New Legislation Notifications

The North Pacific Army Unrestricting Amendment:

1. Chapter 7 of the legal code is amended to read as follows;

Section 7.6: The North Pacific Army:

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48. The following are Class A restricted actions:

• changing a region's World Factbook Entry without providing the region with the original content of the World Factbook Entry or a straightforward way to access that content;

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Sunscreen Act:

1. Section 7.4 of the Legal Code will be amended as follows:

Section 7.4: Freedom of Information Act:

27. For the purposes of this section "the government" refers to the Delegate and the Executive Officers, including the departments which they oversee, the Vice Delegate and Security Council, and the Speaker's office.
28. For the purposes of this section, “appropriate officers” are those officers responsible for the types of records being requested or released.
29. The Delegate and the designated officers of the Executive are responsible for records related to the Executive.
30. The Vice Delegate is responsible for records related to the Security Council.
31. The Speaker is responsible for records related to the Speaker's office.
32. For the purposes of this section, classified information is that which fits any of the below definitions:

• Real life information about any NationStates player from which there is a risk of inferring that player's real life identity and which has not willingly been disclosed to the public, including, but not limited to, an individual's name, IP address, physical address or location, phone number, place of employment or education, appearance, social media accounts, and other knowledge about a player, unless the player in question provides explicit consent for this information not to be considered private.
• Real life information about any NationStates player for which there exists a reasonable real life expectation of privacy or discretion, including, but not limited to, health status, both mental and physical; financial status; personal tragedies; changes in personal status such as marriage, divorce, pregnancy, birth, or death; and other similar information, unless the player in question provides explicit consent for this information not to be considered private.
• Information that, upon being made public, would jeopardize any ongoing military or intelligence operations; or jeopardize the security of units and agents participating in them, or be harmful to the diplomatic interests, military interests, or security of The North Pacific.
• Information that, upon being made public, would jeopardize Security Council operations in response to threats and attempted coups.

33. Notwithstanding any process for publication, any information which meets the criteria to be classified will not be released.
34. For the purposes of this section, "government records" are those which are kept on any platform utilized by the government and are open to members of the government and anyone assisting them.
35. For the purposes of this section, “private government records” are those which are kept on any platform utilized by the government and are restricted to only the Delegate, the designated officers of the Executive, and any other individuals granted access by the Delegate; only the Speaker, the Deputy Speakers, and any other individuals granted access by the Speaker; or only the Vice Delegate, the Security Council, and any other individuals granted access by the Vice Delegate.
36. Private government records which reach one year of age will be relocated to the appropriate Declassified Archive visible to residents.
3736. At any time a resident may request the release of any government record or private government record through the appropriate officers.
3837. The appropriate officers will retrieve information requested from the different departments of the government.
3938. Residents who do not receive this information for any reason not specifically designated in appropriate laws or regulations may file a request for the information to the court, where the appropriate officers may present evidence that addresses any claim that release of the information meets one or more of the acceptable criteria for classification.
4039. Information appropriately not disclosed will be accepted as classified by a majority vote of the Court sitting as a three-member panel.

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2. All private government records overdue for automatic release at the time this Act is passed are no longer required to be released and are considered to have never been required for release.
3. All previously released private government records are considered public record and may not be removed from the appropriate Declassified Archive.

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Hands-On in a Pinch Act:

1. Section 7.5 of the Legal Code will be amended as follows:

Section 7.5: Mandatory Ministries:

41. There will be an Executive Officer charged with the North Pacific's foreign affairs. They will ensure the continued operation of any embassies of the North Pacific and will report on events in the region.
42. There will be an Executive Officer charged with military affairs. They will carry out such legal missions as are authorized by the Delegate, expressly or categorically.
43. There will be at least one Executive Officer charged with focusing primarily on matters of internal interest to The North Pacific.
44. For the purposes of this section, the Delegate may serve as one of the Executive Officers charged with any of the preceding duties. The Regional Assembly shall approve the Delegate serving as more than one of the Executive Officers charged with any of the preceding duties by majority vote.

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Border Control Adjustment
1. Section 7.2 of the Legal Code shall be amended as follows:
Section 7.2: Regional Officers
9. The Serving Delegate may assign Border Control powers to any three members of the Security Council.

The following clause shall be stricken:
10. In the event of a Delegate Emergency, or with the permission of a majority vote of the Regional Assembly, the Serving Delegate may assign Border Control powers to any member of the Security Council.

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Agora Go Act:

Chapter 3 of the Legal Code is hereby amended to read as follows:

Chapter 3: Judicial Law:

Section 3.3: Regional Bar of The North Pacific
11. All prosecutors in criminal trials must be members of the regional bar.
12. Any citizen who is not currently serving a judicially-imposed sentence may apply for admission to the regional bar. Any citizen who is given a judicially-imposed sentence while a member of the regional bar will have their admission to the regional bar revoked.
13. The regional bar will be governed by the Bar Commission, which consists of three citizens, one a Justice of the Court elected by a majority of the Court, one appointed by the Delegate, and one appointed by the Court and confirmed by a majority of the Regional Assembly. The citizens appointed by the Delegate and the Court may not be elected government officials, but will otherwise be exempt from constitutional restrictions on holding multiple government offices for purposes of their appointment to the Bar Commission.
14. The term of a Bar Commissioner will be six months, beginning on the day they take the Oath of Office. The Delegate and the Court do not have the power to remove Bar Commissioners.
15. Applicants to the regional bar must be evaluated by the Bar Commission for acceptability and must demonstrate adequate and reasonable knowledge of the Constitution, Bill of Rights, Legal Code of The North Pacific, and prior judicial rulings on requests for review.
16. A standard procedure for passing the bar evaluation, and for managing membership of the bar, will be established by majority agreement of the Bar Commission.

Section 3.43.3: Criminal Trial Procedure
1711. A standard procedure for all criminal trials will be established by majority agreement of the Court.
12. Qualifications for service as a prosecutor may be established by majority agreement of the Court, but cannot conflict with any qualifications listed in this chapter.
18. Any person may present criminal charges to the Court. If the charges are accepted, the Delegate will appoint a prosecutor to manage the prosecution of the case. If the Delegate is the accused or unavailable, the next available person in the Line of Succession will appoint a prosecutor to manage prosecution of the case.
19. Any member of the regional bar may be appointed as a prosecutor and will be exempt from constitutional restrictions on holding multiple government offices for purposes of their appointment as a prosecutor.
20. The Delegate and other officials who may have appointed a prosecutor do not have the power to remove a prosecutor.
21. No one may prosecute or appoint prosecutors to a case in which they are the defendant or part of the defense.
22. If the original prosecutor is unable to see a case to completion, another prosecutor will be selected by the same procedure as the original prosecutor.
23. If the prosecutor discontinues management of the prosecution of a criminal case, then the complainant may, at their discretion, request another prosecutor be selected or withdraw the complaint.
24. If the complainant has not withdrawn the complaint within 7 days of the prosecutor discontinuing management of the case, the complaint will be considered withdrawn.
25. For the purposes of this section, "managing the prosecution of a case" includes but is not limited to:
acting as the prosecutor for the duration of all stages of the criminal trial heard for the case;
and representing the prosecution in any separate judicial review hearings arising from the criminal trial.
26. When the management of the prosecution of a case is completed, all records associated with that prosecution will be transferred to the Court.

Section 3.53.4: Pre-Sentencing Ejections and Bans
2713. The Delegate may eject and/or ban a particular nation from the region pending criminal charges against them, or prior to the conclusion of an ongoing criminal trial in which they are the defendant, only when that nation poses a clear security threat and their removal is necessary for the protection of the region.
2814. The Delegate must seek the approval of the Court for any such ejection or ban. Where possible, this approval must be sought prior to the nation's removal from the region. Otherwise, it must be sought within one day of the action.
2915. If the ejection or ban is performed during a criminal trial against that nation, approval will be at the discretion of the justice moderating the trial. Otherwise, any single justice may approve or deny the Delegate's request.
3016. Any nation ejected or banned under this section may file an appeal of the decision. These appeals may not be denied, and must be decided by the full court.
3117. The Delegate must immediately provide any nation ejected or banned under this section with a link to the Courtroom and inform them of their right to file an appeal.
3218. If criminal charges are not brought against a nation ejected or banned under this section, or if the criminal charges are rejected by the Court, or if the nation is not found Guilty at the conclusion of the trial, any ban against that nation which was imposed under this section must be revoked.

Section 3.5: The Advocate General
19. Whenever the position is vacant, the Delegate shall appoint, and a majority of the Regional Assembly shall confirm, an Advocate General. Citizens will be exempt from constitutional restrictions on holding multiple government offices for purposes of their appointment as Advocate General.
20. The Advocate General will have discretion to manage the prosecution of all criminal cases brought before the Court, save those outlined below, and will also act as a legal advisor to the Delegate and the Executive of The North Pacific upon request.
21. The Advocate General shall not be involved in the prosecution of any criminal case in which they are a defendant, a defense attorney, or a witness.
22. The Advocate General may appoint deputies to assist them in the execution of any of their powers and duties.
23. The term of the Advocate General will last until the end of the next regular Judicial election. The Delegate does not have the power to remove the Advocate General.

Section 3.6: The Court Examiner
3324. Whenever the position is vacant, the Bar Commission Delegate shall select from among the members of the regional bar by a majority vote, and the Chief Justice shall appoint, a Court Examiner. Citizens will be exempt from constitutional restrictions on holding multiple government offices for purposes of their appointment as Court Examiner.
3425. The Court Examiner will have standing in all cases of judicial review brought before the Court.
3526. The term of the Court Examiner will last until the end of the next regular Judicial election. The Delegate does not have the power to remove the Court Examiner.

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Election Flip Flop Omnibus Act:

Article 2 of the Constitution is amended to read as follows:

Article 2. The Regional Assembly

1. Resident means any person with a nation in the region of The North Pacific or one of its territories.
2. A territory is any region that is recognized by the Regional Assembly as a part of The North Pacific.
3. The Regional Assembly will consist of all citizens.
4. Requirements for citizenship will be determined by law.
5. The Regional Assembly may enact, amend or repeal laws by a majority vote.
6. The Regional Assembly may remove a government official from office by a two-thirds majority vote.
7. The number of votes required to achieve quorum for any vote of the Regional Assembly except elections will be determined by law.
8. The Regional Assembly will elect a Speaker no sooner than three months and no later than six months since the last regularly scheduled election.
9. The Speaker will administer the rules of the Regional Assembly. Where no rules exist, the Speaker may use their discretion.
10. Abstentions cast in the Regional Assembly will not be used to determine the result of any vote, but may be used for quorum and all other purposes.
11. The Speaker may appoint deputies to assist them in the execution of any of their powers and duties. Appointment of deputies may be regulated by law and the rules of the Regional Assembly.

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Article 3 of the Constitution is amended to read as follows:

Article 3. The Delegate and Vice Delegate

1. The Delegate will be the head of state and government of The North Pacific and its territories and hold the in-game position of delegate in The North Pacific.
2. The Delegate may eject and ban nations from the region as permitted by law, and will eject or ban nations from the region when required by law.
3. The Delegate may negotiate treaties with foreign powers or propose the repeal of existing treaties. No treaty will come into effect or be repealed unless approved by a two-thirds majority vote of the Regional Assembly.
4. The Delegate may propose a declaration of war on foreign powers to the Regional Assembly. If it is approved by a two-thirds majority vote, a state of war will exist until it is repealed by a majority vote of the Regional Assembly.
5. When a proposal of the Regional Assembly to enact, amend or repeal a law is passed, the Speaker shall promptly present it to the Delegate, and it shall take effect immediately upon their signature.
6. The Delegate may veto a proposal of the Regional Assembly to enact, amend or repeal a law within one week of its passage.
7. The Regional Assembly may override such a veto by a two-thirds majority vote, which shall cause a proposal to take immediate effect.
8. If a proposal of the Regional Assembly to enact, amend or repeal a law has not been signed or vetoed by the Delegate, it shall take effect seven days after being passed.
9. The Delegate may appoint executive officers to assist them and may dismiss these officers freely. Executive officers may be regulated by law.
10. The Vice Delegate will chair the Security Council and enforce the continued eligibility of its members as determined by law.
11. The Vice Delegate will hold the second most endorsements in the region. The Delegate may eject or ban any nation which exceeds any legally mandated endorsement limit.
12. In the case of a vacancy or absence in the office of Delegate or Vice Delegate, the first available person in the line of succession will assume the duties of the vacated position. If a member of the line of succession assumes the duties of either position while serving in, or having assumed the duties of, any other constitutionally-mandated elected office, they will be considered absent from that office.
13. The Delegate and Vice Delegate will be elected by the Regional Assembly no sooner than three months and no later than six months since the last regularly scheduled election. No person shall be elected Delegate to a full or partial term in four consecutive election cycles.
14. Frontier Delegates will hold the in-game position of delegate in any territory of The North Pacific. Frontier Vice Delegates will hold the second most endorsements in any territory of The North Pacific. These offices will be regulated, and their means of selection determined, by law.

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Article 4 of the Constitution is amended to read as follows:

Article 4. The Court

1. The Court will try all criminal cases and review the constitutionality of laws or legality of government policies and actions.
2. Reviews of laws or government policies and actions must be made by request of an affected party unless there is a compelling regional interest in resolving it.
3. The Court will consist of at least three Justices, who will select a Chief Justice among themselves.
4. The Chief Justice will administer the rules of the Court. Where no rules exist, the Chief Justice may use their discretion.
5. The official opinion of the Court in any trial or review will be binding on all Government bodies and officials.
6. Justices will be elected by the Regional Assembly no sooner than three months and no later than six months since the last regularly scheduled election.

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Section 4.5 of the Legal Code is amended to read as follows:

Section 4.5: General Elections
30. The election of the Delegate, the Vice Delegate, and the Speaker will begin on the first day of the months of March, July, and November.
31. If there are more than two candidates for an election, voters may rank the candidates, with the candidate ranked 1 being the first preference, the candidate ranked 2 being the next preference, and so on.
32. All first preference votes shall be counted first. If no candidate achieves a majority, the candidate with the least votes shall be eliminated, and the next preference of all voters who had voted for the eliminated candidate as first preference shall be counted, with the process repeated until a candidate achieves a majority.
33. If all of a voter's preferences have been eliminated, the voter's ballot shall not be used in further counting.

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Section 4.6 of the Legal Code is amended to read as follows:

Section 4.6: Judicial Elections
34. The election of the Justices will begin on the first day of the months of January, May, and September.
35. If there are more than three candidates for Justice, voters may rank the candidates, with the candidate ranked 1 being the first preference, the candidate ranked 2 being the next preference, and so on.
36. All first preference votes will be counted first. If no candidate achieves a majority, the candidate/s with the least votes will be eliminated, and the next preference of all voters who had voted for the eliminated candidate as first preference will be counted, with the process repeated until a candidate achieve a majority.
37. When a candidate achieves a majority, they will be elected. All votes will then be recounted using the same process, ignoring all preferences for the elected candidate. This will be repeated until three candidates are elected.

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No portion of this bill will take effect unless/until all portions take effect.

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Halsoni:

Elections encourage activity. So having one smack dab in the middle of the summer lull could potentially create some activity and excitement. The summer lull isn't solvable, but we can soften the impact it has on us. This is a good measure to do that, so I support it.

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Halsoni, Delegate​