Regional Assembly Repeal

Poltsamaa:
Hersfold:
I don't think anyone said people's rights are being removed, so I don't quite know where that came from. We already have mechanisms for removing CTE'd nations. That takes a bit longer, yes, but it IS THERE. We only need 20 people to vote in order to reach a quorum. 20 people is not that hard to scrounge up, especially when you consider the current size of our government -
  • 1 Prime Minister
  • 1 UN Delegate
  • 1 Vice Delegate
  • 7 Cabinet Ministers
  • 7 Deputy Ministers
  • 2 Admins, who aren't in the gov't but are just as active
  • 5+ Security Council members, who may or may not hold another position listed
  • 3 Court Justices
If this passes, they will all be in the RA. That adds up to at least 22 people. That's over the quorum. The region's not going to be held for ransom as long as the government remains active. And if they don't, we impeach them and elect a new one. This is why we don't need activity clauses. The size of our government nullifies any need for them with the current quorum requirements.
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I believe Grosseschnauzer mentioned it was a violation of the Declaration of Rights, hence that was why I mentioned it!!

If you read the constitution you will find the following (emphasis mine!!)!!

Constitution of TNP:
B - Quorum shall consist either a total of 20 legitimate votes cast by registered voters or be that number of legitimate votes cast by registered voters that is equal to six per cent of the total number of registered voters (or registered voters who are members of the Regional Assembly, as applicable) at the time the referendum commences, whichever is greater.
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This clearly shows that once our RV/RA population reaches a certain point, the quorum is raised in accordance with that population!! Therefore, inactive members of the RA can, in the furture, inflate the quorum requirement to a level not reachable!!
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Two points:

1. As to referencing something I allegedly said Poltsamaa, would you care to make the reference a little more specific? I'm not sure what you are referring to.....in any event if you believe there would be a violation of the Declaration of Rights, then which 11 of the 11 clauses are you referring to?

2. The six per cent quorum doesn't even kick in until there are 320 or so people (whether RV or RA). As a matter of practicality, should we reach 320 members, then to only have 6 per cent actiive would mean 94 per cent inactive. Secondly as Hersfold pointed out earlier if all of the members of the executive branch, plus the Speaker and the Justices voted, that would just about attain quorum.
 
Grosseschnauzer:
Two points:

1. As to referencing something I allegedly said Poltsamaa, would you care to make the reference a little more specific? I'm not sure what you are referring to.....in any event if you believe there would be a violation of the Declaration of Rights, then which 11 of the 11 clauses are you referring to?
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I do not believe it will be a violation of rights, something I have said a few times!! Not sure where you got the idea I thought it was!! As for my reference to something you posted, I remember you mentioning something as a violation of the Declaration of Rights in another thread that was related to this issue!! I'll look for it and edit it into this post if I can find it!!

2. The six per cent quorum doesn't even kick in until there are 320 or so people (whether RV or RA). As a matter of practicality, should we reach 320 members, then to only have 6 per cent actiive would mean 94 per cent inactive. Secondly as Hersfold pointed out earlier if all of the members of the executive branch, plus the Speaker and the Justices voted, that would just about attain quorum.
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I think it is 350 to be precise!! Anyway, what you are proposing is a system that requires only 6% of the RA to be active!! What is the reasoning behind such a system?! If people do not want to participate in the RA, they do not have to!! Those that wish to participate should be required to do so as part of taking on a position in the RA!!

What does clinging to inactive nations in the RA achieve for the region besides making our voter turnout look apalling?!

EDIT:
Quote as promised!!

Grosseschnauzer:
As I noted before, the only legislative need I can see besides the restoration of full legislative authority to the registered voters as a group with the dissolution of the regional assembly, is legislation defining the abandonment of elective office when an officeholder fails to exercise or participate in the affairs of the office that they were duly elected to after a stated period of time. Anything further than that I strongly suspect would violate the Declaration of Rights contained in Article I of the Constitution.
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from: http://s13.invisionfree.com/TNP/index.php?...topic=402&st=20
 
TNP Constitution Article I Declaration of Rights:
3. Participation in the governmental authorities of the region is voluntary.
****
5. All Nations of The North Pacific have the right to be protected against the abuse of powers by any official of a government authority of the region.
****
9. Each Nation in The North Pacific is guaranteed the organization and operation of the governmental authorities of the region on fundamental principles of democracy, accountability, and transparency. No action by the governmental authorities of the region shall deny to any Nation of The North Pacific, due process of law, including prior notice and the opportunity to be heard, nor deny to any Nation of The North Pacific the equal and fair treatment and protection of the provisions of this Constitution. No governmental authority shall have power to adopt or impose an ex post facto law or a bill of attainder as to any act for purposes of criminal proceedings.
10. Each Nation entitled to a vote in any manner under the fundamental laws of the region is entitled to the equal treatment and protection of that Nation's right to vote.
11. No governmental authority of the region has the power to suspend or disregard this Constitution or the Legal Code
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Activity clauses, where a condition of citizenship, presuppose a lack of voluntary choice. This would be the case whether it is the RA or the RV that survives any merger. Activity clauses for officerholders are a different matter, since election or appointment to office is a voluntary acceptance of office. Given that the consolidation proposal involves a nation's right to vote, and the requirement that all such votes be treated equally, any such proposal must assure equality of treatment to avoid violation of the Declaration of Rights. Imposing activity requirements on voters makes the act of voting something other than voluntary, and denies equal treatment. This, it would seem activity requirements would run afoul of the Declaration of Rights.

As implied by part of that discussion, inactivity provisions to deal with officerholders does not suffer from that limitation because holding an office is itself voluntary. Thus, it is possible within the Declaration to enact inactivity in office statutes under which an inactive officeholder could be found to have abandoned their office and replaced.
 
Grosseschnauzer:
TNP Constitution Article I Declaration of Rights:
3. Participation in the governmental authorities of the region is voluntary.
****
5. All Nations of The North Pacific have the right to be protected against the abuse of powers by any official of a government authority of the region.
****
9. Each Nation in The North Pacific is guaranteed the organization and operation of the governmental authorities of the region on fundamental principles of democracy, accountability, and transparency. No action by the governmental authorities of the region shall deny to any Nation of The North Pacific, due process of law, including prior notice and the opportunity to be heard, nor deny to any Nation of The North Pacific the equal and fair treatment and protection of the provisions of this Constitution. No governmental authority shall have power to adopt or impose an ex post facto law or a bill of attainder as to any act for purposes of criminal proceedings.
10. Each Nation entitled to a vote in any manner under the fundamental laws of the region is entitled to the equal treatment and protection of that Nation's right to vote.
11. No governmental authority of the region has the power to suspend or disregard this Constitution or the Legal Code
****
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Activity clauses, where a condition of citizenship, presuppose a lack of voluntary choice. This would be the case whether it is the RA or the RV that survives any merger. Activity clauses for officerholders are a different matter, since election or appointment to office is a voluntary acceptance of office. Given that the consolidation proposal involves a nation's right to vote, and the requirement that all such votes be treated equally, any such proposal must assure equality of treatment to avoid violation of the Declaration of Rights. Imposing activity requirements on voters makes the act of voting something other than voluntary, and denies equal treatment. This, it would seem activity requirements would run afoul of the Declaration of Rights.

As implied by part of that discussion, inactivity provisions to deal with officerholders does not suffer from that limitation because holding an office is itself voluntary. Thus, it is possible within the Declaration to enact inactivity in office statutes under which an inactive officeholder could be found to have abandoned their office and replaced.
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It is not a condition of citizenship!! The RV status would be removed having only the RA under the system I have proposed in this thread!! Citizens would be free to do whatever they like, but if they want to be involved in legislative proposal votes they would need to register as a member of the Regional Assembley and with that registration commit to upholding the activity requirements involved in accepting such a job!!

Joining the RA is accepting a job in the region, a job that has responsibilities to the region just as any elected official!!

The Declaration of Rights section you quote does not cite anything that the implementation of an activity requirement would breach!! If the fundamental laws of the region are changed to incorporate an activity requirement then section 10 is not breached by enforcing that activity requirement!!

Activity requirements do not make voting any less voluntary!! It merely makes sure that those that do volunteer their services provide the active service the position requires!!

I have no problem with activity requirements for office holders!! I just think that thsoe that choose to get involved of the RA have some responsibility to go with being a member of the RA!!
 
You're missing the point, Polts. If the RA & RVs merge, people must register in the RA to vote in the gov't elections. Your activity clauses would interfere with that right if they aren't interested in legislation, or can't spare the time for it. Placing such a restriction would be detrimental to the electoral process, as it would reduce the number that register. In short, it would scare them off.
 
It would only scare them off if they were not interested in being involved in the first place!! As far as I am concerned, if you are not interested in having a say in how the government operates then you are not interested in the government side of the region, period!!

The difference between RL and NS is that, unless you choose to become involved, the governing of the region has no effect on your nation!! Even those that have registered on the forum but not posted outside OOC have not had any influence on nor been influenced by the government of the region!! Same applies to the thousands of nations who have not even bothered to register on the forum at any point of their nation's existance!!

I'd prefer those interested in the government workings be the ones electing the government rather than people who do not care less!! Afterall, if a nation is not interested in the government and its workings, why should they bother registering to vote or join the RA now?! We are only the government in a very limited sphere in the region and trying to say that everyone has a say is not in the least bit accurate, no matter how much you try and say so!! I am suggesting a system which will have only those interested in the government aspect of the region involved in voting both in elections and on legislative change proposals!!

A difference of opinion, as I said!! we were looking at ways to invigorate the region and I feel that an active and fast-paced legislative process could be one way to offer something new!! At the moment, legislative process is drawn out and cumbersome due to the purported size of the RA!! If the RA was refined to be only those truly active then it would facilitate more debate, proposals and inevitably activity!!

Saying inactive people are still "having a say" and "involved" is utterly false!! They are not involved in anything and serve no purpose to the region other than to potentially hinder its progress!!
 
How can they hinder progress if only 20 are needed to vote?? We are never going to reach the 350 mark, so it doesn't matter if a small group doesn't want to do legislation! Maybe they know they lack the skill for law-making, so they want to elect someone who has that skill. You CANNOT deny their vote. It is illegal.
 
I'm not denying their vote, they have the choice to enrol to vote as a member of the RA!! They don't have to make any laws, merely vote on those proposed by others!! They can abstain if they so desire!!
 
I'm sorry, this just is not making much sense to me... it's that issue about compulsory democracy we all get, and I'm agreeing with Option 1 right now:

Compulsory democracy makes as much sense as having the death penalty for attempted suicide.
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At this point maybe we should just agree to disagree... either way, activity clauses should probably be a separate bill anyway, as they don't really have to be added to the Constitution directly. So for right now, let's focus on merging the RV's and the RA, and assume that if we are to get activity clauses, they will come later. One problem at a time.
 
Ultimately I see no need (for RA/RV- not Ministers) for anything more than the current system which is effectively they are removed if their nation CTE's.
 
I know, I'm not really adding anything, but I want to express my support for Polt's view on actibity within the RA and what he means by it.
 
Not to further muddy the waters - what if there was a sudden influx of RA members as usually comes along at election time? Then you would suddenly have an inflated RA with nations that suddenly vanish after the elections.

If we are to more more to a republic in structure, then we might examine the possibility of going all the way and have an elected RA.

But given the usually small number of participants, we could also leave things as they are which would have the effect of putting the brakes on any change that might even be romotely considered 'radical'.

IOW, I have always been a proponent to using legislation to change things as opposed to altering the Constitution unneccessarily.

The question we have to all be asking ourselves is if we may be fixing something that isn't broken.

R
 
There is nothing about compulsory democracy in what I am saying!! People have a choice to get involved, should they choose to get involved they should be required to have some responsibility for choosing to get involved!!

As for Roman's comments, it has long been a goal of mine to be involved in a region with a system of government involving two elected tiers of government!! Now, I have made clear my views a while back on the election of Cabinet and my desire to see a Cabinet elected as a team under a Prime Minister!!

The elected "senate" that Roman mentioned would also be ideal!! We would have a set number of seats in the "senate" up for election every three months!! This would allow us to diversify by way of creating internal districts similar to The Pacific which each district hold X number of seats in parliament determined by their UN population or split evenly..whichever is decided!! This system would also be adaptable to the addition of "colonies" as has been mentioned in other threads whereby the colony would be granted a seat or two in the "senate" so their region has a say in the politics of the greater TNP!!

Anyway, I'm drifting off topic now!! Somehow I feel the people in TNP are too afraid of changes to ever achieve anything like what Roman and I have mentioned here and what Heft and Goal mentioned in other threads!!

agreeing to disagree is fine, but debate spawns new ideas and this region, in my opinion, needs new ideas or we will be treading water until the next "rogue" delegate has enough of the current bureaucracy and decides to change it themselves!!

As for fixing something that is not broken...why wait for something to break before doing anything!! Preventative maintenance is much better than repairs after the breakage!! Especially as something may not be repairable once it breaks!!
 
I would be in favour of an elected RA... so long as the membership is maintained in such a way that election isn't too difficult. Don't want to restrict activity by making RA office inaccessible. I'm sure a system of proportions could be set up to maintain such a situations.
 
*Fedele gets on his knees and prays

Please God... please... no more elected positions.... please...
 
Actually, the full idea I posted would mean less elected positions!! You'd elect a PM with the predetermined cabinet, the Delegate and the members of the RA (one election based on a listing in order of preference for each district/colony)!!

Now stand up, your grovelling is embarrassing!! ;)
 
The theoretical ideea behind election the PM with the cabinet he/she proposes is always good, in theory I have always agreed with it, but I have found that in this game is inaplicable, and if it is, it turns out bad.

But elected RA? no way in hell. Why not restrict the right for delegate/PM voting if the RA member joins before x days of the election.
 
koona:
The theoretical ideea behind election the PM with the cabinet he/she proposes is always good, in theory I have always agreed with it, but I have found that in this game is inaplicable, and if it is, it turns out bad.

But elected RA? no way in hell. Why not restrict the right for delegate/PM voting if the RA member joins before x days of the election.
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Yeah... not to mention it would need even more of a re-write... and what would we do about the current RA? Too much for right now...
 
All points brought up have their merits. I agree with Polts that the cabine, per se, should function as a team under the PM who, as an 'executive officer', should have some control over the executive policies of his branch of the government. I still think that the ministers should be elected and not appointed, though. Individually elected ministers is a neccessary check to prevent consolidation of power that would eventually occur if those ministers were elected as a block and not individuals. Appointed ministers would essentially be obliged to vote as directed by a prime minister which is why independent ministries (in the form of directly elected ministers) is a good idea.

This wouldn't, however, affect in any way a governmental policy directed/established by a Prime Minister. Given the fact that a Prime Minister is the chief executive officer of the government, the PM should have some latitude in establishing executive policies and programs.

R
 
So then should I continue to push the merger as last written? It seems most of the arguments have flamed out.
 
Poltsamaa:
Yes, go ahead, it might reignite the discussion!!
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:eyeroll:

Ok, then...

Constitutional Amendment concerning the merging of the Regional Assembly and the Registered Voters.

The following changes shall be made to The Constitution of The North Pacific:

Article II, Section 2 shall be edited to the following:

In the interest of Regional security, member Nations shall be required to register with the Regional Assembly prior to voting in Regional elections or referenda, as prescribed by the following procedures:
1) The Minister of Immigration and Internal Affairs shall oversee the process of voter registration, aided by the Prime Minister and the Regional off-site forum administrators.
2) Nations that reside in The North Pacific and who agree to abide by the requirements outlined in Article II, Section 1, of this Constitution will request registered voter status Regional Assembly membership at the Regional off-site forum by posting a request in a thread for that exclusive purpose, created by the Minister of Immigration and Internal Affairs.
3) In their request, registered voters Nations will be required to post a link to their TNP member Nation and their UN member Nation at NationStates.net, and in doing so, verify that they have taken the following oath:

“I, (Forum Name), as the leader of the (Official Full National Name), pledge to obey the Constitution and Laws of The North Pacific Region, and to act as a responsible member of its society.  I understand that if my Nation leaves The North Pacific region for reasons other than participation in North Pacific Army deployments that I may be stripped of my right to vote and required to reapply.  I pledge to only register one Nation to vote in The North Pacific.  I understand that my registration of, or attempt to register, multiple Nations to vote in The North Pacific shall warrant the summary withdrawal of my right to vote from all my Nations, past, present, and future, as well as possible expulsion from the Region. In this manner, I petition the Regional Government of The North Pacific region for acceptance as a duly registered voter. membership in the Regional Assembly”
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In addition, a registered voter who wishes to exercise their right to be a member of the Regional Assembly upon applying as a Registered Voter at the time of their application for registered voter status, or at any subsequent time may request membership in the Regional Assembly by sending the following request to the Minister of Immigration and Internal Affairs.
“I, (Forum Name), as Leader of (Official Full National Name), and as a Registered Voter in The North Pacific, request membership in the Regional Assembly of The North Pacific.”
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[/s]

4) The Minister of Immigration and Internal Affairs, the Prime Minister, the Regional off-site forum administrators, and any other support personnel of the Regional Government deemed necessary are empowered to conduct investigations and make inquiries deemed necessary for the enforcement of The North Pacific voter registration provisions outlined in this Constitution, The North Pacific Legal Code, or other laws enacted pursuant to this Constitution.
5) The Minister of Immigration and Internal Affairs shall expeditiously process each such voter registration request, and shall place any Nation accepted as a registered voter member of the Regional Assembly in a public listing of currently registered voters current members maintained for that purpose at the Regional off-site forum.
6) At any time, should sufficient evidence be brought to the Minister of Immigration and Internal Affairs that proves that a registered voter Regional Assembly Member fails to meet the requirements for membership due to the deletion of a Nation from NationStates through inactivity or NationStates Moderator intervention, that Nation's name may be purged from the list of registered voters members. Should a Nation, whose voter registration membership has been purged, later be found to have been resurrected in NationStates, or that the Nation become a member of the Region once again, they may re-apply for voting rights according to the procedures in the preceding clauses of this Section. The act of expulsion or banning of a Nation from the Region prior to a trial or a referendum does not affect its status as a registered voter member until and unless a final judgment is entered in a judicial proceeding or a final certification is entered in a referendum, whichever is applicable to the given situation. The North Pacific Legal Code may provide authority to the Minister of Immigration and Internal Affairs for the periodic purging of the names of registered voters members who are no longer eligible to vote in the Region, upon due notice because they no longer meet the requirements of this Section.
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Article II, Section 3, Clause 2 shall be edited to the following:

2) The UN Delegate for The North Pacific, the Prime Minister, any Cabinet Minister, any deputy Cabinet minister, and the Attorney General shall act only in the best interests of the Region. Should any registered voter Regional Assembly member believe that the actions of the Delegate, the Prime Minister, or any other official in the Regional Government are inappropriate, or would serve the Region better if enacted as permanent law, that Nation may draft a petition, describing the action taken, to be signed by at least one other registered voter member, and then posted in a appropriate thread in the Regional off-site forum for the Prime Minister's office. The Cabinet shall review all such petitions. After deciding on the proper action to be taken, whether it is to overturn that action or to adopt that action as permanent law, the Cabinet shall put its decision up for a referendum of the registered voters Regional Assembly. If a majority vote is cast by the registered voters Regional Assembly (with a quorum of voters participating) in favor of ratification of the Cabinet's decision, it shall be carried out immediately.
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Article II, Section 4, Clauses B and C shall be edited to the following:

B - Political, diplomatic, or military relationships shall only be established by agreement or treaty. Either the Minister of External Affairs or the Prime Minister has the power to submit a proposal to accede to or withdraw from any agreement or treaty relationship with another region, or multi-regional organization, to the Speaker for approval of such proposed action by a majority of the registered voters Regional Assembly in a referendum with a quorum participating. The voting period for the referendum shall be for five consecutive days. Should the action be approved, action to implement the proposal shall be taken by the Prime Minister, the Minister of External Affairs, or the Cabinet of the Regional Government, as appropriate in the circumstances.
C - Provisions for the establishment of a commonwealth relationship, a protectorate relationship, a colony relationship or other political relationships with other regions by treaty or agreement shall be established in the North Pacific Legal Code. A treaty or agreement that provides for establishment of a commonwealth relationship shall expressly provide for the rights of nations of the other region to acquire full and equal citizenship and registered voter status Regional Assembly Membership in The North Pacific under the provisions of this Constitution.
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Article III, Section 1, Clauses C through F shall be edited to the following:

C - All Nations who have registered to vote joined the Regional Assembly under the provisions of Article II, Section 2, of this Constitution and who reside in The North Pacific, or are active members of The North Pacific Army or The North Pacific Intelligence Agency, shall be entitled to submit a single vote for each election regardless of UN status. No person shall be permitted to cast more than one vote, through one or more Nations.
D - Only Nations who are registered to vote members of the Regional Assembly when the voting period commences shall be entitled to vote, which shall take place exclusively at the Regional off-site forum.
E - Nations that register to vote join the Regional Assembly after a voting period commences shall not be able to vote in the election of offices or positions under this Constitution, or on referenda as to any other matter subject to a vote of registered voters or of the Regional Assembly as provided in this Constitution, or The North Pacific Legal Code, until the next election or referendum that occurs after that Nation's registration is validated and accepted.
F - The quorum requirement for registered voters Regional Assembly members in referenda on motions to approve, ratify or confirm actions, nominations or appointments, and on bills to enact laws, do not apply to the elections of the UN Delegate, the Prime Minister and the Cabinet Ministers, the Speaker of the Regional Assembly, and the Security Council for a full term, or for any necessary runoff elections.
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Article III, Section 2, Clause 2, Paragraphs B and C shall be edited to the following:

B - In the event of a vacancy in the Office of Prime Minister, the Cabinet shall nominate a new Prime Minister, from among any of the Nations that meet the eligibility requirements for election, within seven days. The designation of the Nation nominated by the Cabinet is to be confirmed in a referendum of registered voters the Regional Assembly, in which a quorum participates, through a motion of confirmation. The nomination and referendum election shall be conducted as expeditiously as practicable. The Nation nominated for Prime Minister shall meet all qualifications for the office, and the nominated Nation is subject to any and all limitations for service provided in this Constitution or The North Pacific Legal Code. During the interim period between the creation of the vacancy in the office of Prime Minister and the confirmation and installation of a successor to the office of Prime Minister, the Cabinet shall collectively have the authority to exercise the duties and responsibilities of the office.
C - There is to be a North Pacific Intelligence Agency whose duties are to collect and analyze confidential intelligence information for the benefit of the Regional Government and the region as a whole. The Prime Minister shall appoint the leadership of the North Pacific Intelligence Agency after consultation with the personnel of that agency. Any matter concerning the Agency's activities and personnel, except in the case of a criminal prosecution, shall be discussed in confidence without reference in any public record; however, there may be disclosure of confidential information in connection with a criminal or impeachment proceeding. The Prime Minister shall be responsible to the Cabinet and the registered voters Regional Assembly for the ongoing oversight of the Agency.
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Article III, Section 2, Clause 3, Paragraph C shall be edited to the following:

C - The Minister shall be responsible for overseeing the voter Regional Assembly registration process and procedures in conjunction and with the support of, the Prime Minister, the Regional off-site forum administrators, and other support personnel within the Regional Government, as designated by either the Prime Minister and/or the Cabinet of the North Pacific Regional Government.
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Article III, Section 5, Clause 3 shall be edited to the following:

3) Where a vacancy occurs in any Cabinet Ministry and no Deputy for that Minister is then installed in office, the Prime Minister shall appoint a Deputy Minister who is qualified to serve as a Cabinet Minister, subject to a confirmation referendum of the registered voters of the Region Regional Assembly. In that instance, the appointee shall serve as Minister on an acting basis until the referendum election is completed. If confirmed as a result of the referendum, that appointee shall thereupon assume the position of Minister and Cabinet member for the interim until the next election for that office. A vote of the registered voters Regional Assembly is required to approve a motion for confirmation of such an appointment by the Prime Minister. If, after seven days, a quorum of the registered voters Regional Assembly has participated and at least 50 per cent of those voting approve of the motion to confirm the appointment, the appointee shall remain in office to serve on an interim basis until the next election. If the motion for confirmation fails to receive such approval, then the appointee is not confirmed to serve as that Cabinet Minister, and the Prime Minister shall promptly propose another nominee for Deputy Minister, who shall act then as minister, subject to approval of a motion for confirmation in a referendum by the registered voters of the Region Regional Assembly.
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Article IV, Section 1, Clauses A through C shall be edited to the following:

A - There shall be a Regional Assembly, composed of those Registered Voters who elect to participate as members. The right of registered voters to become members and participate in the business of the Regional Assembly may not be impaired or denied, except to the extent that is imposed as a term of punishment by the Court of the North Pacific.
B A - The registered voters who elect membership in the Regional Assembly shall have the authority to adopt all laws, amendments to this Constitution, or other motions and proposals, except as otherwise expressly delegated in this Constitution to another governmental authority. Registered voters who hold other offices in the government may participate and vote as members of the Regional Assembly.
C B - The Regional Assembly shall be chaired by a Speaker, who is chosen by the registered voters Regional Assembly in an election for a three month term at the same time as elections for the Cabinet and Delegate.
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*Note: All other clauses in the section referenced above are to be re-lettered to correspond with their new positions.

Article IV, Section 3 shall be edited to the following:

A - Any registered voter of The North Pacific member of the Regional Assembly may submit a bill to the Regional Assembly as a proposed law or submit a proposal for a constitutional amendment. Proposals shall be submitted to the Speaker.
B - The Speaker shall select the proposals to be voted on by the registered voters Regional Assembly. Bills and proposals that are selected for consideration shall not be frivolous. The subject matter of bills selected for consideration shall have as its object the implementation of this Constitution, the adoption, amendment, or repeal of provisions of The North Pacific Legal Code, or involve any other actions that are necessary and proper and that are authorized by this Constitution, The North Pacific Legal Code, or the other laws of The North Pacific. The Speaker shall not exercise the authority conferred in this provision in an arbitrary or capricious manner. The Speaker may confer with the Prime Minister, the Ministers of the Cabinet, or with the Chief Justice, for comment on a submitted bill or proposal.
C - During the 21 day period following submission, the registered voter Nation who submitted a proposal may revise or withdraw the proposed bill. Any proposed bill not selected for a referendum vote of the Regional Assembly within 21 days of submission shall be declared a dead bill.
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Article IV, Section 4, Clause A shall be edited to the following:

A - Bills and proposals selected by the Speaker will be voted on in a referendum of the registered voters who are members of the Regional Assembly.
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Article IV, Section 5 shall be edited to the following:

A - In order for any action to be adopted, a quorum of registered voters (or of registered voters who are members of the Regional Assembly) must participate in the referendum. Should a quorum not be achieved for any proposed action by the registered voters (or by registered voters who are members of the Regional Assembly) at the end of the voting period for a referendum, the proposed action will fail and not be adopted.
B - Quorum shall consist either a total of 20 legitimate votes cast by registered voters Regional Assembly members or be that number of legitimate votes cast by registered voters Regional Assembly Members that is equal to six per cent of the total number of registered voters (or registered voters who are members of the Regional Assembly, as applicable) at the time the referendum commences, whichever is greater.
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Article IV, Section 6, Clause B shall be edited to the following:

B - At the end of that week, a second referendum vote will then be held and, if the bill receives 60 per cent approval of the vote of the registered voters with a quorum participating, the bill shall be adopted as a law. If the bill fails to receive 60 per cent approval after the second vote, it will be declared a dead bill.
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Article IV, Section 8, Clause A shall be edited to the following:

A - The Speaker, with assistance of the Minister of Immigration and Internal Affairs and the Prime Minister, shall be responsible for supervising referendum voting of any bill or proposal for a constitutional amendment selected for a vote of the members of the Regional Assembly, or of any other matters submitted to a referendum of all registered voters.
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Article IV, Section 9 shall be edited to the following:

A - The registered voters Regional Assembly shall elect a Security Council. The Speaker shall serve as the presiding officer of the Council. The Council shall have authority to endorse or otherwise approve such actions of an urgent or emergency nature that involve regional security other than the adoption of legislative bills and constitutional amendments as are specified in this Constitution and The North Pacific Legal Code. Any action by the Council does not supercede any requirement for approval by a referendum within the Regional Assembly or of the registered voters, but serves as approval for action prior to such a referendum.
B - The Security Council shall be composed of not fewer than five registered voters who are members of the Regional Assembly, elected for three month terms at the same time as the Cabinet, Speaker, and the UN Delegate. The total number of Council members shall be determined by law, but shall not be less than five nor more than that whole number which equals ten percent of the total number of registered voters Regional Assembly Members at the time the nomination period for elections commence. The members of the Council shall be elected by plurality vote of the registered voters Regional Assembly in the manner prescribed by law.
C - Registered Voters Regional Assembly Members elected to serve on the Security Council shall arrange their affairs during their term of office on the Council so that they may participate in any matter brought to the Council upon notice not to exceed 24 hours. A quorum for the actions of the Security Council shall be not fewer than three registered voters Regional Assembly members as determined by law. The Speaker shall not have a vote in Security Council matters except in the case of a tie, but the Speaker shall count to the establishment of a quorum for a particular matter.
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Article V, Section 2, Clause B shall be edited to the following:

B - The Chief Justice and the Associate Justices shall serve a term of six months. The Chief Justice and the Associate Justices shall be registered voters Members of the Regional Assembly who shall hold no other office during their tenure as judges.
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Article V, Section 2, Clause D shall be edited to the following:

D - The appointment must thereafter be approved at a referendum, which shall extend for seven days, of the registered voters of The North Pacific Regional Assembly, with the participation of a quorum, by at least a 50 per cent vote in favor of a motion for confirmation. The nomination and referendum election shall be conducted as expeditiously as practicable. If the motion for confirmation fails to receive such approval, then the appointee is not confirmed to serve as a judicial officer, and the Prime Minister shall promptly propose another nominee, with the advice and consent of the Cabinet, who shall act as a judicial officer, subject to approval of a motion for confirmation in a referendum by the registered voters of the Region Regional Assembly.
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Article V, Section 4, Clauses B and C shall be edited to the following:

B - All criminal trials shall include a randomly selected trial jury of five registered voters Regional Assembly Members drawn from the list of registered voters Regional Assembly Members.
C - A jury shall have the power to recommend a proportionate punishment to any conviction to the judicial officer, who shall impose such recommendation as the sentence of the Court provided that the sentence is proportionate to the offense in scope and duration. Any sentence may include the suspension of any or all of a registered voter Regional Assembly member's rights to participate in the government as a registered voter Regional Assembly, to hold office, to participate in the North Pacific Army, to participate in the North Pacific Intelligence Agency, or otherwise, as deemed appropriate to the circumstances.
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Article V, Section 5, Clause D shall be edited to the following:

D - Failure of a Nation to Observe Its Oath of Office or its Oath as a Registered Voter Regional Assembly Member.
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Article V, Section 7, Clauses A and B shall be edited to the following:

A - Any registered voter Regional Assembly Member may bring charges against a Cabinet-level position if they believe the officeholder has violated this Constitution or partaken in other gross misconduct. The registered voter Nation must provide enough evidence to a Grand Jury to warrant a trial.
B - A panel of five registered voters Regional Assembly members who are not holding a Cabinet-level position and who are randomly selected from a jury pool shall be selected by the Chief Justice to review the evidence given. If the Chief Justice is being impeached, the Prime Minister will randomly select the Grand Jury. If any jury member expresses a clear bias, they shall be excluded from the Grand Jury and replaced with another juror. The Grand Jury shall have not more than 96 hours to review and weigh the evidence cited in the complaint, and determine whether a trial is warranted.
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Article VI, Section 2, Clauses 2 through 4 shall be edited to the following:

2) The Judicial Branch or the Prime Minister can call a referendum vote of the registered voters of the Region Regional Assembly for the purpose of approving a motion for immediate expulsion by the posting of the case and evidence of needed action in a thread within the Regional off-site Forum and a notification of the motion and referendum on the Regional message board at Nationstates.net at any time.
3) If more than half of the registered voters Regional Assembly Members who cast a vote in that thread, with a quorum participating, vote in favor of an ejection within a 24 hour period, then the Nation will be ejected by the Delegate.
4) In the event of explicit spamming of the Regional offsite forum or the Regional civil headquarters message board at Nationstates.net, a Nation may be ejected by the Delegate without a prior referendum vote if the action is countersigned by the Prime Minister upon the posting of the offense by a registered voter Regional Assembly Member, and a second to the immediate expulsion motion by another registered voter Regional Assembly Member. However, the subject Nation of the expulsion action shall have the right to a post-ejection referendum vote by the registered voters of the Region Regional Assembly on a motion to ratify the ejection. The vote shall be to ratify the action to expel, and the expulsion shall be ratified if within seven days, at least 50 per cent of the registered voters Regional Assembly with a quorum participating, approve the motion in a referendum.
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Article VII, Section 1 shall be edited to the following:

This Constitution may be amended as necessary. Amendments may be proposed by any registered voter Regional Assembly member to the Speaker, in the manner described in Article III.
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Article VII, Section 2, Clause 1, Paragraph B shall be edited to the following:

B - Appoval by the Regional Assembly. A proposal for a constitutional amendment is adopted and ratified as part of this Constitution if, at a referendum of the Regional Assembly in which a quorum of registered voters who are members of the Regional Assembly participate, the proposal garners approval by no less than two-thirds of the votes cast during the voting period.
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Basically removes all references to registered voters and replaces with "Regional Assembly member" or some such. Three pages ago, this is what it sounded like everyone would agree to... then we got off on how this would affect quorums and it somehow spread to an elected RA.
 
sounds air-tight. Maybe this isn't the right threat but we've seemed to lost a lot of members both RV's and RA's in the past month or so, should we update our lists after the change?
 
That's up to the MoIIA... It would probably be a good idea, but since elections are coming up, it'll probably get done anyway.
 
Ok then. I formally request that the Speaker of the Regional Assembly consider this draft amendment for a referendum election.
 
Note that this has now been passed on to formal discussion. Need to have one of those before I can pass it to the Cabinet.

If anyone has anything to say further on this topic, look in the main RA forum, where the topic is pinned.

Topic closed.
 
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