ThaeciaBoard

• Section I - The Electoral Commissioner is responsible for organizing and conducting all elections and referenda in an impartial, timely manner.

  • I. The Commissioner shall have the ability to nominate a Deputy Commissioner and up to 3 Assistant Commissioners, with approval by the Prime Minister.

  • II. When the Electoral Commissioner position is vacant, the Deputy Commissioner shall serve as the Acting Commissioner until a new Electoral Commissioner has been confirmed by the House of Commons.

  • III. If the Electoral Commissioner deems the performance of their Deputy or an Assistant unsatisfactory, they can recommend their dismissal to the Prime Minister, and if approved, the person in question is immediately removed from their position.

• Section II - The Electoral Commissioner shall be nominated by the Prime Minister and confirmed by a simple majority vote in the House of Commons.

  • I. The Electoral Commissioner shall serve a term of 4 months, at which point the Prime Minister may choose to renominate them, or nominate someone else.

• Section III - If any member of the Electoral Commission is a candidate in an election, they do not have the right to participate in the election process as defined by this law.

  • I. Should the Electoral Commissioner be a candidate in any election, they shall be forced to take a temporary leave from the position until the conclusion of the election. While Electoral Commissioner is at leave, the Deputy Electoral Commissioner shall temporarily ascend to the position of Electoral Commissioner until the conclusion of the election.

• Section I - As per Article VIII, Section III of the Constitution, elections to the Legislature will use the Single Transferable Vote, and those to the executive shall use Instant Runoff Voting.

  • Sub-section I - When calculating the quota for elections that use the Single Transferable Vote, the Droop formula shall be used.

  • Sub-section II - In the counting of votes for elections which use the Single Transferable Vote, when it comes to re-distributing the surplus of votes over the quota received by a candidate, the Electoral Commissioner shall re-distribute votes by calculating the transfer value of each vote through the weighted inclusive Gregory method, then distributing those votes to the voters' next-placed candidates.

  • Sub-section III - In the event of a tie between two or more candidates for a final seat in an election which utilizes the Single Transferable Vote, the Electoral Commissioner shall break the tie as follows: (1) by the number of first place votes gained by the candidates, (2) by the number of overall second place votes gained by the candidates, (3) by the number of overall third place votes gained by the candidates, (4) by utilizing a coin flip, supervised by the Justices wherein a candidate, determined by the Justices, makes a "call" on what side the coin will land on and the winning "side" represents the victor in the election.

  • Sub-section IV - Thaecian voters have the right to not rank any number of candidates if they wish to do so.

• Section II - Elections for the Prime Ministry will take place every four months in the months of March, July, and November. Elections for the Senate shall take place in two halves every three months for each class of Senators, with Senators serving six month terms each. Class One elections shall be held in January and July, and Class Two Elections shall be held in April and October. Elections for the House of Commons will take place every three months, in the January, April, July, and October. These elections shall be held in the months of January, March, May, July, September, and November. Elections for the World Assembly Delegate will take place every six months. These elections shall be held in the months of January and July.

• Section III - Inaugurations following the results of the World Assembly Delegacy, Prime Ministry, Senate, and House of Commons elections, shall always take place on the 10th day of the month in which the election was scheduled for..

  • I. The Candidacy Declaration Period shall begin three days before the end of the month prior to the scheduled election and it shall close on the 4th day of the month the election was scheduled for.

  • II. The voting period must begin on the 5th day and end on the 8th day of the month in which the election was scheduled for.

  • III. All General and Midterm elections shall have a voting period that lasts approximately 72 hours.

  • IV. The Inauguration may be delayed for up to two days to allow the High Court to verify results. This shall not change when the voting period must start, and when future elections must be held.

• Section IV - Snap elections and special elections shall be exempt from procedures laid out in Sections II and III of this law.

• Section V - The Electoral Commissioner shall be obligated to hold a special election if a vacancy occurs within the positions of World Assembly Delegate, Prime Minister, Senate, and House of Commons.

• Section VI - In the event of a vacancy that meets the requirements set by Article II, Section V, the inauguration of the newly elected official to fill the vacancy shall take place no later than 14 days following the date the vacancy occurred.

  • I. The Candidacy Declaration Period should end no later than 3 days prior to the special election, which is to be determined by the Electoral Commissioner.

  • II. The voting period in a special election must last approximately 48 hours.

  • III. In the event that the vacancy has not been filled by 14 days per Section VI, the Inauguration may be delayed for up to three days to allow the High Court to verify results.

  • IV. Should the High Court exceed this time limit purposefully to subvert democracy or due to negligence, this may be grounds for impeachment. If they exceed this time limit because the election results are illegitimate, results may be recounted or a new election must be held.

• Section VII - The Electoral Commissioner is responsible for conducting regional referenda.

  • I. The Electoral Commissioner is able to conduct votes on more than one referenda at the same time.

  • II. Regional referendums should be included with General elections, Midterm elections, and special elections if possible.

  • III. Regional referenda votes shall not begin within 7 days of a General or Midterm election.

  • IV. Regional referenda votes must start no later than 14 days once the referenda has passed Congress, unless restricted by Article II, Section VII, Subsection III of this law.

  • V. Voters have the right to leave the referenda question blank if they wish to do so.

• Section VIII - The Electoral Commissioner must send a region-wide telegram to inform its residents at the beginning of the Candidacy Declaration Period and voting period.

• Section I - The High Court of Thaecia, through a simple majority vote of the Justices who vote in any decision on verification, shall verify the results of regional elections and referenda.

  • I. In the event that a High Court Justice is a candidate in an election, they do not have the right to participate in the verification process of the election they are running in, but they may participate in the verification process of any other election which they are not a candidate in.

• Section II - The High Court, through a simple majority vote, shall be given the power to deem votes “illegal” and discount them from the total vote count, should it be confirmed that there was at least one of the following:

  • I. Voter fraud as defined by prospective Thaecian laws.

  • II. A voter that does not meet citizenship requirements during the course of the election.

  • III. A voter loses their citizenship during the election after having already voted.

  • IV. A voter that does not properly provide a correct verification code in the steps defined by this law.

  • V. A mistake by the Electoral Commissioner, such as the counting or transferring of votes, with the possibility of changing electoral results.

• Section III - Should votes be deemed “illegal”, the High Court, through a simple majority vote, shall be given the power to either allow or demand for a recount of the results if possible, or call for a new election if the violations do not allow for a simple recount to be enough to correct the results.

  • I. A new election may also be called if the High Court has reasonable suspicion that the election was not conducted fairly, impartially, or in a timely manner.

  • II. The Electoral Commissioner must hold an election and inaugurate the victor(s) within 7 days of when the High Court called for a new election to be held.

• Section IV - In any event that an election ballot has a mistake where the Electoral Commissioner can not accurately tabulate a result from, the Electoral Commissioner must inform the voter of the mistake and give them 12 hours to correct it.

  • If the voter fails to fix the mistake within the 12 hours, the Electoral Commissioner shall tabulate the vote wherever the voter's intent is clear. If there is no clear intent, the ballot shall be thrown out.

• Section I - The Electoral Commissioner shall inaugurate the World Assembly Delegate, Prime Minister, and Members of Parliament on the House of Commons RMB. They shall also inaugurate Senators on the Thaecian Senate RMB. This shall be done with a public statement on the applicable RMB, stating whom has won office, by the Electoral Commissioner. Once done, the individual shall take their office.

  • I. This statement must be made within the timespan provided Article II Section II and Article II Section VI.

  • II. Inauguration shall be defined as the day and/or moment an individual takes office following an election.

• Section II - When a legislative chamber is inaugurated following an election, the Electoral Commissioner shall chair the chamber until a Speaker/Chair has been elected as per Article V. For this duration of time, they will have the permission to speak on the House of Commons and the Thaecian Senate RMB.

• Section I - At the beginning of each term and whenever the Speakership or the Chairpersonship is vacant, the Electoral Commissioner shall initiate a standing period in which any sitting legislator may place their name forward as a candidate for the vacant chamber leadership position.

  • I. The standing period must begin within 48 hours following a vacancy in a leadership position, or after the inauguration of legislators is completed. It should end after no later than 24 hours, or after each legislator in their chamber has declared their intent or non-intent to stand, whichever comes first.

  • II. Should a vacancy occur before the upcoming Senate or House of Commons election, any current business in that chamber shall be tabled to a later date until the next Chair/Speaker is elected.

• Section II - Once the standing period elapses, the Electoral Commissioner will begin a discussion and statements period in which the declared leadership candidates may address their respective chamber and sitting legislators in their respective chambers may voice their views of consternation, confidence, or field any questions to the declared candidates.

  • I. The discussion and statements period must begin immediately after the standing period elapses and should last between 24 and 48 hours.

• Section III - Following the discussion and statements period, the Electoral Commissioner shall initiate a vote in which any sitting legislator may vote in their respective chambers;

  • I. Legislators may cast a vote either for their preferred declared candidate, which can be done by simply stating their nation name, or "Abstain" indicating an abstention from voting.

  • II. Should there be only one declared candidate for either chamber leadership position, there shall be three voting options, an "Aye" vote declares confidence in the candidate, a "Nay" vote declares no confidence for the candidate, and "Abstain" indicates an abstention from voting that is discounted from the overall total number of votes cast.

  • III. The vote should last at least 24 hours or until each legislator has been able to cast their vote.

  • IV. Should a candidate receive a simple majority vote of 50%+1 of votes cast in that chamber, discarding abstentions, that candidate shall assume the vacant position at vote. If no candidate receives a simple majority, the candidate with the lowest number of votes shall be eliminated. If there is a tie for the candidate with the lowest number of votes, the candidate eliminated shall be determined by a coin toss, following the procedures as outlined in Article II, Section I of this Act. The procedures outlined in this Section shall then be repeated, unless only one candidate remains, in which case this candidate shall assume the vacant position at vote.

• Section I - The Electoral Commission and all individuals who have served in the commission is forbidden from publishing any individual's ballot without proof that the individual in question consented to have their ballot made public.

  • I. This applies to ballots cast in both elections and referenda.

• Section II - A ballot being made public shall be defined as the following: "disclosure of any ballot information in such a manner that could provide indication to the identity of an individual voter to any individual who is not presently serving as Electoral Commissioner, Deputy Electoral Commissioner, an Assistant Electoral Commissioner, or a Thaecian High Court Justice, unrelated to their positions as part of the confirmation of the electoral process".

• Section III - The Electoral Commissioner shall release, once the results are verified by the High Court, a full list of the nations who voted in any election or referenda. This must be completed for the verification stage to be formally finished.

• Section I - During each regional election and referenda, there shall be a verification process to verify citizens' votes.

  • I. When filling out an election ballot, citizens must create a verification code and then send such code by any means to the Electoral Commissioner or any authority running the election.

• Section I - It will be mandated for the accountable member or members of the Electoral Commission to step down if they are found to be in violation of this law.

• Section II - Should the Prime Minister fail to nominate an Electoral Commissioner in a timely manner that can be reasonably justified in a democratic society, they shall be considered guilty of voter fraud, as defined by LR 044.

• Section III - Should a nation be found to violate Article VI of this law, they shall be considered guilty of an offence at the level of a Felony, as defined by LR 044, and should be punished in the same manner.

• Section I - This Act hereby repeals L.R. 001 The Thaecian Electoral Commissioner Act, L.R. 007 Adjustment and Fixation of Thaecian Elections Dates Act, and L.R. 019 Electoral Commission Formalisation Act.

Section I - For the purposes of this bill, a representative shall be defined as either a Member of Parliament, or a Senator.

Section II - The leaders of the House of Commons and the Senate shall be as follows:

1. The Chairperson of the Senate

2. The Speaker of the House of Commons

Section III - The leader of a chamber is elected as per the procedures outlined in Article V of L.R.049.

Section IV - It is the duty and role of the leader of each chamber to:

• 1. Maintain order

  • a. If a representative is breaking the rules set out in Article(XI) , the leader of the chamber may suspend them from speaking on the floor.

• 2. Set the chamber's agenda. This includes organising debates, votes, and maintaining the legislative docket.

  • a. However, the leader of a chamber must put a bill to debate and consequently voting after the ongoing business is over if

    • - the bill has been sponsored by at least 3/5ths of the chamber's members and;

    • - the author of the bill requests that it be given priority.

  3. Any other responsibility set out throughout the rest of this Act.

Section IV - There can be only one leader of a chamber at a time.

Section I - The deputy leader(s) of a legislative chamber shall be:

1. The Deputy Chairperson(s) of the Senate

2. The Deputy Speaker(s) of the House of Commons

Section II - The deputy leader(s) of a legislative chamber shall be appointed at the discretion of the leader of the chamber. The sitting deputy leader(s) of a legislative chamber may be removed at the discretion of the leader of the chamber.

1. A sitting leader cannot appoint themselves as deputy.

Section III - Deputy leader(s) can temporarily take over the leader's role if given direct permission from the latter. They shall exercise the same duties and roles set in Article(I)(IV).

Section IV - Shall a chamber leader be inactive for longer than 2 days with the chamber not adjourned or in recess, the deputy leader shall take over their duties and role until either the leader returns, resigns or loses their seat.

1. If there is more than one deputy leader, then the senior deputy will take over the chamber leader's attributions.

Section V - A chamber must always have a minimum of one and a maximum of three deputy leader(s) at a time.

1. Should a chamber have more than one deputy leader, the chamber leader must officially disclose their seniority.

Section I - The shadow leader in a legislative chamber shall be:

1. The Shadow Chairperson of the Senate

2. The Shadow Speaker of the House of Commons

Section II - The shadow leader in a legislative chamber is a formal position held by the opposition leader in their respective chamber.

Section III - The shadow leader shall be the representative who received the second most votes in the House of Commons Speaker or Senate Chair election.

• 1. Should two or more candidates tie in receiving the second most votes in the House of Commons Speaker or Senate Chair election, the candidate who obtained the largest number of first preference votes in their last whole chamber election shall become the shadow leader.

Section IV - The shadow leader can appoint a Deputy shadow leader.

• 1. A sitting shadow leader cannot appoint themselves as deputy.

Section V - There can only be one shadow leader at any given time in each chamber, however the role does not need to be filled.

Section I - As long as they comply with Article(VI), bills are entitled to a minimum of 12 hours of debate and a maximum of 5 days of debate. It is up to the chamber leader how long a bill is debated for.

Section II - Amendments may be sponsored by a representative at any time during the debate process.

• 1. Amendments can change either part or all of the bill on the floor.

  • a. In the event one citizen's amendment(s) rewrite more than 70% of a bill, their name shall be added as an author of the bill.

• 2. Amendments shall be debated during the debate stage of the main bill. However, for each Amendment submitted, up to an additional 12 hours can be added to the maximum debate time set out in Article(IV)(I) at the discretion of the chamber leader. This addition cannot total more than 3 days.

Section III - At the discretion of the Chamber leader, a chamber may return to a debate period of at most 3 days once the first amendment vote period has ended. More amendments can be submitted and voted on in a secondary amendment vote period, but the maximum debate period shall not be extended. Following the secondary amendment period, or if no second amendments are submitted, the chamber shall proceed to vote on final passage of the bill.

• 1. The secondary debate period may be ended at any time by the Chamber leader. The secondary amendment vote period will follow the same structure as the main amendment vote period in Article(V)(II)(1) and subsections.

• 2. The chamber may not initiate a third debate period or amendment vote in the same reading of a bill.

Section I - Voting shall work as stated below; any Representative may change their vote at any time before the vote period ends:

1. Representatives may cast their votes the following way:
a. Aye or Yea, in favour;

b. Nay or No, in opposition;

c. Abstain or Present, abstention.

2. Representatives who do not cast their votes are counted as absentees and discounted from the overall total of votes cast.

Section II - The voting stage shall occur after the debate period has been closed by the chamber leader.

1. If any amendments have been submitted, the chamber leader is encouraged to put them to vote but can reject any amendment seen unfit for consideration.
a. Voting time on amendments must be between 12 hours and 2 days.

b. The main bill shall be changed in accordance with any amendment obtaining a simple majority of the vote.

c. If the main bill has been amended, this should be noted with the text: “As amended by: [Author's Name]” added under “Author” & “Sponsor” (if applicable).

2. Once amendment voting is complete, if there was no amendment, or the second debate/amendment period has ended, the main bill shall be voted on.

a. Voting time on the main bill must be between 24 hours and 5 days or until all representatives have cast their vote unless any non-voting representatives have either signalled they will be unable to vote, or have not cast a vote for the previous three items of chamber business; in either case the voting time may end without their vote being cast provided all other representatives have cast their vote

b. A representative may be allowed to cast their vote for a bill or amendment in advance should they signal that they might not otherwise be available during the regular voting period, provided no amendments pass on the bill unless they cast their advance vote during or after the respective amendment vote period. If the chamber initiates a second debate period and passes more amendments without another advance vote on the final bill being cast, the first advance vote on the final bill cannot be recognised.

c. If a Representative is on a declared Leave of Absence, their vote shall be automatically counted as Abstain, unless the Representative casts a vote following the requirements of Section II, 2, b. of this Article.

Section I - Any Thaecian citizen can author legislation, however;

Section II - In order for a bill to be legitimate, it must contain a bill name and an author.

Section III - The chamber leader may refuse to put a bill on the docket or request the author rewrite the bill if it is poorly written (spelling, punctuation, grammar) or contains profanity, inappropriate, or offensive language.

Section I - The author(s) of a bill maintains the right to unilaterally amend their bill whilst it is being debated by Congress.

Section II - If the author(s) do unilaterally amend their bill whilst it is being debated by Congress, they must inform the respective Chamber of the amendment they have implemented by a post on the Chamber's Regional Message Board. This post must quote the text of the bill - both before and after amending - and must be presented in a way that makes it clear to Representatives how the text of the bill has been edited.

Section III - The author(s) lose this ability to unilaterally amend a bill when at least one of the following conditions has been met:

1. One or more amendments has been passed by Congress;

2. Congress has passed the bill;

3. The bill is being considered by one Chamber after being passed by the other Chamber;

4. All representatives in the Chamber voting on the bill have voted.

Section I - A motion will be defined as a proposal made in a deliberative assembly by one of its members or a sponsored citizen.

Section II - Such proposal has to differ from a regular bill or points of order barring the fact they must follow the same procedures as detailed in Article(IV) and Article (V).

Section III - Any representative may make a motion of unanimous consent that their chamber pass any amendment, bill, motion, or nomination. All representatives in the chamber in which the motion was made must be alerted to the motion. The motion shall be successful if after 24 hours a majority of the representatives in the chamber have acknowledged the motion and no representative has objected. If a chamber adjourns during this time the motion shall fail.

• 1. If an unanimous consent motion has been objected to, no unanimous consent motion on the same item may be made in that same chamber without the consent of the objecting representative for the remainder of that chambers term.

Section I - A hearing will be defined as the summoning of an individual to answer questions or state their case in an ongoing investigation.

Section II - A hearing may only be called on for members of the government or a past government. For the purpose of this bill, the following positions shall be defined as member of a government: World Assembly Delegate, Prime Minister, Minister, Deputy Minister, Justice, Deputy Justice, Electoral Commissioner, Deputy Electoral Commissioner, Assistant Electoral Commissioner, Secretary, Ministerial and Departmental Staffers (excluding the Roleplay and Worldbuilding Administrations).

Section III - In order for a Hearing to be held, a motion must be put to the floor of that chamber and passed with a simple majority.

Section V - An individual called by Congress for a hearing has the right to contest the justification for said hearing in Court if they deem it does not fit the proceeds of Article(IX)(I) of this Act.

Section I - Points of Order are direct questions asked by (a) representative(s) to the chamber leader that are proper, relevant, and related to the chamber's business.

Section II - The chamber leader is obliged to respond to Points of Order which fit guidelines in Article(X)(I).

Section III - In order for a representative to make it clear they are making a Point of Order, they must say “Point of Order”, prior to asking their question.

Section I - All representatives must act orderly in their respective chamber's RMB.

Section II - Disorderly behaviour is defined as using profanity or inappropriate language, personally attacking another representative, unjustly accusing or lying about another representative, treating others with a significant lack of dignity or respect, or any other manner of such actions.

Section III - Being disorderly can result in suspension from the chamber. The duration of the suspension shall be at the discretion of the chambers' leader. This suspension can be contested in court.

Section I - The usage of the chamber's RMB shall be restricted to:

• Senators for the Senate RMB and Members of Parliament for the House of Commons RMB;

• The Prime Minister;

• Authors of bills;

• Nominees being considered for a position;

• The Electoral Commissioner for conducting chamber leader elections and other necessary requirements set out in respective Thaecian laws;

• People sponsored to participate in a debate.

Section II - Representatives may be allowed to sponsor citizens to participate in debates by stating on the chamber's RMB who they are sponsoring. If the chamber leader believes this system is being abused, they shall be allowed to revoke the right of a sponsored citizen to speak on the chamber's RMB.

Section III - The usage of one chamber's RMB by individuals who do not fall into any of the categories listed above shall be declared illegal and punishable under the law.

Section I - Tabling occurs when ongoing chamber business is sidelined by the chamber leader to make way for more urgent business.

Section II - In the event a bill is tabled, its entitled debate and voting times are reset for when it goes back on the floor.

Section III - The chamber leader has the right to table any business at any time.

1. This right is revoked if the bill has been sponsored by at least 3/5ths of the Chamber's members.

2. Motions of no confidence cannot be tabled.

Section IV - This decision may be overruled by a Chamber veto, in which case the business will be immediately brought back to the floor.

1. A veto shall be defined as a dispatch signed by a majority of the Chamber's members.

Section I - Adjournments are where the chamber leader deliberately stops all business for a short period of time.

Section II - Adjournments may be called if there is no other business to be put to the floor.

Section III - Adjournments called by the chamber leader can be long lasting if there is no other business to be put to the floor. As soon as a business is available it must be put to the floor within 2 days except as per Article(XIV)(IV).

Section IV - A chamber will be automatically adjourned exactly 24 hours before whole Chamber elections are held.

Section V - A Chamber, through a simple majority vote, may motion to temporarily adjourn for any period of time as determined by the motion.

1. This can be undone at any time by a separate motion, which must also pass with a simple majority vote.

Section II - If a Representative wishes to declare a Leave of Absence, they must inform their respective chamber leader and provide the following information:

• 1. The length of the Leave of Absence, but such period shall not last longer than 14 days.

• 2. Reasoning for the Leave of Absence

Section III - Should a Representative declare a Leave of Absence, they agree that their votes during that period will be automatically counted as "abstain" unless they cast a vote in accordance with Article V, Section II, 2, b. of this Act.

Section IV - There is no limit to the amount of Leave of Absences that a Representative can declare during their time in Congress.

• 1. A Representative can withdraw their Leave of Absence declaration at any time.

Section V - Chamber leaders do not have the right to reject a Leave of Absence declaration by a Representative.

Section VI - There is a minimum cooldown period of 7 days from the end of one Leave of Absence period before a Representative may declare another Leave of Absence.

Section I - Should a nation be found to violate Article I, II, III or IV of this law, they shall rectify the problem immediately; should they fail to do so, they shall be considered guilty of an offence at the level of a Misdemeanour, as defined by LR 044, and should be punished in the same manner.

Section II - Should a nation be found to violate Article V, VI, VII, VIII or IX of this law, their vote, proposed legislation, author amendment, motion, or hearing, shall be declared invalid.

Section III - Should a chamber leader be found to violate Article X of this law, they shall be considered guilty of an offence at the level of an Infraction, as defined by LR 044, and should be punished in the same manner.

Section IV - Should a nation be found to violate Article XII, XIII or XIV of this law, they shall be considered guilty of an offence at the level of an Infraction, as defined by LR 044, and should be punished in the same manner, and any applicable posts suppressed.

Section I - This act constitutes the repeal of:

1. L.R. 024 Parliament Procedures Act
2. L.R. 027 Shadow Speaker Appointment Act
3. L.R. 034 Congressional Toolbox Act
4. L.R. 037 Senate Procedures Act

• Section I - Either chamber of Congress, the House of Commons or Senate, can call for an investigation by passing a motion with a simple majority vote in their respective chamber.

  • I. Congress shall have the ability to investigate any past or current government actions and functions, which includes every aspect of the Thaecian government and its members.

• Section II - During a Congressional investigation, the chamber of Congress can seek testimony from past and current Thaecian citizens and can seek government information relating to the objective of the investigation.

• Section III - A chamber of Congress may conduct the investigation in private, including the collection of testimonies and government information.

  • I. Individuals can testify publicly if they and the chamber of Congress both consent (in the case of the Congress, by a single majority vote) to hold the hearing in a public setting.

• Section IV - A Congressional investigation may last for a maximum of two months from the official start of the investigation.

  • I. An investigation can be extended past the maximum of two months by a simple majority vote in its respective chamber.

  • II. An investigation can conclude by a simple majority vote in its respective chamber.

• Section V - Once a Congressional investigation concludes, the chamber of Congress conducting the investigation must release a report on its findings. The report can display what actions the Thaecian government must take to solve an issue found in the investigation.

  • I. The report must be approved by a simple majority vote in its respective chamber before it can be made official

  • II. Congress shall have the power to recommend the Justice Minister to bring criminal charges against any individual that is subject to the Congressional investigation report.

• Section VI - There is no limit to the amount of investigations either chamber of Congress can conduct.

• Section I - The chamber of Congress conducting an investigation may issue a subpoena for testimony or government information from an individual.

  • I. The subpoena shall be issued with a simple majority vote in its respective chamber.

  • II. Government information shall be defined as official government documents and discussions, either in public channels, private channels, dispatches, telegrams, and direct messages.

  • III. Classified information is not an exception to a subpoena unless the High Court rules that such information can not be shared with the chamber of Congress at the present time, such as it being important to the security of the region at the time the subpoena was issued.

  • IV. Individuals subject to a subpoena must obey every aspect of the subpoena by 14 days of its enactment unless one or more requested documents are being considered by the High Court under the previous sub-section.

• This Act hereby repeals L.R. 023 Congressional Investigation Act

• Section I - The High Court shall have jurisdiction over all laws of Thaecia and any treaties: these shall be referred to for the purposes of this bill only as items.

• Section II - The High Court, by majority vote, may establish rules and procedures relevant to it and any other courts operation as necessary, provided these rules and procedures comply with Thaecian law.

• Section III - To obtain a preponderance of the evidence means that the claim presented by one party is more credible and convincing than the other, and that action taken by the Court would be more probable to be the correct outcome than not.

• Section IV - To prove beyond a reasonable doubt means that the claim presented by one party can prove, beyond any doubt built on evidence and facts, is true.

• Section V - A crime is an act or omission that is punishable by law.

• Section I - All citizens of Thaecia may file cases before any Court established under Thaecian law. Appeals may also be filed by individuals recently banned due to having been convicted of a crime.

  • Section Ia - For a nation recently banned due to having been convicted of a crime, they must file their appeal through the Chief Justice, who will then appeal the case in the High Court, so long as it has not already been appealed and failed.

• Section II - There are three primary types of cases that may be heard in a Thaecian court: criminal cases, legal reviews, and appeals.

  • Sub-Section I - Criminal cases are cases brought by a citizen alleging that another citizen has committed a crime under the laws of Thaecia.

  • Sub-Section II - There are two types of legal reviews:

    • Legal inquiry: a proceeding in which, if successful, would either result in an order by the Court commanding a citizen to take or refrain from taking a particular action or actions, would result in a Court declaration that a person is or is not the holder of an office, would result in a Court declaration that a past action is or is not legal, or would determine the correct interpretation of an item.

    • Constitutional review: a proceeding in which, if successful, would result in a Court order that declares an item or government action, to the point of inconsistency with the Constitution, of no force and effect, or would determine the correct interpretation of the Constitution; only the High Court may hear these cases.

  • Sub-section III - Appeals are a proceeding which, if successful, would have the High Court overturn a criminal case decision of any court or a legal review of a lower court if the court in question erred in their judgment.

• Section III - For criminal cases, the filing citizen must prove beyond a reasonable doubt that a crime occurred under Thaecian law.

• Section IV - For legal reviews, the filing citizen must prove with the preponderance of evidence that their claim is meritorious and the correct course of action for the Court to take.

  • Sub-section I - Criminal cases resulting in a not guilty verdict by any Court ruling are non-appealable and final, unless:

    • The acquittal was tainted by being acquired as a result of interfering with a witness, Court official, prosecutor, or in any substantial way to pervert the course of justice.

    • There was a fundamental defect in the Court's proceedings.

• Section V - For appeals, the filing citizen or an individual recently banned due to having been convicted of a crime must prove with the preponderance of evidence that a lower court erred in their judgement.

  • Sub-section I - The result of appeals cases are themselves, non-appealable and final.

• Section VI - All Court rulings on legal reviews are restricted solely to the questions presented in the original case filing or during oral arguments.

• Section I - In order to file a criminal case, a citizen should post a completed form in the following format to the RMB of a Thaecian Court:

  [Plaintiff] v. [Defendant]

  Crimes alleged & laws in violation:

  Describe the facts of the case as you hold them to be:

• Section II - In order to file a legal inquiry, a citizen should post a completed form in the following format to the RMB of a Thaecian Court:

  Are you seeking (check one):

  - an order by the Court commanding a citizen to take or refrain from taking a particular action or actions;
  - a Court declaration that a person is or is not the rightful holder of a particular office;
  - a Court declaration that a past course of action is or is not legal
  - a Court declaration on the correct interpretation of an item, or otherwise an advisory opinion by the Court;

  What specific order or declaration are you seeking:

  Describe the relevant facts as you hold them to be:

• Section III - In order to file a constitutional review, a citizen should post a completed form in the following format to the RMB of the High Court:

  Are you seeking (check one):

  - a Court order declaring an item or government action, to the point of the inconsistency, unconstitutional;
  - a Court declaration on the correct interpretation of the Constitution;

  Describe the relevant facts as you hold them to be:

• Section IV - In order to file an appeal, a citizen or an individual recently banned due to having been convicted of a crime should post a completed form in the following format to the RMB of the High Court:

  What decision are you seeking to appeal:

  Describe how the court in question erred in its decision:

  Are you seeking an order to temporarily stop the effects of the decision of the court in question, if so on what grounds:

Section I
Any political group wishing to obtain official status as a political party must comply with the following requirements:

• Present an official factbook with a list of members, all of which must be citizens of Thaecia, with the factbook having to be updated at least once every twenty-one (21) days unless the party has obtained no new members in that time period and no members have left in the same.

• Present an official party name and acronym.

• Present a list of policies supported by the party.

• Fullfills any other requirements set throughout this Act.
  

Section II
A political party which fails to comply with any of these requirements is to have it's official recognition stripped, however can re-obtain it provided the party complies with the requirements.

• A political party is not disbanded if it has its recognition stripped, however it is not to be recognised by the Electoral Commission for elections or given any of the rights enjoyed by recognised parties throughout this bill, barring Article V Section I.

• A political party will retain the rights enjoyed by recognised parties throughout this bill after their recognition is stripped for a period of seven (7) days after the fact.
  

Section I
The Electoral Commission is to be tasked with recognising or withdrawing recognition of political parties based exclusively on the criteria set through this act.

Section II
The Electoral Commission is to be tasked with maintaining a publicly viewable and regularly updated factbook containing exclusively the official party factbooks of all recognised political parties.

Section I
Political Parties shall have the liberty to select any name for themselves, provided it complies with the following requirements:

• Must not violate any NationStates rules.

• Must be composed exclusively of letters of the latin alphabet and/or arabic numerals.

• Must contain no less than 5 characters and no more than 40 characters.
  

Once a political party receives official recognition, its name shall no longer be open for use by any other political parties either until the party is no longer officially recognised, or until the party selects a new name for itself, in which case the new name shall no longer be open for use, following this same criteria.

Section II
Political Parties shall have the liberty to select any acronym for themselves, with exception of the acronym "IND", provided it complies with the following requirements:

• Must not violate any NationStates rules.

• Must be composed exclusively of letters of the latin alphabet and/or arabic numerals.

• Must contain no less than 1 character and no more than 4 characters.
  

Once a political party receives official recognition, its acronym shall no longer be open for use by any other political parties either until the party is no longer officially recognised, or until the party selects a new acronym for itself, in which case the new acronym shall no longer be open for use, following this same criteria.

Section III
Political Parties shall have the liberty to select one colour to represent itself in official government documents and election results. Multiple parties may select the same colour.

Section I
Candidates contesting an election may choose to run under their registered political party, in which case their party acronym is to appear to the right of their nation name on the ballot. Candidates may not run under political parties they are not registered members of.

Section II
Candidates may also opt to run as independents, in which case the acronym "IND" is to appear to the right of their nation name on the ballot.

Section I
A Political Party shall be granted full autonomy over their own internal running, this includes how it chooses to organise its leadership and rules. Parties are allowed to kick off members as well as to refuse the entry of new nations into the party without the need to provide justification.

Section II
The Electoral Commission is to treat the owner of the party's membership factbook as its official representative, being able to make choices regarding the official name, acronym and colour of the party on behalf of it.

• The owner of the party's membership factbook may select another individual member of the party to represent it in its relation with the Electoral Commission.

Section I
Upon the passage of this Act, political parties with at least one (1) member of Congress in any Chamber shall be entitled to automatic legal recognition.

• Section I - There shall be a Thaempirial Army, which shall have the duty of protecting the interregional sphere and contributing to Thaecian interests abroad. The Thaempirial Army shall consist of the Prime Minister, The Minister of Defense, subordinate officers and loyal soldiers.

• Section II – There shall be an established Minister of Defense, informally known as the Tagus, nominated by the Prime Minister,

  • Section IIa – Whose duties it shall be to create military policy consistent with the Government's foreign affairs,

  • Section IIb – To engage in Military affairs, domestic, interregional and;

  • Section IIc – To maintain and coordinate a Thaempirial Army.

• Section III - The Minister of Defense must be confirmed with a simple majority vote in the Senate.

• Section IV - At the Minister of Defense's pleasure, their title may alternate to Minister of Defence.

• Section I - The Thaempirial Army shall have the Prime Minister as its Chief in Command and the Minister of Defense as the operational most senior officer.

• Section II - The Thaempirial Army shall have the responsibility to, where appropriate: uphold interregional military engagements, provide military assistance to allies, protect and forward collective Thaecian interests abroad and domestically.

• Section III - The Prime Minister as the highest officer shall retain the right to block or command military operations and has the responsibility to do so where it would be productive for collective Thaecian interests.

• Section IV - Members of the Senate may request for a list on operations that were conducted during that month which have already concluded, from the Minister of Defense at the end of that month.

• Section I - The Thaempirial Army shall never undertake a griefing operation.

• Section II - Griefing shall be defined as refounding of an occupied region, closing of over 200 embassies in a single occupied region, applying passwords to an occupied region, or the ejection/banjection of natives of occupied regions.

  • Section IIa - A native shall be defined as a resident of a region who is not residing in the region for a primarily military purpose. Natives who provide military support to would-be liberators of their region are still guaranteed the protections of this article.

• Section III - Members of the Thaempirial Army shall report griefing by any Thaecian or by a member of another organization with which the Thaempirial Army is collaborating with the Minister of Defense. Should a member of the Thaempirial Army become aware of griefing in these circumstances but knowingly fails to report it, they may be expelled from the Thaempirial Army.

• Section IV - If the Thaempirial Army has taken part in an operation that griefs a region, the whole organization will be required to withdraw from the operation as soon as possible. A Thaempirial Army member who defies the order to withdraw from the operation in question shall be expelled from the Thaempirial Army and shall never be readmitted.

  • Section IVa - The Thaempirial Army must inform operation participants that the Thaempirial Army has a zero tolerance on griefing prior to it participating in any operation that has any reasonable possibility of involving griefing. If a participant declares their intention to grief, or it is disclosed that the operation is of a griefing nature, the Thaempirial Army shall not take part in that operation unless said participant agrees not to grief, or said participant is removed from the operation.

• Section V - This article shall not apply to regions that are of a bigoted ideology in nature or regions designed specifically for training operations.

  • Section Va - The Senate may also, at the request of the Prime Minister or Minister of Defense and by a motion passed with a two thirds majority in the Senate, exclude any region from the protections afforded by this article; this vote may take place in private to ensure operational security provided all Senators are able to access the vote and debate stage (if the latter does occur).

• Section I - The Thaempirial Army may not admit anyone who has been tried and found guilty of treason or espionage. If a member of the Thaempirial Army is found guilty of treason, they will be immediately expelled. They may only be allowed back into the Thaempirial Army if a Court with the legal power to do so overturns a decision to find them guilty.

• Section II - A nation may be removed from the Thaempirial Army at the will of the Prime Minister or Minister of Defense should they think it is beneficial to do so.

• Section III - A nation can appeal their removal to the Prime Minister and the Minister of Defense. If they both approve the reinstatement, the nation will be reinstated, provided they still fulfill the requirements in Section I. If the appeal is rejected, said nation may only appeal again after a period of 2 (two) months.

• Section IV - The Prime Minister and Minister of Defense have permission to create any ranks underneath the Minister of Defense that they may wish and promote and demote nations as they wish.

• Section I - Any nation violating the following articles and sections shall be guilty of offences at the following levels, as defined by LR 044, and should be punished in the same manner:

  • Article III Section III - Felony

  • Article III Section IV - Treason

• Section II - Should a military official lead the Thaempirial Army into an operation that they have been informed will be of a griefing nature without any way of changing this intent, they shall be guilty of having committed treason, as defined by LR 044, and should be punished in the same manner.

• Section III - Should any nation be otherwise found in violation of this law, the appropriate authorities shall be made to rectify the mistake immediately; should they not, the High Court should issue a court ruling determining the correct, legal course of action.

• Section I - The passage of this bill constitutes the repeal of L.R. 044 Military Commission Act.

• Section I - Each Minister shall have the ability to select a Deputy Minister for their respective Ministry.

  • I. The Prime Minister must approve of all Deputy Minister selections made by their respective Ministers.

  • II. A Deputy Minister can be removed by the Prime Minister or their respective Minister for any reason. The Prime Minister may not appoint Deputies on a Minister's behalf; they may only reject and approve Deputy selections.

• Section II - A Minister shall have the ability to name their Deputy Minister as the "Interim Minister" for up to 14 days at a time in the event they will be away from their duties and responsibilities.

  • I. In the event a Deputy Minister becomes an Interim Minister, they shall possess the same powers and abilities as the Minister in charge, excluding Regional Officers permissions, until said Minister returns to fulfill their duties and responsibilities.

• Section III - The Prime Minister shall have the ability to name the Deputy Minister as the Interim Minister of their respective Ministry if the Minister is inactive or neglecting their responsibilities.

• Section IV - A Deputy Minister shall not be able to serve as Interim Minister for a period longer than 14 days. After this time period has elapsed, they shall return to their position as Deputy Minister.

  • I. After an Interim Minister returns to being a Deputy, they shall not be named Interim Minister by the Prime Minister or their Minister for 7 days excluding for any other reason detailed throughout the rest of this law.

• Section I - All Ministers have the ability to give responsibilities and duties to their respective Deputy Minister in daily and long term operations of the Ministry.

• Section II - Any administrative proposals made by a Deputy Minister must be approved by their respective Minister for it to be put into action.

  • I. The Prime Minister may enact any proposal made by a Deputy Minister if their respective Minister rejected such proposal.

  • II. An administrative proposal shall be defined as a proposal made to change daily or long-term operations in a Ministry.

• Section I - The passage of this bill constitutes the repeal of L.R. 014 Deputy Minister Act

• Section I - For the purposes of this law, defines:

  • Proscription - a decree issued that formally prohibits an individual from entering Thaecia or her dependencies,

  • Outsider - an individual who is not in any capacity a citizen of Thaecia,

• Section I - A proscription may be issued by the Prime Minister, with a two thirds majority of Ministers, against any outsider, or group thereof, who pose a significant risk to the sovereignty, safety, or security, of Thaecia.

  • Section Ia - A proscribed individual may not enter the region of Thaecia with any of their own nations or shared nations; they may not employ a proxy to enter the region on their behalf.

  • Section Ib - Proscriptions may not occur unless there are at least four currently serving Cabinet Ministers.

• Section II - All proscriptions must be issued publicly, unless it is believed by three fourths of Ministers that a public issuing would harm or increase the risk to the sovereignty, safety, or security of Thaecia, in which case the proscription must only be informed to Justices of the High Court.

  • Section IIa - Deputy Justices do not need to be informed unless they are currently serving as a stand-in for another Justice.

• Section III - Any proscription may be, at the will of the High Court, subject to judicial review to determine the necessity and legality of the decision.

  • Section IIIa - Such a hearing may be conducted in private if the Court wishes to do so.

• Section I - A proscription may be revoked at any time by the Prime Minister, with a two thirds majority of all Ministers.

• Section II - The High Court may revoke a proscription in the event that the proscribed outsider(s):

  • Section IIa - were in any capacity citizens of Thaecia at the time of their proscription;

  • Section IIb - did not pose a significant risk to the sovereignty, safety, or security, of Thaecia.

• Section I - In the event that an individual or group thereof are proscribed when they do not pose a significant risk to Thaecia, and this is done in mens rea knowing that they do not pose such a risk, the nations who did so willingly in actus reus will be considered guilty of an offence at the level of a Felony, as defined by L.R. 044, and should be punished in the same manner.

• Section II - In the event that an individual or group thereof are proscribed without the approval of the Prime Minister and/or a two thirds majority of Ministers, the nations who did so willingly in mens rea and actus reus will be considered guilty of an offence at the level of a Felony, as defined by L.R. 044, and should be punished in the same manner.

• Section III - In the event that an individual who is proscribed from Thaecia attempts to enter the region or her dependencies, or attempts to employ a proxy to do so on their behalf, they shall be immediately banned from the region(s) in question.

• Section I - Any MP is allowed to hire one intern.

• Section II - An intern is restricted to one chamber of Congress.

• Section III - An intern may not be a Member of Congress or the Prime Minister.
  

• Section I - MP's can post applications for those interested in being a Congressional intern for the preferred chamber of Congress.

• Section II - The respective member of Congress must inform their Chamber Leader upon the appointment, resignation or dismissal of an intern.

• Section III - The applications will ask the following:

  • 1. What is your Thaecian nation name?

  • 2. Why do you want to be an intern?

  • 3. Are there any policy ideas that you feel enthusiastic about?

  • 4. Are there any goals you hope to accomplish while in Thaecia?

• Section I - The Chamber Leader will maintain a factbook listing the current interns. This dispatch will be made readily avaliable on the Chamber's site page.

• Section II - Each intern is required to maintain a factbook listing how they would have voted for certain bills if they were Members of Congress, and can provide arguments in the factbook as to why if they so choose.

  • Section IIa - Interns will be allowed to post this factbook once on the Chamber's RMB. They must not engage in active bill debate on the RMB and can only post their thoughts on the text of the current bill in question in their factbook.
    

• Section I - Interns can be fired by their respective congressperson for any reason.

  • Section Ia - Interns can be fired by their respective Chamber Leader for breaking Thaecian law or breaking Congressional rules.

• Section II - Interns cannot be fired for having a different voting opinion on issues than the Speaker or Chair.