Discussion of Assembly Rules and Procedures

[Imperii Ecclesia]

As the first Speaker of the Citizen's Assembly of Right to Life, I call to order the first official* Session of the Citizen's Assembly.

I would like to begin by opening a discussion period on the potential rules and procedures for the Citizen's Assembly of Right to Life. In that capacity, I have posted here the Third Article of the Third Constitution of Right to Life, and have bolded the portions which concern the Citizen's Assembly.

Article III of the Right to Life Constitution:

Article III: The Legislative Branch

1. The legislative authority of Right to Life shall be vested in the Congress, which shall have two houses. The lower house shall be called the Citizens' Assembly (or Assembly), and the upper house shall be called the Senate.

2. The Congress shall have the power to make laws, not inconsistent with this Constitution, on all matters concerning the governance of Right to Life.

3. The Assembly shall be composed of all citizens, including senators.

4. The Senate shall be composed of senators, elected in accordance with this Constitution and the laws of Right to Life. All senators shall be citizens, and no one shall serve simultaneously as the President and a senator.

5. Whenever a seat in the Senate is vacant, the President shall appoint a citizen to fill that vacancy for the remainder of the term of office.

6. Unless otherwise required by this Constitution, every decision in the Assembly shall be made by a simple majority vote, and every decision in the Senate shall be made by a majority of the whole number of senators (including absences and vacancies).

7. Each house shall determine its own rules and procedures, not inconsistent with this Constitution.

8. The Assembly's rules and procedures shall provide for a voting period of at least three days on all matters.

9. The presiding officer of the Assembly shall be called the Speaker. The Assembly shall elect the Speaker using a method previously established by law; it may remove the Speaker at any time and for any reason; and its rules and procedures shall provide for one or more deputy speakers, who shall preside when the Speaker is absent or when the speakership is vacant.

10. The senators shall be equal in status, and the Senate's rules and procedures shall regulate how they conduct their duties.

11. During the voting period of a senatorial or presidential election, the Congress shall be out of session, and all pending bills and other motions shall expire. When the election ends, a new session of the Congress shall begin.

12. All bills shall originate in the Senate. When the Senate passes a bill, it shall send the bill to the Assembly. Then, the Assembly shall consider the bill and either pass or reject it. After both houses have passed the bill, it shall be presented to the Founder for his assent.

13. Before it becomes a law, every bill passed by the Congress shall be presented to the Founder for his assent. If the Founder grants his assent, he shall sign the bill into law. If the Founder withholds his assent, he shall veto the bill. The Congress shall not have the power to override the Founder's veto.

14. When a bill is presented to the Founder for his assent, he may refer the bill to the High Court for an opinion on its constitutionality. All justices shall participate, and the High Court shall return a decision to the Founder in a timely manner. If the High Court returns a decision that the bill is constitutional, the Founder shall either sign the bill into law or veto it. If the High Court returns a decision that the bill is unconstitutional, the Founder shall veto the bill.

15. By law, the Congress shall establish executive ministries, which shall be directly accountable to the President. By law, it may establish executive commissions, whose members shall enjoy autonomy within the executive branch.

16. The Assembly shall have the power, by a simple two-thirds vote, to remove any senator, any member of the executive branch, or any member of the judicial branch. Anyone removed under this section shall be disqualified to hold office (as a senator, a member of the executive branch, or a member of the judicial branch) for fourteen days. The administrative branch shall be immune from the Assembly's power of removal.

With these constitutional mandates made clear, I have a proposal concerning the Rules and Procedures.

I would like to hear input on this matter before I put it to a formal vote; I think it would be more productive to have the discussion before they are put to a vote.

Rules and Procedures of the Citizen's Assembly of Right to Life

Article I. The Citizen's Assembly

1. The Assembly of Right to Life is the lower house of the Congress of Right to Life, and is bound by the rules of the Constitution of Right to Life. [Constitution Article III.1]
2. The Assembly of Right to Life is comprised of all members who possess citizenship legally in the region of Right to Life, as laid out in Article I of the Third Constitution of Right to Life. [Constitution Article III.3]
3. Every Citizen is entitled to exactly one vote in the Citizen's Assembly, no more or fewer, in any case.
4. A member of the Citizen's Assembly cannot hold open discussions on the floor or exercise legislative power when the Citizen's Assembly is not in session.
5. A Formal Session of the Citizen's Assembly is opened and closed by the Speaker of the Assembly at any time.
6. The Founder or an Administrator may override the Speaker's decision to open or close a Formal Session of the Citizen's Assembly.
7. The Assembly may override the veto of a Founder or Administrator to open or close a Formal Session by a vote of the Citizen's Assembly, overseen by the Speaker of the Assembly.
8. Voting procedures for this override shall follow the same manner as laid out in Article VII clauses 4-7. A two-thirds simple majority is required.
9. "Assembly functions" shall refer to any proceedings done by the Assembly while in Formal Session, or in a Vote of No Confidence. These include ratifying Senate Bills, removing Government Officials, or Amending the Rules and Procedures.

Article II. Speaker of the Assembly

1. The Citizen's Assembly is headed by the Speaker of the Assembly. [Constitution Article III.9]
2. The Speaker of the Assembly is elected by the Citizen's Assembly of Right to Life, using the voting process of first-past-the-post, with all citizens possessing one vote to select a single candidate of their choice. [Legislative Elections Act clause 3]
3. The vote of the new Speaker shall be overseen by the Deputy Speaker, or in his absence, the administrative branch of Right to Life.
4. The Speaker of the Assembly shall be in charge of choosing the Deputy Speaker [Article III.2], presiding over the Citizen's Assembly, ensuring the rules and procedures of the Assembly are followed at all Assembly functions [Article IV.2-5], opening discussion periods for a citizen's proposal [Article V.8] bringing forward Senatorial legislation for ratification [Article VI.1], beginning and overseeing votes for Removal for Governmental Officials [Article VII.4] and Rules amendments [Article IX.3], and pronouncing the final tallies and status of any motion of the Citizen's Assembly [Article VI.5, Article VII.7, Article IX.6].
5. The Speaker may warn a particular citizen from the Citizen's Legislative Forum or another function of the Assembly for a flagrant violation or infringement of the rules or procedures of the Assembly. If the citizen persists in his behavior after the warning, the Speaker may dismiss him from the Assembly function.
6. The Speaker of the Assembly shall serve until he resigns his position or is voted out of office through a Vote of No Confidence. [Article VIII]
7. Upon vacating the Office of Speaker, the Citizen's Assembly will have election takes place as soon as the Deputy or administrative branch of the region deems it fit.

Article III. The Deputy Speaker of the Assembly

1. The Deputy Speaker of the Assembly is the auxiliary head of the Citizen's Assembly.
2. The Deputy Speaker shall be chosen by the Speaker of the Assembly.
3. The Deputy Speaker shall fulfill the duties of the Speaker [Article II.3] when designated by the Speaker, when the Speaker is absent, or when the Office of Speaker is vacant. [Constitution Article III.9]
4. The Deputy Speaker may veto a Speaker's decision to dismiss a member from an Assembly function, allowing that member to continue participating in the function. [Article II.4]
5. The Deputy Speaker shall oversee any Vote of No Confidence against the Speaker. [Article VIII.4]
6. The Deputy Speaker must appoint an assistant to fulfill the duties of the Deputy Speaker, known as the Deputy Pro Tempore, when he is fulfilling the duty of the Speaker or overseeing a vote of No Confidence.
7. The Deputy Speaker may be removed by the Speaker of the Assembly, or by the Founder of Right to Life. The Speaker may dismiss and replace him at any time, except after a Vote of No Confidence has been called or before it has been resolved.
8. If there is no Deputy Speaker at the time of a Vote of No Confidence, the President of Right to Life shall appoint one.

Article IV. Rules and Decorum

1. Citizens participating in functions of Citizen's Assembly must follow the following rules and decorum.
2. Civility and respect towards other Assembly members. as well as general decency, must be maintained at all Assembly functions.
3. Verbal harassment and abuse of other citizens, swearing and profane language, and pornographic or sexual content are all forbidden in Assembly functions.
4. Assembly members shall not excessively discuss non-legislative matters during proceedings.
5. Citizens who do not follow these rules may be dismissed from an Assembly function by the Speaker of the Assembly.
6. Citizens who are dismissed from an Assembly function must not vote for that particular function.
7. Citizens who feel that their dismissal was politically motivated or unjust may appeal to the Deputy Speaker or the Deputy Pro Tempore to evaluate their case and potentially issue a veto.

Article V. Citizen's Legislative Forum

1. All legislative bills in Right to Life originate in the Senate of Right to Life.
2. On account of this, the Citizen's Assembly shall establish the Citizen's Legislative Forum to increase the participation of Citizens in the Legislative Process.
3. The Citizen's Legislative Forum shall be a Forum where members of the Citizen's Assembly may discuss and draft legislation.
4. It shall be supervised by the Speaker and the Deputy Speaker to ensure that it follows the rules of the Assembly.
5. Any citizens may propose legislation here to be taken by the Senate, however, the Senate may refuse to honor the request.
6. Any citizen may exercise their right here to make a proposal for the Removal of a Governmental Official, a Vote of No Confidence, or an Amendment to the Rules of the Assembly.
7. After making a proposal in the Citizen's Legislative Forum, the citizen may make a thread for the Discussion Period of one of the above proposals.
8. If the citizen who made the proposal does not open the Discussion period themselves, the Speaker must arrange for a Discussion Period for a proposal to take place.
9. The Citizen's Legislative Forum shall be open whenever the Assembly is formal session.

Article VI. Ratification of Senatorial Bills

1. Once the Senate has passed a Bill, the Speaker of the Assembly opens a thread for the Ratification of the Bill. [Constitution Article III.12]
2. Every Citizen has the right to cast one of four votes: AYE, NAY, ABSTAIN, or AMEND. For the purpose of voting, AMEND is considered a negative vote like NAY. AYE is considered a positive vote, while ABSTAIN is considered neutral and does not impact the ratio of positive to negative.
3. A citizen may alter his vote any time within the deadline. After the deadline has passed, all votes are considered final.
4. The Ratification will be open for 72 hours after the Speaker opens the Ratification. The Speaker may extend the deadline for voting, but must announce his intent to do so before the deadline has passed.
5. At the end of the 72 hours, the Speaker of the Assembly tallies the votes and pronounces the final result. A simple majority of positive votes is required to ratify the Bill.
6. If the Bill is passed by the Assembly, the bill is sent to the Founder in order to be ratified. [Constitution Article III.12]
7. If the Bill is rejected, and there are more NAYs than AMENDs, the bill is defeated. If there are more AMENDs than NAYs, the Assembly rejects the bill, but informally sends a request to the Senate for the bill be amended with the proposed amendments of the Assembly.

Article VII. Removals of Governmental Officials

1. The Citizen's Assembly has the authority "to remove to remove any senator, any member of the executive branch, or any member of the judicial branch." [Constitution Article III.16]
2. Any citizen may call for a Removal of a Governmental Official.
3. There must be a discussion period of at least 24 hours to deliberate the issue and to allow for the Government Official a chance to defend himself before the vote.
4. After the discussion period, the Speaker of the Assembly shall call for and oversee a vote for the Removal of the Governmental Official.
5. Every Citizen has a right to cast one of three votes: AYE, NAY, or ABSTAIN. AYE is considered a positive vote in favor of removal, while NAY is considered a negative vote against removal. ABSTAIN is considered neutral and does not impact the ratio of positive to negative.
6. The Voting for Removal will be open for 72 hours after the Speaker opens the Vote. The Speaker may extend the deadline for voting, but must announce his intent to do so before the deadline has passed.
7. At the end of the 72 hours, the Speaker of the Assembly tallies the votes and pronounces the final result. A simple two-thirds majority of positive votes is required to ratify the Bill. [Constitution Article III.16]
8. "Anyone removed under this section shall be disqualified to hold office for fourteen days." [Constitution Article III.16]
9. "The administrative branch shall be immune from the Assembly's power of removal." [Constitution Article III.16]

Article VIII. Vote of No Confidence of the Speaker

1. Any citizen has the right to propose a Vote of No Confidence to the Citizen's Assembly.
2. The Vote of No Confidence may be done "at any time and for any reason". [Constitution Article III.9]
3. The Vote of No Confidence may be done even when the Assembly is not in Formal Session.
4. There must be a discussion period of at least 24 hours to deliberate the issue and to allow for the Speaker a chance to defend himself before the vote.
5. After the discussion period, the Deputy Speaker of the Assembly shall call for and oversee a vote.
6. The Deputy Speaker will preside over the Vote of No Confidence and the discussion period. He gains the Speaker's authority to dismiss a citizen for a rules violation. [Article II.4]
7. The Speaker may not preside over the Vote of No Confidence, and may not use his power to dismiss a citizen from the function, or from the discussion period prior to the vote. However, he may still deliberate and vote.
8. Every Citizen has a right to cast one of three votes: AYE, NAY, or ABSTAIN. AYE is considered a positive vote in favor of dismissal of the Speaker, while NAY is considered a negative vote against removal. ABSTAIN is considered neutral and does not impact the ratio of positive to negative.
9. The Vote of No Confidence will be open for 72 hours after the Deputy Speaker opens the Ratification. The Deputy Speaker may extend the deadline for voting, but must announce his intent to do so before the deadline has passed.
10. At the end of the 72 hours, the Speaker of the Assembly tallies the votes and pronounces the final result. A simple majority of positive votes is required to pass.
11. After a successful Vote of No Confidence, the Speaker is deposed and loses all authority. Deputy Speaker will act as speaker until the next Speaker is elected.

Article IX. Amendments to the Rules and Procedures

1. Any citizen may propose that one or more these Rules and Procedures of the Assembly may be changed, provided that they do not go against the Constitution of Right to Life.
2. There must be a discussion period of at least 24 hours to deliberate the issue. At the end of the discussion period, the citizen which called for the amendment must have a finalized list of proposed amendments for the Assembly to vote on.
3. After the discussion period, the Speaker of the Assembly shall call for and oversee a vote for the proposed Amendments to the Rules and Procedures.
4. Every Citizen has a right to cast one of three votes: AYE, NAY, or ABSTAIN. AYE is considered a positive vote in favor of the amendment, while NAY is considered a negative vote against it. ABSTAIN is considered neutral and does not impact the ratio of positive to negative.
5. The Vote on the Amendments will be open for 72 hours after the Speaker opens the vote. The Speaker may extend the deadline for voting, but must announce his intent to do so before the deadline has passed.
6. At the end of the 72 hours, the Speaker of the Assembly tallies the votes and pronounces the final result. A simple majority of positive votes is required to pass the amendments.
7. Once the amendments have been passed, the amendments are formally changed, and the Assembly abides by the new rules and procedures.

One big I thing I noticed when writing this- the Speaker doesn't have a set term limit. Currently I am under the assumption that he serves until he resigns or is deposed. To counterbalance this, a Vote of No Confidence for the Speaker has only to get a Simple Majority in order to pass.

So, what do you guys think? Also, if you notice any grammatical or clerical mistakes, please tell me, as I probably lost quite a few due to the size of the rules.

*This might be wrong, I can fix it if necessary

[Phydios]

Looks very nice. Good job!

[Roborian]

Looks solid to my eyes. My only concern (for an unlikely scenario) is the nature of opening or closing Formal Sessions. Should a Speaker not open a session when there is agreement that one is needed, there can be a vote of no confidence, but should a Founder or Administrator veto the opening of any such sessions, there is no available recourse. Something along the lines of a 2/3rds or perhaps 3/4ths majority of the Assembly having the authority to order a veto-proof opening of a Formal Session would be a possible contingency.

I very much doubt that such a provision would ever be necessary, but it would serve as a check nonetheless.

The only grammatical/clerical matter I noticed, though I was not closely reading, was Article IV, 3, "3. Harassment, swearing, sexual content, are all forbidden in Assembly functions", I am not certain if you meant to add a fourth item to that list or wanted to insert an 'and'.

On a minor note, I tend to favor gender-neutral language in these sorts of things rather than solely male pronouns, but that does not have any significant impact on the actual content of the proposal, which seems quite good.

[Imperii Ecclesia]

Jul 28, 2020 16:24:40 GMT -5 Roborian said:

Looks solid to my eyes. My only concern (for an unlikely scenario) is the nature of opening or closing Formal Sessions. Should a Speaker not open a session when there is agreement that one is needed, there can be a vote of no confidence, but should a Founder or Administrator veto the opening of any such sessions, there is no available recourse. Something along the lines of a 2/3rds or perhaps 3/4ths majority of the Assembly having the authority to order a veto-proof opening of a Formal Session would be a possible contingency.

I very much doubt that such a provision would ever be necessary, but it would serve as a check nonetheless.

The only grammatical/clerical matter I noticed, though I was not closely reading, was Article IV, 3, "3. Harassment, swearing, sexual content, are all forbidden in Assembly functions", I am not certain if you meant to add a fourth item to that list or wanted to insert an 'and'.

On a minor note, I tend to favor gender-neutral language in these sorts of things rather than solely male pronouns, but that does not have any significant impact on the actual content of the proposal, which seems quite good.

I can honestly say I had very little doubts about the quality of our administrative team with the experience I have. That being said, I will add a clause into Article I:

"The Assembly may override the veto of a Founder or Administrator to open or close a Formal Session by a simple three-fourths majority of the Citizen's Assembly, overseen by the Speaker of the Assembly. Voting procedures for this override shall follow the same manner as laid out in Article VII clauses 4-7. A two-thirds majority is required."

Fixed the grammar mistake. I'll keep the masculine pronouns, I don't think it makes that big of a difference. Thank you for your input!

[Roborian]

Jul 28, 2020 19:22:12 GMT -5 Imperii Ecclesia said:

Jul 28, 2020 16:24:40 GMT -5 Roborian said:

I can honestly say I had very little doubts about the quality of our administrative team with the experience I have. That being said, I will add a clause into Article I:

"The Assembly may override the veto of a Founder or Administrator to open or close a Formal Session by a simple three-fourths majority of the Citizen's Assembly, overseen by the Speaker of the Assembly. Voting procedures for this override shall follow the same manner as laid out in Article VII clauses 4-7. A two-thirds majority is required."

Fixed the grammar mistake. I'll keep the masculine pronouns, I don't think it makes that big of a difference. Thank you for your input!

Looks like there was a little mix-up for that add-in, you have it as both a three-fourths and a two-thirds majority required, unless I am misunderstanding it. 

[Imperii Ecclesia]

Jul 28, 2020 20:42:46 GMT -5 Roborian said:

Jul 28, 2020 19:22:12 GMT -5 Imperii Ecclesia said:

I can honestly say I had very little doubts about the quality of our administrative team with the experience I have. That being said, I will add a clause into Article I:

"The Assembly may override the veto of a Founder or Administrator to open or close a Formal Session by a simple three-fourths majority of the Citizen's Assembly, overseen by the Speaker of the Assembly. Voting procedures for this override shall follow the same manner as laid out in Article VII clauses 4-7. A two-thirds majority is required."

Fixed the grammar mistake. I'll keep the masculine pronouns, I don't think it makes that big of a difference. Thank you for your input!

Looks like there was a little mix-up for that add-in, you have it as both a three-fourths and a two-thirds majority required, unless I am misunderstanding it. 

Fixed. Thank you!

[cocles]

Looks very well done and thorough! Great work.

[Napoleon IV]

Sorry this took so long, but there was quite a lot to go through, and I have ADD. Hopefully this doesn't come across too nitpicky.

Generally I'd also like to add that I'm concerned about having too many parliamentary officers in the Assembly given that we only have 18 citizens anyway, and 13 available positions in the region over all. I'm not a fan of doubling up, so I worry about the deputies and asst. deputies. I do feel like we need a parliamentarian. This is second in importance only to having a Speaker, and I do not think the Speaker can or should do this job by himself.

Article I. The Citizen's Assembly

1. The Assembly of Right to Life is the lower house of the Congress of Right to Life, and is bound by the rules of the Constitution of Right to Life. [Constitution Article III.1]
1. Is it necessary to reiterate constitutional provisions?

2. The Assembly of Right to Life is comprised of all members who possess legally citizenship in the region of Right to Life, as laid out in Article I of the Third Constitution of Right to Life. [Constitution Article III.3]
2. ->“possess legal citizenship”; also, is this a necessary distinction? Can there be such a thing as illegal citizenship?

3. Every Citizen is entitled to exactly one vote in the Citizen's Assembly, no more or fewer, in any case.
3. “ exactly one vote” “no more or fewer” seems redundant.

4. The Citizen's Assembly may hold open discussions or exercise its legislative power when it is in Formal Session.
4. This also seems a tad redundant. It would feel more compelling to say “a member of the CA cannot hold open discussions on the floor or exercise legislative power when the CA is not in session.” (emphasis added)

5. A Formal Session of the Citizen's Assembly is opened and closed by the Speaker of the Assembly.
5. This feels like something that needs more robust explanation. When can he open it? When can he close it? Also, this may or may not belong more appropriately in Article II.

6. The Founder or an Administrator may override the Speaker's decision to open or close a Formal Session of the Citizen's Assembly.
6. Do we want to give them this power?

7. The Assembly may override the veto of a Founder or Administrator to open or close a Formal Session by a simple three-fourths majority of the Citizen's Assembly, overseen by the Speaker of the Assembly.
7. It occurred to me that the constitution refers to the Founder’s veto as “the” veto, implying that the Assembly cannot give him additional veto power beyond what is contemplated by the constitution.

9. "Assembly functions" shall refer to any actions done by the Assembly while in Formal Session, or in a Vote of No Confidence.
9. We may want to set out a specific definitions sections at the outset of the rules. We also may want to fine-tune this definition a bit, since “actions done” carries a vague impression to me. If we set up a hearing to study, say, foreign relations with other regions, is that an “action”. Perhaps “activity” or “proceeding” instead? Minute detail, but just in the interest of being proactive. An average lawyer puts out fires, a good lawyer prevents them!

Article II. Speaker of the Assembly

4. The Speaker may warn and then dismiss a particular citizen from the Citizen's Legislative Forum or another function of the Assembly for a flagrant violation or infringement of the rules or procedures of the Assembly.
4. Couple of red flags here, particularly with the vagueness of “flagrant” and “violation or infringement”. If I talk about a baseball game (Art. IV §4) or say “that’s some damn fine bit of legislating” (Art. IV §3), I can then be dismissed? Furthermore, the way it is written “warn and then dismiss” implies the speaker can warn them against violating the rules, and then dismiss them regardless of whether or not they heed the warning. Assuming that’s not what was intended, we might want to adjust that wording. Also, if someone is dismissed from the proceedings, and they’ve voted, is there vote still valid? What if they defy the dismissal and come back and vote? Is that vote still valid?

6. Upon the vacating of the Office of Speaker, a regional election takes place as soon as the administrative branch of the region deems it fit.
6. ->”Upon vacating the Office”; also, the constitution says that the Assembly elects the Speaker, rather than the region, so I think “regional election” should be changed, since the rules of the Assembly are different and not necessarily open to everyone.

Article III. The Deputy Speaker of the Assembly

1. The Deputy Speaker of the Assembly is the auxiliary head of the Citizen's Assembly.
1. “The” Deputy Speaker not “A” Deputy Speaker? The const. contemplates multiple possible deputies. Are we only adopting one?

2. The Deputy Speaker shall be chosen by the Speaker of the Assembly, and may dismiss and replace him at any time.
2. ->“whom may be dismissed and replaced at any time”; clarifies the ambiguity in subjects, and also sidesteps the gendered language (i.e. per the rules, only a man can impliedly be Deputy Speaker)

3. The Deputy Speaker shall fulfill the duties of the Speaker [Article II.3] when designated by the Speaker, when the Speaker is absent, or when the Office of Speaker is vacant. [Constitution Article III.9]
3. Does this include opening and closing the session?

4. The Deputy Speaker may veto a Speaker's decision to dismiss a member from an Assembly function, allowing that member to continue participating in the function. [Article II.4]
4. Isn’t this kind of an incredible power? And kind of counterproductive, especially since the Speaker can just dismiss his deputy and replace him with someone who won’t veto him.

5. The Deputy Speaker shall oversee any Vote of No Confidence against the Speaker. [Article VIII.4]
5. What if there is no deputy at the time? Either one hasn’t been appointed or they are absent?

6. The Deputy Speaker must appoint an assistant to fulfill the duties of the Deputy Speaker, known as the Deputy Pro Tempore, when he is fulfilling the duty of the Speaker or overseeing a vote of No Confidence.
6. For what purpose? The Deputy’s only duties are to fill-in for the Speaker; so if the Deputy can only appoint an assistant when the Deputy is present, there would, logically, be nothing for him to do, except perhaps veto disciplinary decisions. Also, ->”an assistant, known as the Deputy Pro Tempore, to fulfill the duties of the Deputy Speaker”.

7. The Deputy Speaker may be removed by the Speaker of the Assembly, or by the Founder of Right to Life.
7. This is another area where I say “do we want to grant that power and involve the Founder in the day-to-day operations of the lower house of the Legislature? I’m more inclined towards maintaining as strict separation of powers as possible.

Article IV. Rules and Decorum

1. Citizens participating in functions of Citizen's Assembly must follow the following rules and decorum.
1. ->”the Citizen’s Assembly” (emphasis added); also, if you are putting “must follow the following”, perhaps list the following as a, b, c, etc.? Keeping them as numbers on the same level of standing as #1 seems odd.

2. Civility and Respect towards other Assembly members must be maintained at all Assembly functions.
2. Why is respect capitalized here?

3. Harassment, swearing, and sexual content are all forbidden in Assembly functions.
3. I feel like this is something that needs to be defined with more specificity. As it is, this seems very broad, especially “swearing”.

4. Excessive discussion of non-legislative content is unseemly for a legislature and should not be used in Assembly functions.
4. I recommend -> “Assembly members shall not excessively discuss non-legislative matters during proceedings.”

5. Citizens who do not follow these rules may be dismissed from an Assembly function by the Speaker of the Assembly.
5. See my earlier recommendation about “Assembly function” vs. “proceeding” or “activity”

6. Citizens who are dismissed from an Assembly function must not vote for that particular function.
6. Same as above.

7. Citizens who feel that their dismissal was politically motivated or unjust may appeal to the Deputy Speaker or the Deputy Pro Tempore to evaluate their case and potentially issue a veto.
7. I reiterate my discomfort with this idea.

Article V. Citizen's Legislative Forum

1. All legislative bills in Right to Life originate in the Senate of Right to Life.
1. Reiterate above comment on echoing the constitution in rules. Seems unnecessarily redundant.

2. On account of this, the Citizen's Assembly shall establish the Citizen's Legislative Forum to increase the participation of Citizens in the Legislative Process.
2. How is this different from what is in place already?

4. It shall be supervised by the Speaker and the Deputy Speaker to ensure that it follows the rules of the Assembly.
4. Possibly redundant.

5. Any citizens may propose legislation here to be taken by the Senate, however, the Senate may refuse to honor the request.
5. -> “Any citizen” (emphasis added); also seems like this would violate Art. III § 12 of the constitution.

7. After making a proposal in the Citizen's Legislative Forum, the citizen may make a thread for the Discussion Period of one of the above proposals.
7. Can you explain what this means?

8. If the Citizen who made the proposal does not open the Discussion period themselves, the Speaker must arrange for a Discussion Period for a proposal to take place.
8. “Citizen” should not be capitalized.

Article VI. Ratification of Senatorial Bills

2. Every Citizen has the right to cast one of four votes: AYE, NAY, ABSTAIN, or AMEND. For the purpose of voting, AMEND is considered a negative vote like NAY. AYE is considered a positive vote, while ABSTAIN is considered neutral and does not impact the ratio of positive to negative.
2. I don’t think amendments in the Assembly are allowed by the constitution. Per Art. III § 12, the Assembly can only pass or reject a bill, not amend it. Even if it was allowed, I feel like the amendment process would need a more dedicated process.

4. The Ratification will be open for 72 hours after the Speaker opens the Ratification. The Speaker may extend the deadline for voting, but must announce his intent to do so before the deadline has passed.
4. Why is this necessary?

Article VIII. Vote of No Confidence of the Speaker

2. The Vote of No Confidence may be done "at any time and for any reason". [Constitution Article III.9]
2. ->”may be initiated”? (emphasis added)

4. There must be a discussion period of at least 24 hours to deliberate the issue and to allow for the Speaker a chance to defend himself before the vote.
4. Since this is distinct from removal from office or impeachment, I feel like this has more to do with simply lacking the confidence of the Assembly, and therefore unable to lead it, rather than a disciplinary action. So I don’t think it makes sense to give the Speaker a chance to “defend” himself, since he has no need to defend himself. He isn’t personally under attack, he just lacks the confidence of the Assembly. The constitution says it can be done for “any reason”, so I could initiate a vote just because it’s Tuesday, and you’d have nothing to defend yourself against. As William Lenthall, then-Speaker of the House of Commons, said in 1642, “I have neither eyes to see, nor tongue to speak, in this place, but as the House is pleased to direct me, whose servant I am here.”

9. The Vote of No Confidence will be open for 72 hours after the Deputy Speaker opens the Ratification. The Speaker may extend the deadline for voting, but must announce his intent to do so before the deadline has passed.
9. Why would the Speaker, who is not allowed to officiate over his own confidence vote, be allowed to extend the voting period? He could conceivably extend the deadline indefinitely.

11. After a successful Vote of No Confidence, the Speaker is deposed and loses all authority. Deputy Speaker will act as speaker until the next Speaker is elected.
11. ->”The Deputy” (emphasis added)

Article IX. Amendments to the Rules and Procedures

5. The Vote on the Amendments will be open for 72 hours after the Speaker opens the the vote. The Speaker may extend the deadline for voting, but must announce his intent to do so before the deadline has passed.
5. There’s an extra “the” before vote.

[Imperii Ecclesia]

Thanks for your reply! If you don't mind, for simplicity's sake, I'll address your posts in the quote itself, in yellow, my favorite color! I'll do my edits after I post this, so it won't be quite immediate.

Jul 31, 2020 12:38:15 GMT -5 Napoleon IV said:

Sorry this took so long, but there was quite a lot to go through, and I have ADD. Hopefully this doesn't come across too nitpicky.

Generally I'd also like to add that I'm concerned about having too many parliamentary officers in the Assembly given that we only have 18 citizens anyway, and 13 available positions in the region over all. I'm not a fan of doubling up, so I worry about the deputies and asst. deputies. I do feel like we need a parliamentarian. This is second in importance only to having a Speaker, and I do not think the Speaker can or should do this job by himself.

How many is too many? I have only two here. A third in special cases. Also I'm not sure a Parliamentarian is necessary, as that would just be another officer.

Article I. The Citizen's Assembly

1. The Assembly of Right to Life is the lower house of the Congress of Right to Life, and is bound by the rules of the Constitution of Right to Life. [Constitution Article III.1]
1. Is it necessary to reiterate constitutional provisions?
IE: While not strictly necessary, I want to iterate that these rules are constitutional, and in addition, it does define what we are as a House.

2. The Assembly of Right to Life is comprised of all members who possess legally citizenship in the region of Right to Life, as laid out in Article I of the Third Constitution of Right to Life. [Constitution Article III.3]
2. ->“possess legal citizenship”; also, is this a necessary distinction? Can there be such a thing as illegal citizenship?
IE: I'll switch legally to after citizenship to make clear it is an adverb. It is a bit redundant, but it enforces that they get their citizenship in a legal manner and are not illegitimate citizens.

3. Every Citizen is entitled to exactly one vote in the Citizen's Assembly, no more or fewer, in any case.
3. “ exactly one vote” “no more or fewer” seems redundant.
IE: It's for emphasis. I guess we just have differing views on this matter. I see no need to remove it.

4. The Citizen's Assembly may hold open discussions or exercise its legislative power when it is in Formal Session.
4. This also seems a tad redundant. It would feel more compelling to say “a member of the CA cannot hold open discussions on the floor or exercise legislative power when the CA is not in session.” (emphasis added)
IE: This could work. I'll accept your suggestion.

5. A Formal Session of the Citizen's Assembly is opened and closed by the Speaker of the Assembly.
5. This feels like something that needs more robust explanation. When can he open it? When can he close it? Also, this may or may not belong more appropriately in Article II.
IE: Anytime. Since I talk about Formal Sessions in this article, I felt it necessary to bring it up here.

6. The Founder or an Administrator may override the Speaker's decision to open or close a Formal Session of the Citizen's Assembly.
6. Do we want to give them this power?
IE: Yes. It provides a countermeasure to the Speaker of the Assembly, who alone can manage Formal Sessions on his own, and thus delay the legislative process indefinitely, without a Vote of No Confidence.

7. The Assembly may override the veto of a Founder or Administrator to open or close a Formal Session by a simple three-fourths majority of the Citizen's Assembly, overseen by the Speaker of the Assembly.
7. It occurred to me that the constitution refers to the Founder’s veto as “the” veto, implying that the Assembly cannot give him additional veto power beyond what is contemplated by the constitution.
IE: I only added this because of the request of Roborian. Isn't that from a different context?

9. "Assembly functions" shall refer to any actions done by the Assembly while in Formal Session, or in a Vote of No Confidence.
9. We may want to set out a specific definitions sections at the outset of the rules. We also may want to fine-tune this definition a bit, since “actions done” carries a vague impression to me. If we set up a hearing to study, say, foreign relations with other regions, is that an “action”. Perhaps “activity” or “proceeding” instead? Minute detail, but just in the interest of being proactive. An average lawyer puts out fires, a good lawyer prevents them!
IE: Fair enough, I'll change it to proceeding. I'll also includes list of the functions listed below as examples.

Article II. Speaker of the Assembly

4. The Speaker may warn and then dismiss a particular citizen from the Citizen's Legislative Forum or another function of the Assembly for a flagrant violation or infringement of the rules or procedures of the Assembly.
4. Couple of red flags here, particularly with the vagueness of “flagrant” and “violation or infringement”. If I talk about a baseball game (Art. IV §4) or say “that’s some damn fine bit of legislating” (Art. IV §3), I can then be dismissed? Furthermore, the way it is written “warn and then dismiss” implies the speaker can warn them against violating the rules, and then dismiss them regardless of whether or not they heed the warning. Assuming that’s not what was intended, we might want to adjust that wording. Also, if someone is dismissed from the proceedings, and they’ve voted, is there vote still valid? What if they defy the dismissal and come back and vote? Is that vote still valid?
IE: I'll fix the wording to this to make the warning distinct. The vote is valid if they submit before they are dismissed, but not after. If they defy it, their vote will be ignored.

6. Upon the vacating of the Office of Speaker, a regional election takes place as soon as the administrative branch of the region deems it fit.
6. ->”Upon vacating the Office”; also, the constitution says that the Assembly elects the Speaker, rather than the region, so I think “regional election” should be changed, since the rules of the Assembly are different and not necessarily open to everyone.
I'll fix that.

Article III. The Deputy Speaker of the Assembly

1. The Deputy Speaker of the Assembly is the auxiliary head of the Citizen's Assembly.
1. “The” Deputy Speaker not “A” Deputy Speaker? The const. contemplates multiple possible deputies. Are we only adopting one?
IE: Yes. I think only one is necessary.

2. The Deputy Speaker shall be chosen by the Speaker of the Assembly, and may dismiss and replace him at any time.
2. ->“whom may be dismissed and replaced at any time”; clarifies the ambiguity in subjects, and also sidesteps the gendered language (i.e. per the rules, only a man can impliedly be Deputy Speaker)
IE: Masculine prounouns are historically good for general language; no one is implying that. We should remove all the "he"s in the word "the" to avoid being sexist.

3. The Deputy Speaker shall fulfill the duties of the Speaker [Article II.3] when designated by the Speaker, when the Speaker is absent, or when the Office of Speaker is vacant. [Constitution Article III.9]
3. Does this include opening and closing the session?
Yes. 

4. The Deputy Speaker may veto a Speaker's decision to dismiss a member from an Assembly function, allowing that member to continue participating in the function. [Article II.4]
4. Isn’t this kind of an incredible power? And kind of counterproductive, especially since the Speaker can just dismiss his deputy and replace him with someone who won’t veto him.
IE: I mean it's true he could replace him, but it's supposed to be a counterbalance on unfair dismissals.


5. The Deputy Speaker shall oversee any Vote of No Confidence against the Speaker. [Article VIII.4]
5. What if there is no deputy at the time? Either one hasn’t been appointed or they are absent?
IE: That's a good question. I'll include a clause of the Vote of No Confidence which allows for the Assembly to popularly acclaim one if there is no current Deputy.

6. The Deputy Speaker must appoint an assistant to fulfill the duties of the Deputy Speaker, known as the Deputy Pro Tempore, when he is fulfilling the duty of the Speaker or overseeing a vote of No Confidence.
6. For what purpose? The Deputy’s only duties are to fill-in for the Speaker; so if the Deputy can only appoint an assistant when the Deputy is present, there would, logically, be nothing for him to do, except perhaps veto disciplinary decisions. Also, ->”an assistant, known as the Deputy Pro Tempore, to fulfill the duties of the Deputy Speaker”.
IE: To fulfill precisely that purpose, and in addition to potentially remaining there until the election of another Speaker.

7. The Deputy Speaker may be removed by the Speaker of the Assembly, or by the Founder of Right to Life.
7. This is another area where I say “do we want to grant that power and involve the Founder in the day-to-day operations of the lower house of the Legislature? I’m more inclined towards maintaining as strict separation of powers as possible.
IE: I have a great deal of trust in CoL personally, and allows for him to step in if necessary. Again, it provides another check against the Citizen's Assembly.

Article IV. Rules and Decorum

1. Citizens participating in functions of Citizen's Assembly must follow the following rules and decorum.
1. ->”the Citizen’s Assembly” (emphasis added); also, if you are putting “must follow the following”, perhaps list the following as a, b, c, etc.? Keeping them as numbers on the same level of standing as #1 seems odd.
IE: I don't see the problem.

2. Civility and Respect towards other Assembly members must be maintained at all Assembly functions.
2. Why is respect capitalized here?
IE: I'll fix that.

3. Harassment, swearing, and sexual content are all forbidden in Assembly functions.
3. I feel like this is something that needs to be defined with more specificity. As it is, this seems very broad, especially “swearing”.
IE: I'll define something more to this.

4. Excessive discussion of non-legislative content is unseemly for a legislature and should not be used in Assembly functions.
4. I recommend -> “Assembly members shall not excessively discuss non-legislative matters during proceedings.”
IE: I can change that.

5. Citizens who do not follow these rules may be dismissed from an Assembly function by the Speaker of the Assembly.
5. See my earlier recommendation about “Assembly function” vs. “proceeding” or “activity”
IE: Well, fixed that.

6. Citizens who are dismissed from an Assembly function must not vote for that particular function.
6. Same as above.

7. Citizens who feel that their dismissal was politically motivated or unjust may appeal to the Deputy Speaker or the Deputy Pro Tempore to evaluate their case and potentially issue a veto.
7. I reiterate my discomfort with this idea.
IE: I don't think this is an issue. It should never be used, but it's a matter of recourse for the Citizen involved in case of potential misuses.

Article V. Citizen's Legislative Forum

1. All legislative bills in Right to Life originate in the Senate of Right to Life.
1. Reiterate above comment on echoing the constitution in rules. Seems unnecessarily redundant.
IE: It is the Propter Hoc of Clause 2. See below.

2. On account of this, the Citizen's Assembly shall establish the Citizen's Legislative Forum to increase the participation of Citizens in the Legislative Process.
2. How is this different from what is in place already?
IE: Because we can't propose legislation, this is the place for citizens to make laws and propose them for the Senate to take up. In addition, it serves as a general thread for citizens to call for the Assembly to take actions and proposals. Plus, having this all in one thread prevents an unnecessary clutter of threads in the sub-forum.

4. It shall be supervised by the Speaker and the Deputy Speaker to ensure that it follows the rules of the Assembly.
4. Possibly redundant.

5. Any citizens may propose legislation here to be taken by the Senate, however, the Senate may refuse to honor the request.
5. -> “Any citizen” (emphasis added); also seems like this would violate Art. III § 12 of the constitution.
IE: No it doesn't- the Bill doesn't "originate here- it's basically calling for the Senate to originate a bill written by someone else. There's absolutely nothing in the Constitution saying the Senators have to write the bills. And the Senate can refuse to sponsor it.

7. After making a proposal in the Citizen's Legislative Forum, the citizen may make a thread for the Discussion Period of one of the above proposals.
7. Can you explain what this means?
IE: As explained, most Assembly functions have at least 24 hour (most likely longer) Discussion periods before voting opens. They create a new thread on this subforum to discuss it. Only the Speaker can open the vote though.

8. If the Citizen who made the proposal does not open the Discussion period themselves, the Speaker must arrange for a Discussion Period for a proposal to take place.
8. “Citizen” should not be capitalized.

Article VI. Ratification of Senatorial Bills

2. Every Citizen has the right to cast one of four votes: AYE, NAY, ABSTAIN, or AMEND. For the purpose of voting, AMEND is considered a negative vote like NAY. AYE is considered a positive vote, while ABSTAIN is considered neutral and does not impact the ratio of positive to negative.
2. I don’t think amendments in the Assembly are allowed by the constitution. Per Art. III § 12, the Assembly can only pass or reject a bill, not amend it. Even if it was allowed, I feel like the amendment process would need a more dedicated process.
IE: For all intents and purposes, the AMEND vote is a rejection of the bill. All it is is an informal message to the Senate saying "fix this bill please or it will die". Assuming the Senate took the time to amend it, it would still need to be passed by the Assembly. I don't see anything unconstitutional about the Assembly sending a message to the Senate. If you want I'll change the language to say "informal request" over "send back" to the Senate.

4. The Ratification will be open for 72 hours after the Speaker opens the Ratification. The Speaker may extend the deadline for voting, but must announce his intent to do so before the deadline has passed.
4. Why is this necessary?
IE: It's better to leave this option open, for when there is a need.

Article VIII. Vote of No Confidence of the Speaker

2. The Vote of No Confidence may be done "at any time and for any reason". [Constitution Article III.9]
2. ->”may be initiated”? (emphasis added)

4. There must be a discussion period of at least 24 hours to deliberate the issue and to allow for the Speaker a chance to defend himself before the vote.
4. Since this is distinct from removal from office or impeachment, I feel like this has more to do with simply lacking the confidence of the Assembly, and therefore unable to lead it, rather than a disciplinary action. So I don’t think it makes sense to give the Speaker a chance to “defend” himself, since he has no need to defend himself. He isn’t personally under attack, he just lacks the confidence of the Assembly. The constitution says it can be done for “any reason”, so I could initiate a vote just because it’s Tuesday, and you’d have nothing to defend yourself against. As William Lenthall, then-Speaker of the House of Commons, said in 1642, “I have neither eyes to see, nor tongue to speak, in this place, but as the House is pleased to direct me, whose servant I am here.”
Well, I was thinking that it might be a chance to give the Speaker time to defend himself. And for any reason still holds, it just gives the Speaker a chance to convince people not to do it.

9. The Vote of No Confidence will be open for 72 hours after the Deputy Speaker opens the Ratification. The Speaker may extend the deadline for voting, but must announce his intent to do so before the deadline has passed.
9. Why would the Speaker, who is not allowed to officiate over his own confidence vote, be allowed to extend the voting period? He could conceivably extend the deadline indefinitely.
IE: Copy error, sorry. Fixed to deputy.

11. After a successful Vote of No Confidence, the Speaker is deposed and loses all authority. Deputy Speaker will act as speaker until the next Speaker is elected.
11. ->”The Deputy” (emphasis added)

Article IX. Amendments to the Rules and Procedures

5. The Vote on the Amendments will be open for 72 hours after the Speaker opens the the vote. The Speaker may extend the deadline for voting, but must announce his intent to do so before the deadline has passed.
5. There’s an extra “the” before vote.

[Imperii Ecclesia]

Here's the amendments to the Bill. I didn't colorize it, because I didn't feel like it. Should I write an additional article for the election of the election of the Speaker? I also highlighted important changes.

Rules and Procedures of the Citizen's Assembly of Right to Life



Article I. The Citizen's Assembly



1. The Assembly of Right to Life is the lower house of the Congress of Right to Life, and is bound by the rules of the Constitution of Right to Life. [Constitution Article III.1]

2. The Assembly of Right to Life is comprised of all members who possess citizenship legally in the region of Right to Life, as laid out in Article I of the Third Constitution of Right to Life. [Constitution Article III.3]

3. Every Citizen is entitled to exactly one vote in the Citizen's Assembly, no more or fewer, in any case.

4. A member of the Citizen's Assembly cannot hold open discussions on the floor or exercise legislative power when the Citizen's Assembly is not in session.

5. A Formal Session of the Citizen's Assembly is opened and closed by the Speaker of the Assembly at any time.

6. The Founder or an Administrator may override the Speaker's decision to open or close a Formal Session of the Citizen's Assembly.

7. The Assembly may override the veto of a Founder or Administrator to open or close a Formal Session by a vote of the Citizen's Assembly, overseen by the Speaker of the Assembly.

8. Voting procedures for this override shall follow the same manner as laid out in Article VII clauses 4-7. A two-thirds simple majority is required.

9. "Assembly functions" shall refer to any proceedings done by the Assembly while in Formal Session, or in a Vote of No Confidence. These include ratifying Senate Bills, removing Government Officials, or Amending the Rules and Procedures.



Article II. Speaker of the Assembly



1. The Citizen's Assembly is headed by the Speaker of the Assembly. [Constitution Article III.9]

2. The Speaker of the Assembly is elected by the Citizen's Assembly of Right to Life, using the voting process of first-past-the-post, with all citizens possessing one vote to select a single candidate of their choice. [Legislative Elections Act clause 3]

3. The vote of the new Speaker shall be overseen by the Deputy Speaker, or in his absence, the administrative branch of Right to Life.

4. The Speaker of the Assembly shall be in charge of choosing the Deputy Speaker [Article III.2], presiding over the Citizen's Assembly, ensuring the rules and procedures of the Assembly are followed at all Assembly functions [Article IV.2-5], opening discussion periods for a citizen's proposal [Article V.8] bringing forward Senatorial legislation for ratification [Article VI.1], beginning and overseeing votes for Removal for Governmental Officials [Article VII.4] and Rules amendments [Article IX.3], and pronouncing the final tallies and status of any motion of the Citizen's Assembly [Article VI.5, Article VII.7, Article IX.6].

5. The Speaker may warn a particular citizen from the Citizen's Legislative Forum or another function of the Assembly for a flagrant violation or infringement of the rules or procedures of the Assembly. If the citizen persists in his behavior after the warning, the Speaker may dismiss him from the Assembly function.

6. The Speaker of the Assembly shall serve until he resigns his position or is voted out of office through a Vote of No Confidence. [Article VIII]

7. Upon vacating the Office of Speaker, the Citizen's Assembly will have election takes place as soon as the Deputy or administrative branch of the region deems it fit.



Article III. The Deputy Speaker of the Assembly



1. The Deputy Speaker of the Assembly is the auxiliary head of the Citizen's Assembly.

2. The Deputy Speaker shall be chosen by the Speaker of the Assembly.

3. The Deputy Speaker shall fulfill the duties of the Speaker [Article II.3] when designated by the Speaker, when the Speaker is absent, or when the Office of Speaker is vacant. [Constitution Article III.9]

4. The Deputy Speaker may veto a Speaker's decision to dismiss a member from an Assembly function, allowing that member to continue participating in the function. [Article II.4]

5. The Deputy Speaker shall oversee any Vote of No Confidence against the Speaker. [Article VIII.4]

6. The Deputy Speaker must appoint an assistant to fulfill the duties of the Deputy Speaker, known as the Deputy Pro Tempore, when he is fulfilling the duty of the Speaker or overseeing a vote of No Confidence.

7. The Deputy Speaker may be removed by the Speaker of the Assembly, or by the Founder of Right to Life. The Speaker may dismiss and replace him at any time, but not after a Vote of No Confidence has been called or before it has been resolved.

8. If there is no Deputy Speaker at the time of a Vote of No Confidence, the President of Right to Life shall appoint one.



Article IV. Rules and Decorum



1. Citizens participating in functions of Citizen's Assembly must follow the following rules and decorum.

2. Civility and respect towards other Assembly members. as well as general decency, must be maintained at all Assembly functions.

3. Verbal harassment and abuse of other citizens, swearing and profane language, and pornographic or sexual content are all forbidden in Assembly functions.

4. Assembly members shall not excessively discuss non-legislative matters during proceedings.

5. Citizens who do not follow these rules may be dismissed from an Assembly function by the Speaker of the Assembly.

6. Citizens who are dismissed from an Assembly function must not vote for that particular function.

7. Citizens who feel that their dismissal was politically motivated or unjust may appeal to the Deputy Speaker or the Deputy Pro Tempore to evaluate their case and potentially issue a veto.



Article V. Citizen's Legislative Forum



1. All legislative bills in Right to Life originate in the Senate of Right to Life.

2. On account of this, the Citizen's Assembly shall establish the Citizen's Legislative Forum to increase the participation of Citizens in the Legislative Process.

3. The Citizen's Legislative Forum shall be a Forum where members of the Citizen's Assembly may discuss and draft legislation.

4. It shall be supervised by the Speaker and the Deputy Speaker to ensure that it follows the rules of the Assembly.

5. Any citizens may propose legislation here to be taken by the Senate, however, the Senate may refuse to honor the request.

6. Any citizen may exercise their right here to make a proposal for the Removal of a Governmental Official, a Vote of No Confidence, or an Amendment to the Rules of the Assembly.

7. After making a proposal in the Citizen's Legislative Forum, the citizen may make a thread for the Discussion Period of one of the above proposals.

8. If the citizen who made the proposal does not open the Discussion period themselves, the Speaker must arrange for a Discussion Period for a proposal to take place.

9. The Citizen's Legislative Forum shall be open whenever the Assembly is formal session.



Article VI. Ratification of Senatorial Bills



1. Once the Senate has passed a Bill, the Speaker of the Assembly opens a thread for the Ratification of the Bill. [Constitution Article III.12]

2. Every Citizen has the right to cast one of four votes: AYE, NAY, ABSTAIN, or AMEND. For the purpose of voting, AMEND is considered a negative vote like NAY. AYE is considered a positive vote, while ABSTAIN is considered neutral and does not impact the ratio of positive to negative.

3. A citizen may alter his vote any time within the deadline. After the deadline has passed, all votes are considered final.

4. The Ratification will be open for 72 hours after the Speaker opens the Ratification. The Speaker may extend the deadline for voting, but must announce his intent to do so before the deadline has passed.

5. At the end of the 72 hours, the Speaker of the Assembly tallies the votes and pronounces the final result. A simple majority of positive votes is required to ratify the Bill.

6. If the Bill is passed by the Assembly, the bill is sent to the Founder in order to be ratified. [Constitution Article III.12]

7. If the Bill is rejected, and there are more NAYs than AMENDs, the bill is defeated. If there are more AMENDs than NAYs, the Assembly rejects the bill, but informally sends a request to the Senate for the bill be amended with the proposed amendments of the Assembly.



Article VII. Removals of Governmental Officials



1. The Citizen's Assembly has the authority "to remove to remove any senator, any member of the executive branch, or any member of the judicial branch." [Constitution Article III.16]

2. Any citizen may call for a Removal of a Governmental Official.

3. There must be a discussion period of at least 24 hours to deliberate the issue and to allow for the Government Official a chance to defend himself before the vote.

4. After the discussion period, the Speaker of the Assembly shall call for and oversee a vote for the Removal of the Governmental Official.

5. Every Citizen has a right to cast one of three votes: AYE, NAY, or ABSTAIN. AYE is considered a positive vote in favor of removal, while NAY is considered a negative vote against removal. ABSTAIN is considered neutral and does not impact the ratio of positive to negative.

6. The Voting for Removal will be open for 72 hours after the Speaker opens the Vote. The Speaker may extend the deadline for voting, but must announce his intent to do so before the deadline has passed.

7. At the end of the 72 hours, the Speaker of the Assembly tallies the votes and pronounces the final result. A simple two-thirds majority of positive votes is required to ratify the Bill. [Constitution Article III.16]

8. "Anyone removed under this section shall be disqualified to hold office for fourteen days." [Constitution Article III.16]

9. "The administrative branch shall be immune from the Assembly's power of removal." [Constitution Article III.16]



Article VIII. Vote of No Confidence of the Speaker



1. Any citizen has the right to propose a Vote of No Confidence to the Citizen's Assembly.

2. The Vote of No Confidence may be done "at any time and for any reason". [Constitution Article III.9]

3. The Vote of No Confidence may be done even when the Assembly is not in Formal Session.

4. There must be a discussion period of at least 24 hours to deliberate the issue and to allow for the Speaker a chance to defend himself before the vote.

5. After the discussion period, the Deputy Speaker of the Assembly shall call for and oversee a vote.

6. The Deputy Speaker will preside over the Vote of No Confidence and the discussion period. He gains the Speaker's authority to dismiss a citizen for a rules violation. [Article II.4]

7. The Speaker may not preside over the Vote of No Confidence, and may not use his power to dismiss a citizen from the function, or from the discussion period prior to the vote. However, he may still deliberate and vote.

8. Every Citizen has a right to cast one of three votes: AYE, NAY, or ABSTAIN. AYE is considered a positive vote in favor of dismissal of the Speaker, while NAY is considered a negative vote against removal. ABSTAIN is considered neutral and does not impact the ratio of positive to negative.

9. The Vote of No Confidence will be open for 72 hours after the Deputy Speaker opens the Ratification. The Deputy Speaker may extend the deadline for voting, but must announce his intent to do so before the deadline has passed.

10. At the end of the 72 hours, the Speaker of the Assembly tallies the votes and pronounces the final result. A simple majority of positive votes is required to pass.

11. After a successful Vote of No Confidence, the Speaker is deposed and loses all authority. Deputy Speaker will act as speaker until the next Speaker is elected.



Article IX. Amendments to the Rules and Procedures



1. Any citizen may propose that one or more these Rules and Procedures of the Assembly may be changed, provided that they do not go against the Constitution of Right to Life.

2. There must be a discussion period of at least 24 hours to deliberate the issue. At the end of the discussion period, the citizen which called for the amendment must have a finalized list of proposed amendments for the Assembly to vote on.

3. After the discussion period, the Speaker of the Assembly shall call for and oversee a vote for the proposed Amendments to the Rules and Procedures.

4. Every Citizen has a right to cast one of three votes: AYE, NAY, or ABSTAIN. AYE is considered a positive vote in favor of the amendment, while NAY is considered a negative vote against it. ABSTAIN is considered neutral and does not impact the ratio of positive to negative.

5. The Vote on the Amendments will be open for 72 hours after the Speaker opens the vote. The Speaker may extend the deadline for voting, but must announce his intent to do so before the deadline has passed.

6. At the end of the 72 hours, the Speaker of the Assembly tallies the votes and pronounces the final result. A simple majority of positive votes is required to pass the amendments.

7. Once the amendments have been passed, the amendments are formally changed, and the Assembly abides by the new rules and procedures.

[Napoleon IV]

Unfortunately it doesn't look like my italics survived into my post--that's why I had put "(emphasis added)" next to some sections; I apologize for not proofing that and correcting it, hopefully that didn't cause too much confusion.

I haven't taken the time to look at your responses just yet, but first I wanted to ask you if you had considered adapting the rules of an existing legislative body for inspiration. I know you've already taken a great deal of time and effort to make these rules thus far, but perhaps comparing them to a real-world rule set, just to go through and add or change things here and there to bring them further in line with other, real-world legislative bodies? cocles linked me to the Senate rules, and they're surprisingly sparse, so I was thinking of "amending" them (i.e. replacing them) with rules adapted from the U.S. Senate rules. So I wondered if you had thought of doing something similar with the Assembly.

[Imperii Ecclesia]

Aug 1, 2020 0:22:47 GMT -5 Napoleon IV said:

Unfortunately it doesn't look like my italics survived into my post--that's why I had put "(emphasis added)" next to some sections; I apologize for not proofing that and correcting it, hopefully that didn't cause too much confusion.

I haven't taken the time to look at your responses just yet, but first I wanted to ask you if you had considered adapting the rules of an existing legislative body for inspiration. I know you've already taken a great deal of time and effort to make these rules thus far, but perhaps comparing them to a real-world rule set, just to go through and add or change things here and there to bring them further in line with other, real-world legislative bodies? cocles linked me to the Senate rules, and they're surprisingly sparse, so I was thinking of "amending" them (i.e. replacing them) with rules adapted from the U.S. Senate rules. So I wondered if you had thought of doing something similar with the Assembly.

Not really, no. I don't really see the need. We are a lot more limited than other legislatures in terms of scope, and I thought I could compose a unique system for Right to Life, one that addresses the powers laid out in the Constitution and other things which directly apply to us. This, in my opinion, is both functional and creative. It is definitely inspired by outside knowledge of Parliamentary Procedure, but I don't see why we have to copy the explicit rules of an outside parliament.

[Napoleon IV]

Aug 1, 2020 0:49:45 GMT -5 Imperii Ecclesia said:

[. . .]I don't see why we have to copy the explicit rules of an outside parliament.

Maybe not word for word, but just in a way that would smooth over any gaps that we're not thinking of. Obviously there are a lot of rules that just couldn't apply to our Assembly, since it's virtual, but some procedural, time-tested rules could supplement our rules, which are inaugural and untested.

[Imperii Ecclesia]

Aug 1, 2020 16:40:19 GMT -5 Napoleon IV said:

Aug 1, 2020 0:49:45 GMT -5 Imperii Ecclesia said:

[. . .]I don't see why we have to copy the explicit rules of an outside parliament.

Maybe not word for word, but just in a way that would smooth over any gaps that we're not thinking of. Obviously there are a lot of rules that just couldn't apply to our Assembly, since it's virtual, but some procedural, time-tested rules could supplement our rules, which are inaugural and untested.

I don't think it necessary. Any further comments?

[cocles]

One slight fix is needed, IE.


7. Upon vacating the Office of Speaker, the Citizen's Assembly will have election takes place as soon as the Deputy or administrative branch of the region deems it fit.

Propose changing that to: the Citizen's Assembly will have an election take place etc. 

[Imperii Ecclesia]

Aug 2, 2020 13:10:31 GMT -5 cocles said:

One slight fix is needed, IE.


7. Upon vacating the Office of Speaker, the Citizen's Assembly will have election takes place as soon as the Deputy or administrative branch of the region deems it fit.

Propose changing that to: the Citizen's Assembly will have an election take place etc. 

Understood and done.

Thank you guys so much for all your help and contribution! I think we've had enough of a Discussion Period- let's put it to vote!

[Imperii Ecclesia]

The vote is officially open!

Click here to vote!