Senate Bill 2010
Posted by: Ketsuban
Date: 2010-03-22 20:23:06
[size=4]March 21, 2010
Mr. MILLER reported the following bill
[size=6]A BILL[/size]
To create a democratic rulemaking body, and for other purposes.
TITLE 1. SHORT TITLE AND DEFINITIONS.
a. This bill may be referred to as the Senate Bill 2010.
b. The Senate is the supreme legislative body of Glitch City Laboratories, designed to replace the Exclusive Board and to provide for democratic rulemaking.
c. The Head Administrator is defined as that person who holds the username Adrian Malacoda or any other username as the Head Administrator may choose upon notification of the Senate.
d. Administrators are defined as those persons who hold the usernames GARY M 9, IIMarckus, Mugendai, Newo, and Zach the Glitch Buster, or any other usernames as the Administrator(s) may choose upon notification of the senate; or any other persons appointed by a majority of Administrators (including the Head Administrator) with the approval of a majority of the Senate.
e. Staff are defined as those persons who hold the usernames Bluelatios, Boxman, Gaxaway, Glitch Researcher, Hydrall, Missing? NO!, Tombstoner, Torchickens, or Zowayix, or any other usernames as the Staff may choose upon notification of the senate; or any other persons appointed by a majority of Staff (including Administrators) with the approval of a majority of the Senate.
f. The Exclusive Board is the body of Members+ that currently makes the rules of Glitch City Laboratories.
g. Members+ are defined as those persons appointed to the position of Members+ by a majority of Members+ (including Staff and Admins).
h. Dissolution is the process by which a majority of Administrators affect the cessation of a term of the Senate, pursuant to Title 3 of this bill.
i. Election is the process by which the members of Glitch City Laboratories select from amongst themselves the membership of the Senate, pursuant to Titles 2-3 of this bill.
j. Members are registered users of Glitch City Laboratories with at least one counted post that had last posted not more than 90 days prior to an election.
TITLE 2. MEMBERSHIP AND STRUCTURE.
a. All Members with a Warn-O-Meter (WOM) rating of less than 50 are eligible to run for the Senate.
b. The Senate shall consist of a number of persons n not less than 10 and not more than that number of persons equal to 30% of the number of Members, rounded down.
c. The Senate shall elect each term a President from amongst its membership to serve as an impartial moderator of debates and voting.
TITLE 3. GENERAL PROCEDURES FOR ELECTIONS AND VOTING.
a. Elections for the Senate shall take place under the Instant Runoff Voting system as implemented by the website DemoChoice.
b. All Members with a Warn-O-Meter (WOM) rating of less than 50 and with an email address made known to the Staff at least 7 days before an election are eligible to vote.
c. Those Members whom wish to run for Senate must make their intent known 30 days before an election.
d. Elections may be called after dissolution in the following cases:
i. At least once every 2 years.
ii. At most once every 30 days.
iii. Elections may be called more frequently if, by death, resignation, or expulsion, the Senate no longer consists of enough elected Members to constitute a majority of the Senate as elected.
e. Once an election has been called, the candidates shall have 14 days to campaign, followed immediately by the 24-hour period known as Election Day, which must end at 10PM Eastern Time (GMT-5).
f. At noon Eastern Time following the end of Election Day, those n candidates with the most votes, pursuant to Title 2b, shall immediately become Senators and shall retain this title for the duration of the term, pursuant to Title 1h, except as provided in Title 4g.
g. Senators shall have complete parliamentary immunity as long as they retain said title.
h. When the yeas and nays are ordered, they will be in a closed poll, the results of which will be made public when the voting is closed.
TITLE 4. RULES OF DECORUM IN THE SENATE.
a. The President of the Senate is to be referred to as (Mr./Madame) President.
b. Swearing and other such flying off the handle are not allowed.
c. The President of the Senate may call an unruly member to order.
d. The President of the Senate may expel any Senator who must be called to order repeatedly.
e. Any Senator who is expelled is permanently stripped of their title and all power and privilege associated therewith.
TITLE 5. RULES OF ORDER IN THE SENATE.
a. In the absence of the President, the Senate shall choose a President pro tempore who shall hold the office and exercise the duties of the President until he ceases to be a Senator, pursuant to Titles 1h and 4e-g.
b. The Senate shall be called to the gavel at noon each business day to begin a new business day. Should the Senate be in continuous session, the President will adjourn the Senate at noon to call it to the gavel.
c. The quorum is one more Senator than fifty percent; or, should the number of Senators be odd, fifty percent of Senators, rounded up.
d. No motion to suspend, modify, or amend any rule, or any part thereof, shall be in order, except on one day's notice in writing, specifying precisely the rule or part proposed to be suspended, modified, or amended, and the purpose thereof. Any rule may be suspended without notice by the unanimous consent of the Senate, except as otherwise provided by the rules.
e. The rules of the Senate shall continue from one term to the next unless they are changed as provided in these rules.
f. No Senator shall absent himself from the service of the Senate without leave.
g. If, at any time during the daily sessions of the Senate, a question shall be raised by any Senator as to the presence of a quorum, the President shall forthwith direct the Secretary to call the roll and shall announce the result, and these proceedings shall be without debate.
h. Whenever upon such roll call it shall be ascertained that a quorum is not present, the Senate shall adjourn until such time it can be ascertained that a quorum is present. The Senate must still be called to the gavel at noon each day.
i. The President may at any time lay, and it shall be in order at any time for a Senator to move to lay, before the Senate any bill or other matter sent to the Senate by the Administrator(s) (including the Head Administrator) for debate and any question pending at that time shall be suspended for this purpose. Any motion so made shall be determined without debate.
j. Senators having bills, petitions, or resolutions to present after the morning hour may deliver them in the absence of objection to the Presidents desk, endorsing upon them their names, and with the approval of the President, they shall in the absence of objection shall be considered as having been read and shall be placed on the Calendar for future debate.
k. When the yeas and nays are ordered, the names of Senators shall be called alphabetically; and each Senator shall, without debate, declare his assent or dissent to the question, unless excused by the Senate; and no Senator shall be permitted to vote after the decision shall have been announced by the President.
l. The yeas and nays may not be taken until a quorum has been established.
m. Any business left on the table after dissolution will be taken up immediately upon the commencement of a new term of the Senate.
n. When a Senator desires to speak, he shall rise and address the President, and shall not proceed until he is recognized, and the President shall recognize the Senator who shall first address him. No Senator shall interrupt another Senator in debate without his consent, and to obtain such consent he shall first address the President, and no Senator shall speak more than twice upon any one question in debate.
o. No Senator in debate shall, directly or indirectly, by any form of words impute to another Senator or to other Senators any conduct or motive unworthy or unbecoming a Senator.
p. No Senator in debate shall refer offensively to any communications from the Administrator(s) (including the Head Administrator).
q. When a Senator shall be called to order he may not proceed without leave of the Senate, which, if granted, shall be upon motion that he be allowed to proceed in order, which motion shall be determined without debate.
r. When a question is pending, no motion shall be received but:
i. to invoke cloture,
ii. to adjourn,
iii. to lay on the table, or
iv. to amend.
s. Which several motions shall have precedence as they stand arranged; and the motions relating to adjournment or to lay on the table shall be decided without debate.
t. No Senator shall call up more than two amendments until every other Senator shall have had the opportunity to do likewise.[/size]
Since the Senate doesn't exist yet, I believe this would go to the Exclusive Board.