Bills

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This is bill id#1476 (this information has no legal importance and is technical in nature.

Hopper Thread

WHEREAS the judicial tenure section of the law is long and appears mostly pointless, and also it's weird to have these elaborate requirements for how we're supposed to address retired magistrates, and we should have simpler laws when we can, and

WHEREAS if these are bringing anyone real joy through their use, please just say so and we can keep them,

THEREFORE, section 11 of Title G, which currently reads:

11. Judicial Tenure.
Judges of the Uppermost Cort and of any inferior court may retire through voluntary leave of office. This shall be accomplished through submitting a letter of retirement to the King. The retirement shall take effect immediately upon confirmed receipt by the King or an authorized representative.
11.1. Uppermost Cort Judges may be compelled to retire through organic removal from office through an act of the Ziu in accordance with Article VIII of the Organic Law. In accordance with the appropriate section, the inactivity of a Justice is defined as the failure of that Justice to act, rule, or appear in an open case the Justice is assigned to or participating in for more than 60 days, as certified by the Ziu in a majority vote.
11.1.1 A Justice of the Cort pü Inalt shall be declared inactive, and to have vacated their seat, within the meaning of Organic Law VIII, if the Clerk of the Corts, contacting the members of the CpI to assign a case as described in this title, is unable to contact that Justice or does not receive any response to their enquiries, within 30 days.
11.2. Retired Judges or Magistrates shall enjoy the style "Honourable Mister/Madame" for life in commemoration of their service to the Nation, and may utilize the title "Retired Judge/Magistrate."
11.3. Retired status will be honorary in nature and shall not confer any authority or responsibility within any Talossan Court or the National Talossan Bar or over its members, students or associates. Neither shall these titles, in and of themselves, confer membership in the National Talossan Bar enabling the holder to engage in the practice of law.
11.4. Retired status can be revoked only in the event of a conviction by a Talossan Court for misconduct while serving in a judicial capacity. In the event of such conviction, revocation of retirement privileges shall be contained as part of the sentencing order. Retired status can also be revoked by the Ziu through majority vote, without needing to go through committee, and approval by the Monarch. Such legislative action can be taken only after the retiree has been convicted by a Talossan Court for misconduct while serving in a judicial capacity and only after all appeals have been exhausted.
11.5. Retired status will also be revoked in the event the retiree shall be convicted of a felony by any Court of the Realm. Felony convictions by a provincial court shall be forwarded to the Minister of Justice for review. If cause for revocation of retirement status is found based upon the nature of the conviction, the Minister of Justice shall propose or cause to be proposed a measure of the Ziu to revoke any and all privileges of retirement from the accused, after all appeals have been exhausted.
11.6. Retired status shall be considered waived if a retired Justice, Judge or Magistrate resigns their citizenship and shall be considered revoked if the retiree has their citizenship terminated by a Court of the Realm.
11.7 Every person appointed a judge to the Uppermost Cort of Talossa shall publicly make to the Citizens of Talossa and subscribe to the following declaration within 10 days of such appointment:
I, [NAME], do solemnly, sincerely and truly affirm and declare that I will duly, faithfully and to the best of my knowledge and ability execute the office of Judge of El Cort pü Inalt without fear or favour, affection or ill will towards any man, woman or child and that I will uphold the Organic Law and the laws of the Kingdom of Talossa. This I do solemnly affirm.

11.1.  Uppermost Cort Judges may be compelled to retire through organic removal from office through an act of the Ziu in accordance with Article VIII of the Organic Law. In accordance with the appropriate section, the inactivity of a Justice is defined as the failure of that Justice to act, rule, or appear in an open case the Justice is assigned to or participating in for more than 60 days, as certified by the Ziu in a majority vote.
11.2. Every person appointed a judge to the Uppermost Cort of Talossa shall publicly make to the Citizens of Talossa and subscribe to the following declaration within 10 days of such appointment:
I, [NAME], do solemnly, sincerely and truly affirm and declare that I will duly, faithfully and to the best of my knowledge and ability execute the office of Judge of El Cort pü Inalt without fear or favour, affection or ill will towards any man, woman or child and that I will uphold the Organic Law and the laws of the Kingdom of Talossa. This I do solemnly affirm.

Votes not in the database yet

This is bill id#1477 (this information has no legal importance and is technical in nature.

Hopper Thread

WHEREAS, the intent of the CRL to provide a forum for the improvement of bills was honorable, and

WHEREAS, this can be achieved with a longer stay in the Hopper and without that extra body.

THEREFORE, be it enacted that the Ziu of the Kingdom of Talossa enacts the following changes in El Lexhatx:

H.2.1.5 through H.2.1.6.2 are repealed in their entirety:
 

2.1.5. For each Cosă term is created a Comità da Redacziun Legislatïu (in english Legislative Advisory Committee), hereinafter "the CRL", which shall review or revise all legislative items from the Hopper once they have moved to committee; and may recommend acceptance or rejection , or suggest amendments in their best judgment.
2.1.5.1. The main, but not exclusive, purpose of the CRL, with the assistance of the Scribery, shall be to evaluate bills from the technical point of view of the quality of the legislation, the correctness of the language, the internal consistency of the document and consistency with existing legislation.
2.1.5.2. The CRL shall conduct all its deliberations openly in the Hopper.
2.1.5.3. The CRL shall consist of the incumbent Mençéi, Túischac'h, and Avocat-Xheneral.
2.1.5.3.1. The Mençéi, Túischac'h, and Avocat-Xheneral may at any time appoint and dismiss one Senator or one Membreu dal Cosă, to serve as a member of the CRL in their place.[716]
2.1.5.4. The CRL may create further committees to which their functions may be delegated, as concerns any bill or category of bills. Such a committee must have at least 3 members, including at least 1 Membreu dal Cosă and 1 Senator.
2.1.6. After the CRL has given its recommendation, or if it gives no recommendation within 30 days of the bill having passed to committee, the bill has passed the Hopper and the sponsor of the bill may ask for it to be Clarked, with or without amendments.
2.1.6.1. The same bill can not be submitted to the Clark more than once in the same Cosa, unless the original bill was vetoed, the original bill had been retired or voted down by its main sponsor during the voting period, or the bill has been substantially amended, as judged by the Secretary of State.
2.1.6.2. Bills must be submitted to the Secretary of State more than 24 hours before the publication of the Clark. Bills received less than 24 hours before publication of the Clark shall be published in the next Clark or postponed for one Clark, at the Secretary of State's discretion.

The current H.2.1.3 and H.2.1.4 are deleted and replaced with the following:

2.1.3 A bill is said to have passed the Hopper and the sponsor of said bill may ask for it be clarked after satisfying both of the following conditions: It has spent at least 20 days in the Hopper, and at least two of the following officers (Mençéi, Túischac'h, and Avocat-Xheneral) have expressed that they have no objections after reviewing the bill from the technical point of view of the quality of the legislation, the correctness of the language, the internal consistency of the document and consistency with existing legislation; or it has spent at least 30 days in the Hopper without a recommendation from the above-mentioned officers responsible for review. For the purpose of the review described above, the Mençéi, Túischac'h, and Avocat-Xheneral may at any time appoint and dismiss one Senator or one Membreu dal Cosă, to serve as a reviewer of the Hopper bills in their place.
2.1.4 The same bill can not be submitted to the Clark more than once in the same Cosa, unless the original bill was vetoed, the original bill had been retired or voted down by its main sponsor during the voting period, or the bill has been substantially amended, as judged by the Secretary of State.
2.1.5 Bills must be submitted to the Secretary of State more than 24 hours before the publication of the Clark. Bills received less than 24 hours before publication of the Clark shall be published in the next Clark or postponed for one Clark, at the Secretary of State's discretion.

Votes not in the database yet

This is bill id#1478 (this information has no legal importance and is technical in nature.

Hopper Thread

WHEREAS the recent reforms to immigration emphasising "quality over quantity" raised valid concerns about the Immigration Minister having too much discretion;

AND WHEREAS a possible form of abuse of discretion would be for the Immigration Minister to petition for grants of citizenship and to expect "favours" from new citizens in return;

BE IT ENACTED that El Lexhatx E.7 be amended by the insertion of the words in bold:

7. The Secretary of State shall, on a date of his choosing, but within a period of ten days after receiving a petition from at least two citizens, neither of whom shall be the Minister of Immigration or anyone to whom they have delegated their powers, to issue a Grant of Citizenship as described in clause 4, and upon certification from the Ministry of Immigration that the prospective citizen has sufficient understanding of Talossan life and culture for full participation 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 Seneschal and/or Immigration Minister. The Royal Grant shall be promptly issued coincident with the candidate affirming his fealty to the Royal House and his allegiance to the Kingdom by taking any Oath of Talossan Citizenship specified by law. 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.

Votes not in the database yet

This is bill id#1479 (this information has no legal importance and is technical in nature.

Hopper Thread

WHEREAS the recent reforms to immigration emphasising "quality over quantity" raised valid concerns about the Immigration Minister having too much discretion;

AND WHEREAS a possible form of abuse of discretion would be for the Immigration Minister to petition for grants of citizenship and to expect "favours" from new citizens in return;

BE IT ENACTED that El Lexhatx E.7 be amended by the insertion of the words in bold:

7. The Secretary of State shall, on a date of his choosing, but within a period of ten days after receiving a petition from at least two citizens, neither of whom shall be the Minister of Immigration or anyone to whom they have delegated their powers, to issue a Grant of Citizenship as described in clause 4, and upon certification from the Ministry of Immigration that the prospective citizen has sufficient understanding of Talossan life and culture for full participation 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 Seneschal and/or Immigration Minister. The Royal Grant shall be promptly issued coincident with the candidate affirming his fealty to the Royal House and his allegiance to the Kingdom by taking any Oath of Talossan Citizenship specified by law. 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.

Votes not in the database yet

This is bill id#1480 (this information has no legal importance and is technical in nature.

Hopper Thread

WHEREAS in his Accession Day Speech, the King created two orders of knight in L'Urderi per la Naziun, and

WHEREAS he was hoping a member of the Ziu would write this bill, and

WHEREAS the King wishes this to advance,

THEREFORE be it resolved by the King and Ziu assembled, that El. Lex 41.1.1 which currently reads

41.1.1. Dynastic Orders
41.1.1.1. The Order for the Nation (L'Urderi per la Naziun): The Order for the Nation is the senior order and is the most commonly awarded. The Crown recognises worthy citizens, offering them admission into the order for long and dedicated service to the nation, or for particular acts of valour in the defence of the realm. The Order of the Nation has one grade, that of Knight or Dame, and are entitled to add the honorific 'UrN' to their name.

be amended to read

41.1.1. Dynastic Orders
41.1.1.1. The Order for the Nation (L'Urderi per la Naziun): The Order for the Nation is the senior order and is the most commonly awarded. The Crown recognises worthy citizens, offering them admission into the order for long and dedicated service to the nation, or for particular acts of valour in the defence of the realm. The Order of the Nation has three grades.

41.1.1.1.1 The senior grade, which entitles the recipient to bear the title Knight or Dame in L'Urderi per la Naziun, shall be that of Knight Grand Cross or Dame Grand Cross. All recipients of this grade shall be entitled to add the honorific of "UrN-GC".

41.1.1.1.2 The junior grade which entitles the recipient to bear the title of Knight or Dame, shall be that of Knight Commander or Dame Commander. All recipients of this grade shall be entitled to add the honorific of "UrN-C." All existing members of L'Urderi per la Naziun that are not currently ranked, shall automatically assume the rank of Knight Commander or Dame Commander, upon passage of this bill.

41.1.1.1.3 The lowest grade, which does not entitle the recipient to bear the title of Knight or Dame, shall be that of Officer of The Order of the Nation. All recipients of this grade shall be entitled to add the honorific of "UrN."

Votes not in the database yet

This is bill id#1481 (this information has no legal importance and is technical in nature.

Hopper Thread

WHEREAS, the current legislation around Terpelaziuns is not fit for purpose, and more specifically

WHEREAS, it seems designed for Living Cosas of the Ben Era, which are long gone, and

WHEREAS, it does not reflect the actual practice of Terpelaziuns as questions posed on an online board, and

WHEREAS, it is peppered with several minor oddities, such as undefined acronyms, intrusions by one branch of the State into another, and inconsistent terminology, and

WHEREAS, it may be additionally helpful to further formalise modern practice into law, such as responses by deputy ministers, so

THEREFORE BE IT ENACTED by the Ziu of the Kingdom of Talossa that El Lexhatx Title H Section 1.2, which currently reads:
 

1.2. The Cosă authorises a question and answer period during Living Cosăs. This will be called "Terpelaziuns" ('enquiries') or, for short, "Terps", or "Question Time". During Terpelaziuns, each MC may ask any other MC one question (plus a follow-up), and expect to receive some sort of answer. The Opposition Leader shall put the first question. Questions shall alternate between Government and Opposition members until all MCs on one side or the other have spoken. The remaining MCs may then put questions. Questions will be politely phrased in the third person and directed at the Speaker. Order of Questioners will be determined on an ad hoc basis by the Speaker.
    1.2.1. Any Member of the Cosă (MC) or Senator may at any time between the First and Last Clark of a Cosă Term, table in "The Ziu" board on Witt, or its equivalent, a "c (PQ)" or "Terp" in a new thread or its equivalent.
    1.2.2. The PQ or Terp may ask one question to a named Member of the Government relating to Public Affairs connected with their Ministry or on matters of administration for which they are officially responsible.
    1.2.3. There is no limit to the number of PQs or Terps a MC or Senator may submit in any given Clark.
    1.2.4. Any PQ or Terp that is submitted by a MC or Senator in accordance with the provisions of H.1.2., must be answered by the named Minister within seven (7) days of the question being tabled. Should the Minister be unavailable to answer the question within the seven (7) days, the question shall be redirected to the Seneschal or his/her appointed Deputy who shall be granted a further seven (7) days to answer the aforementioned question. With the agreement of the questioner, there may be a extension of seven (7) days on top of this period. However, the period from the asking of the question to the answering of the question, shall in no circumstances exceed twenty one (21) days.
    1.2.5. For the purpose of H.1.2.4., "unavailable" means being unable to access Witt, or its equivalent, for an acceptable and reasonable reason. Having logged into, or visited Witt, or its equivalent, during the seven day period, and having not seen, or ignored the PQ or Terp, shall not constitute being unavailable. (c) This provision shall not apply PQs or Terps, which refer to matters of Security or Defence of His Majesty's Realm and/or any project(s), correspondence, or activities, in which the Government has deemed, and classified as confidential, or which in its release may damage the Kingdom in any shape or form. Such questions may not be answered by any Minister.
    1.2.6. The Minister must answer the question in the same thread or its equivalent as the original question and the questioner may ask a reasonable number of supplementary questions (as determined by the presiding officer), in which the provisions of H.1.2. apply, with the seven days starting from the date each supplementary question is asked.
    1.2.7. Failure to answer a question within the given timeframe shall constitute an offence, and a Minister, if found guilty of such an offence, will be subject to a punishment at the discretion of the Courts.
    1.2.8. It shall be a defence to the Minister if the questioner, notwithstanding any other legitimate defences, did not, or failed to:
        1.2.8.1. correctly title his/her question
        1.2.8.2. ask a clear question. E.g. an ambiguous question, in which the Minister tried to clarify, but failed to do so in the time frame, and did not subsequently answer.
        1.2.8.3. post his/her question in the correct board
        1.2.8.4. engage with the Minister in trying to answer his/her question
        1.2.8.5. direct the question to one named Minister.

be stricken in full and replaced with the following:

1.2   A Terpelaziun is a written enquiry to a named Member of the Government (henceforth, "the questioned Minister") relating to Public Affairs connected with their Ministry or on matters of administration for which they are officially responsible.
    1.2.1   Any Member of the Cosă or Senator may pose a Terpelaziun at any time between the first Clark of a term and the subsequent publishing of a Writ of Dissolution.
        1.2.1.1   Terpelaziuns are posed by opening a new thread containing the questions on Wittenberg, in a single board jointly designated by the Túischac'h and Mençei.
        1.2.1.2   Terpelaziuns shall be politely phrased in the third person and addressed to the presiding officer of the questioner's House (e.g. "esteemed Túischac'h/Mençei") - or, if the Terpelaziun is being posed by a presiding officer, to the whole House ("esteemed Members of the Cosă/Senators").
        1.2.1.3   The presiding officer of the questioner's House - or, if the Terpelaziun is being posed by a presiding officer, the presiding officer of the other House - shall ensure compliance with the provisions of this article and oversee the question-and-answering process. Henceforth in this article, the person so identified shall be termed "the presiding officer".
        1.2.1.4   There is no limit to the number of Terpelaziuns a Member of the Cosă or Senator may submit in any given Clark.
        1.2.1.5   There is no hard limit to the number of questions a single Terpelaziun may contain, except that the presiding officer may refuse Terpelaziuns that are unreasonably long, or that span overly different topics.
        1.2.1.6   Terpelaziuns may not be posed during Months of Recess, except by leave of the presiding officer and consent of the questioned Minister.
            1.2.1.6.1   Terpelaziuns still pending (at any stage) at the beginning of a Month of Recess, or at the Dissolution of the Cosă, shall be answered as normal.
    1.2.2   Once a Terpelaziun is submitted by a Member of the Cosă or Senator in accordance with the provisions of this article, it shall be answered by the questioned Minister within seven days, except for provisions extending the deadline as described below.
        1.2.2.1   Junior members of the questioned Minister's ministry may ask leave to reply to the Terpelaziun in the questioned Minister's stead, due to unavailability or due to the question falling under the junior member's purview.
        1.2.2.2   The questioned Minister, a junior member of the questioned Minister's ministry, or the Seneschal, may negotiate with the questioner any extensions to the deadline, as long as the total additional negotiated time does not exceed seven days. The presiding officer shall grant any such extensions upon ascertaining the questioner's consent.
        1.2.2.3   Should the questioned Minister be unavailable to answer the Terpelaziun within the initial or extended deadline, the question shall be redirected to the Seneschal, or to a junior member of the questioned Minister's ministry, who shall be granted a further seven days to answer the Terpelaziun.
            1.2.2.3.1   "Unavailable" shall be taken to mean an inability to access Wittenberg for an acceptable and reasonable reason. Having logged into, or visited Witt, or its equivalent, during the seven day period, and having not seen, or ignored the PQ or Terp, shall not constitute being unavailable.
    1.2.3   The questioned Minister, or other applicable official as described above, must answer the Terpelaziun in the same thread as the original question, and the questioner may ask a reasonable number of supplementary questions, as determined by the presiding officer.
        1.2.3.1   All provisions described in the previous section shall apply to the first (round of) supplementary question(s) as if they were a new Terpelaziun.
        1.2.3.2   Once the first (round of) supplementary question(s) have been answered, the floor shall be considered open to contributions from other Members of the Cosă and Senators. Any questions posed in this stage shall not be bound by any formal time constraints.
    1.2.4   Failure to answer a Terpelaziun or a supplementary question within the deadlines described in this article may be declared by the presiding officer to constitute Contempt of the Ziu, except in the cases outlined below.
        1.2.4.1   The questioner shall engage with the questioned Minister in answering the Terpelaziun, by providing any required clarifications within a reasonable timeframe.
        1.2.4.2   The questioned Minister is excused from answering Terpelaziuns that, as judged by the presiding officer: do not fall under the purview of their portfolio, or are not clearly labelled as a Terpelaziun; or are ambiguous, unclear, or poorly formatted; or do not otherwise comply with the provisions of this article.
        1.2.4.3   Terpelaziuns which refer to matters of Security or Defence of His Majesty's Realm and/or any project(s), correspondence, or activities, in which the Government has deemed, and classified as confidential, or which in its release may damage the Kingdom in any shape or form, may not be answered by any Minister.