Post by People United on Oct 30, 2012 2:01:03 GMT
End of Convention
Okay, we've had time to discuss on the amendments, and figure out what we all want.
Now comes the most important part; It is time to vote.
As speaker, I am in charge of setting up the voting, and getting things going. Here are the general rules that have been established:
Voting will start sometime this week.
Voting will take place in the Votes & Elections board, here.
Voting will last for 3 days, and must reach a quorum.
Each region has been notified.
--Mid-North,
Speaker of the House of Lords
The following is the sum of the amendments:
3rd Constitution of the NationStates Republic (NSR), hereby renamed the NationStates Alliance (NSA). The NSA shall exist as a collection of regions to promote mutual support and the common interest.
Article 1 - Bill of Rights
1. Sovereignty
A. This document guarantees above all else the right to sovereignty over Domestic Affairs for every region whom holds membership in the NationStates Alliance.
B. All Nations of the Alliance are sovereign and have the right of self-determination in domestic policies, including Nation States Issues and the World Assembly.
2. Freedom
The natural Rights of free speech, free press, free expression of religion, and free association will not be infringed as long as the expressed freedoms do not (a) violate the same rights of others or (b ) violate the ToS of this Forum. The Forum Owner or his designee(s) shall be the ultimate judges of propriety.
3. Voluntary Participation
Participation in any regional or extra-regional government, forum, and military shall be voluntary.
4. Voluntary Endorsement
No nation of the Alliance holding WA member status shall be obligated to endorse any officer of the Alliance—except when volunteering for a military mission. The right to add or withdraw an endorsement will remain a sovereign right of WA member nations.
5. Constitutional Restraint
All Nations of the Alliance have the right to be protected against the abuse of powers by any government official, including in their region.
6. Unjust Banjections
No Nation shall be ejected from any region of the Alliance, or banned from any allied forum, without a public explanation. Should the ejection or banning be a matter of immediate regional security, the ejected or banned Nation shall have an avenue of redress in that region's forum as a member with limited membership.
7. Fair & Impartial Trials
When charged with criminal activity, Nations of the Alliance shall enjoy fair and impartial court trials. Such courts may occur and/or deliberate in a locked forum.
8. Constitutionality & Petitions
Any nation of the Alliance may ask the Tribunal to determine the Constitutionality of any treaty passed by the House of Lords, and may petition the Court for redress of grievances with other nations, any Alliance officer or the Alliance itself.
9. Other Rights
The Rights listed here are not exhaustive. Other Rights may be defined and existing Rights may be expanded by the House of Lords through treaties and legislation.
Article 2 - Governing Bodies
1. Legislative authority of the NationStates Alliance shall rest within The House of Lords (HoL). The House of Lords shall be the governing body of the NSA. The House of Lords shall be responsible to do the following:[/b]
A. pass treaties for cooperation between allied regions,
B. define terms of Alliance membership,
C. establish Rules of Order for the HoL and Citizen Assembly,
D. amend the Constitution,
E. declare war by the Alliance,
F. elect certain officers,
G. administration of treaties, programs, etc.
H. approve/reject un-enumerated powers of the HoL.
2. Each allied region shall have one vote in the House of Lords, and may seat three lords in the House of Lords. Membership requirements are the following:
A. all delegates and founders may be seated in the House of Lords automatically,
B. an allied delegate or founder may appoint their region's seated lords,
C. all lords of the House of Lords must declare their WA nation and be a citizen of an allied region,
D. all lords of the HOL may be subject to a confidence vote--if denied, the lord in question must be replaced by their region,
E. if a region's lords disagree, the seated founder will decide. If the founder is not a seated lord, the seated delegate will decide. If the delegate is not a seated lord, the majority of said region's lords will decide. If a majority is unattainable, the vote shall be cast as "present."
3. The Citizen Assembly (CA) shall be the general assembly of the Republic. It shall be a non-legislative advisory body to the House of Lords. The Citizen Assembly shall be responsible for the following:
A. pass resolutions concerning the Alliance concerning the HoL and Republic officers;
B. elect certain officers--including a chairman to moderate the CA,
C. veto amendments to the Bill of Rights.
4. Citizen Assembly membership requirements:
A. register their WA nation,
B. not be an allied region's founder, delegate or seated in the HoL,
C. be a citizen of an allied region in good standing with that region's delegate--a delegate may veto any nation's membership.
5. The Security Council shall be the defenders of the Alliance and its Constitution. It shall be made up of five seated lords, who must be either founders or delegates of an allied region. The House of Lords will elect them every three months by anonymous preferential voting. The Security Council shall act by simple majority, and shall be responsible for the following:
A. veto actions of officers--including military missions,
B. approve continuing military action taken by the Alliance military,
C. approve new allies that fulfill membership terms,
C. ascertain the legitimate government of an allied region.
Article 3 - Officers of The Alliance
1. The chief executive of the NationStates Alliance shall be the Alliance President. The President shall be elected by the House of Lords for a term of two months. He/she shall be responsible for the following:
A. oversee all Alliance officers and direct their activities,
B. oversee all Alliance treaties and direct entailing activities as prescribed by the HoL,
C. coordinate cooperation between allied regions,
D. represent the Alliance to NationStates world and prospective regions,
E. approve missions by the Alliance military,
F. appoint secretaries to help the president,
G. veto treaties and Rules of Order passed by the House of Lords.
h. select a successor in case he/she Ceases-to-Exist or resigns--the House of Lords may select a successor if none is chosen.
2. The Ombuds shall be elected by the House of Lords and approved by the Citizen Assembly for a term of two months. He/She shall be responsible for the following:
A. inspecting the actions of the President and other officers,
B. reporting to the Security Council each month on their actions.
3. The World Assembly Minister shall be elected by the House of Lords for a term of two months. He/She shall be responsible for the following:
A. leading cooperation in the WA between allied delegates.
B. maintaining the WA Affairs forum,
C. representing the Alliance to the NationStates world in WA affairs.
D. The minister shall be responsible for surveying allied regions on each World Assembly vote.
E. The minister shall be responsible for publishing the results of the survey to allied regions.
4. The New Members Coordinator (NMC) shall be elected from and by the Citizen Assembly for a term of two months. The New Members Coordinator will be responsible for the following:
A. welcoming and engaging new citizens to get them involved in areas of their interest.
B. welcoming and engaging new regions to get them involved.
C. creating a welcome and orientation brochure for new regions, House of Lords members, and citizens.
5. The Defense Minister shall be appointed by the President, serving at his/her pleasure, and must be a member of the House of Lords and be approved by the Security Council. Once appointed, the Defense Minister shall serve indefinitely unless removed from office through judicial process or removed by the President. He/She shall be responsible for the following:
A. establishing a Alliance military and intelligence organization,
B. granting rank to soldiers,
C. training soldiers,
D. along with the President, shall have authority to approve missions.
Article 4 - Tribunal
1. Jurisdiction
The Tribunal of the NationStates Alliance holds jurisdiction over the NRA, and has no implications in the Domestic Affairs of member regions. The Tribunal consists of three members--one Chief Justice and two Associate Justices. The Justices of the Tribunal will be elected from and by the House of Lords for a three month term. The Tribunal will be responsible for the following:
A. Determining the constitutionality of challenged laws.
B. Convicting member nations of valid charges.
C. Arbitrating inter-regional disputes when asked to do so by all parties.
2. Election
The House of Lords will elect the Chief Justice, two Associate Justices, and an Alternate Justice. Each lord of the House of Lords shall select four candidates for the Tribunal by number them 1 to 4. Each of these numbers will be totaled for each candidate.
A. The candidate with the lowest number will become the Chief Justice.
B. The next two candidates with the lowest numbers will become Associate Justices. C. The next candidate with the lowest number will become the Alternate Justice.
D. In the instance of a tie, the candidate who is the senior lord will become the Justice.
3. Transparency
Once a case is decided, all allied regions must be told of the result. There are to be no secret cases or verdicts, but case discussions and deliberations of a Court Tribunal may be made in private.
4. Recusing
Any Justice may be recused according to the following:
A. The Chief Justice may dismiss any Associate Justice from a case for a reasonable cause, or an Associate Justice may recuse himself/herself--in both instances, the Alternate Justice will fill the opening.
B. If more than one judge is recused, then the President will nominate another Alternate Justice, and the Security Council will confirm the nominee.
5. Constitutionality
Upon request by a citizen nation of an allied region, the Tribunal shall review any decision, action, proposal, etc. of the Alliance to determine it's Constitutionality. Constitutionality shall be determined by a simple majority vote in the Tribunal.
6. Conviction
The Tribunal shall have authority to do the following by consensus:
A. To establish the criteria for corrective action.
B. For making amends or restitution.
C. To make punishments.
7. Impeachment
Any Alliance officer or lord may be impeached by the House of Lords. 10% of the HoL's membership must sign an impeachment petition. The Tribunal shall then hear the case like a normal conviction. The Tribunal may decide to impeach the officer or lord and/or assign punishments in accordance with Section 5.
8. Appeals
All decisions of the Tribune are final unless the President grants an appeal--such an appeal must be requested promptly. If an appeal is granted, the case will be returned to the Tribunal for reconsideration.
Okay, we've had time to discuss on the amendments, and figure out what we all want.
Now comes the most important part; It is time to vote.
As speaker, I am in charge of setting up the voting, and getting things going. Here are the general rules that have been established:
Voting will start sometime this week.
Voting will take place in the Votes & Elections board, here.
Voting will last for 3 days, and must reach a quorum.
Each region has been notified.
--Mid-North,
Speaker of the House of Lords
The following is the sum of the amendments:
3rd Constitution of the NationStates Republic (NSR), hereby renamed the NationStates Alliance (NSA). The NSA shall exist as a collection of regions to promote mutual support and the common interest.
Article 1 - Bill of Rights
1. Sovereignty
A. This document guarantees above all else the right to sovereignty over Domestic Affairs for every region whom holds membership in the NationStates Alliance.
B. All Nations of the Alliance are sovereign and have the right of self-determination in domestic policies, including Nation States Issues and the World Assembly.
2. Freedom
The natural Rights of free speech, free press, free expression of religion, and free association will not be infringed as long as the expressed freedoms do not (a) violate the same rights of others or (b ) violate the ToS of this Forum. The Forum Owner or his designee(s) shall be the ultimate judges of propriety.
3. Voluntary Participation
Participation in any regional or extra-regional government, forum, and military shall be voluntary.
4. Voluntary Endorsement
No nation of the Alliance holding WA member status shall be obligated to endorse any officer of the Alliance—except when volunteering for a military mission. The right to add or withdraw an endorsement will remain a sovereign right of WA member nations.
5. Constitutional Restraint
All Nations of the Alliance have the right to be protected against the abuse of powers by any government official, including in their region.
6. Unjust Banjections
No Nation shall be ejected from any region of the Alliance, or banned from any allied forum, without a public explanation. Should the ejection or banning be a matter of immediate regional security, the ejected or banned Nation shall have an avenue of redress in that region's forum as a member with limited membership.
7. Fair & Impartial Trials
When charged with criminal activity, Nations of the Alliance shall enjoy fair and impartial court trials. Such courts may occur and/or deliberate in a locked forum.
8. Constitutionality & Petitions
Any nation of the Alliance may ask the Tribunal to determine the Constitutionality of any treaty passed by the House of Lords, and may petition the Court for redress of grievances with other nations, any Alliance officer or the Alliance itself.
9. Other Rights
The Rights listed here are not exhaustive. Other Rights may be defined and existing Rights may be expanded by the House of Lords through treaties and legislation.
Article 2 - Governing Bodies
1. Legislative authority of the NationStates Alliance shall rest within The House of Lords (HoL). The House of Lords shall be the governing body of the NSA. The House of Lords shall be responsible to do the following:[/b]
A. pass treaties for cooperation between allied regions,
B. define terms of Alliance membership,
C. establish Rules of Order for the HoL and Citizen Assembly,
D. amend the Constitution,
E. declare war by the Alliance,
F. elect certain officers,
G. administration of treaties, programs, etc.
H. approve/reject un-enumerated powers of the HoL.
2. Each allied region shall have one vote in the House of Lords, and may seat three lords in the House of Lords. Membership requirements are the following:
A. all delegates and founders may be seated in the House of Lords automatically,
B. an allied delegate or founder may appoint their region's seated lords,
C. all lords of the House of Lords must declare their WA nation and be a citizen of an allied region,
D. all lords of the HOL may be subject to a confidence vote--if denied, the lord in question must be replaced by their region,
E. if a region's lords disagree, the seated founder will decide. If the founder is not a seated lord, the seated delegate will decide. If the delegate is not a seated lord, the majority of said region's lords will decide. If a majority is unattainable, the vote shall be cast as "present."
3. The Citizen Assembly (CA) shall be the general assembly of the Republic. It shall be a non-legislative advisory body to the House of Lords. The Citizen Assembly shall be responsible for the following:
A. pass resolutions concerning the Alliance concerning the HoL and Republic officers;
B. elect certain officers--including a chairman to moderate the CA,
C. veto amendments to the Bill of Rights.
4. Citizen Assembly membership requirements:
A. register their WA nation,
B. not be an allied region's founder, delegate or seated in the HoL,
C. be a citizen of an allied region in good standing with that region's delegate--a delegate may veto any nation's membership.
5. The Security Council shall be the defenders of the Alliance and its Constitution. It shall be made up of five seated lords, who must be either founders or delegates of an allied region. The House of Lords will elect them every three months by anonymous preferential voting. The Security Council shall act by simple majority, and shall be responsible for the following:
A. veto actions of officers--including military missions,
B. approve continuing military action taken by the Alliance military,
C. approve new allies that fulfill membership terms,
C. ascertain the legitimate government of an allied region.
Article 3 - Officers of The Alliance
1. The chief executive of the NationStates Alliance shall be the Alliance President. The President shall be elected by the House of Lords for a term of two months. He/she shall be responsible for the following:
A. oversee all Alliance officers and direct their activities,
B. oversee all Alliance treaties and direct entailing activities as prescribed by the HoL,
C. coordinate cooperation between allied regions,
D. represent the Alliance to NationStates world and prospective regions,
E. approve missions by the Alliance military,
F. appoint secretaries to help the president,
G. veto treaties and Rules of Order passed by the House of Lords.
h. select a successor in case he/she Ceases-to-Exist or resigns--the House of Lords may select a successor if none is chosen.
2. The Ombuds shall be elected by the House of Lords and approved by the Citizen Assembly for a term of two months. He/She shall be responsible for the following:
A. inspecting the actions of the President and other officers,
B. reporting to the Security Council each month on their actions.
3. The World Assembly Minister shall be elected by the House of Lords for a term of two months. He/She shall be responsible for the following:
A. leading cooperation in the WA between allied delegates.
B. maintaining the WA Affairs forum,
C. representing the Alliance to the NationStates world in WA affairs.
D. The minister shall be responsible for surveying allied regions on each World Assembly vote.
E. The minister shall be responsible for publishing the results of the survey to allied regions.
4. The New Members Coordinator (NMC) shall be elected from and by the Citizen Assembly for a term of two months. The New Members Coordinator will be responsible for the following:
A. welcoming and engaging new citizens to get them involved in areas of their interest.
B. welcoming and engaging new regions to get them involved.
C. creating a welcome and orientation brochure for new regions, House of Lords members, and citizens.
5. The Defense Minister shall be appointed by the President, serving at his/her pleasure, and must be a member of the House of Lords and be approved by the Security Council. Once appointed, the Defense Minister shall serve indefinitely unless removed from office through judicial process or removed by the President. He/She shall be responsible for the following:
A. establishing a Alliance military and intelligence organization,
B. granting rank to soldiers,
C. training soldiers,
D. along with the President, shall have authority to approve missions.
Article 4 - Tribunal
1. Jurisdiction
The Tribunal of the NationStates Alliance holds jurisdiction over the NRA, and has no implications in the Domestic Affairs of member regions. The Tribunal consists of three members--one Chief Justice and two Associate Justices. The Justices of the Tribunal will be elected from and by the House of Lords for a three month term. The Tribunal will be responsible for the following:
A. Determining the constitutionality of challenged laws.
B. Convicting member nations of valid charges.
C. Arbitrating inter-regional disputes when asked to do so by all parties.
2. Election
The House of Lords will elect the Chief Justice, two Associate Justices, and an Alternate Justice. Each lord of the House of Lords shall select four candidates for the Tribunal by number them 1 to 4. Each of these numbers will be totaled for each candidate.
A. The candidate with the lowest number will become the Chief Justice.
B. The next two candidates with the lowest numbers will become Associate Justices. C. The next candidate with the lowest number will become the Alternate Justice.
D. In the instance of a tie, the candidate who is the senior lord will become the Justice.
3. Transparency
Once a case is decided, all allied regions must be told of the result. There are to be no secret cases or verdicts, but case discussions and deliberations of a Court Tribunal may be made in private.
4. Recusing
Any Justice may be recused according to the following:
A. The Chief Justice may dismiss any Associate Justice from a case for a reasonable cause, or an Associate Justice may recuse himself/herself--in both instances, the Alternate Justice will fill the opening.
B. If more than one judge is recused, then the President will nominate another Alternate Justice, and the Security Council will confirm the nominee.
5. Constitutionality
Upon request by a citizen nation of an allied region, the Tribunal shall review any decision, action, proposal, etc. of the Alliance to determine it's Constitutionality. Constitutionality shall be determined by a simple majority vote in the Tribunal.
6. Conviction
The Tribunal shall have authority to do the following by consensus:
A. To establish the criteria for corrective action.
B. For making amends or restitution.
C. To make punishments.
7. Impeachment
Any Alliance officer or lord may be impeached by the House of Lords. 10% of the HoL's membership must sign an impeachment petition. The Tribunal shall then hear the case like a normal conviction. The Tribunal may decide to impeach the officer or lord and/or assign punishments in accordance with Section 5.
8. Appeals
All decisions of the Tribune are final unless the President grants an appeal--such an appeal must be requested promptly. If an appeal is granted, the case will be returned to the Tribunal for reconsideration.
