Will Bill

Annotated Amendment to Legal Code:

Codified Law of The North Pacific

In order to present a clearer and more comprehensible legal system, the Regional Assembly undertakes to keep the law of the North Pacific organized and clear. This Code will be divided into several Chapters, which may contain Sections. Clauses must be numbered consecutively within a Chapter beginning with the number 1. Clauses may have subclauses in the form of letters in the event that a list must be referenced in the clause. Clauses may be referenced by chapter, clause number, and if applicable sub-clause letter, but clause numbers and sub-clause letters will not be considered part of the law, nor will they have any legal effects. The Speaker will manage the numbering of clauses in accordance with the above requirements.

Chapter 1: Criminal Code

1. No criminal case may be brought before the Court of the North Pacific against any resident for any crime not listed in the Criminal Code.

Section 1.1: Treason
2. "Treason" is defined as taking arms or providing material support to a group or region for the purpose of undermining or overthrowing the lawful government of The North Pacific or any of its treatied allies as governed by the Constitution.
3. Specifically, no player maintaining a nation in a region or organization at war with TNP may maintain a nation within TNP, or participate in the governance thereof, for the duration of hostilities.
4. At this time, there are no regions or organizations at war with TNP. At this time TNP is allied with Stargate, the South Pacific, Taijitu, International Democratic Union, Equilism, Europeia, Albion and The East Pacific.
5. The Speaker will update the preceding clause as appropriate.

Section 1.2: Espionage
6. "Espionage" is defined as sharing information with a group or region when that act of sharing has not been legitimately sanctioned by the entity the information is gathered from, as limited by this section.
7. The information shared must not be accessible to a person who is not a member of the region or group it is gathered from except by cracking technical security measures.
8. The information must be gathered from The North Pacific or a foreign power the Regional Assembly has agreed to prohibit espionage against.
9. The Regional Assembly has agreed to prohibit espionage against Europeia and Albion.
10. The Speaker will update the preceding clause as appropriate.

Section 1.3: Fraud
11. "Election fraud" is defined as the willful deception of residents with regards to the candidates running, the time and venue of the elections, or the requirements and methods by which one may be eligible to vote or run for office.
12. "Fraud" is defined as an intentional deception, by falsehood or omission, made for some benefit or to damage another individual.

Section 1.4. Crashing, Phishing, or Spamming
13. "Crashing" is defined as any unauthorized action which could cause a forum to go out of service or lose information, including the deletion of posts, the deletion of a forum, spamming, or any other act of such kind.
14. "Phishing" is defined as any attempts to gain access to off-site property controls or passwords by deception, especially by posing as administrators or moderators for any unauthorized use.
15. Phishing also includes the collection of personal information kept at the Forum.
16. "Spamming" is defined as any action by non-region nationals to waste space or cause shock on any off-site property or regional message board to make it unusable.
17. Spamming includes any attempts to force a DOS error on forums and any attempts to flood the RMB of a region which is not that nation's normal abode.
18. No Nation of The North Pacific may perform, order, condone, or accept as legal, Crashing, Phishing, or Spamming.

Section 1.5: Proxying
19. "Proxying" is defined as use of a proxy server to render a forum user anonymous or any practice which allows a member multiple accounts.
20. Forum administrators will inform the Government and Court of Proxying they observe.

Section 1.6. Adspam
21. Recruitment for other regions on the Regional Message board may be regulated or prohibited by Delegate Decree.

Section 1.7. Conspiracy
22. "Conspiracy" is defined as planning, attempting, or helping to commit any crime under this criminal code.

Section 1.8. Gross Misconduct
23. "Gross Misconduct" is defined as the violation of an individual's legally mandated sworn oath, either willfully or through negligence.

Section 1.9. Exceptions
24. Exceptions for treason, espionage or proxying may be given to members of the military and intelligence services with the consent of the Delegate and the appropriate Minister when on officially sanctioned missions for the purposes of preserving regional security.


Chapter 2: Penal Code

1. Criminal acts may be punished by restrictions on basic rights, in a manner proportionate to the crime at the discretion of the Court unless specified in this chapter.
2. Treason will be punished by ejection and banning, and removal of any basic rights for whatever duration the Court sees fit.
3. Espionage will be punished by the suspension of speech and/or voting rights for whatever finite duration the Court sees fit.
4. Crashing, Phishing, or Spamming may be punished by ejection and banning, the removal of any and all basic rights for whatever duration the Court sees fit, and/or banning by forum administration.
5. Proxying may be punished by ejection and banning, the removal of any basic rights for whatever duration the Court sees fit, and/or banning by forum administration.
6. Adspam prohibited by the Delegate may be punished by adspam suppression and summary ejection and/or banning from the region.
7. Conspiracy will be punished by a sentence strictly less than what would be appropriate for the original crime.
8. Gross Misconduct will be punished by removal from office and the suspension of voting rights for whatever finite duration the Court sees fit.


Chapter 3: Judicial Law

1. These procedures will govern the Judiciary.

Section 3.1: Chief Justice Selection
2. Whenever the position is vacant, the Justices shall will elect a Chief Justice from among themselves by a majority vote.
3. In the event that a Chief Justice has not been elected by seven days after the conclusion of a Judicial election, including the conclusion of any required run-off votes, the Chief Justice shall will be the Justice who received the highest number of votes in said election. In the event of a tie for highest number of votes, the Chief Justice shall will be the one among those tied with the longest period of citizenship.

Section 3.2: Appointment of Hearing Officers
4. A conflict of interest occurs when a Justice or Hearing Officer has a vested interest in a matter before the Court, or when they are otherwise unable to rule in a fair and unbiased manner.
5. Justices and Hearing Officers are required to recuse themselves from matters where they have a certain or potential conflict of interest.
6. If one or more Justice positions are vacant, or any Justice is absent or has recused themselves, the remaining Justices will promptly appoint replacements from among available citizens to participate as temporary Hearing Officers.
7. If all Justices are vacant, absent, or have recused themselves, the Delegate will promptly appoint the needed Hearing Officers from among available citizens with the agreement of the Speaker.
8. Any recusal or absence of a Hearing Officer will be treated as a vacancy.
9. The Court may recuse any Justice or Hearing Officer by majority vote.
10. The Court must hold a vote on whether to recuse a Justice or Hearing Officer when publicly requested by the prosecution, defense, or petitioner in any matter before the Court.

Section 3.3: Criminal Trial Procedure
8. A standard procedure for all criminal trials will be established by majority agreement of the Court.
9. 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.
10. 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.
11. 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.
12. 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.
13. 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.
14. 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.


Chapter 4: Election and Appointment Procedure

Section 4.1: Oath of Office
1. All government officials will take the Oath of Office below before assuming their role within the government of The North Pacific.

I, [forum username], do hereby solemnly swear that during my term as [government position], I will uphold the ideals of Democracy, Freedom, and Justice of The Region of The North Pacific. I will use the powers and rights granted to me through The North Pacific Constitution and Legal Code in a legal, responsible, and unbiased manner, not abusing my power, committing misfeasance, malfeasance, or nonfeasance in office, in any gross or excessive manner. I will act only in the best interests of The North Pacific, not influenced by personal gain or any outside force, and within the restraints of my legally granted power. As such, I hereby take up the office of [government position], with all the powers, rights, and responsibilities held therein.

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2. All government officials will be required to take the Oath of Office within one week of their election, as certified by the Election Commissioner; appointment, as publicly announced; or confirmation, as verified by a member of the Speaker's Office. The taking of the Oath constitutes assumption of the office. Failure to post the oath within the allotted time will result in the office being considered vacant, to be filled in accordance with all laws governing elections, appointments, or confirmations, as is appropriate for the office in question.

Section 4.2: Election Law Definitions
3. "Abstentions" are not votes for or against any candidate, and may not be used to determine the results of any election. They may be used for quorum, activity, or other purposes.
4. "Candidates" are those citizens who, during the period of the Election Cycle designated for candidacy declarations, declare themselves or accept a nomination by another citizen as a candidate for an office to be chosen at that Election Cycle.
5. "Election Commissioner" is an individual designated to supervise a given election. No Election Commissioner may run in the election they are overseeing.
6. "Election Cycle" is defined as the period of time that begins on the first day on which candidacy declarations can be made and concludes with the final declaration of results for an election.
7. A "vacancy" in an office occurs when the holder of it resigns, is removed, or abandons it. An office is abandoned when its holder does not log onto the regional forums for two weeks without prior notice, or when an election winner or appointee fails to post the Oath of Office. Pending an election, a vacancy may be temporarily filled as provided by the Constitution, this Legal Code, or a rule adopted by the appropriate body.
8. An "absence" in an office means that the holder of the office is by law temporarily prevented from exercising the duties of their office. An absent officer may be replaced for the duration of their absence as provided by the Constitution, this Legal Code, or a rule adopted by the appropriate body.

Section 4.3: Overall Election Law
9. Citizens shall will be provided three days to declare their candidacy. Following the closure of candidacy declaration, four days shall will be allowed for campaigning, during which no further candidate declarations shall will be allowed.
10. Voting will begin immediately after the campaigning period has closed and last for five days.
11. If a run-off vote is required it will begin within one day of the first vote ending and it shall will last for five days.
12. Private votes may be sent by private message to a forum account designated for that purpose by the Election Commissioners. In such an event, the Election Commissioners shall will promptly announce that a vote has been cast privately and who that vote was cast for. The Election Commissioners may not announce any other details about the vote.
13. The option to reopen nominations shall will appear on the ballot as a separate question for each race.
14. Should a majority vote to reopen nominations for a given race, a further two days will be provided for candidacy declarations.
15. Candidates for that race whose names appeared on the first ballot will retain their candidacy unless they choose to withdraw during the period for candidacy declarations.
16. A second round of voting for that race will begin immediately after the candidacy declaration period has closed and last for five days. The option to reopen nominations will not appear on the new ballot.
17. If during any voting round for a given race a candidacy becomes invalid, then the voting round for that race will be immediately restarted with any invalid candidacies excluded from the new ballot.

Section 4.4: General and Judicial Elections
18. A minimum of two Election Commissioners will be appointed by the Delegate to oversee the candidacy declaration and election processes at least one week before the beginning of the month in which the election is to be held. If an appointment of Election Commissioners has not been made by that time, the Vice Delegate shall will promptly make the appointment. citizens serving as government officials are not excluded from appointments under this clause.
19. The election cycle for the terms of the Delegate, the Vice Delegate, and the Speaker will begin on the first day of the months of January, May, and September.
20. The election cycle for the terms of the Justices and the Attorney General will begin on the first days of the months of March, July, and November.

Section 4.5: Special Elections
21. A special election will be held in the event of a vacancy in any elected office or position, unless the election would be unable to conclude prior to two weeks before the beginning of the next scheduled election cycle for that office.
22. The Delegate and the Vice Delegate will serve as Election Commissioners for the special election. If any of the Delegate and the Vice Delegate are not available, the Speaker and, if necessary, the Attorney General will serve as Election Commissioners.

Chapter 5: Regional Security Law

1. Any laws regulating the activities of the Security Council must be listed in this chapter.
2. In this chapter, "Council" means the Security Council.
3. In this Chapter, the serving Delegate means the person holding the constitutionally-mandated elected office of the Delegate or, in the case of a vacancy in that office, the person that has assumed the duties of that office.

Section 5.1: Council Requirements
4. The influence requirement for members of the Council consists of an influence score (Soft Power Disbursement Rating) within The North Pacific greater than or equal to 109,500, or an influence rank within The North Pacific greater than or equal to Apprentice, whichever is lower.
5. The minimum endorsement count for members of the Council is defined as 300 endorsements, or 50 per cent of the serving Delegate's endorsement count, whichever is lower.
6. The Vice Delegate must maintain an endorsement level of at least 75 per cent of the Delegates endorsement count.
7. Where the computation results in fractions, the count shall will be rounded down.
8. The serving Delegate is exempt from endorsement requirements.

Section 5.2: Admission
9. Any person with an account on the regional forum and a nation in The North Pacific satisfying the influence requirement and endorsement count requirement may apply to join the Security Council.
10. An application which does not meet the appropriate requirements or ceases to meet them must be rejected.

Section 5.3: Enforcement
11. Whenever any Council member fails to meet any requirements to maintain their position, the Vice Delegate must warn them, and if the Council member does not come into compliance within eight days of the warning, the Vice Delegate must suspend them.
12. The Vice Delegate must remove members of the Council whose member nation no longer exists, voluntarily departs The North Pacific, or resigns from the World Assembly outside the needs of a NPA sanctioned mission.
13. The Vice Delegate must report any suspension or removal of a member of the Council to the Regional Assembly.
14. If a suspended member of the Council comes back into compliance with the endorsement and influence requirements, the Vice Delegate will reinstate them.
15. A majority of the Council may vote to determine that the continued membership in the Council of a member poses a security risk to The North Pacific and request approval from the Regional Assembly to remove the member from the Council.
16. The Speaker of the Regional Assembly will submit the request to an immediate vote of the Regional Assembly; approval will require a two-thirds majority.
17. The Council may task a member with taking actions required under this chapter when the Vice Delegate is not available.
18. During any period when serving as acting Delegate, the Vice Delegate will be considered absent from the office of Vice Delegate.
19. If the Vice Delegate nation ceases to exist, voluntarily departs The North Pacific, resigns from the World Assembly, or fails to maintain an endorsement level within the range required of Council members for more than eight days, the Vice Delegate will be removed from office.

Section 5.4: Endorsement Gathering
20. The Delegate may eject or ban for reckless endorsement gathering any nation in The North Pacific which meets all of the following criteria:

• It is not in the Council or holding the office of Delegate or Vice Delegate.
• It has been reported to the Delegate as a possible threat to regional security by the Council.
• It has continued actively gathering endorsements after two warnings against gathering endorsements sent at least two days apart from each other.
• It has more endorsements than 50 fewer than the Vice Delegate or 75 per cent of the Delegate's endorsement level, whichever is least.

21. The Delegate may eject or ban for reckless endorsement gathering any nation in The North Pacific which exceeds the Vice Delegate's endorsement count.
22. Nations banned for reckless endorsement gathering must remain banned at least until they update outside The North Pacific.
23. Non-incumbent candidates for Delegate or Vice Delegate may not obtain an endorsement level during the election cycle greater than the level authorized for members of the Security Council under this chapter.

Section 5.5: Sanity
24. The Security Council Law is to be applied in a reasonable manner.

Chapter 6: Regional Assembly Statutes

1. Any Law regulating the voting or membership of the Regional Assembly of The North Pacific must be listed in this chapter.

Section 6.1: Citizenship Applications
2. Any resident may apply for citizenship using their regional forum account, by providing the name of their nation in The North Pacific, and swearing an oath as follows:

I, the leader of The North Pacific nation of [INSERT YOUR TNP NATION], pledge loyalty to The North Pacific, obedience to her laws, and responsible action as a member of her society. I pledge to only register one nation to vote in The North Pacific. I pledge that no nation under my control will wage war against the North Pacific. I understand that if I break this oath I may permanently lose my voting privileges. In this manner, I petition the Speaker for citizenship in The North Pacific.

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3. A copy of the laws applicants are pledging to obey must be available to them at all times.
4. An application for citizenship ceases to be valid if at any time the applicant's declared nation in The North Pacific is not located in The North Pacific.
5. Forum administration will have 14 days to evaluate the citizenship applicant and verify that they are not using a proxy or evading a judicially-imposed penalty. The Vice Delegate will have 3 days to perform a security evaluation and pass or fail the applicant. The Vice Delegate must consult the Security Council if there is reasonable concern as to whether an applicant should be admitted.
6. The Speaker will reject applicants who fail an evaluation by either forum administration or the Vice Delegate.
7. If an applicant is rejected for failing an evaluation by the Vice Delegate, the Regional Assembly shall will immediately debate the rejection and will hold a majority vote on whether to uphold it. The vote must begin two days after the rejection occurs.
8. The Regional Assembly may overturn a previous decision to uphold the rejection of an applicant by majority vote.
9. The Speaker will accept all other applicants with valid applications.
10. The Speaker will process applications within 14 days. If an applicant has not been approved or rejected within that time, they will be automatically granted citizenship.

Section 6.2: Loss of Citizenship
11. The Speaker will maintain a publicly viewable roster of citizens.
12. The Speaker will promptly remove any citizens whose removal is ordered by the Court, or whose nation in The North Pacific leaves or ceases to exist.
13. The Speaker's office will promptly remove any citizens who fail to post in The North Pacific forum for over 30 consecutive days.
14. Citizens that have submitted a notice of absence, in accordance with any regulations set by the Speaker, shall will be exempt from the provisions of the above clause for the stated duration of their absence.

Section 6.3: Voting
15. A citizen's vote will not be valid unless they maintain citizenship for the entire duration of the vote.
16. The number of votes required to achieve quorum for any legislative vote is equal to one third of the number of citizens who have voted in at least one of the three most recent legislative votes. A legislative vote is a vote of the Regional Assembly to enact, amend or repeal laws.

Section 6.4: War
17. A region or organization "at war" with TNP is one which has made a formal declaration, or made acts of war against The North Pacific, or vice versa, as deemed by a three-fifths majority vote of the Regional Assembly.
18. War does not constitute actions taken by or against any army of the North Pacific abroad unless the conflict meets the conditions above.
19. A state of war exists until a formal peace treaty, surrender terms, or similar, are recognized by the Regional Assembly.

Chapter 7: Executive Government

1. Any Law regulating the executive government officials of The North Pacific may be listed in this chapter.

Section 7.1: Definitions
2. Executive Officers are government officials appointed by the Delegate to assist in the execution of their duties.
3. The Serving Delegate is the person holding the constitutionally-mandated elected office of the Delegate or, in the case of a vacancy in that office, the person that has assumed the duties of that office.
4. The WA Delegate is the nation holding the WA Delegacy of the region The North Pacific.

Section 7.2: Regional Officers
5. Regional Officers may only be appointed and granted powers as explicitly allowed under this section.
6. The Serving Delegate may assign any Regional Power, with the exception of Border Control, to any Executive Officer.
7. The Serving Delegate may assign Border Control powers to any of the three members of the Security Council earliest in the Order of Succession.
8. In the event of a Delegate Emergency or with the permission of a majority vote of the Regional Assembly, the Delegate may assign Border Control powers to any members of the Security Council.
9. The WA Delegate will promptly grant all Regional Powers to the Serving Delegate and assigned powers to the respective Executive Officers or Security Council members.

Section 7.3: Onsite Authority
10. Violators of NationStates rules may be subject to summary ejection or banning.
11. Nations recruiting for other regions may be subject to summary ejection or banning.
12. Nations for which the Court has issued an indictment permitting it may be ejected or banned.
13. Nations that have been so sentenced by the Court will be ejected or banned.
14. The official performing an ejection or ban will promptly inform the region and Government.
15. The Serving Delegate may regulate the Regional Message Board as they see fit.
16. Such regulations may not prohibit speech which is in the context of TNP politics.
17. All actions of the WA Delegate, the Serving Delegate, or of their appointed Regional Officers related to this section will be subject to judicial review.

Section 7.4: The Attorney General
18. Any deputy appointed by the Attorney General may not serve concurrently as either a Justice or a Temporary Hearing Officer.
19. The Attorney General will have standing in all cases of judicial review brought before the Court.
20. Any person ("the complainant") may submit a criminal complaint to the office of the Attorney General, requesting that a criminal case be brought before the Court.
21. The Attorney General may, at their discretion, manage the prosecution of any criminal case requested.
22. Any relevant person who is a defendant, the defense attorney, or a witness in a criminal case will be unavailable to manage the prosecution of the case.
23. In the event that the Attorney General is unavailable, the Serving Delegate will appoint an existing and available deputy Attorney General. The appointed deputy Attorney General may, at their discretion, manage the prosecution of the case.
24. Failing the existence of an available deputy Attorney General, the first available person from the following list may act as such a deputy Attorney General for the duration of the case:

• The Serving Delegate
• The Serving Vice Delegate
• Any resident (consensually) chosen by the complainant.

25. It is the duty of the Attorney General, and their deputies, to see to completion any case the management of which they have undertaken.
26. If the original Attorney General, and their deputies, are unable to see to completion a pending case after the end of their term, the successor Attorney General will take over the managing of the prosecution.
27. If the Attorney General, and their deputies, decline to manage the prosecution of a requested criminal case, then the complainant may, at their discretion, manage themselves the prosecution of the criminal case. Otherwise, they may withdraw the complaint.
28. If the complainant has not stated their intent to either manage the prosecution of the case or withdraw the complaint within 30 days of the Attorney General and their deputies declining the case, the complaint will be considered withdrawn.
29. For the purposes of this section, "managing the prosecution of a case" includes but is not limited to:

• submitting an indictment to the Court for the relevant charges;
• arguing on the acceptance or rejection of the indictment;
• acting as the prosecutor for the duration of all stages of the criminal trial heard for the case;
• representing the prosecution in any separate judicial review hearings arising from the criminal trial;
• and appointing, directing, and removing an attorney to act in the above capacity in their place.

Section 7.5: Freedom of Information Act
30. For the purposes of this section "the government" refers to the Delegate and the Executive Officers, including the departments which they oversee.
31. 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.

32. Notwithstanding any process for publication, any information which meets the criteria to be classified will not be released.
33. Private government records which reach one year of age will be relocated to the appropriate Declassified Archive visible to residents.
34. At any time a resident may request the release of any private record from the Government through the Delegate and the designated officers of the Executive.
35. The Delegate and the designated officers of the Executive will retrieve information requested from the different departments of the government.
36. 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 Delegate and the designated officers of the Executive may present evidence that addresses any claim that release of the information meets one or more of the acceptable acceptable criteria for classification.
37. Information appropriately not disclosed will be accepted as classified by a majority vote of the Court sitting as a three-member panel.

Section 7.6: Mandatory Ministries
38. 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.
39. 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.
40. There will be at least one Executive Officer charged with focusing primarily on matters of internal interest to The North Pacific.

Chapter 8: The North Pacific Army Doctrine

1. The North Pacific Armed Forces (the NPAF) has five primary purposes:

• a. To protect and defend the region of The North Pacific;
• b. To protect and defend the allies of The North Pacific;
• c. To assist the allies and friends of The North Pacific in whatever capacity is available;
• d. To maintain a well trained military;
• e. To implement regional defense and diplomatic policies as adopted under the laws of The North Pacific.

2. The NPAF is always permitted, consistent with adopted regional defense and diplomatic policies, to deploy under the following circumstances:

• a. To counter or preemptively stop:
  • i) A direct threat to The North Pacific;
  • ii) A direct threat to an ally of The North Pacific;
• b. To assist a region or organization as permitted by the delegate, an existing treaty, or the Executive Officer charged with military affairs;
• c. Upon the orders of the appointed Executive Officer charged with military affairs or a person thus delegated to act in their name; and
• d. The Regional Assembly may mandate that the NPAF follow through on a declaration of war or a policy approved by the Regional Assembly.

3. The NPAF must follow all of the following criteria on every mission in foreign regions, except against designated enemy regions:

• a. Minimize collateral damage;
• b. Respect the culture of the region and the wishes of the natives;
• c. Minimize threat to The North Pacific and allies;
• d. Restore region to its original state before leaving;
• e. Contact the most recent native delegate when acting proactively;

4. The NPAF must operate so that:

• a. The Delegate can issue a blanket approval for the NPAF to work with a given organisation. The Executive Officer charged with military affairs or the Delegate must still authorize individual missions.
• b. Any NPAF member may refuse to take part in any mission which does not directly impact TNP security for any reason that the Executive Officer charged with military affairs or the Delegate determines is reasonable.
• c. The Regional Assembly may override by simple majority vote any NPAF deployment not previously approved by the Regional Assembly. The Speaker shall will accept motions to override for voting on an expedited basis.
• d. The Regional Assembly is promptly informed of any NPAF operation upon deployment, with the exception of operations which the Delegate specifically classifies. The Regional Assembly must be promptly informed of any classified operation, as well as the reasons for the classification, as soon as possible following deployment.

5. The NPAF must not do the following except following: (a) a regional consensus toward a region at war with TNP or (b) a request from a recognized government in exile of that region:

• a. Remove any residents from an invaded region that resided in the region prior to said invasion;
• b. Act with any degree of disrespect;
• c. Alter the region's chosen embassy list against the wishes of the region's natives.

6. The NPAF leadership is empowered with the ability to determine the cosmetic details of military, including name, ranks and insignia, pending the outcome of a poll of active NPAF members.

Chapter 9: Emergency Situations

Section 9.1: Emergency Powers
1. The Regional Assembly may declare an actual emergency by majority vote. Votes on declaring emergencies must be expedited, and may last no longer than three days.
2. Concurrent with the declaration of an emergency, or anytime afterward while the emergency is ongoing, the Regional Assembly may, by majority vote, make both binding and nonbinding recommendations related to the ongoing emergency to government officials regarding an appropriate course of action, enforcement of regional laws, or other similar matter.

Section 9.2: Disease Control
3. A NationStates event involving an outbreak of an infectious disease shall will be considered an actual emergency, and does not require a declaration by the RA.
4. In advance of an outbreak, or promptly after an outbreak begins, the government must present a poll to the public regarding how the government should respond. The poll must contain at least three substantially different options. The government will respond according to the will of the public expressed through that poll.
5. During an outbreak, the delegate is authorized to act in any reasonable manner to pursue the adopted plan. This includes, but is not limited to, ejecting or banning nations from the region who have entered the region during the crisis and imposing restrictions on national movement into the region.
6. Nations ejected or banned because of the outbreak must be promptly unbanned and invited to return once the emergency is over.
7. During an outbreak, no nation may have their status as a resident or citizen removed solely for leaving the region, so long as they return within three days of the end of the emergency.
8. Following an outbreak, the Speaker must promptly contact any resident or citizen who remains outside the region, and inform them that they are at risk of losing their status if they do not return within three days.

Section 9.3: Forum Access
9. The existence of widespread obstacles that impede access to the official forum of The North Pacific, including, but not limited to, Denial of Service attacks and prolonged server downtime, shall will be considered an actual emergency, and does not require a declaration by the RA.
10. The governmental authorities of the region must inform the public of any forum access emergency, and continue to provide updates to the extent that is practicable for the duration of the emergency.
11. During a forum access emergency, no resident may be penalized for failing to take actions for which access to the forum is required.
12. The governmental authorities of the region are authorized to take any reasonable actions which they deem appropriate and which are consistent with the spirit and intent of regional laws to preserve the continuity of both community and government for the duration of the emergency.

Section 9.4: WA Delegacy
13. The resignation, recall, or loss of World Assembly membership of the legal or acting Delegate, or any capture of the delegacy of The North Pacific by any nation not the legal or acting Delegate, shall will be considered an actual emergency, and does not require a declaration by the RA.
14. Delegacy emergencies that fall outside the scope of the above clause may be declared by majority vote of the RA only with the recommendation of the legal or acting Vice Delegate, in consultation with the Security Council.
15. During a delegacy emergency, the legal or acting Delegate may authorize any individual in the Line of Succession to hold the delegacy and to take any actions related to that position, including, but not limited to, voting in the World Assembly, moderating the Regional Message Board, and ejecting and banning nations from the region.
16. The in-game Delegate must follow any instructions from the legal or acting Delegate as to the execution of their powers.

Chapter 10: Cultural Declarations

1. This Chapter will include laws concerning the North Pacific's history and culture.

Section 10.1: Arms, Flag, and Seal
2. The following Coat of Arms, based on a design by ThelDran and updated by the Ministry of Culture of The North Pacific, is adopted as the Coat of Arms of The North Pacific:

3. The Arms are blazoned as: Barry wavy of four argent and azure, on a chief azure the North Star or and argent, the shield ensigned with a Mural Crown or.
4. Each institution in The North Pacific's government may establish for itself a seal which uses the arms of The North Pacific.
5. The Coat of Arms of The North Pacific may not be used except to represent The North Pacific or an official regional entity.
6. The following flag, as designed by ThelDRan and updated by the Ministry of Culture of The North Pacific is adopted as the official flag of The North Pacific:

Section 10.2: Holidays
6. The first of January shall will be known as Remembrance Day, and shall will provide an occasion for Nations to remember those players who have left the region and the game of Nationstates.
7. The twenty-sixth of April shall will be Flag Day, and shall will commemorate and celebrate the adoption of the Flag of The North Pacific.
8. The twenty-sixth of May shall will be Manumission Day, and shall will commemorate the end of the delegacy of Pixiedance, and celebrate the return of a democratic government to the region.
9. The eleventh of June shall will be Delegates' Day, and will acknowledge the hard work of Delegates past and present and celebrate their great contributions to the region.
10. The seventh of July, the day the constitution was ratified, shall will be known as Democracy Day, and shall will commemorate the Constitution, Bill of Rights and Legal Code of the North Pacific.
11. The twenty-eighth of July shall will be Liberation Day, and shall will commemorate and celebrate the overthrow of Great Bight and return of a native government to the region.
12. The thirteenth of November shall will be Creation Day, and shall will commemorate and celebrate the establishment of Nationstates; and provide an opportunity to extend fellowship throughout the NationStates communities.
13. The twenty-third of November shall will be Founders' Day, and shall will commemorate and celebrate the establishment of the first official forum of The North Pacific, and through it the community which has kept The North Pacific as the preeminent region in Nationstates.

Section 10.3: Religious Observance
14. Flemingovianism shall will be adopted as the religion and church of The North Pacific.
15. All nations are guaranteed freedom of expression of all, any, or no religious belief, and that freedom shall will not be curtailed.
16. The Flemingovian religion shall will receive no financial or tax advantages through being the religion of The North Pacific.
17. Holidays of the Flemingovian religion shall will be observed regionally, and all nations shall will have the right to take a day off work, unpaid, on those holidays. Government officials are excluded from the effects of this clause.
18. No nation shall will serve on the cabinet or any other appointed government position by virtue of their status in the Flemingovian religion.
19. Flemingovian officials may participate, as invited by the delegate, at all state functions.

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