Bills

WHEREAS, To become a naturalized citizen of Talossa, in aligning with Immigration precedent, one must first have obtained the age of 14, and

WHEREAS, OrgLaw states that to vote, one must have first obtained the age of 14, and

WHEREAS, Nowhere does it say that a thirteen year old can't participate in Talossan culture outside of voting, and 

WHEREAS, If they are going to be 14 when they vote anyways, why not let them join up now?

THEREFORE, The Ziu hereby amends 35RZ22, The Umpteenth Immigration Reform Act, by amending Clause 1 to state the following:

Clause 1. Prospective immigrants who will be fourteen or older by the next Regular General Election shall be directed to the Minister of Immigration. The Minister of Immigration shall act on every request received by that office, without discriminating on the basis of age, political preference, religion, or other personal information.

WHEREAS apparently the current Oath of Talossan Citizenship makes certain citizens uncomfortable, and 

WHEREAS we really shouldn't be losing citizens because of this, now

THEREFORE 37RZ3 is hereby repealed,

FURTHERMORE clause 7 of 35RZ22 shall be amended to read:
 

"The Secretary of State shall, on a date of his choosing, but within a period of ten days after receiving a petition to issue a Grant of Citizenship as described in clause 4, determine the provincial assignment of the prospective immigrant and issue a Royal Grant of Citizenship to the immigrant. This Grant shall be issued under the Royal Seal, either as applied by the Chancery, or, should the Majesty request, by the Sovereign under his or her own hand. If requested by the Government, the Grant may also bear the signatures of the Seneschál and/or Immigration Minister. The Royal Grant shall be promptly issued coincident with the candidate pledging his/her allegiance to the Kingdom of Talossa and affirming to faithfully observe its laws and to respect the rights and freedoms of his/her fellow citizens. At the time this Royal Grant is issued, and from that point forward, the applicant shall be a full citizen of the Kingdom of Talossa. The fact of the issuance of this Grant shall be posted on Wittenberg by the Secretary of State, that the new citizen may be welcomed by his compatriots. Any and all objections raised to the immigration made after this Royal Grant will be moot."

WHEREAS, Solutions have been presented from two sides, and

WHEREAS, Both sides have apparent strengths, as well as a few weaknesses, and

WHEREAS, This should be really up to the people to decide, and

WHEREAS, It is important to get their input, and

WHEREAS, Until then, let's just keep things simple, Now,

THEREFORE, the Ziu hereby directs The Chancery to include two non-binding referenda on the next General Election ballot, the results of which shall be presented to the Ziu by the Secretary of State during the first Clark of the new Cosa. The questions are as follows:

Question One shall read: "Are you in favor of requiring prospective citizens to take an Oath of Citizenship before their Royal Grant of Citizenship is issued?" The appropriate responses to Question One shall be: "Yes, No, and No Opinion/Present".

Question Two shall read: "Are you in favor of requiring prospective citizens to swear allegiance to the King before their Royal Grant of Citizenship is issued?" The appropriate responses to Question Two shall be: "Yes, No, and No Opinion/Present".

FURTHERMORE, the Ziu hereby amends 37RZ3 to add a Section 4, which will read:

Section 4. In the event that a prospective citizen wishes to opt out of taking the full Oath of Citizenship, he or she may recite the following alternate oath which will satisfy the oath requirement:

"From this day forward, I pledge my loyalty, allegiance, and fidelity to the Kingdom of Talossa. I solemnly affirm that I will support and uphold the Organic Law of the Kingdom of Talossa, defend the realm against all enemies, faithfully observe its laws, respect the rights and freedoms of all my fellow citizens, and fulfill all my duties and obligations as a citizen of the Kingdom of Talossa."

WHEREAS the current Oath of Talossa Citizenship contains a promise of loyalty to the King, and

WHEREAS there are those who are uncomfortable swearing allegiance to a monarch, since in this nation's past we have seen monarchs to whom allegiance eventually became a disservice to Talossa,

THEREFORE be it resolved by the Ziu that Section 1 of 37RZ3 - The O Promise Me Act is amended to read:

Section 1. The following text shall be known as The Oath of Talossan Citizenship:

From this day forward, I pledge my loyalty, allegiance, and fidelity to the Kingdom of Talossa and to His Majesty's government. I solemnly affirm that I will support and uphold the Organic Law of the Kingdom of Talossa, defend the realm against all enemies, both foreign and domestic, faithfully observe its laws, respect the rights and freedoms of all my fellow citizens, fulfill all my duties and obligations as a citizen of the Kingdom of Talossa, and humbly appreciate the benefits granted unto me by my King, most especially when those benefits take the form of Talossan currency.

WHEREAS, the prospect of an authoritarian ruler in any province is a frighteningly illiberal one, and

WHEREAS, the Ziu should do everything in its power to ensure that such affronts to democracy are as limited as possible, and

WHEREAS, why a military presence in Talossan territory is beyond me, now

THEREFORE, be it recommended by the Ziu of the Kingdom of Talossa that the amendment to Article XVII of the Organic Law specified below be ratified by referendum to effect the following changes:

Section 9 is replaced in whole with the following provisions:

Each Province shall govern itself in such a manner as to guarantee its citizens the full protection of their rights under this Organic Law. Provincial elections may, if so specified in a Province's constitution, be conducted by the Chancery at the same time as elections to the Cosâ, and in accordance with the national election laws and rules. If the province has no constitution, the chancery shall hold provincial elections to coincide with the general elections, proportionally appointing seats of a 7 seat legislature to registered political parties according to a method similar to that employed in national elections. The King shall appoint a Cunstavál (or Constable) for each Province. Until such time as the Cunstavál or king proclaims a constitution, the provincial assembly shall be empowered only to form a constitutional convention, draft a constitution and ratify the results of a constitutional referendum. All other functions of government will be administered by the Cunstavál. Should a Cunstavál refuse to proclaim a democratically approved constitution, the provincial assembly may appeal directly to the King who, barring any known organic impediments, shall proclaim the constitution forthwith. No Cunstavál shall proclaim any provincial constitution or constitutional amendment which:

Conflicts with any provision of this Organic Law, or
Fails to grant the Cunstavál the right to declare provincial holidays, make speeches, to veto provincial bills, to appeal decisions of the provincial court or courts (if any) to the Cort pü Înalt or such other national courts as may be created by the Ziu, to dissolve the provincial parliament, and to confer provincial awards and decorations. If provincial elections are held concurrently with Cosâ elections or if the provincial parliament is a direct democracy, then the right of dissolution need not be included, or
(In the case of the adoption of a new constitution, is not approved by a referendum in which at least either a majority of all citizens of the province or a two-thirds majority of votes actually cast is in favor of the constitution.)