And I don't see any good use for putting them up separately to vote - as an example, if we decide to change the name of legislator to citizen as Jay is proposing, or perhaps we split some role up into two jobs or combine two jobs into one, then it would be an absolute mess if we end up having constitutional laws without the change while the charter and regular laws have it.

I think this makes sense to me and I'd favor Jebediah's version of 5(g). If we're going to have a reconciliation process to produce one coherent omnibus package, it doesn't make sense to then split it into separate votes that might lead to incomplete legislation.

Esfalsa | NationStates | Wiki | Roleplay | Discord

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Does anyone else have any comments on either the original or amended proposal?

If not, we might as well motion a vote.

(This post was last modified: 05-30-2022, 12:20 PM by Jebediah.)

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Seconding the motion to vote, given majority legislator interest.
Though my personal vote will be neutral until I wage how 'the nuclear option' in rule #3 would be enforced.

The Orange Records | Viliakmon (Pacifica) | NationStates Account Main | Discord: genericsequencealias#0990

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@sandaoguo, are you adding the amendment to the bill or will they be competing?

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Pretty sure we have to wait at least 1 additional day to motion to vote, since the Chair clarified via Discord this would be a five day vote, and thus require a five day discussion period. In that time, we can also resolve which of the two versions we should motion to vote.

Minister of Foreign Affairs
General of the South Pacific Special Forces
Ambassador to Balder
Former Prime Minister and Minister of Defense

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I favor Jebediah's amended version if Glen doesn't end up adding it to the bill.

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I’m back at work this week, so if somebody could post a new draft with the updated omnibus language, that’d be nice I’ll try to get to it tonight if nobody does.

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The current text of the bill is as follows:

Great Council Convening Resolution of 2022

A resolution to to convene a Great Council for the purposes of altering the Coalition

 

The Assembly of the Coalition:

Recognizing systemic problems in the Coalition, such as the recurrent election of long-time officeholders instead of new leadership, decline in creativity and new ideas within the Assembly, deep disagreement regarding the function of the in-game community, and other issues,

Presenting as evidence in part for this the significant apathy showcased in Assembly debates on even the most controversial of topics, the dearth of promising new talents coming out of the regional pipeline, the uncontested nature of numerous elections for some of the most coveted government position, the insular divide between the in-game and the forum/Discord communities which often leads to hostile interactions between their members, and the low levels of motivation or energy for pursuing any novel initiatives that has gradually seeped into the region,

Believing that these issues will continue to hamper the region’s progress if not swiftly dealt with,

Further believing that those problems exist in part due to the existing Charter and canon of laws written in the aftermath of the 2016 coup d'etat, which were designed to resist significant change and built-in with many institutional veto points, 

Understanding that during times of great need in the past, the wise constituents of this august chamber have opted to convoke a Great Council, a convention with the aim of identifying and solving the problems that haunted the region during those epochs, with the goal of facilitating the path of further prosperity of the region,

Acknowledging that the current Charter and systems of governance were written by a generation no longer as actively involved in the community as before, and that the newer generations of South Pacificans may have different ideas for the establishment of our government,

Assured that no constitution is perfect in perpetuity and that communities can greatly benefit from beginning anew without the weight of existing law, custom, and precedent limiting possibilities,

Recognizing that constitutional conventions are a ripe opportunity for foreign manipulation both benign and hostile, and as such must include strong safeguards to ensure any new government is formed by true native South Pacificans free of undue foreign influence,

Asserting that the present situation of the South Pacific requires the intervention of a Great Council, which would allow the brightest minds of the region to come together and frankly discuss about the problems at hand, as well as potential solutions to those,

Hereby:

1. Invokes Article XIV of the Charter and calls for the convening of a Great Council beginning in the month of June of the year 2022.

2. Designates the current Chief Justice of the High Court, Kris Kringle, as the Chair of the Great Council, charged with maintaining order and decorum, recognizing motions, ruling on points of order, and tallying votes on proposals.
a. Provides that the Great Council may appoint a participant as the Deputy Chair of the Great Council, tasked with assisting the Chair in carrying out the aforementioned duties.
b. Resolves that should the Chair or the Deputy Chair resign or remain inactive over a period of a week without advance notice, the Great Council may select a replacement by majority vote.

3. Mandates that legislators of the Assembly holding valid status at the time this resolution is motioned to vote shall automatically qualify for participation in the Great Council, and that all participants must maintain order and decorum.
a. Determines that non-legislators may petition the Chair of the Great Council to participate, and that those petitions shall be granted upon determination of the Chair (or Deputy Chair, in the Chair's absence) that the petitioner does not pose a threat to the security or decorum of the Great Council, and that the petitioner does not possess significant conflicts of interests or the appearance of bad faith.
b. Requires the Chair of the Great Council to publish and maintain a list of qualified participants.
c. Permits any participant to raise a point of order that another participant is violating order or decorum, including acting on behalf of a foreign influence, to be judged by the Chair of the Great Council who may then expel a violating participant.
d. Further permits any participant to motion to overrule the Chair of the Great Council (or Deputy Chair, in the Chair's absence) in regards to their determination under 3(a) or 3(c.), which shall be adopted by majority vote.
e. Reasserts that all extant proscriptions and administrative bans remain in effect throughout the Great Council, and that participation in the Great Council shall not be used in defense against any proscription or administrative or moderator action.

4. Permits the Great Council to amend this resolution or adopt further procedures in a separate resolution by majority vote.

5. Determines the following agenda and rules of order, which may altered by majority vote of the Great Council at its discretion:
a. The Chair of the Great Council shall limit the first week of the Great Council to debate of procedures, admittance of non-legislators, and identification of problems to be resolved.
b. Following that week, the Chair of the Great Council shall open general debate on proposals.
c. Proposals must be debated for five days before a participant motions to vote.
d. Upon recognition of a motion to vote by the Chair or Deputy Chair, the proposal will be brought to vote for five days and adopted according to Article XIV, Section 5.
e. A motion to end general debate may be called no sooner than four weeks after of the convening of the Great Council. Upon recognition of the motion by the Chair or Deputy Chair, the motion shall be brought to vote for five days and adopted in favor by three-fifths of the Great Council. No new proposals may be submitted once the motion is recognized, unless and until the motion shall be rejected by the Great Council. One day following adoption, all outstanding proposals will be brought to vote for five days, unless retracted by the original proposer prior to voting starting, and adopted according to Article XIV, Section 5.
f. Should adopted proposals contain conflicting or contrary language, the Great Council will enter into a reconciliation period, wherein all conflicts will be resolved. Each conflicting proposal will be brought to a competing vote for five days, and the proposal favored by the greater number of participants will be adopted.
g. Following a reconciliation period, or in the absence of the need for one, the Chair of the Great Council shall combine all amendments into an omnibus and bring the omnibus to a final vote for five days. The final omnibus shall be adopted according to Article XIV, Section 5.
h. The Chair of the Great Council shall publish the final product of the Great Council, and recognize a motion by a participant to adjourn sine die. The motion to adjourn sine die shall be adopted by majority vote, and the final product shall be presented to the Chair of the Assembly for recording.

6. Resolves that special elections for all elected positions shall commence within seven days of the adjournment of the Great Council.

7. This resolution shall supersede the resolution entitled "Assembly Resolution to Call a Great Council (Modified)."

Motion to vote

Minister of Foreign Affairs
General of the South Pacific Special Forces
Ambassador to Balder
Former Prime Minister and Minister of Defense

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Second.

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