Bills

This is bill id#1319 (this information has no legal importance and is technical in nature.

Hopper Thread

This is bill id#1318 (this information has no legal importance and is technical in nature.

Hopper Thread

WHEREAS Luis Valencia's citizenship process was recently terminated, and

WHEREAS it appears that Luis is still actively interested in Talossan citizenship, that his heart is in the right place, that his absence was merely a product of misunderstandings, and that his present condition is solely forced by provisions in El Lexhatx; and

WHEREAS let's give him another chance,

THEREFORE the Ziu hereby directs the Chancery to issue a Grant of Citizenship to Luis Valencia, and welcomes him to the country.

This is bill id#1320 (this information has no legal importance and is technical in nature.

Hopper Thread

WHEREAS the Interior Ministry is currently embarked on a mission to make changes to improve all areas of immigration, and

WHEREAS El Lexhatx E.3 was written a bit of a while ago and does not take into consideration the current and modern workings of State and Government, so

THEREFORE be it enacted by the Ziu assembled that El Lexhatx E.3, which currently reads:

3. The Minister of Interior, working with the Seneschál, shall cause the prospective immigrant to be granted an account on Wittenberg, allowing said prospective immigrant to converse with the subjects of the Kingdom gathered there. The Interior Minister shall verify that the said account is fully-enabled, and that the candidate is able to communicate using this forum with the citizens of the Kingdom. The Interior Minister shall then begin a single thread on Wittenberg introducing the prospective immigrant to the nation. The "Why I am Interested in Becoming a Talossan" essay shall be published by the Interior Minister in this introduction. The Interior Minister is further directed to remind his fellow citizens from time to time that the initiation of new citizens into Talossa is a serious matter and that questioning a prospective citizen is a patriotic obligation of all who love their King and Country.

is hereby amended to read:

3. The Minister of Interior, working with the Seneschál, the Minister of Stuff, The Permanent Secretary to the Cabinet and/or the nation's Wittmeister shall cause the prospective immigrant to be granted an account on Wittenberg, allowing said prospective immigrant to converse with the subjects of the Kingdom gathered there. The Interior Minister shall verify that the said account is fully-enabled, and that the candidate is able to communicate using this forum with the citizens of the Kingdom. The Interior Minister shall then begin a single thread on Wittenberg introducing the prospective immigrant to the nation. The "Why I am Interested in Becoming a Talossan" essay shall be published by the Interior Minister in this introduction. The Interior Minister is further directed to remind his fellow citizens from time to time that the initiation of new citizens into Talossa is a serious matter and that questioning a prospective citizen is a patriotic obligation of all who love their King and Country.

This is bill id#1321 (this information has no legal importance and is technical in nature.

Hopper Thread

WHEREAS our immigration information disclosure practices fail the 'reasonable person' test in that a reasonable person would not assume that information provided to Talossan Immigration in confidence would be posted in plain sight of Talossan citizens on Wittenberg, and
WHEREAS this practice only becomes known to prospective immigrants after they have provided their personal information by way of a contact form, and
WHEREAS some prospective immigrants would redact some elements from their application or possibly even decline to apply for citizenship in the first place if they were aware that their information will be posted on Wittenberg,

THEREFORE BE IT ENACTED by the King, Cosâ and Senäts of Talossa in Ziu assembled that El Lexhátx E.11 shall be amended by addition of the following section:

11.5 At the time of the initial Immigration application, prior to submission of the form, the prospective shall be notified in writing that as part of the approval process their application will be posted on a forum where it can be viewed by existing citizens, excluding such personal contact information as their physical place(s) of residence, their email address(es), their phone number(s), and other details which are by law or which ought to be explicitly confidential.

This is bill id#1322 (this information has no legal importance and is technical in nature.

Hopper Thread

WHEREAS El Lexhatx E.4 sets a strict mandatory limit on the immigration process where a prospective citizens' application is to be terminated if a citizenship application is not lodged with The Chancery after 40 days of the examination period beginning, and

WHEREAS sometimes a prospective citizen needs a little more time to settle in and become engaged, and

WHEREAS sometimes a little more time is needed for people to get to know each other, and

WHEREAS a recent case has shown that while rejecting an application too late doesn't really matter much, rejecting one too early may cause an issue, and

WHEREAS the law, oddly, doesn't make an explicit provision for terminating an application when the prospective never, ever shows up in the first place, so

THEREFORE be it enacted by the Ziu assembled that El Lexhatx E.4 is rewritten as follows:

An examination period shall begin with the prospective citizen’s first posting to Wittenberg after an introduction by the Interior Minister. At any time at least fifteen days after the beginning of the examination period, any current citizen of Talossa may petition the Secretary of State requesting that a Royal Grant of Citizenship be issued to the prospective citizen. If no such petition is laid before the Secretary of State within the first sixty days of the examination period, the examination period shall end, the immigration process for the prospective citizen shall be terminated, and their Wittenberg account shall be disabled. In addition, if a prospective citizen fails to ever make a first posting to Wittenberg within thirty days of their introduction by the Interior Minister then the immigration process for the prospective citizen shall be terminated, and his Wittenberg account shall be disabled. Furthermore, whenever an immigration process is terminated then the Interior Minister shall notify the nation and the prospective citizen of the termination, and shall post a notification to the effect on Wittenberg.

This is bill id#1323 (this information has no legal importance and is technical in nature.

Hopper Thread

WHEREAS Lex.D.2.1.5 states the following:

 

2.1.5. The Seneschal (or, if the Seneschal is not a Member of the Cosa, an MC designated by the Seneschal) shall be required to submit to the Ziu, in time for consideration by the second Clark of the Cosa, a government bill approved by the whole Cabinet which shall contain the following:

2.1.5.1. a detailed budget listing all planned expenses of the State through the current Cosa, specifying the amounts to be requisitioned for each Cabinet Ministry or Officer of the Royal Household and the purpose of each such expense;

2.1.5.2. any amount of the Treasury to be set aside for investment as directed by the Finance Minister and the investment policy that will be pursued;

2.1.5.3. the total amount in louise of any planned currency minting and printing, and postage issuance to be executed by the Royal Bank & Post during the term of the current Cosa.

2.1.5.4. the total amount in louise of any planned donations proposed to be requested from Talossan citizens towards the upkeep of the State. This section shall not entitle any budget to impose compulsory taxation or mandatory donations of any kind.

AND WHEREAS the Organic Law directs that each government submit a budget by the second Clark of their Cosa term, 

AND WHEREAS this bill has been approved by all members of the Cabinet; so


PART A: State of the Treasury

THEREFORE, His Majesty's Government transmits the following State of the Treasury report to the Ziu, as certified by the Burgermeister of Inland Revenue on January 12 2020:


(i) Balances of Treasury accounts:
709¤1 ($1063.54) Kingdom of Talossa savings account, held in trust by Burgermeister of Inland Revenue Istefan Perþonest.
26¤15 ($39.37) Kingdom of Talossa checking account, held in trust by Burgermeister of Inland Revenue Istefan Perþonest.
44¤6 ($66.15) Kingdom of Talossa PayPal account for online transactions (treasury@talossa.com).

779¤22 ($1169.06) Total Funds


(ii) Non-cash tangible assets:

0¤20 Stamps:
Nominal value of stamps in circulation = 217¤20 ($326.00)
Nominal value of unsold stamps = ℓ616 ($924.00)
Number of stamps in circulation = 652
Number of unsold stamps held = 1,848

ℓ5 Coins:
Nominal value of coins in circulation = ℓ525 ($787.50)
Nominal value of unsold coins = ℓ1140 ($1,710.00)
Number of coins in circulation = 105
Number of unsold coins held = 228

(Unsold stamps and coins held by the Burgermeister of Inland Revenue)


(iii) Report of income and expenditure since previous budgeting period:

GROSS INCOME
Sale of coins: 28¤14 ($42.35)
Sale of stamps: 0¤40 ($1.00)
Political party registration fees: 33¤20 ($50.00)

TOTAL GROSS INCOME: 62¤14 ($93.35)

EXPENDITURE
PayPal fees: 2¤53 ($4.34)
Shipping costs: 1¤54 ($2.85)
Website hosting costs: 42¤48 ($64.20)

TOTAL EXPENDITURE: 47¤35 ($71.39)

(iv) BALANCE SHEET (in USD):
 

TOTAL TREASURY BALANCE on May 15 2019 = 757¤52 ($1136.80)
PLUS gross income of 62¤14 ($93.35) = 820¤6 ($1230.15)
PLUS cumulative interest of 0¤6 ($0.15) paid on checking account = 820¤12 ($1230.30)
PLUS cumulative interest of 6¤46 ($10.15) paid on savings account = 826¤58 ($1240.45)
MINUS total expenditure of 47¤35 ($71.39) = 779¤22 ($1169.06)
TOTAL TREASURY BALANCE on January 15 2020 = 779¤22 ($1169.06)


FURTHERMORE, as of January 15 2020, the current value of the Louis against other currencies is as follows:
 

PART B: Appropriations Request


FURTHERMORE, His Majesty's Government hereby submits to the Ziu a request for the appropriation of funds from the Royal Treasury totaling 120¤6 ($180.15) for the specific purposes and subject to restrictions as outlined herein:


CULTURE:

• Competition prizes and associated costs: 66¤40 ($100)


 

STUFF:

• Webhosting costs for one year with DoRoyal: 42¤48 ($64.20)


• Domain Names for one year, including transfers: 10¤38 ($15.95)


 

FURTHERMORE, notwithstanding the above allocations, no funds shall be disbursed without a notice of disbursement having first been transmitted to the Ziu at least fourteen days prior to the disbursement, except that disbursements solely for the purpose of postage may be made with no less than 24 hours notice. Notices shall contain details of the purchase and a cost estimate for the purchase, or the total amount paid if seeking funds for reimbursement. Copies of receipts and/or invoices will be provided upon request to Members of the Ziu.

FURTHERMORE, any funds allocated by this section shall be retained in the central fund by the Burgermeister of Inland Revenue until such time as they are disbursed. Funds not disbursed prior to the end of the government term shall remain in the central fund.


PART C. Fundraiser, Minting, and Other Authorizations

FURTHERMORE, the Minister of Finance, or his appointed deputy shall undertake to create manage and promote a voluntary fundraising campaign, incorporating a Patreon campaign, to the citizens of Talossa and other interested parties over the course of the term,. The targeted amount for the campaign shall be ℓ50 ($75) in accordance with the direction of Lex.D.2.1.5.4. The proceeds of seigniorage, sales of stamps, TalossaWare proceeds, and other voluntary contributions shall be included in this total except as provided elsewhere. The expected income for the term is as follows:
 

• Proceedings of sales (Coins/Stamps/Talossaware) - 33¤20 ($50)
• Donations to the Kingdom: 16¤40 ($25)

Total: +ℓ50 (+$75)


PART D: Investment Policy

FURTHERMORE, His Majesty’s Government hereby directs the Burgermeister of Inland Revenue to invest all held funds into an interest-bearing savings account unless or until otherwise directed or advised by act of the Ziu.

This is bill id#1324 (this information has no legal importance and is technical in nature.

Hopper Thread

WHEREAS the Magistrate's Cort was abolished by 47RZ39;

and WHEREAS the main reference in El Lexhatx to the Magistrate's Cort was removed by 48RZ26;

and WHEREAS I can't believe no-one noticed until now that there are all manner of other references to this defunct Cort floating around in El Lexhatx

and WHEREAS this bill replaces all of them I can find, with the exception of provisions relating to the privileges of former Magistrates:


BE IT ENACTED by the King, Cosâ and Senäts of Talossa in Ziu assembled that El Lexhatx be amended as follows:

1. El Lexhatx A.9.5 shall be amended by the DELETION of the words indicated below:
 

Quote

All members of the Ziu, the Cabinet, the Uppermost Court, the Magistrate's Courts, the Chancery, or the Royal Treasury must report the following information to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs within 15 days of assuming the aforementioned office or of a change in micronational status, whichever is later:

2. El Lexhatx A.17 shall be REMOVED entirely.

3. El Lexhatx D.2.5.1.7 shall be amended by the DELETION of the words indicated below:
 

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The Ministry of Justice shall not engage in post-hoc review of prior convictions before a magistrate unless the interests of justice are represented in the form of an independent counsel, appointed by the Avocat-Xheneral, who shall be responsible for vigorously contesting this review.

4. El Lexhatx G.4 shall be amended by the DELETION of the words indicated:
 

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All appeals, as with other court actions, shall be filed with the Clerk of Courts. Upon official judicial assignment, the Justice(s) , Judge or Magistrate may either dismiss the case, by declining to hear it, or begin hearing opening arguments in the matter as presented by all relevant parties.

5. El Lexhatx G.5.2 shall be amended by the DELETION of the words indicated:
 

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The clerk shall then assign the case to a Judge, Magistrate or Justice in the lowest court holding jurisdiction over the matter.

6. El Lexhatx G.5.8 shall be amended by the DELETION of the words indicated:
 

Quote

The individual holding the office of Clerk of Courts shall enjoy immunity from civil or criminal suit for any actions performed in the course of his or her official duties while holding this office. This immunity shall be lost upon leaving office. Due to the nature of the Clerk's responsibilities, an individual may not hold the office of Clerk of Courts, or any deputy thereunder, while simultaneously holding office as a Justice , Judge or Magistrate of the Uppermost Cort or any national inferior court.

This is bill id#1325 (this information has no legal importance and is technical in nature.

Hopper Thread

BE IT ENACTED by the King, Cosa and Senäts in Ziu assembled that Viteu Marcianüs be appointed to the Cort Pü Inalt, in accordance with Organic Law XVI.4.

This is bill id#1326 (this information has no legal importance and is technical in nature.

Hopper Thread

WHEREAS Pending the certification of the election, the Still Into This Amendment passed by a wide margin, and

WHEREAS Since the bill making the needed changes to el Lexhatx has already passed, the amendment can come into effect immediately


THEREFORE The Ziu hereby authorizes the Still Into This Amendment to come into effect immediately, as is allowed by that amendment.

This is bill id#1327 (this information has no legal importance and is technical in nature.

Hopper Thread

WHEREAS Talossa is not Wittenberg, and

WHEREAS We all know that, but all too often, prospective citizens don't really understand it, and

WHEREAS That might be because the only thing that a prospective citizen ever sees is Wittenberg, and

WHEREAS It might be a good idea to change that


THEREFORE Lex.E.4, which currently reads:
 

4. An examination period shall begin with the prospective citizen’s first posting to Wittenberg after his introduction by the Interior Minister. At any time at least fifteen days after the beginning of the examination period, any current citizen of Talossa may petition the Secretary of State requesting that a Royal Grant of Citizenship be issued to the prospective citizen. If no such petition is laid before the Secretary of State within the first forty days of the examination period, the examination period shall end, the immigration process for the prospective citizen shall be terminated, and his Wittenberg account shall be disabled; in addition, the Secretary of State shall notify the Government and the prospective citizen of the termination of the process, and shall post a notification to the effect on Wittenberg. (47RZ8)

shall be amended to read:

4. An examination period shall begin with the prospective citizen’s first posting to Wittenberg after his introduction by the Interior Minister. At any time at least fifteen days after the beginning of the examination period, any current citizen of Talossa who has corresponded with the prospective citizen at least once using a medium other than Wittenberg (excluding emails from the Interior Ministry) may petition the Secretary of State requesting that a Royal Grant of Citizenship be issued to the prospective citizen. The petition must name the non-Wittenberg medium the petitioner used to correspond with the prospective citizen. If no such petition is laid before the Secretary of State within the first forty days of the examination period, the examination period shall end, the immigration process for the prospective citizen shall be terminated, and his Wittenberg account shall be disabled; in addition, the Secretary of State shall notify the Government and the prospective citizen of the termination of the process, and shall post a notification to the effect on Wittenberg. (47RZ8)