Post by Vista Major on Jul 28, 2015 21:12:31 GMT
THE PARLIAMENTARY REFOUNDING ACT
A resolution to restructure the Parliament and formation of the Cabinet
A resolution to restructure the Parliament and formation of the Cabinet
AUTHOR: Vista Major, MP
DATE: July the 29th, 2015 AD
PREAMBLE
In order to reform government into a more efficient and opportune system, this resolution of law is hereby established with the dominant goal of recreating the Parliament, making two separate, cooperative houses of legislature, and change how the Cabinet is elected.ARTICLE I:
The Parliament of the Commonwealth of Free Nations shall become a bicameral legislature with two houses; the Assembly and the Senate.
ARTICLE II:
The Assembly of the Parliament shall be installed as the lower house and is responsible for writing new/original legislation. The Assembly shall compose of all citizens who do not serve in the Senate. At any given time, there must be at least 13 citizens serving in the Assembly, including the Speaker of Parliament and the Cabinet.
ARTICLE III:
In writing legislation, resolutions must be original and have minimal "amendment-complex" (the power to override sections or wholes of previous bills). Bills that seek to enact minor reforms of previous bills are considered to have minimal amendment-complex, and thus within the jurisdiction of the Assembly.
ARTICLE IV:
Members of the Assembly who desire to ascend to the Senate need only call a vote of Parliament and receive a simple-majority vote of approval.
ARTICLE V:
If a Member of the Assembly (M.E) wishes to propose a resolution that is a repeal of a previous law or an amendment to the Constitution, they must have a sponsor in the Senate to propose the resolution on the M.A's behalf.
ARTICLE VI:
Likewise, if a Member of the Senate (M.S) wishes to propose an original bill, they must be sponsored by a Member of the Assembly, who will introduce the legislation to the Assembly on the senator's behalf.
ARTICLE VII:
A bill in the Assembly must pass with at least a simple-majority (51%) in order to be brought before the Speaker of the Parliament, who shall pass the bill into law or veto. In the case of a veto, the Assembly must override it with a supermajority vote. However, if a bill in the Assembly reaches supermajority, it cannot be vetoed, and thus automatically becomes law.
ARTICLE VIII:
The Senate of the Parliament shall be installed as the upper house and is responsible for writing constitutional amendments and major revisions of previously-passed bills (major amendment-complex).
ARTICLE IX:
The Senate shall compose of Assemblymen who have ascended via parliamentary vote (Article III) beforehand. Likewise, senators may choose to demote themselves to the Assembly, upon notifying the Speaker. If a senator steps down to the Assembly, they are tethered there for 2 months before becoming eligible to rejoin the Senate.
ARTICLE X:
Amendments in the Senate must pass with at least a supermajority (2/3) in order to be brought before the Speaker of the Parliament, who may either sign the bill into law or veto it. In the event of a veto, the entire Parliament must gather at least a supermajority to override the veto and make the amendment law.
ARTICLE XI:
The Chancellor of the Commonwealth of Free Nations no longer has the authority to veto any law passed in the Parliament (as per Article 5, Section 1 of the Constitution), without the formal support (4/6 vote) of the Cabinet. In the case of a Chancellery veto, it shall override any decision made by the Speaker regarding the legislation. Furthermore, Article 4, Section 2 of the Constitution is hereby repealed.
ARTICLE XII:
The Chancellor and the Speaker of Parliament, as well as ministers, are allowed to writing legislation and vote in both the Assembly and the Senate. Assemblymen cannot vote in the Senate; likewise, senators cannot vote in the Assembly.
ARTICLE XIII:
The Chancellor shall be elected by popular vote. Every verified political party in the region must submit a candidate for Chancellor in order to remain an official party. The election for Chancellor shall be conducted by the current Chancellor (or, in the Chancellor's absence on the starting day of elections, the Chief Justice) via Instant Runoff Voting (IRV) ballot. In order to maximize choice, voters may also "write-in" a candidate on the ballot, assuming that said-write-in candidate is a valid citizen eligible for office. (SAMPLE BALLOT) If ever neither the Chancellor nor Chief Justice are able to conduct elections, the Parliament may call a live session to vote for Chancellor.
ARTICLE XIV:
Once the Chancellor has been elected, he/she/it is to appoint the rest of the Cabinet. In the event that an appointed minister is contested by at least half of the Parliament, a special election shall commence to replace the minister (via Instant Runoff Voting), on the condition that the appointed minister remain on the ballot.
ARTICLE XV:
In order to check the power of the Speaker of Parliament, the Chancellor reserves the right to call a Vote of No Confidence on the Speaker at any time. If the Parliament elects by at least a simple-majority to dismiss the Speaker, the Chancellor shall appoint a new Speaker of Parliament to serve the rest of the term. Furthermore, the Speaker of Parliament may only serve in the office for 3 total terms.
ARTICLE XVI:
This resolution shall take effect immediately, and therefore the off-site Forums and previously-passed laws shall be updated accordingly to accommodate for the two separate houses. Furthermore, this amendment shall expire on November 16th, 2015, at or before which time The Parliamentary Refounding Act shall either be repealed, made permanent (an officially standing law), or revised by popular vote of Parliament.