player, that Act governs, the Trustee administers the estate, and this Part applies only so far as it is consistent with that Act.

19. Financial Assets

(1) All money remaining in the balance of a permanently deported or banned player, together with the entire balance of every sole proprietorship solely owned by that player, is transferred to the Government balance by a prune conducted by the Department of Commerce.

(2) A sole proprietorship solely owned by that player is deregistered.

(3) No notice is required before a prune or deregistration under this section.

20. Business Interests

(1) An Incorporated Entity does not cease to exist, and its assets do not vest in the Government, by reason only that an interest holder or agent of it has been permanently deported or banned.

(2) The shares or membership interests held by the player are property of the player and vest in the Government under section 19, and the Government may hold, sell or transfer them.

(3) Where the player was the only director, manager or general partner of an Incorporated Entity, the Department may act under section 81 of the Redmont Corporate Entities Act to appoint a person to act, or under section 80 of that Act to strike the entity off.

(4) Where the player was the registered owner of an in game company associated with an Incorporated Entity, the Department shall change the owner at the direction of that entity.

21. Property

(1) A plot owned by a permanently deported or banned player, including a Structure of Historical Significance, is evicted in accordance with the regulations of the Department of Construction and Transport.

(2) No notice is required before an eviction under this section.

(3) The Eviction Tax under the Redmont Revenue Act applies to the auction or sellback of a plot evicted under this section at the rate for a plot evicted for inactivity.

PART VII — RELATIONSHIP, TRANSITION AND GENERAL

22. Relationship to Other Acts

(1) This Act does not authorise a payment that another Act prohibits, and does not limit the power of Congress to appropriate.

(2) The Redmont Corporate Entities Act governs the entities referred to in section 20, the Redmont Revenue Act governs the taxes referred to in this Act, and the Bankruptcy Act governs insolvency.

(3) Conduct contravening this Act may be prosecuted under the Criminal Code Act, including as Abuse of Power under Part II or as an offence in Part VII.

23. Transition

(1) A salary level, category or position assignment in force on the enactment of this Act continues in force.

(2) A commission or bonus that accrued before the enactment of this Act is payable under the law as it stood when it accrued.

(3) Sections 6 and 14 apply to payments made on or after the enactment of this Act.

(4) Nothing in this Act affects an existing legal action or a liability already accrued.

24. Severability

(1) If any provision of this Act is held invalid or unenforceable, the remainder continues in full force and effect.