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RA FAQ
Hello there!
You're probably here either because you're new to the Regional Assembly (RA) or because you're confused about something and want to check.
The RA is a curious construct, both a legislative body and the only existing definition of citizenship in the North Pacific (TNP).
So what exactly does the RA do?
1. The RA, as the basic citizenship body, elects all 24 elected positions in TNP, from the Prime Minister to the Board of Regents. In the case of the Delegate and Vice Delegate however, you have to have a UN in TNP to vote in that election.
2. The RA can be asked to approve certain government actions-- like ejecting people from the region. This doesn't happen very often. It can also pass various resolutions. (Like a Declaration of War) As a special committee within the RA, the Security Council (SC) is allowed to authorize such actions instead when things have to go quickly.
3. The RA is allowed by the constitution to pass laws with a 60% majority. (If a law gets between 50 and 60% of an RA vote, it goes back for further discussion and a revote).
4. This is probably the most frequent of the things it does: Amending the Constitution. You may think that strange, but as it only requires 7% more to pass an Amendment than to pass a law, and a Constitutional Amendment has far more force, this is what is generally done. Yes, the RA can pass a Constitutional Amendment with a two thirds majority.
A lot of what the RA does in the interim is talking about what to do, discussing proposed laws and amendments to the constitution.
But, how does the RA actually vote on these things, you might ask...
Basically, the Speaker (moi) makes a new thread, titled "VOTE: <Proposal>," instructing the RA to vote in that thread, and announcing when the vote starts and ends. RA members vote by posting either "For", "Against", or "Abstain" (OR Aye or Nay, or what have you. Some indication of yes or no, in any case
) in that thread. At the end of the voting period, the Speaker officially counts up the votes, announces the totals, and declares the result of the vote. An important detail is that in order for the vote to be valid, in any vote other than an election there must be at least 20 RA members voting. (Abstain votes count to this requirement) This is called Quorum.
How do I propose a law for the RA to vote on?
It's fairly simple. You just go to Preliminary Discussion and make a new thread, in which you say what it is you want to do. While if you just say what, in general terms, you want to do, someone who agrees with you might write a proposal for you it's probably smartest to then also make a technical proposal. For that technical proposal, you do one of two things:
1. If it's an entirely new law or section of the Constitution, simply state it's name (or where in the Constitution to insert) and then put in the formal language of the law or section. Put it in QUOTE tags, like so:
2. If it's a change to an existing law or section of the Constitution, quote the original law or section, and then follow the following method for putting in your changes:
i. If you strike a part, strike out that part and make it red. (Preferably also italicize it
)
ii. If you insert a part, put it in bold and make it blue.
Here's an example:
Any comments or suggestions to this guide?
[ THIS IS NOT FINISHED AND WILL BE EXPANDED ]
Hello there!
You're probably here either because you're new to the Regional Assembly (RA) or because you're confused about something and want to check.
The RA is a curious construct, both a legislative body and the only existing definition of citizenship in the North Pacific (TNP).
So what exactly does the RA do?
1. The RA, as the basic citizenship body, elects all 24 elected positions in TNP, from the Prime Minister to the Board of Regents. In the case of the Delegate and Vice Delegate however, you have to have a UN in TNP to vote in that election.
2. The RA can be asked to approve certain government actions-- like ejecting people from the region. This doesn't happen very often. It can also pass various resolutions. (Like a Declaration of War) As a special committee within the RA, the Security Council (SC) is allowed to authorize such actions instead when things have to go quickly.
3. The RA is allowed by the constitution to pass laws with a 60% majority. (If a law gets between 50 and 60% of an RA vote, it goes back for further discussion and a revote).
4. This is probably the most frequent of the things it does: Amending the Constitution. You may think that strange, but as it only requires 7% more to pass an Amendment than to pass a law, and a Constitutional Amendment has far more force, this is what is generally done. Yes, the RA can pass a Constitutional Amendment with a two thirds majority.
A lot of what the RA does in the interim is talking about what to do, discussing proposed laws and amendments to the constitution.
But, how does the RA actually vote on these things, you might ask...
Basically, the Speaker (moi) makes a new thread, titled "VOTE: <Proposal>," instructing the RA to vote in that thread, and announcing when the vote starts and ends. RA members vote by posting either "For", "Against", or "Abstain" (OR Aye or Nay, or what have you. Some indication of yes or no, in any case
) in that thread. At the end of the voting period, the Speaker officially counts up the votes, announces the totals, and declares the result of the vote. An important detail is that in order for the vote to be valid, in any vote other than an election there must be at least 20 RA members voting. (Abstain votes count to this requirement) This is called Quorum.How do I propose a law for the RA to vote on?
It's fairly simple. You just go to Preliminary Discussion and make a new thread, in which you say what it is you want to do. While if you just say what, in general terms, you want to do, someone who agrees with you might write a proposal for you it's probably smartest to then also make a technical proposal. For that technical proposal, you do one of two things:
1. If it's an entirely new law or section of the Constitution, simply state it's name (or where in the Constitution to insert) and then put in the formal language of the law or section. Put it in QUOTE tags, like so:
Code:
[QUOTE=Proposal: The Silly Act]The Silly Act
It shall be hereby illegal to say the word spelled Eye, Enn, Dee, Ee, Ee, Dee in TNP or any forum or chat room thereof.[/QUOTE]i. If you strike a part, strike out that part and make it red. (Preferably also italicize it
)ii. If you insert a part, put it in bold and make it blue.
Here's an example:
Code:
In order to make the Silly Act constitutional...
[QUOTE=Article I, section 2]2. Each Nation's rights to free speech, free press, and the free expression of religion shall not be infringed [b][color=blue]unless the RA passes a law against it[/color][/b], and shall be encouraged, by the governmental authorities of the region. [s][color=red][i]Each Nation has the right to assemble, and to petition the governmental authorities of the region, including the UN Delegate, for the redress of grievances.[/i][/color][/s] The governmental authorities of the region shall act only in the best interests of the Region, as permitted and limited under this Constitution.[/QUOTE]Any comments or suggestions to this guide?
[ THIS IS NOT FINISHED AND WILL BE EXPANDED ]