Post by southernaurgediam on Nov 13, 2017 18:05:30 GMT
P. B. 15
To amend the constitution in order to clarify the role of the legislature, to amend the constitution to provide for the adoption of a standing rules of order for each house of the legislature, and for other purposes.
____________________________________________
IN THE PARLIAMENT OF LONDINIUM
November 6, 2017
The delegate from the Principality of Nyelant (for himself and the Federation of Southern Aurgediam) submitted the following bill to Parliament:
____________________________________________
A BILL
To amend the constitution in order to clarify the role of the legislature, to amend the constitution to provide for the adoption of a standing rules of order for each house of the legislature, and for other purposes.
Be it enacted by the Parliament and Assembly of All of the Union of Londinium in the Legislature assembled.
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This act may be cited as the “Legislature Reform Act”.
SECTION 2. LEGISLATIVE REFORMS.
1. Legislation.—Article III, Section II of the Constitution of the Union of Londinium is amended by striking [§2.] and inserting under Section I the following:
“[§2.] No bill shall achieve passage without the consent of a quorum of both houses of the legislature.”
2. Standing Rules.—Article III, Section I of the Constitution of the Union of Londinium is amended by inserting the following after [§2.]
“[§3.] Each house of the legislature may determine the rules of its proceedings through the adoption of a standing rules of order.”
3. Powers of the Legislature.—Article III, Section I of the Constitution of the Union of Londinium is amended by inserting the following after [§3.]
“[§4.] The Legislature shall have the power to override the veto of a Prime Minister provided two-thirds of both houses give their consent.”
4. Quorum.—Article I of the Constitution of the Union of Londinium is amended by inserting the following at the end:
“[§9.] The term quorum refers to fifty (50) percent of a legislative body.”
5. Neglecting to Vote.—Article I of the Constitution of the Union of Londinium is amended by inserting the following at the end:
“[§10.] The term, “neglecting to vote” refers to a situation in which a member does not submit any vote, including a vote of present or abstain, on a bill.”
6. Leave of Absence.—Article I of the Constitution of the Union of Londinium is amended by inserting the following at the end:
“[§11.] The term leave of absence refers to a period of time, designated by the Speaker or President of each house, in which a member is not required to discharge the duties of their office, for reasons signified to the Speaker or President by the member.”
7. Clerical Amendments.—Article II, Section II of the Constitution of the Union of Londinium is amended by striking [§10.] and inserting the following:
“[§10.] The Prime Minister shall have the power to veto legislation passed by the Legislature.”
SECTION 3. CLARIFICATION OF THE PARLIAMENT’S ROLE.
1. Bill Submission.—Article III, Section II of the Constitution of the Union of Londinium is amended by inserting the following at the beginning:
“[§5.] The Parliament shall have the power to approve or deny bills passed in the Assembly of All, as well as the power to pass bills and send them to the Assembly of All for approval or denial.”
2. Consent Requirements.—Article III, Section II of the Constitution of the Union of Londinium is amended by striking [§4.] and inserting
“[§6.] Proposed legislation and approvals from the Assembly of All shall be considered passed when they achieve the consent of a quorum of members.”
3. Role of the Prime Minister.—Article II, Section II of the Constitution of the Union of Londinium is amended by striking [§9.] and inserting
“[§9.] The Prime Minister shall serve as the presiding officer of the Parliament, but shall not hold a vote unless the Parliament is equally divided on an issue.”
4. Presiding Officer.—Article III, Section II of the Constitution of the Union of Londinium is amended by adding the following at the end:
“[§9.] The Parliament shall select, at the beginning of the legislative term, a President Pro Tempore to preside in the absence of the Prime Minister.”
5. Removal of Members.—Article III, Section II of the Constitution of the Union of Londinium is amended by striking [§5.] and inserting the following:
“[§10.] The parliament may remove one of its members by a two-thirds majority vote. The Assembly of all may remove one of the Members of Parliament by a two-thirds majority vote, provided a quorum of representatives have voted.
[§11.] The parliament shall have the sole power to try all impeachments. When sitting for that purpose, the Lord Chancellor shall preside. No individual shall be convicted or removed from office without the consent of two-thirds of the Parliament.”
6. Clerical Amendments.—Article III, Section II of the Constitution of the Union of Londinium is amended by striking [§3.] and inserting
“[§12.] The Parliament shall consist of five (5) members, elected by popular vote by the Assembly of All every three (3) months. Members may serve no more than two (2) consecutive terms, however, there shall be no limit for the number of non-consecutive terms a member may serve. The Prime Minister may add or remove additional seats to the Parliament as they wish.”
SECTION 4. CLARIFICATION OF THE ASSEMBLY OF ALL’S ROLE.
1. Membership Requirements.—Article III, Section III of the Constitution of the Union of Londinium is amended by striking [§8.] and inserting
“[§14.] The Assembly of All (“Assembly”) shall consist of all citizens of Londinium in good standing provided they have not
• [14.1] Achieved membership in Parliament
• [14.2] Abstained from voting on more than three bills submitted to the Assembly of All.
[§15.] The provisions of [§14.2] shall not apply to members having requested a leave of absence from the Assembly of All.”
2. Bill Submission.—Article III, Section III of the Constitution of the Union of Londinium is amended by inserting the following at the end:
“[§22.] The Assembly of All shall have the power to approve or deny bills submitted by Parliament, as well as the power to pass bills and submit them to Parliament for approval.”
3. Consent Requirements.—Article III, Section III of the Constitution of the Union of Londinium is amended by striking [§9.] and inserting the following:
“[§17.] Proposed legislation and approvals from the Parliament shall be considered passed when they achieve the consent of a quorum of members.”
4. Presiding Officer.—Article III, Section III of the Constitution of the Union of Londinium is amended by striking [§10.] and inserting the following:
“[§18.] The Assembly shall elect a Speaker every three (3) months through a popular vote achieving the consent of a quorum of the membership. The Speaker shall preside over the Assembly and represent its interests in Parliament and to the Executive.”
5. Reinstatement of a Member.—Article III, Section III of the Constitution of the Union of Londinium is amended by adding the following after [§8.]:
“[§16.] A member removed due to non-compliance with [§9.2] may be reinstated by lodging a formal request with the Speaker.”
6. Impeachment.—Article III, Section III of the Constitution of the Union of Londinium is amended by adding the following after [§22.]:
“[§23.] The Assembly of All shall hold the sole power of impeachment. If achieving the consent of a quorum of the membership, the articles of impeachment introduced shall be brought before the Parliament for trial.”
Appendix A: Redefinitions—To preserve numerical order, the following redefinitions are required:
Article III, Section II
§6 becomes §7
§7 becomes §8
§8 becomes §13
Article III, Section III
§8 becomes §14
§11 becomes §19
§12 becomes §20
§13 becomes §21
To amend the constitution in order to clarify the role of the legislature, to amend the constitution to provide for the adoption of a standing rules of order for each house of the legislature, and for other purposes.
____________________________________________
IN THE PARLIAMENT OF LONDINIUM
November 6, 2017
The delegate from the Principality of Nyelant (for himself and the Federation of Southern Aurgediam) submitted the following bill to Parliament:
____________________________________________
A BILL
To amend the constitution in order to clarify the role of the legislature, to amend the constitution to provide for the adoption of a standing rules of order for each house of the legislature, and for other purposes.
Be it enacted by the Parliament and Assembly of All of the Union of Londinium in the Legislature assembled.
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This act may be cited as the “Legislature Reform Act”.
SECTION 2. LEGISLATIVE REFORMS.
1. Legislation.—Article III, Section II of the Constitution of the Union of Londinium is amended by striking [§2.] and inserting under Section I the following:
“[§2.] No bill shall achieve passage without the consent of a quorum of both houses of the legislature.”
2. Standing Rules.—Article III, Section I of the Constitution of the Union of Londinium is amended by inserting the following after [§2.]
“[§3.] Each house of the legislature may determine the rules of its proceedings through the adoption of a standing rules of order.”
3. Powers of the Legislature.—Article III, Section I of the Constitution of the Union of Londinium is amended by inserting the following after [§3.]
“[§4.] The Legislature shall have the power to override the veto of a Prime Minister provided two-thirds of both houses give their consent.”
4. Quorum.—Article I of the Constitution of the Union of Londinium is amended by inserting the following at the end:
“[§9.] The term quorum refers to fifty (50) percent of a legislative body.”
5. Neglecting to Vote.—Article I of the Constitution of the Union of Londinium is amended by inserting the following at the end:
“[§10.] The term, “neglecting to vote” refers to a situation in which a member does not submit any vote, including a vote of present or abstain, on a bill.”
6. Leave of Absence.—Article I of the Constitution of the Union of Londinium is amended by inserting the following at the end:
“[§11.] The term leave of absence refers to a period of time, designated by the Speaker or President of each house, in which a member is not required to discharge the duties of their office, for reasons signified to the Speaker or President by the member.”
7. Clerical Amendments.—Article II, Section II of the Constitution of the Union of Londinium is amended by striking [§10.] and inserting the following:
“[§10.] The Prime Minister shall have the power to veto legislation passed by the Legislature.”
SECTION 3. CLARIFICATION OF THE PARLIAMENT’S ROLE.
1. Bill Submission.—Article III, Section II of the Constitution of the Union of Londinium is amended by inserting the following at the beginning:
“[§5.] The Parliament shall have the power to approve or deny bills passed in the Assembly of All, as well as the power to pass bills and send them to the Assembly of All for approval or denial.”
2. Consent Requirements.—Article III, Section II of the Constitution of the Union of Londinium is amended by striking [§4.] and inserting
“[§6.] Proposed legislation and approvals from the Assembly of All shall be considered passed when they achieve the consent of a quorum of members.”
3. Role of the Prime Minister.—Article II, Section II of the Constitution of the Union of Londinium is amended by striking [§9.] and inserting
“[§9.] The Prime Minister shall serve as the presiding officer of the Parliament, but shall not hold a vote unless the Parliament is equally divided on an issue.”
4. Presiding Officer.—Article III, Section II of the Constitution of the Union of Londinium is amended by adding the following at the end:
“[§9.] The Parliament shall select, at the beginning of the legislative term, a President Pro Tempore to preside in the absence of the Prime Minister.”
5. Removal of Members.—Article III, Section II of the Constitution of the Union of Londinium is amended by striking [§5.] and inserting the following:
“[§10.] The parliament may remove one of its members by a two-thirds majority vote. The Assembly of all may remove one of the Members of Parliament by a two-thirds majority vote, provided a quorum of representatives have voted.
[§11.] The parliament shall have the sole power to try all impeachments. When sitting for that purpose, the Lord Chancellor shall preside. No individual shall be convicted or removed from office without the consent of two-thirds of the Parliament.”
6. Clerical Amendments.—Article III, Section II of the Constitution of the Union of Londinium is amended by striking [§3.] and inserting
“[§12.] The Parliament shall consist of five (5) members, elected by popular vote by the Assembly of All every three (3) months. Members may serve no more than two (2) consecutive terms, however, there shall be no limit for the number of non-consecutive terms a member may serve. The Prime Minister may add or remove additional seats to the Parliament as they wish.”
SECTION 4. CLARIFICATION OF THE ASSEMBLY OF ALL’S ROLE.
1. Membership Requirements.—Article III, Section III of the Constitution of the Union of Londinium is amended by striking [§8.] and inserting
“[§14.] The Assembly of All (“Assembly”) shall consist of all citizens of Londinium in good standing provided they have not
• [14.1] Achieved membership in Parliament
• [14.2] Abstained from voting on more than three bills submitted to the Assembly of All.
[§15.] The provisions of [§14.2] shall not apply to members having requested a leave of absence from the Assembly of All.”
2. Bill Submission.—Article III, Section III of the Constitution of the Union of Londinium is amended by inserting the following at the end:
“[§22.] The Assembly of All shall have the power to approve or deny bills submitted by Parliament, as well as the power to pass bills and submit them to Parliament for approval.”
3. Consent Requirements.—Article III, Section III of the Constitution of the Union of Londinium is amended by striking [§9.] and inserting the following:
“[§17.] Proposed legislation and approvals from the Parliament shall be considered passed when they achieve the consent of a quorum of members.”
4. Presiding Officer.—Article III, Section III of the Constitution of the Union of Londinium is amended by striking [§10.] and inserting the following:
“[§18.] The Assembly shall elect a Speaker every three (3) months through a popular vote achieving the consent of a quorum of the membership. The Speaker shall preside over the Assembly and represent its interests in Parliament and to the Executive.”
5. Reinstatement of a Member.—Article III, Section III of the Constitution of the Union of Londinium is amended by adding the following after [§8.]:
“[§16.] A member removed due to non-compliance with [§9.2] may be reinstated by lodging a formal request with the Speaker.”
6. Impeachment.—Article III, Section III of the Constitution of the Union of Londinium is amended by adding the following after [§22.]:
“[§23.] The Assembly of All shall hold the sole power of impeachment. If achieving the consent of a quorum of the membership, the articles of impeachment introduced shall be brought before the Parliament for trial.”
Appendix A: Redefinitions—To preserve numerical order, the following redefinitions are required:
Article III, Section II
§6 becomes §7
§7 becomes §8
§8 becomes §13
Article III, Section III
§8 becomes §14
§11 becomes §19
§12 becomes §20
§13 becomes §21