5th Term National Assembly

[Craig Ashley]

Originally posted by Erc
It seems that I misinterpreted the wording of the appropriate section for ESHTA, and was thus under the impression that spending on such grants would come to nearly a billion dollars.

Despite the ECB's great numbers, in my opinion, it still seems a bit too "pie in the sky"-ish: too much revenue for too little expenditure. If the projected profits are so great, then why aren't local investors chipping in? If one of these startup hightech corporations simply thought of giving an IPO, considering the ECB's projections for their profits look so good, I'm sure they'd get much more capital than we could ever offer them on our 55 million dollar budget.

If, of course, these numbers do turn out to be accurate predictions, then so much so the better.

Quite simply, investors are nervous about Eutopia right now. Its up to the government to provide a little incentive for capital investment.

 

[Bramarius]

Originally posted by Melanchthon
Roll-calls and absent MNAs: see Article X of the Constitution.

"X. [Replacing MNAs and Assembly roll-calls] (1) If an MNA is going to be absent for more than fourteen days, s/he will have to resign his/her seat, to be replaced with another candidate from their party or alliance. If an MNA resigns or loses his/her seat for any other reason, s/he will be replaced in the same manner.
(2) Half-way through a term, the Speaker will hold a roll-call; all MNAs are required to respond to that roll-call within one week. MNAs who fail to respond will lose their seat."

Regarding Art. X(2): "half-way" is just about now.

OOC: And I guess I will have to do that, since Barkeep hasn't been seen for over a week?

 

[Erc]

As Dr. Glasser does appear to be temporarily AWOL, I should also hope that you would put some of these bills to a vote, Mr. Borgman.

 

[unmerged(1522)]

Originally posted by Bramarius
OOC: And I guess I will have to do that, since Barkeep hasn't been seen for over a week?

[OOC: Correct. ]

 

[Bramarius]

Originally posted by Erc
As Dr. Glasser does appear to be temporarily AWOL, I should also hope that you would put some of these bills to a vote, Mr. Borgman.

In a few days, I will start voting on the first bills, so new MNA's can also cast their votes.


Bram Borgman, Acting Speaker

 

[phelbas]

I would like to praise the quick actions of the Eutopian marines in far-point in foiling the assassination attempt on the President, and i am glad to hear he was not seriously injured. This was a despicable attack that could have killed or injured many innocent people including members of the armed forces simply carrying out their duty.

However, i think it shows the need for PREBA to be passed quickly by the assembly in case such an act is succesful in the future, though god fobid it ever will.

 

[unmerged(11366)]

Morgan rushes briskly into the chamber, patting his page on the back and thanking her profusely.

"Mr. Speaker, I think we are prepared to put these bills to a vote. After all, a vast majority--almost all--of the Assembly have roll-called and are ready to go. I suggest that there is no need whatsoever for any delaying.

"Further, I have a bill to propose myself."

EUtopia Freeway Act, Phase II
Being an addition to the original system designed under the EUtopian Freeway Act

Addition to Existing Freeways
-A2: Extended from EUtopia City across the gap in the Monts d'Adret to San Martin de Porres
-A5: Extended from Gilford to Dunwich and on to Harton
-A6: Receives “Core Highway” status, follows A2 to Koenigsee, then follows sea (through Castellar, Rochefort, St Martin, Borgo, and Grandville) to Hurteau and thence to Fort-aux-Francais

Creation of New Freeways
-A7: Heads southeast from Hafnia through Phillippeville and Montaigu, terminating in Hurteau

"If we get private corporations to do these products, perhaps the costs of the project will lessen.

"Additionally, I move that a commission be created--chaired by myself--to consider and to edit to perfection a proposal for dealing with terrorism which was drafted by the President, Dan Hartwell (THAT is delicious irony!), and myself."

 

[Estonianzulu]

Where will the money for this extra building come from?

 

[Erc]

I second both of Mr. Morgan's proposals.

I have only one slight problem with the highway proposal as of this moment. Looking at the map of Eutopia, it seems that the purpose of Phase II of Freeway construction is to extend the freeway system to all of Eutopia's major cities. One, however, is glaringly missing; the city of Kirby. I would thus like to propose that the proposed route of the A5 be extended from Harton east to Kirby, and then south to terminate in the A4 at Douglas, if practicable. If it could be managed, it might be desireable to extend this look all the way to Neuwestbaden, but considering the current budget crunch, I doubt that such a luxury would be practicable.

 

[unmerged(11366)]

If we had the money, I personally would support an A8 from Kirby to Harton to Farpoint, as this last city really ought to be easier to get to...

...if we had the money.

 

[Josephus I]

Mr. Speaker, if I may.

Given that the second ESRP MNA, Dr.De Vlaminck has disappeared once again; and given that the ESRP's other members on our list are either dead or disinterested, may I replace De Vlamnick as ESRP MNA?


Josephus Locke Sergei

 

[Erc]

As the roll-call has indeed ended and we have, hopefully, a fully-attending national assembly, I would hope that either Dr. Glasser or Per Borgman would please put the PREBA, the HERB, the ESHTA, the PSA, the RoFA, and the PCB up to a vote. It's high time that this assembly got something actually done other than the one rubber-stamp of military operations.

 

[Amric]

Hear, hear! Since I guess I am now a NA member as well as a minister I agree. Let's get some things voted on. This place is starting to stagnate somewhat. Let's get the ball rolling again...

 

[unmerged(11366)]

Get the ball rolling?

Sure!

Resolved, by this Assembly, that monarchy has been experimented with before in countries such as the United Kingdom, France, Spain, and Russia; that monarchy has been either forced out of the political scene or reduced to a symbolic position only in all four of these countries;

Resolved, that the monarchy was reduced or destroyed in all these cases by the people because of their discontent with the monarchy system;

Resolved, that, because it is not held accountable by the people and cannot be checked by the people, monarchy can potentially work against the will of the people, is a possible inhibition of progress, and does not serve the needs or wants of the people;

Resolved, that monarchy can be thus exploited and used as a form of tyranny; and

Resolved, by this Assembly, that for the above reasons the monarchy shall be hereafter banned permanently from the Republic of EUtopia, in all its forms, and the current Republic be made permanent in order to protect, serve, and better the lives of the people of the nation of EUtopia.

 

[jacob-Lundgren]

*a fax comes over from the MILE/NA member lundgren stating:
VOTE NOW! VOTE NOW! VOTE NOW! VOTE NOW!
VOTE NOW! VOTE NOW! VOTE NOW! VOTE NOW!
VOTE NOW! VOTE NOW! VOTE NOW! VOTE NOW!
VOTE NOW! VOTE NOW! VOTE NOW! VOTE NOW!

that is all the fax says*

 

[Erc]

Mr Morgan:

Are you proposing an amendment or a bill? If it's the latter, all this legislation is doing is affirming a fact that has been clearly in existence for over a year now. It's about as productive as legislating that pi equals 3.14159; everyone knows it is, and legislating that it is so only serves to clog our schedule.

There is one very important question I do have about this. Would there be any ramifications on royal property? Queen Maria in Eutopia* owns the staggering amount of one-third of our nation's landmass**. Would the ban on monarchy by your proposed resolutions mean the loss of all royal rights and privileges and thus result in the commensurate transfer of royal landholdings to the state?



*[cf. King of Prussia vs. King in Prussia]
**[When you have to use "landmass" to describe someone's property...]

 

[Amric]

That is a very good point. Would all the royal lands be transferred to the state? Would they still remain hers? Would they be confiscated ad hoc without compensation, or would there be fair market value compensation? Personally I don't think EUtopia could afford to pay for that land. She, as in Maria, may call herself queen of EUtopia, but she is NOT queen in actuality.

Since this is so, why does she have the run of the country with her own personal army? Let alone free reign over all that land. Does she pay taxes? Income or real estate taxes of any kind? Since she is not actually royalty as far as we are concerned, but only a citizen shouldn't she be paying taxes? Shouldn't she be under the same laws as the rest of us?

Why should she have a personal army? How can she be allowed to march into the WET and demand anything? She has no legal standing and could have touched off a powder keg that could have exploded into a true shooting war with the Americans.

Granted, she left the WET, but there has been talk of extending the lease to the Americans for their base in the WET. Personally I feel that is a bad move. I think we should CANCEL the lease and request that they leave EUtopia completely. I am not speaking for the DA as a whole, but as a concerned citizen. Not as a Minister or as the newest member of the NA but as someone who came here of his own free will to become a citizen of this country.

I wasn't born here, but I have come to love this nation. I have been doing my utmost to help her as I can. I think we ought to all WORK together. As a team. Whether we are DA, or NPP, or CC, or CRE. It doesn't matter. What SHOULD matter is that we are ALL EUtopians.

I say that we get off our collective rear ends and get something accomplished. No more party politics. Just working together to do the best we can for EUtopia as a whole. Now I know my comments about Maria may anger some CRE members. I'm sorry, but that is how I feel about royalty that is not really royalty. If it offends you, I apologize.

But I am willing to work with you and anyone else who desires the best for our country. EUtopia! Remember? Not the land of the DA. Or the NPP. Or the CC or CRE, or the ESRP. EUtopia! A land of many cultures and has a diversity that rivals the United States. We may not be as physically large as they are, but we have many different ethnic groups here. They should all be represented.

Equal to everyone, and able to receive the same benefits of citizenship regardless of their ethnicity. Let us bring the WET completely into EUtopia as a whole. Not as an occupied territory, but as a fully fledged province equal to any of the others.

Kick the Americans out of EUtopia completely. Demand that they leave. Break the lease. Whatever is necessary short of a shooting war. We cannot afford a shooting war with the US. You know it, and I know it. We have many other problems that need to be addressed. Let's clean up the WET, figure out why the locusts are going berzerk, and find a cure for this mystery disease in the latin provinces.

Together we can make EUtopia a better place for all of us. Man and woman and child. Of ALL races and cultures.

 

[Bramarius]

New list of MNA's

Bram Borgman (ESRP) (Deputy Speaker)
Josephus Locke Sergei (ESRP)
Jonathan Glasser (DA) (Speaker)
John Stewart (DA)
Amric Al'Aeshir (DA)
Rebecca Cook (DA)
Jacob Lundgren (CRP)
Charles S. Morgan (CRP)
Johan Banér (CRE) (AWOL?)
David Haynes (CC)
Pierre G. Talbott (CC)
Konstantin Vilms (RPE)



-Bram Borgman, Acting Speaker

 

[Estonianzulu]

On the attempt to remove the monarchy-

Not only are your assumptions false, but they also have no bearing on the situation. Last time I checked, the United Kingdom still had a Queen. Spain has a monarch as well. Last time I checked, Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Belgium, the Neatherlands, were all western democracies and strong as well.

To even compare our states to Russia and France at the time of the fall of their monarchy is insulting. The monarchs were brutaly murdered, or dont you remember. To even use the murder of the Tsar and his wife and children as a reason to remove monarchy is insulting enough.

To then imply that the monarchy was removed in those two situations because the people were unhappy with the form of government is wrong as well. In France there was a general upheaval due to the entire social class of elites. That is why so many were executed. In Russia the people still had icons of the Tsar in their homes. The Revolution which murdered the Royal family was led by elites, the Bolsheviks.

Your resolution is also invalid for the simple fact that we are not a monarchy. We are a Republic.

Now, I have a better preposition. We request that Her Majesty restrain herself from further such actions. Furthermore, we request that she disband the Royal Guard Society as an army and reduce it to simply a titular organization.

This will settle any problems we have with her.

 

[Bramarius]

Bills on debate:

Regulations of Firearms Act

I. Classifaction of Firearms

Class I - Automatic Firearms. These shall be defined as as one press of the trigger can result in more than one bullet being fired. They shall be made illegal to all citizens with the exception of those issued a proper permit, and military or police personal issued these weapons while on duty.

Class II - Semiautomatic Firearms. These shall be defined as employing gas pressure or force of recoil and mechanical spring action to eject the empty cartridge case after the first shot and load the next cartridge from the magazine but requiring release and another pressure of the trigger for each successive shot.

They shall not be allowed to the general public without the proper permit. On duty military and police personale may be issued these weapons.

Class III - Manual. Any firearm that does not fit into Class I, Class II, or Class IV such as but not limited to, shotguns, rifles, revolvers, and pistols shall be defined as Class III.

These weapons are allowable to the general public provided a firearms liscence is obtained and kept in good standing.

Class IV - Antiquated. These shall be Front loaded, black powder, single shot muskets or rifles.

These weapons are allowable to the general public provided a Antique Firearms License is obtained and kept in good standing.

II. Licenses and Permits.

Licenses

A firearms license shall be obtained by meeting the following standards:

1. Once the applicant submit to a background check and no violent crimes have been committed in the last twenty years.
2. Satisfactory completion of a fifteen hour course on gun use, care, and safety.
3. The applicant is at least 18 years of age.

A firearms license shall be good for a five year period. After which, the applicant must take and complete a ten hour refresher course on gun use, care, and safety. A fee of fifty ducats shall be established for a Firearms License and shall be subject to annual increases as deemed necessary by the office of MILE.

A firearms license shall be revoked for any of the following reasons:

1. Conviction of any felony charge.
2. Conviction of any violent crime.
3. Conviction of three misdemeanors.
4. Evidence of gross negligence pertaining to firearms.

Junior Firearms License. Children age 14 to 18 may obtain a Junior Firearms License under the following provisions.

1. Completion of a 20 hour gun safety course.
2. A clean criminal record.
3. Parental approval.
4. At least one parent already has a Firearms License in good standing.

A Junior Firearms License shall allow the holder to operate Class III Firearms in the presence and under the supervision of an adult with the proper Firearms License.

The holder of a Junior Firearms License shall not be allowed to obtain any of the special permits.

Any criminal conviction shall result in the revoking of a Junior Firearms License

Antique Firearms License. An AFL shall allow the holder to own, use, and operate Class IV Firearms. A fee of 100 ducats shall be in place for a AFL, and it shall last ten years. It shall be issued provided the following criteria is met.

1. Completion of a 10 hour class on the care and use of antiquated firearms.
2. No violent criminal conviction in the last 10 years.
3. Applicant is at least 18 years of age.

Permits.

All permits shall coincide with the length of the current Firearms License, and must be renewed when the Firearms License is renewed.

Class A Permit. Shall allow the holder to carry any firearms they are legally allowed to possess in a concealed manner.

In order to obtain such a permit, the applicant must not have a single conviction of felony or violent crime. Furthermore, no such charges may be pending. Also an additional ten hour course on gun safety must be completed. This course is the same as the course used for Class B and Class C. Holders of multilple permits will only be required to take the course once.

Class B Permit. Shall allow the holder to carry Class II Firearms. This permit shall be given only with the expressed approval of the Ministry of Law Enforcement on Class II firearms they deem appropriate for personal self defense.

The holder of a Class B Permit may not have any criminal conviction in the last fifteen years and absolutely no felony or violent convictions. An additional ten hour course on gun safety is required. This course is the same as the course used for Class C and Class A. Holders of multilple permits will only be required to take the course once.

The office of MILE shall be free to terminate any Class B Permit at its discretion.

Class C Permit. Shall allow the holder to carry Class II Firearms for commercial use. The holder of this permit must be employed by a private security firm that has been licensed and approved by MILE. The holder must complete the ten hour course on gun safety. This course is the same as the course used for Class B and Class A. Holders of multiple permits will only be required to take the course once.

The holder of this permit may not have any criminal convictions.

A fee of 250 ducats shall be established for a Class C Permit and shall be subject to annual increases as deemed necessary by the office of MILE.

Class D Permit. (Collector's Permit) Shall allow the holder to own and display Class II and Class I Firearms. In public displays, the firearms must be held in a secure case. The weapons may not be loaded or fired at any time.

Furthermore, each Class I and Class II weapon held under a Class D Permit must be registered with MILE.

The holder of this permit may not have any criminal convictions in the last ten years and no violent or felony convictions in the last twenty years. The holder must also complete a special 15 hour course on gun safety. Holders of multiple permits including a Class D Permit will take this course in substitute for the course required for Class A, Class B, and Class C Permits.

A fee of 100 ducats shall be established for a Class D Permit and shall be subject to annual increases as deemed necessary by the office of MILE.

Class E Permit (Dealer's Permit) Shall allow the holder to own, display and use for demonstration purposes, all Classes of Firearms. This permit shall have a fee of 500 ducats and the applicant must meet the following criteria.

1. Have a Firearms License in good standing.
2. Be at least 18 years of age.
3. Have no criminal record.
4. Complete a special 20 hour class on firearms care and display.

Furhtermore, the following practices must be followed to keep the Class E Permit in good standing.

1. All Firearms are to be displayed in securely locked cases and seperate from ammunition.
2. All Firearms for sale or on display are registered with MILE.
3. All sales are made only to those holding the proper license and/or permits.

A Class E Permit can be revoked for any criminal conviction.

All Permits will be revoked in the event the Firearms License is revoked.

All current gun owners are given twelve months to comply with this legislation.

III. Penalties.

Use of a Class I Firearm without proper permit - 10 to 5 years imprisonment

Possession of a Class I Firearm without proper permit - 5 to 2 years imprisonment

Use of a Class II Firearm without the proper permit - 5 to 2 years imprisonment

Use of a Class II Firearm without the a Firearms License - 7 to 4 years imprisonment.

Possession of a Class II Firearm without proper permit - 1 year to 6 months imprisonment

Possession of a Class II Firearm without a Firearms License - 2 to 1 years imprisonment.

Use of a Class III Firearm without a Firearms License - 2 years to 18 months imprisonment and a fine of up to 10,000.

Possession of a Class III Firearm without a Firearms License - 1 year to 3 months imprisonment and a fine up to 5,000.

Violation of a Class D Permit - 2 years to 6 months imprisonment and a fine of up to 25,000.

Carrying a concealed Firearm without a Class A Permit - 1 year to 3 months imprisonment and a fine of up to 2,000.

Use of a Firearm by a minor without a Junior License - 6 months imprisonment to 1 year's probation and a fine of up to 2,000.

Use of a Firearm in a crime - 7 to 3 years imprisonment.

Use of a Firearm License or Permit to illegally distribute firearms - 10 to 5 years imprisonment for each offense.

Use of a Class E Permit to illegally distribute firearms - 20 to 5 years for each offense

Any firearms related violation within 500 meters of a school, children's playground, or day care may result in the penalty being doubled at the discretion of the presiding judge.

Economic Stimulation by Higher Technology Act

I. Taxes

New companies in the ?high tech sector? shall be subject to 70% of existing corporate tax rates for their first ten years. After which, they shall pay the full tax

METF shall decided what companies are eligible for the tax break through a standard application process.

II. Grants and Training Programs

The Federal government shall adminster job training programs to qualified applicants in order increase the available pool of workers with the necessary skills for the high tech industry.

These programs shall be administered by MECT and shall have an annual funding of 110 million ducats.

Furthermore, METF shall be authorized to issue start up grants to qualified high tech businesses to assist in the generation of capital necessary to the industry. The budget for these grants shall be 55 million annually.

Higher Education Reform Bill

I. Tuition

A tuition of $2,000 ducats per semester shall be enacted. In order to ensure that no Eutopian is denied an education because of economic concerns, the following program of federal assistance shall also be enacted:

Anual household income of $29,999 - $25,000: Federal low interst loans (floating rate that is equal to the cost of living increase of the previous year) on which payments will start one year after completion of studies.
$24,999 - $15,000: Federal no interest loans on which payments begin 18 months after completion of studies.
Below $15,000: Federal grants covering the entire cost of tuition that shall not be paid back by the student.

Additionally, in order to help families with multiple students, the annual household income thresholds shall be raised by $5,000 for each additional child enrolled in a Eutopian college or university.

All of the above figures shall be adjusted annually for inflation.

II. Administrative Streamlining

The largest school in each province shall become the administrative center for that provicnce. Each school or campus shall maintain a local chancellor, deans, etc., but areas such as purchasing, accounting, and marketing, shall be consolidated in this one location. Universities within the province would then become affiliate campuses of that one central provincial university. They are free to maintain their own seperate names.

All schools shall teach the basics, some liberal arts, math & science, and vocational training. More advanced programs would be limited to one campus per province. While all schools may have a Pre-Law or Pre-Medical program, only one would have a graduate law school, only one would have a graduate medical, business, or veterinary school, etc. The exact placement and selection of these advanced programs shall be at the discretion of the central campus administration

III. Campus Consolidation

The following campuses shall be closed and the necessary functions and staff consolidated into the nearby campuses:

New Lancaster School of Economics and Social Science - NLSE (New Lancaster City)
Eutopia City University College - ECUC (Eutopia City)
Queen?s College - QC (Witney)
Douglas University College - DUC (Douglas)
University Miguel de Cervantes - UMC (Buen Puerto)

The campus properties shall be sold off and the funds shall be reinvested into the education system to upgrade existing campus infrastructure.

IV. Private Universities

Private Universities shall have their government subsidies reduced on the following schedule:

Year One: 95%
Year Two 90%
Year Three 80%
Year Four and on: 75%

Private univerisities shall also be free to raise funds from the private sector or donations as they see fit.

For term 5, MECT shall be authorized to adminster 31,110,000 million ductats to private universities to assist in building up the fund raising capacity of private universities. In subsequent terms, MECT shall be authorized to disburse funds up to 8 million ducats to assist in private university fund raising activities.

Popular Responsibility of the Executive Branch Amendment (PREBA):

I. Each party or coalition running one of its members for the office of President must submit to the office of the Chief Registration Officer its candidate for Vice-President before the appropriate deadline set by the CRO. The Vice-Presidential candidate need not be a member of the party or coalition, but if he is not, he must submit a statement to the CRO stating that he is willing to run for the office of Vice-President.

II. If the office of the Vice-President is vacant, the President shall, within the first 72 hours of the beginning of such vacancy, nominate a Vice-President who shall only be sworn if a vote of the National Assembly, called immediately after the nomination, returns a majority in favor of confirming the Vice-Presidential nominee. If the vote fails to return a majority, the President shall submit another nominee for consideration by the National Assembly within 72 hours.

III. In order to be Vice-President, the Vice President must also hold a ministerial position outlined in this Constitution. If this condition is for any reason not met at any point in time, the office of the Vice President shall be considered to be vacated.

IV. The Vice President or any Minister whose position is outlined in the Eutopian Constitution may be removed from office by a thirteen-twentieths vote of the National Assembly.

V. Any individual removed from office by the method outlined in Section III of this amendment may not be appointed to the Vice-Presidency or any Ministry outlined in the Eutopian Constitution until after the following general election, unless approved by a majority vote of the National Assembly.

Police compensation Bill of 2003:

2% additional raise for foot soldiers(non for desk workers/office workers) this is equvilent to hazard pay.

all officers involved in a terrorist act where lose of life occurs, get an additional 3 weeks of paid vacation, those injured at such an event get an additional month instead of the 3 weeks.

familes who lost a loved one to a terrorist act shall receive double the compensation normaly given to them, arrangements to be made to also provide a free vacation to anywhere in EUtopia for a week, paid by the government.

The PSA has been voted on by this assembly, and I see no need for a revote.

All MNA's are urged to re-read these bills and summarize their complaints, so we can get to a vote within a couple of days at most.



Bram Borgman, Acting Speaker