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[PUBLIC] Finance Ministry, Term XIV

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Jape

Jape

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This is the headquarters of the Federal Finance Ministry. It is here the MoF shall publish for the public any important information, and it is also where the public should come to make inquiries or petitions (Note that this can be done privately through directly contacting [PM] the Minister).

Internal workings of the ministry and private meetings occur directly in the Minister's office (Private Threads).

The building is a re-vamped brownstone apartment building of 1920's design, with echoey corridors and bits of art hanging on it's off-white walls.
 
After inspecting the other entrance, Woody decides he likes this one better. He arranges to have the other one closed, with a sign direction people here. He is flabergasted by the lack of activity so far this term. He (re-)introduces himself to the minister's direct staff and deputy ministers, and then starts working through the in box.
 
Next Hallowe'en, we should have a haunted house here, charging people to come in and see where the Ministers disappeared. I hope I am not next.
 
A press release is issued...
Finance Ministry Notice 14-1​

Public comment is invited on the following proposed regulation.
All firms seeking new or renewed contracts with the Finance Ministry must present documentation that their all full time employees working in the United Provinces of Eutopia over the age of 24 are the beneficiaries of pension plan contributions of at least the level prevailing prior to the passage of the Revised Worker's Bill of Rights Act.
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Comments should be sent in writing to this address by (RL 3/27). If, on the basis of the comments received, any adjustments to the wording are planned, a subsequent public comment period will be held for the revised wording.
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Woody convenes a meeting with his deputy ministers, asking about any ideas or projects they might have been kicking around, that they hadn't had a chance to bring up, both for the Ministry and well as for the nation.

"For example, I was thinking about the time lost, health costs, and lives cut short by smoking tobacco. I know that is mostly a Social Services Ministry area, but in our role as an employer, we can make a difference too. I am considering making all Finance Ministry offices smoke free, giving employees assistance to quit smoking, and perhaps requiring all new hires to be and remain non-smokers."
 
One of the Ministry's legal counsel, who Woody did not remember inviting but appears to have anyway, speaks up. "Sir, under Article 11 of the Eutopian Charter of Rights, I think requiring that all new hires be and remain non-smokers would be a direct violation of the Constitution."
 
Thank you for your input. You are in good company, as the President agrees with you. I was focusing on Article 12, that says: "All persons shall have the right to live and work in a safe environment conducive to their health, well-being, and personal growth." So we can make the Finance Ministry buildings and grounds smoke free, and prohibit people from smoking too close the entrances and exits of our buildings, so as to protect our employees from second hand smoke. The question is whether a smoker lacks the necessary qualifications. I see your point, if a smoker who did not yet have excessive absences due to health problems, used nicotine gum or a nicotine patch so they did have to take a cigarette break every hour, who wore freshly laundered or cleaned clothes so they did not reek of tobacco smoke which could negatively impact their interpersonal skills or trigger an asthma attack in someone nearby, and who otherwise was perfectly well qualified would be protected by Article 11. Can we give hiring preferences to non-smokers?
 
"I don't think so sir. As soon as we hire someone over someone else based on whether or not they're smokers, we'll likely have infringed on their right to pursue a calling for which they are qualified. We may be walking constitutionally questionable ground even asking whether or not they smoke, or at least unlawful ground. I'd have to check up on the Workers Bill of Rights to be certain.

We can legally make our buildings non-smoking facilities and all that, but I don't think we can lawfully exclude a smoker from working here if they want to, they're qualified, and we have a job opening. Despite its harmful side effects to the user and others, smoking is still legal."
 
Right. I will plan on pursuing the smoke free work place initiative, but I want to start with the programs to help employees quit smoking first, so as to minimize the distruption. Any ideas on other topics?
 
Woody contacts Medicure and arranges to have some literature on the health dangers of smoking and second hand smoke sent over, and placed in the pantries and employee lounges. He enquires about getting doctors or nurses as speakers for some staff meetings. He requests for one of his staff to ask around and find some Finance Ministry employees who had quit in the past few years, to canvass them about how they had done it, what helped them, in particular any websites, and to summarize this and run in as a story in the next internal newsletter. Not to neglect the economic side of things, he asks one of the junior economists to put together a study on how much smoking was costing the UPE, with the intention of running it in the next Finance Ministry Quarterly Bulletin.
 
"The period for public comment having elapsed on proposed regulation 14-1, the following regulation is hereby adopted:"
Effective (RL April 10, 2006), all firms seeking new or renewed contracts with the Finance Ministry must present documentation that their all full time employees working in the United Provinces of Eutopia over the age of 24 are the beneficiaries of pension plan contributions of at least the level prevailing prior to the passage of the Revised Worker's Bill of Rights Act. Purchases of under $100 per quarter from a firm are exempt from this regulation.
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Woody alerts purchasing of the regulation, and helps them draft a pre-qualification form for potential vendors and a compliance attestation form for current suppliers.
 
"The High Court has ruled that the Supplementary Seatbelt Regulations issued last term by this Ministry were unconstitutional because the regulations did not focus on commerce. The Interior Ministry had previously issued their own version of the same regulation, but then may have retracted them. Seatbelts are a good idea, for a number of reasons. I wear seatbelts when available and would not choose in advance to ride in taxi or bus that did not have them. However, that choice is not always available. If you call for a cab, and the one that shows up doesn't have seatbelts, what can you do? If you are waiting for a bus and the one that stops doesn't have seatbelts, what can you do? To prevent consumers from having to accept unsafe commercial transportation, the following regulation is hereby implemented. Given the prior regulations, it is effective immediately."

Commercial Passenger Vehicle Seatbelt Regulations
  1. Every new road vehicle, except motorcycles, registered in the United Provinces of Eutopia for carrying passengers commercially must be fitted with regulation seatbelts for every seat.
  2. Every commercial passenger carrying vehicle entering at a customs checkpoint must comply with the new commercial passenger vehicle seatbelt regulation.
  3. Every vehicle for which registration renewal is sought must comply with the new commercial passenger vehicle seatbelt regulation.
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Woody consults with the Eutopian Society for Prevention of Cruelty to animals, and asks what they think should be the restrictions on conditions of horse used in commerce. He makes it clear that he is not focused on agriculture, but carriage rides in big cities, pony rides at children's birthday parties, horses used to pull pedlars' carts, etc. After getting their input he publishes the following:
Finance Ministry Notice 14-7​
Public comment is invited on the following proposed regulation.

Employment Conditions for Horses Used in Commerce

This regulation shall also apply to ponies, donkeys, and mules. This regulation does not apply to horses being used in agriculture or participating in horse racing at licensed race tracks.

Horses may not be used for commerce outdoors between 11 AM and 5 PM on a day when the expected high temperature is 35 degrees Celsius (95 F) or higher, when the current temperature is is 35 degrees Celsius (95 F) or higher. Horses may not be used for commerce indoors if the ambient temperature is 30 degrees Celsius (86 F) or higher.

Horses used in commerce are limited to a 60 hour work week.

Violations of this regulation are punishable by a $100 fine (per animal) for the first offense, a $200 fine per animal for the second offense, with confiscation of the animal and a $200 fine for the third offense.

A first offense may be removed from the record (but the fine will not be refunded) if the animal is provided with a two week pastoral rehabilitation period in which they have daily access to pastures for grazing, opportunities to roll in the dirt, lie in the sun, run or socialize with an equine companion, and during which are not used in commercial or agricultural work.
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Comments should be sent in writing to this address by (RL 4/6).
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Woody looks into to the crash safety testing of passenger road vehicles used in commerce in Eutopia, comparing the testing required by various countries that make vehicles sold here or for other large countries that import the same or similiar vehicles, such as the European New Car Assessment Programme, as well as voluntary programs such as the US Insurance Instititute for Highway Safety. After getting their input he publishes the following:
Finance Ministry Notice 14-8​
Public comment is invited on the following proposed regulation.

Commercial Passenger Carrying Road Vehicle Crash Safety Testing Regulations

All models of new Road Vehicles for which a license to be used in commerce for carry passengers or transporting workers, including mixed use vehicles with places for three passangers in addition to the driver starting at the begining of Term XV must have completed one of the approved crash safety testing programmes. Currently approved programmes include:Vehicles that have received substantial structural modification must be submitted for testing in their modified form.

Vehicles must recieve ratings in either of the two highest (safest) categories for each test to be eligible for licensing as commercial vehicles in the United Provinces of Eutopia.

Used vehicles originally manufactured after the start of term XV are also required to meet the testing requirements of this regulation.

Applications may be made for additional crash safety testing programs to be used.
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Comments should be sent in writing to this address by (RL 4/10).
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After receiving a response from the Tilapian Abassador Jonathan Perez, Woody asks his admin to book him a hotel room in Buen Puerto the night before the scheduled appointment with Pro Consul Marcos.
"Nothing too ostentatious, I will be travelling alone, so I won't need a suite."
 
Woody signs the necessary papers to roll out the smoking ban in Finance Ministry offices and within 5 meters of any pedestrian entrance/exit.
 
Pursuant to Finance Ministry Notice 14-7, the regulations concerning:

Employment Conditions for Horses Used in Commerce

are hereby adopted as displayed.
 
Woody checks into what ever happened as a result of the Privatisation of Airport Casinos Bill (PACB). The ministers who had responsibility didn't seem to have acted, and there is no evidence that casino lounges are other than government run. He arranges to meet with the union/employees' associations involved and puts forward the following plan:
  1. The casinos' values will be appraised.
  2. A corporation is charter to own the casinos, all of the shares are held by the government.
  3. 10%-40% of the shares are sold through an IPO at not less than 90% of the appraised value. A dutch auction process will be used. If less than 40% of the shares are sold, then an additional 10% will be sold in an underwritten secondary offering annually.
  4. An employee stock ownership trust is created to buy 60% of the shares from the government at 85% of the appraised value. The government lends the purchase price to the trust, with the shares as collateral.
  5. In lieu of raises for the next three years, the corporation will credit employees' trust accounts with 5% of their gross wages on an on-going basis.
  6. The trust will use these funds to pay interest and repay principal borrowed from the government, until the debt is repaid.
  7. Dividends on shares held by the trust will be used to pay interest and repay principal borrowed from the government, until the debt is repaid.
  8. Former employees, or their estates, may request their proportional amount of the shares held by the trust.
  9. Once the debt is repaid, the trust will use available funds to buy additional shares in the market so as to provide former employees who have requested to withdraw their shares. These share payments are made in the order of that the requests were filed.
  10. Once all outstanding requests have been fulfilled, the trust will be terminated, distributing all remaining holding to the holders of the employee trust accounts, and wage levels will be increased by 5% to compensate for the fact that no further contributions will be made by the company to the trust.
"What do think of this? Do you want to run the business you work for?"

EDIT: (OOC: From the GM Alert Thread it was later clarified that the privatization had occurred but was not RPed, Thus,) Woody learns that casinos were already privatized and files the plan to keep in mind for other companies in the future.
 
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"On the basis on comments received, the Japanese program was added to the list. With that addition, these regulations are hereby enacted, effective at the beginning of Term XV. Any purchaser for commercial use of a passenger carrying road vehicle should ask for a copy of the testing report, to present a copy when applying for a commercial license. Vehicles which have undergone substantial structurual modification will need test results for that modification by that customizer. The amended text of the regulation follows."

Commercial Passenger Carrying Road Vehicle Crash Safety Testing Regulations

All models of new Road Vehicles for which a license to be used in commerce for carry passengers or transporting workers, including mixed use vehicles with places for three passangers in addition to the driver starting at the begining of Term XV must have completed one of the approved crash safety testing programmes. Currently approved programmes include:Vehicles that have received substantial structural modification must be submitted for testing in their modified form.

Vehicles must recieve ratings in either of the two highest (safest) categories for each test to be eligible for licensing as commercial vehicles in the United Provinces of Eutopia.

Used vehicles originally manufactured after the start of term XV are also required to meet the testing requirements of this regulation.

Applications may be made for additional crash safety testing programs to be used.
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Under the authority of the Foreign Investment Political Reinsurance Act (FIPRA), and in coordination with the Eutopian Pension Control Board, Woody promotes the development of French speaking call centers in Nouvelle Acquitaine and Nouvelle Anjou. He contacts many large French companies but the message is similar.
"Where else can you get an educated francophone work force that speaks without a creole accent, that is conveniently able to work the busiest times for such call centers, which is afternoons and evenings Paris time? Plus, our wages are much lower than the French level."
He invites those that have interest out for the next Castellar film festival with a pitch before the opening. He arranges for the unemployment offices to prepare a database of available workers and also authorizes some advertising to get the attention of those not in the workforce.
 
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