Senate organization

[DAVOUT]

This is to open a debate on the Senate organization.
The following draft of Rules of Procedures has been prepared with two main concerns: all Senators have equal rights, and the Senate must control the executive but not duplicate its work nor do the work in its place. It is also strictly within the limits given to the Senate by the Constitution.

This is a link where a discussion on the same subject was recently held: http://apolyton.net/forums/showthrea...threadid=65156

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Senate Rules of Procedures

In application of the Constitution (Article II, §11), the Senate organizes its works according to the following Rules of Procedure.

1. The Senate Archives Office (SAF) keeps records of all laws, motions, resolutions, and otherwise that are passed, amended, or removed, as stated in the Constitution (Article II §12), as well as reports, minutes, treaties, and documents of any kind, created by the Senate. The Keeper of the SAF organize the filing in multiple criteria, mainly chronological, nature, subjects, and any other he finds appropriate.

2. The Secretary of the Senate (SecoS) maintains the Agenda of what is currently in progress and what is to be done but not yet started.

3. The Senate Commission of Laws (SenCL), in view of ensuring a high quality of all legal writings, offers to all Senators, individually or in commissions, to review the text of any poll, laws, orders, etc, they intend to publish; once the review is passed, the text will bear the stamp Reviewed by The Senate Commission of Laws. A text not reviewed is normally published, but do not bear the stamp.

4.Senate Committees controls the Government action; in order to reduce duplication of efforts its members accept that all threads they would have previously opened under their name be discussed by the Committees, and, if agreed by the members, be published under the heading of the related Committee, with them as Author. The following committees will be created as and when two Senators will decide so, one of them filling the Secretary function:
- Domestic Affairs (ComDAf)
- Military Affairs (CoMil)
- Foreign Affairs (ComFA)
- Economy and Finance (ComEF)
- Science (ComSCI)

5 All Senator can become a member of one or several committees, permanently or temporarily; as a consequence, the internal polls that the committees could decide to make will not refer to any quorum, but only to voters.

6. Each Committee nominates a Secretary to keep track of the members and maintain a list of current members.

7. Internal polls in committees are not automatically counted; each Senator posts his vote which is public.

8. The rules of procedures describing how each Committee intends to organize its works will be annexed to and part of the present Senate Rules of Procedures.

9. The incumbents of the posts opened in §1 and 2 are nominated then approved in a poll. These functions have no effects on the Senators rights.

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After discussion and corrections, the final version will be polled as a Senate Bill.

[GodKing]

We don't need no stinkin organization. Just yell and say what ya want to say, when ya want to say it, and if ya don't like what ya hear, throw some o' those rotton bananas at whomever said it.

[Nimitz]

Looks pritty good.

[roadcage]

I agree with GodKing. Believe it or not, some of us just want to play the game.

[DAVOUT]

Originally posted by roadcage
I agree with GodKing. Believe it or not, some of us just want to play the game.

I believe it, sure, it is why nobody is obliged to be involved in that; you can just continue to vote when you are interested in an issue. But believe it or not, some of us participate in the demo game BECAUSE there are more things to deal with than just the game. Both categories have coexisted till now, and the senate should not make the coexistence more difficult.

I hope so, at least !

[Thud]

I stand by my previous alternative to this method:

1. Supreme Bigwig(aka SAF, any name will do) :
keeps records of all laws, motions, resolutions, and otherwise that are passed, amended, or removed, as stated in the Constitution (Article II §12), as well as reports, minutes, treaties, and documents of any kind, created by the Senate. The Keeper of the SAF organize the filing in multiple criteria, mainly chronological, nature, subjects, and any other he finds appropriate.
2. Senate Majority\Minority Leaders:
A referendum will be taken to determine the party or bloc of voters that is most popular. i.e. people will say the Hawks have more power than the DIA or independents. The Hawk representative or leader will become the Senate Majority Leader, and the DIA and independents will share a Minority Leader. Each Leader would draft Agendas. Differing Agendas would lead to real purpose to opposition, and would clearly expose issues to the public eye.
3. Senate Oversight Committee:
A comination of ComDAf, ComFA, ComEF, and retaining those organizations as subcommittees. This is to simplify the process: any thread regarding domestic or nonmilitary foreign affairs will be submitted to the SOC.
5. The Senate Commission of Military Affairs (CoMil)
6. Commision on Science, Technology, and Development: Examines the method the President and Ministers take in futuring progresive growth and choosing techs.
All commisions will serve pretty much the same purpose and work pretty much the same way as Davout suggests.

[Kloreep]

- Domestic Affairs (ComDAf)
- Military Affairs (CoMil)
- Foreign Affairs (ComFA)
- Science (ComSCI)

IMO, these four should follow the model Arnelos is already trying to set up for FA: an open committee like the City Council. Since the senate has no real (or at least major) power in these areas, there's no reason to bother appointing anyone leaders of these committees.

Economy is a different subject, and will depend on how the treasury is set up. If a MoE-like figure is appointed, it should also be an unofficial, memberless Council. If an official committee is to be used, it would of course be more formal.

[DAVOUT]

Kloreep,

I do not totally agree with Arnelos, although I understand that he wanted to make things running as soon as possible. But I dont see the point of having the Macchiavelli Institute disbanded and his work taken over by the Senate; the MI is a think tank, it can study freely any subject without time limits; the Senate can use the MI works, but need not to do them.
The FAM advisors are part of the executive cabinet (more or less formally), and give their advices in their name and not on behalf of the Senate
The Senate, through the Committee of Foreign Affairs, must control that the FAM adopt a stance in line with the Senate long term objectives, and if needed initiate projects.
Also, it is not intended in this project to have committees leaders.

[Arnelos]

DAVOUT,

As I think you know, my attempt to form the "Senate Foreign Affairs Committee" into something akin to the current City Council or Machiavelli Institute, but simply considering more issues (due to NewCon changes) is in large part due to the lack of any current Senate structure.

Should the Senate create a more formal structure for itself, obviously the Senate Foreign Affairs Committee would be more formalized and fit into that structure. I just want to get started with a group of people so that we can do what we can now and expand later if the Senate (as a whole) wishes to do that.

[Panag]

hi ,

sounds good Davout , we need some structure , ....

have a nice day