I would ask you to Please stop Trolling and work to keep this Debate on track, so that we can get this Issues finished and off the agenda, so that we can get started on the work we were elected to do.
I resent the Prime Minister accusation that I am "Trolling" and demand that he appologize. _________________ Austi Scot MP
Royal Chancellor
Order of Devonia
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I commend the Right Honourable Chancellor on his combination of the two bills to produce the Parliamentary Resolution for the Rules of Procedure. I agree that it is more appropriate to label this as a 'Resolution,' as it is purely an internal document. I have only one thing to add to this.
Firstly, while Part III says that the vote to decide whether the time for debate should be extended should be conducted prior to the final vote on whether a bill should be passed, Part V, Section 27, Subsection (1) states that one vote should be conducted in which members may vote 'Aye,' 'Nay,' 'Silence' or 'Extend,' essentially combining the two votes into one. We should decide upon one or the other, as this aspect of the Resolution is somewhat self-contradictory at the moment.
In my opinion, voting on whether to extend the debate at the same time as the final vote could cause serious problems. The best way to explain this is through an example - this is less likely to be a problem with Parliament at its current size, but I sincerely hope that the population will grow, and Parliament with it. Suppose a bill were to be voted on with the four options of 'Aye,' 'No,' 'Silence' and 'Extend,' and Parliament voted as follows:
Aye: 15%
No: 45%
Silence: 0%
Extend: 40%
Because 45% of Parliament were decidedly opposed to it, with no wish for further debate, the 40% who voted 'Extend' would not be enough to extend the voting period. Considering that those who wanted to extend the debate were probably relatively in favour of the bill, wanting to fine-tune it, had this been an 'Aye' or 'No' vote, that 40% may well have swung the vote to it being passed. It in case of situations like this, when a large proportion of Parliament want the debate to be extended but not enough for it to be extended, that I think an Aye/No vote to decide whether to extend the debate period should be conducted prior to a final Aye/No/Silence vote on whether to pass the bill. _________________ Christopher Wright MP
Deputy Prime Minister
Dear Parliament Members,
I am severly disappointed in you today. Although our parliament hosts only Three members somehow you have managed to bring all political progress to virtual hault. You were elected in Early December and have used the better part of a month virtually doing nothing. This body Seems virtually only a place to squabble with a Title of State added to your signature.
I Understand that you all have lives but that is no excuse for taking a month to pass even a resolution on the Procedures of Parliament. It is such a sad site to look upon a body which once had such vigor that nothing could compare; now it is lethargic and on life support.
If debate on this Resolution takes any longer, I will take the liberty of setting the operating procedures of parliament Myself. If that fails, the only solution would be for this body to compose itself in such a manner in which to be seen as helpful and working, or the dissolution of Parliament to bring in fresh blood willing to Legislate.
I know that some of you may not like each other, but By god it is only three of you; the future of this State is doomed if such a small legislature cannot get along civicly.
Please do not take This the wrong Way, but this body has to find a way of being civil and legislating that doesn't take eons for anything to happen.
Sincerely,
His Royal Majesty King Rafael II of the House of Aluveaux. Consul of Etampes, Prince of Arretium, Prince of Apulia, The Duke of Calabria, The Duke of Devon, The Duke of Lavinium, and The Duke of York. _________________ His Royal Majesty King Rafael II of the House of Aluveaux. Consul of Etampes, Prince of Arretium, Prince of Apulia, The Duke of Calabria, The Duke of Devon, The Duke of Lavinium, and The Duke of York.
I speak here now as a Member of Parliament and not as your Royal Chancellor.
•
Quote:
I am severly disappointed in you today. Although our parliament hosts only Three members somehow you have managed to bring all political progress to virtual hault. You were elected in Early December and have used the better part of a month virtually doing nothing. This body Seems virtually only a place to squabble with a Title of State added to your signature.
There is no reason for you to be disappointed to any degree with the Parliament. While the Parliament is only three members we have not brought the political progress to a virtual hault. In fact the political progress is going very smoothly. Please remember that in addition to being a Parliament of three we are also in a micronation with only four people at this time which includes you. At this point in time there is not a level of activity that needs to be addressed with a flurry of laws. All this will happen in due time, remember that there are others who each have their own ways of doing these things.
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Quote:
I Understand that you all have lives but that is no excuse for taking a month to pass even a resolution on the Procedures of Parliament. It is such a sad site to look upon a body which once had such vigor that nothing could compare; now it is lethargic and on life support.
Yes, we all have our own lives – do not think of this as an excuse but as a reason that things move more slowly in micronations. The amount of time it takes to pass a resolution or anything else will vary for a lot of different reasons, only one of those reasons being that we Members of Parliament have a real life too. I personally don’t know how vigorous any former Parliament of Devonia had been, however all those bodies are gone – we are not considering there to be a body of laws in place of which I know about, there is not a standing Resolution of Parliamentary Procedures, and in my opinion the Constitution really needs work. I understand the current Constitution was adopted shortly before I joined Devonia and I don’t know the reason all those who were here at one time are no longer here in Devonia, but the end results says to me that the “vigor” they had all came to naught. Personally I resent this body being called lethargic and said to be on life support. Be as said as you must be but it is my view that all is in order with the Parliament.
*
Quote:
If debate on this Resolution takes any longer, I will take the liberty of setting the operating procedures of parliament Myself. If that fails, the only solution would be for this body to compose itself in such a manner in which to be seen as helpful and working, or the dissolution of Parliament to bring in fresh blood willing to Legislate.
Debate on this Resolution may take longer – it may not. I think we are working through it at a fine pace. The Prime Minister has said he will soon comment and I believe it is our duty as Members of Parliament to hear from the Prime Minister on this matter. In my view the King should not rival us because of the length of time we take doing anything, rather go out and get more citizens – but be nice about it! Should you, Your Royal Majesty, “take the liberty of setting the operating procedures of Parliament” rest assured that I will not serve in Parliament. It is my view that you already declare too many Resolutions, and laws, and make too many Declarations. I think you should allow more room for the activity and participation of the citizens in their various capacities. Should you wish to declare the dissolution of Parliament you have that Constitutional right, I shall not serve in a new Parliament. So you can bring in “fresh blood willing to legislate”, which is exactly why you personally should be out recruiting new citizens – plus to have people hold other positions so we don’t have to have 3 – 4 – 5 -6 jobs each.
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Quote:
I know that some of you may not like each other, but By god it is only three of you; the future of this State is doomed if such a small legislature cannot get along civicly.
It is true that I am not friendly with the Prime Minister. I didn’t care for the way he treated me when I was Prime Minister. He was not courteous and in my view was rude and intrusive. It is true that I don’t care for the style used by the Prime Minister and that he most likely doesn’t care for me – SO WHAT, WHO CARES. If Devonia is doomed over a couple of people who don’t like how the other does things - well, just let me say that I don’t believe that assessment. I think there should be more cause for doom from having a King who attempts to do all the things other citizens have joined to be able to do and then chides those same people for not doing these things fast enough.
•
Quote:
Please do not take This the wrong Way, but this body has to find a way of being civil and legislating that doesn't take eons for anything to happen.
You don’t allow room to take what you’ve said the wrong way, you are direct and to the point… [Do things your way on your schedule or you’ll send us packing.] Well, that being the case please don’t hesitate to send me packing should it please Your Royal Majesty. _________________ Austi Scot MP
Royal Chancellor
Order of Devonia
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The Right Honorable Deputy Prime Minister has made a very good point. I suggest striking from Part V, Section 27, Paragraph 1 all except the first and second sentences.
Current reading:
(1) These rules shall serve as the primary Parliamentary procedures for Parliament unless Parliament passes special rules for special legislative days. Any member may introduce legislation as long as they follow precedence laid down by the Constitution. To do so he must present the bill to the Speaker, who shall introduce for debate no more than four bills at any given time. Each bill shall be debated for no less than two days and no more than a week. All bills shall by default be granted a debate period of two days until a motion is called upon for an extension. After the debate period is over the Speaker shall conduct a vote. The voting choices will be: "Aye" in approval, "Nay" in disapproval, "Silence" in neutrality, and "Extend" to extend the debate period for another week.
Suggested reading:
(1) These rules shall serve as the primary Parliamentary procedures for Parliament unless Parliament passes special rules for special legislative days. Any member may introduce legislation as long as they follow precedence laid down by the Constitution. _________________ Austi Scot MP
Royal Chancellor
Order of Devonia
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Finally, I have reviewed the Proposals brought before this body regarding the rules of Procedure of the Parliament.
After reading them all, I must say that I found Mr. Scot’s Proposal based upon the Prior Proposals of His Majesty and The Right Honourable Mr. Wright, to be the most comprehensive, apt and apposite for His Majesty’s Parliament. However I do wish to propose the following amendments to this Bill to be taken into consideration, by the Honourable Members of this August Body. [The Text of this Bill is in Italics with Amendments I Propose for this Bill in Bold Italics . My comments are in Normal Font & Any Parts of this Text, I Propose that be removed will have a [s] Strike [/s] through it.]
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PARLIAMENTARY RESOLUTION FOR THE RULES OF PROCEDURE
Fine
A Resolution to establish the rules of procedure within sessions of the Parliament of Devonia, including the admittance to Office of Members of Parliament following election, the election of the Prime Minister, the processes required for the proposal, debate and establishment of new legislation, and the maintenance of order within Parliament.
This is well written and perfect for this Resolution
[s] Be it therefore enacted by the King’s most Excellent Majesty, by and with the advice and consent of this present Parliament assembled, and by the authority of the same, as follows:— [/s]
As the Parliament may make its own Internal Rules without Royal Assent, in addition to this Not Being a Bill of Legislation or any Constitutional Bill, there is no need or constitutional Requirement for the King’s Royal Assent to this Bill. Therefore, I propose that it be changed to the following:
Quote:
Be it therefore enacted by His most Excellent Majesty’s Parliament with the consent of all Members Present, the establishment of the Following Parliamentary Rules of Procedure:
Or something along those lines at least.
PART I
1. Following the announcement of the results of a Parliamentary election, whether this may be a General Election of Parliament in its entirety or a By-Election deciding one seat or more, all successful, elected candidates shall be granted the title, ‘Member of Parliament’.
This is all fine
[s]2. Within a week of the announcement of the results of a general election, the King shall announce the official opening of Parliament, at which time he shall request Members to swear the oath given in Section 3. [/s]
This Part can be integrated into the Next section as, I believe it does not need a section of its own.
3.
(1) Within a week of the announcement of the results of a general election, The King shall announce the official opening of Parliament, at which time he shall request that successful candidates swear the following oath: “I, {name of candidate}, affirm that I will support the Constitution and the laws of the Kingdom of Devonia to best of my abilities and to be bound by my conscience in my duties as a Member of the Parliament. I pledge my loyalty to the Kingdom of Devonia and to the {King/Queen}. Long live {reigning Monarch}.” This shall henceforth be known as the ‘Royal Oath of Allegiance’.
(2) Only upon declaring the Oath Publicly in Parliament shall Members of Parliament be entitled to attend sittings of Parliament.
Just to amend this section to show that MP’s must say the Royal Oath of Allegiance Publicly in the Parliament, so that we don’t have any cases of MP’s muttering the Oath at home in front of their computer and then protesting that they made the oath when denied in Parliament. I just makes the “Where” more clearer I think (not that this will ever happen, but better safe…)
(3) Failure to swear the Oath shall not be considered resignation from office.
A Member may choose to swear the Oath at any point during the Parliamentary Term, upon so doing they shall be immediately permitted to attend Parliament.
(4) Should any Member either directly refuse to swear the oath, or fail to do so by the second Session of that Parliamentary Term, the Prime Minister or their Deputy shall communicate to the electorate that their representative has chosen to do so. This shall not affect the Member’s right to swear the Oath during the second Session.
Great!
4.
(1) At the beginning of each Parliamentary Session, Members wishing to participate shall declare themselves Present. A brief, formal statement that one is present shall be a sufficient.
(2) Declaration of the Royal Oath of Allegiance shall also be considered to be a Declaration of Presence. Therefore, during the first session, any Member who has sworn the Oath shall not be required to declare their presence in addition; having already sworn the Oath, Members shall only be required to make a simple Declaration of Presence to attend the second Session.
(3) Should any elected candidate fail to swear the oath during the first Session, they shall be required to swear the Oath, instead of a simple Declaration of Presence, in order to attend the second Session.
Perfect
[s] PART II
5.
(1) In accordance with the Constitution, the first responsibility of Parliament shall be to elect a Prime Minister. A period of three days after the Opening of Parliament shall be allowed for Members to swear to the Oath, after which the King shall request that Members wishing to stand for the position of Prime Minister should announce their intention.
(2) All members wishing to stand for election to the position of Prime Minister should announce their intention within three days of the King’s request.
(3) The Prime Minister and shall be elected by a system of direct ballot, by simple majority rule. Each Member of Parliament may place one vote for the Member they wish to be elected. Candidates may vote for themselves.
(4) Once either a period of three days has passed, or all eligible Members, who have sworn the Oath, have voted, the King shall appoint the candidate with the most votes to the position of Prime Minister.
(5). Once the election is complete, the new Prime Minister shall nominate a Member to the position of Deputy Prime Minister. The Deputy may or may not be a member of the Prime Minister’s own party. The Prime Minister shall then call for other nominations to the seat of Deputy Prime Minister. The sitting Members of Parliament shall then elect the Deputy Prime Minister by majority vote. [/s]
In my Own Opinion, this Part is Not needed as it is handled quite pertinently by the Constitution. The inclusion of it in this Resolution will make things messy when it comes to amending the Constitution in the above, as not only the constitution will have to be amended, but also this section as well, requiring more workload for the Parliament. Therefore, this bit can be left out as it is simply rephrasing the constitution and is nothing new or needed in the internal rules.
PART III
8.
(1) Once the Prime Minister and Deputy Prime Ministers are seated the Prime Minister shall declare the Hopper open for the acceptance of any Constitutional Amendments and Bills from Members of Parliament or from the Crown Council. The person submitting a Constitutional Amendment or Bill may provide a summary of what is expected to be achieved by the submission. Such submissions shall be an ongoing process during the current session of Parliament.
(2) Each submission should include the name of the proposed Bill or the Act to be amended, and may include a summary of what is aimed to be achieved by it. A draft Bill or Amendment is to be presented in its entirety at this time as Members of Parliament may expect their legislation to be scheduled by the Prime Minister. The ordering of debate before the Parliament shall be conducted by the Prime Minister according to the Constitution, Laws, and Procedures of Parliament. Government Bills introduced by the Royal Chancellor or Ministers shall take precedence over private members’ bills. A submission that has been prepared by the author for a second reading shall be on the agenda immediately after those introductions by the Royal Chancellor or Ministers. The Prime Minister may cause up to four submissions to be on the floor of Parliament in first and second reading as he determines the Parliament is capable of handling at the given time.
[s]9. The Prime Minister shall allow a maximum period of one week, after which he shall begin writing the Parliamentary Agenda. Should all present Members respond before the expiration of this period, the Prime Minister may begin immediately. [/s]
This Section is confusing and I have no idea what it is suppose to do, for example:
“allow a maximum period of one week”… from when and for what? “Should all present Members Respond before the Expiration of this Period”… Respond to what exactly and why? As this Section is confusing and not clear enough, I think is should be removed from this Bill or the Author of this Section flesh it up a bit, for those of us who are a bit slow (e.g. Me)
10. The Agenda shall comprise a list of all legislation proposed for debate during the Session in question, in the order in which they shall be presented and subject to debate in Parliament. Each entry should include the name of the Bill and summary produced by its author, and the name and position of the author of the Bill.
11. Upon completion, the Prime Minister shall present the Agenda to Parliament, providing a copy to the King who shall in turn present it to the Grand Council. The first item may be presented before Parliament once the Agenda has been read in Parliament and a copy provided to the King.
12. As soon as a Member of Parliament or the Grand Council, or the King has completed a Bill or Amendment listed on the Agenda, they shall place it in the Hopper, where all current legislation shall be stored.
13. When the time comes for an item on the Agenda to be presented, the Prime Minister or Deputy Prime Minister shall call upon its author to read the appropriate Draft Bill or Amendment in Parliament. This shall be called the First Reading. The author may choose to make an Introductory Speech to the piece of legislation before or after the Reading, or not at all, as he pleases.
14.
(1) After the First Reading, the Debate shall begin, during which all Members of Parliament may discuss the proposed legislation, ask its author questions, with intent to decide whether this legislation will be beneficial to the Kingdom, highlight any weaknesses, and to suggest any improvements that could be made.
[s](2) In accordance with the Constitution, Members of the Grand Council shall be entitled to attend and participate in these debates. [/s]
Once again, items dealt with in the constitution, I believe should not be included in this Resolution.
15.
(1) After a reasonable period of time, when debate is drawing to a close, the Prime Minister shall ask for Members of Parliament to vote ‘Aye’ or ‘No’ to whether they wish the Bill or Amendment to receive a Second Reading. No longer than a period of twenty four hours shall be allowed for Members of Parliament to vote. Members of the Grand Council may not vote, unless they are also Members of Parliament.
(2) If the majority vote Aye, then the author shall be allowed to make any necessary amendments to the Bill or Amendment, and a Second Reading shall be added to the Agenda after the next scheduled item.
(3) If the majority vote No, the Bill or Amendment shall be considered Rejected. It shall be removed from the Hopper, and may not be reintroduced until the next Session.
16. When the time comes for a piece of legislation to be presented to Parliament for its Second Reading, the Prime Minister or Deputy Prime Minister shall call upon its author to read the appropriate Bill or Amendment for the second time. The author shall read the revised version of the piece of legislation; they may choose to make an Explanatory Speech to highlight and explain the changes made before or after the reading, or not at all.
17. After the Second Reading, the Prime Minister shall call for the piece of legislation to be voted on. Members may vote ‘Aye,’ ‘No,’ or ‘I Abstain.’ Members of the Grand Council may not vote, unless they are also Members of Parliament. The Vote shall continue for three days, or until all Members of Parliament who are Present have voted.
18.
(1) Once the Vote has concluded, the Prime Minister shall announce the result. A simple Majority of ‘Ayes’, of over fifty percent, not including votes of Abstention, shall be required for the Bill or Amendment to be Passed by Parliament.
(2) Should a Majority be achieved, the Prime Minister shall present the Bill or Amendment to the King for Royal Assent. Once the King has granted the Bill or Amendment Royal Assent, it shall be considered Enacted, and shall become Law, and shall be removed from the Hopper and placed in the Parliamentary Library, labelled as Enacted.
(3) Should a Majority not be achieved, the Bill or Amendment shall be considered Rejected. It shall be removed from the Hopper and placed in the Parliamentary Library, labelled as ‘Rejected’.
19. Once an item has been Passed or Rejected by Parliament, the next item on the agenda shall be dealt with, by the process described in Sections 13-18.
All Fine!
PART IV
20. During sittings of Parliament, Members or Parliament are to be addressed as ‘my Right Honourable friend’.
21. It shall be the responsibility of the Prime Minister and Deputy Prime Minister to maintain order in Parliament.
22. Discussion in Parliament shall not digress from the topic of debate.
23. Although intense political debate shall be allowed, Members shall not make use of profane language, or direct inappropriate personal insults at other Members.
Members must Yield to the Floor after they are finished speaking during a Parliamentary Session, by saying “I Yield to the Floor”.
24. Members shall not make any attempt to impede or hinder the functioning of Parliament.
25.
(1) Should any member begin to behave in a way that impedes the functioning of Parliament, the Prime Minister or Deputy Prime Minister shall politely request that they cease such behaviour, and focus on the topic of debate.
(2) Should a Member repeatedly defy such reasonable requests, and continue to conduct themselves in a manner that impedes the functioning of Parliament, the Prime Minister shall ask for a Vote to be called to Expel the Member from Parliament. If over fifty percent of Members vote ‘Aye,’ the Member in question shall be temporarily Expelled, and the case brought before the High Court of Devonia, which shall judge whether the Member should be permanently Expelled from the body, Expelled for the remainder of the Term or Session, or reinstated.
Part V
26.
(1) The following are considered to be the term and definitions under which the Parliament will operate:
1.The Sponsor is the one who presents a bill.
2. The Floor is the forum for debate.
3. A Bill shall be a draft of a proposed law, statute, decree, enactment or amendment, presented for the approval of Parliament.
4. An Act shall be a law, statute, decree, enactment or amendment, resulting from a decision of Parliament.
5. A Resolution shall be a formal statement of a decision or expression of opinion adopted by Parliament.
To simplify matters, all references to the male or Female gender shall mean both male and female gender.
(2) The Speaker of Parliament shall be the Presiding Officer of Parliament and shall also be known as the Prime Minister. The Speaker shall not be prohibited from fulfilling all other duties and privileges of a Member of Parliament. The Speaker shall present all bills passed by Parliament to the Crown Council for the giving of Assent if such bills require Royal Assent as soon as possible. The rights, duties, responsibilities and obligations of the Speaker of Parliament shall be established and outlined according to statute to be laid down by Parliament. The Deputy Prime Minister shall serve under the duty of the Prime Minister (Speaker) and shall take his place when the Speaker is unavailable.
27.
(1) These rules shall serve as the primary Parliamentary procedures for Parliament unless Parliament passes special rules for special legislative days. Any member may introduce legislation as long as they follow precedence laid down by the Constitution.
(2) Voting shall last exactly four days, or until a majority is reached. The Speaker is empowered to decrease the time for voting as he deems necessary. Any Member of Parliament may call for "Cursus" (The Course of Honour) in regards to any piece of legislation. This must be seconded by another member. Under “Cursus” procedures, voting procedures are immediately initiated once such a motion is seconded. The Speaker of Parliament has the authority to revoke or evoke The course of Honour procedures if he feels it is necessary. At any time, a voting Member of Parliament may declare a leave of absence, which shall be valid for no more than four (4) days. The declaration should be filed to either the Speaker’s (Prime Minister’s) Office or the Ministry of Interior. The Member of Parliament may specify how long his leave of absence shall last. If it should last for more than 4 days, the Member of Parliament may specify so clearly in his leave of absence. Members of Parliament may appoint proxies; the proxy of choice shall be stated on the Leave of absence.
28. Any Member of Parliament may present a motion to form a Committee on a particular subject area for the purposes of legislative discussion and possible formation of a bill. The Speaker of Parliament must consent to the formation of the Committee. The Member of Parliament that motions for a Committee shall henceforth become its Chairman. The Chairman shall be responsible for adjourning such a committee session.
28. The rules may be amended by the Speaker of Parliament upon recommendation by the Members of Parliament. If a motion to amend this act is approved by two-thirds of Parliament, the Speaker shall amend the act. If a motion to suspend the rules is approved by two-thirds of the Parliament, the Speaker shall suspend the rules. If a motion to reinstate the rules is approved by two-thirds of the Parliament, the Speaker shall reinstate the rules. Amendments to the Constitution may not be introduced while suspension the rules are in effect.
All Fine.
Thus the Bill, I propose including the Amendments I have highlighted above should look something like this:
Quote:
PARLIAMENTARY RESOLUTION FOR THE RULES OF PROCEDURE
A Resolution to establish the rules of procedure within sessions of the Parliament of Devonia, including the admittance to Office of Members of Parliament following election, the election of the Prime Minister, the processes required for the proposal, debate and establishment of new legislation, and the maintenance of order within Parliament.
Be it therefore enacted by His most Excellent Majesty’s Parliament with the consent of all Members Present, the establishment of the Following Parliamentary Rules of Procedure:
PART I
1. Following the announcement of the results of a Parliamentary election, whether this may be a General Election of Parliament in its entirety or a By-Election deciding one seat or more, all successful, elected candidates shall be granted the title, ‘Member of Parliament’.
2.
(1) Within a week of the announcement of the results of a general election, The King shall announce the official opening of Parliament, at which time he shall request that successful candidates swear the following oath: “I, {name of candidate}, affirm that I will support the Constitution and the laws of the Kingdom of Devonia to best of my abilities and to be bound by my conscience in my duties as a Member of the Parliament. I pledge my loyalty to the Kingdom of Devonia and to the {King/Queen}. Long live {reigning Monarch}.” This shall henceforth be known as the ‘Royal Oath of Allegiance’.
(2) Only upon declaring the Oath Publicly in Parliament shall Members of Parliament be entitled to attend sittings of Parliament.
(3) Failure to swear the Oath shall not be considered resignation from office.
A Member may choose to swear the Oath at any point during the Parliamentary Term, upon so doing they shall be immediately permitted to attend Parliament.
(4) Should any Member either directly refuse to swear the oath, or fail to do so by the second Session of that Parliamentary Term, the Prime Minister or their Deputy shall communicate to the electorate that their representative has chosen to do so. This shall not affect the Member’s right to swear the Oath during the second Session.
3.
(1) At the beginning of each Parliamentary Session, Members wishing to participate shall declare themselves Present. A brief, formal statement that one is present shall be a sufficient.
(2) Declaration of the Royal Oath of Allegiance shall also be considered to be a Declaration of Presence. Therefore, during the first session, any Member who has sworn the Oath shall not be required to declare their presence in addition; having already sworn the Oath, Members shall only be required to make a simple Declaration of Presence to attend the second Session.
(3) Should any elected candidate fail to swear the oath during the first Session, they shall be required to swear the Oath, instead of a simple Declaration of Presence, in order to attend the second Session.
PART II
4.
(1) Once the Prime Minister and Deputy Prime Ministers are seated the Prime Minister shall declare the Hopper open for the acceptance of any Constitutional Amendments and Bills from Members of Parliament or from the Crown Council. The person submitting a Constitutional Amendment or Bill may provide a summary of what is expected to be achieved by the submission. Such submissions shall be an ongoing process during the current session of Parliament.
(2) Each submission should include the name of the proposed Bill or the Act to be amended, and may include a summary of what is aimed to be achieved by it. A draft Bill or Amendment is to be presented in its entirety at this time as Members of Parliament may expect their legislation to be scheduled by the Prime Minister. The ordering of debate before the Parliament shall be conducted by the Prime Minister according to the Constitution, Laws, and Procedures of Parliament. Government Bills introduced by the Royal Chancellor or Ministers shall take precedence over private members’ bills. A submission that has been prepared by the author for a second reading shall be on the agenda immediately after those introductions by the Royal Chancellor or Ministers. The Prime Minister may cause up to four submissions to be on the floor of Parliament in first and second reading as he determines the Parliament is capable of handling at the given time.
5. The Agenda shall comprise a list of all legislation proposed for debate during the Session in question, in the order in which they shall be presented and subject to debate in Parliament. Each entry should include the name of the Bill and summary produced by its author, and the name and position of the author of the Bill.
6. Upon completion, the Prime Minister shall present the Agenda to Parliament, providing a copy to the King who shall in turn present it to the Grand Council. The first item may be presented before Parliament once the Agenda has been read in Parliament and a copy provided to the King.
7. As soon as a Member of Parliament or the Grand Council, or the King has completed a Bill or Amendment listed on the Agenda, they shall place it in the Hopper, where all current legislation shall be stored.
8. When the time comes for an item on the Agenda to be presented, the Prime Minister or Deputy Prime Minister shall call upon its author to read the appropriate Draft Bill or Amendment in Parliament. This shall be called the First Reading. The author may choose to make an Introductory Speech to the piece of legislation before or after the Reading, or not at all, as he pleases.
9.
After the First Reading, the Debate shall begin, during which all Members of Parliament may discuss the proposed legislation, ask its author questions, with intent to decide whether this legislation will be beneficial to the Kingdom, highlight any weaknesses, and to suggest any improvements that could be made.
10.
(1) After a reasonable period of time, when debate is drawing to a close, the Prime Minister shall ask for Members of Parliament to vote ‘Aye’ or ‘No’ to whether they wish the Bill or Amendment to receive a Second Reading. No longer than a period of twenty four hours shall be allowed for Members of Parliament to vote. Members of the Grand Council may not vote, unless they are also Members of Parliament.
(2) If the majority vote Aye, then the author shall be allowed to make any necessary amendments to the Bill or Amendment, and a Second Reading shall be added to the Agenda after the next scheduled item.
(3) If the majority vote No, the Bill or Amendment shall be considered Rejected. It shall be removed from the Hopper, and may not be reintroduced until the next Session.
11. When the time comes for a piece of legislation to be presented to Parliament for its Second Reading, the Prime Minister or Deputy Prime Minister shall call upon its author to read the appropriate Bill or Amendment for the second time. The author shall read the revised version of the piece of legislation; they may choose to make an Explanatory Speech to highlight and explain the changes made before or after the reading, or not at all.
12. After the Second Reading, the Prime Minister shall call for the piece of legislation to be voted on. Members may vote ‘Aye,’ ‘No,’ or ‘I Abstain.’ Members of the Grand Council may not vote, unless they are also Members of Parliament. The Vote shall continue for three days, or until all Members of Parliament who are Present have voted.
13.
(1) Once the Vote has concluded, the Prime Minister shall announce the result. A simple Majority of ‘Ayes’, of over fifty percent, not including votes of Abstention, shall be required for the Bill or Amendment to be Passed by Parliament.
(2) Should a Majority be achieved, the Prime Minister shall present the Bill or Amendment to the King for Royal Assent. Once the King has granted the Bill or Amendment Royal Assent, it shall be considered Enacted, and shall become Law, and shall be removed from the Hopper and placed in the Parliamentary Library, labelled as Enacted.
(3) Should a Majority not be achieved, the Bill or Amendment shall be considered Rejected. It shall be removed from the Hopper and placed in the Parliamentary Library, labelled as ‘Rejected’.
14. Once an item has been Passed or Rejected by Parliament, the next item on the agenda shall be dealt with, by the process described in Sections 13-18.
PART III
15. During sittings of Parliament, Members or Parliament are to be addressed as ‘my Right Honourable friend’.
16. It shall be the responsibility of the Prime Minister and Deputy Prime Minister to maintain order in Parliament.
17. Discussion in Parliament shall not digress from the topic of debate.
18. Although intense political debate shall be allowed, Members shall not make use of profane language, or direct inappropriate personal insults at other Members.
19. Members must Yield to the Floor after they are finished speaking during a Parliamentary Session, by saying “I Yield to the Floor”.
20. Members shall not make any attempt to impede or hinder the functioning of Parliament.
21.
(1) Should any member begin to behave in a way that impedes the functioning of Parliament, the Prime Minister or Deputy Prime Minister shall politely request that they cease such behaviour, and focus on the topic of debate.
(2) Should a Member repeatedly defy such reasonable requests, and continue to conduct themselves in a manner that impedes the functioning of Parliament, the Prime Minister shall ask for a Vote to be called to Expel the Member from Parliament. If over fifty percent of Members vote ‘Aye,’ the Member in question shall be temporarily Expelled, and the case brought before the High Court of Devonia, which shall judge whether the Member should be permanently Expelled from the body, Expelled for the remainder of the Term or Session, or reinstated.
Part IV
22.
(1) The following are considered to be the term and definitions under which the Parliament will operate:
1.The Sponsor is the one who presents a bill.
2. The Floor is the forum for debate.
3. A Bill shall be a draft of a proposed law, statute, decree, enactment or amendment, presented for the approval of Parliament.
4. An Act shall be a law, statute, decree, enactment or amendment, resulting from a decision of Parliament.
5. A Resolution shall be a formal statement of a decision or expression of opinion adopted by Parliament.
To simplify matters, all references to the male or Female gender shall mean both male and female gender.
(2) The Speaker of Parliament shall be the Presiding Officer of Parliament and shall also be known as the Prime Minister. The Speaker shall not be prohibited from fulfilling all other duties and privileges of a Member of Parliament. The Speaker shall present all bills passed by Parliament to the Crown Council for the giving of Assent if such bills require Royal Assent as soon as possible. The rights, duties, responsibilities and obligations of the Speaker of Parliament shall be established and outlined according to statute to be laid down by Parliament. The Deputy Prime Minister shall serve under the duty of the Prime Minister (Speaker) and shall take his place when the Speaker is unavailable.
23.
(1) These rules shall serve as the primary Parliamentary procedures for Parliament unless Parliament passes special rules for special legislative days. Any member may introduce legislation as long as they follow precedence laid down by the Constitution.
(2) Voting shall last exactly four days, or until a majority is reached. The Speaker is empowered to decrease the time for voting as he deems necessary. Any Member of Parliament may call for "Cursus" (The Course of Honour) in regards to any piece of legislation. This must be seconded by another member. Under “Cursus” procedures, voting procedures are immediately initiated once such a motion is seconded. The Speaker of Parliament has the authority to revoke or evoke The course of Honour procedures if he feels it is necessary. At any time, a voting Member of Parliament may declare a leave of absence, which shall be valid for no more than four (4) days. The declaration should be filed to either the Speaker’s (Prime Minister’s) Office or the Ministry of Interior. The Member of Parliament may specify how long his leave of absence shall last. If it should last for more than 4 days, the Member of Parliament may specify so clearly in his leave of absence. Members of Parliament may appoint proxies; the proxy of choice shall be stated on the Leave of absence.
24. Any Member of Parliament may present a motion to form a Committee on a particular subject area for the purposes of legislative discussion and possible formation of a bill. The Speaker of Parliament must consent to the formation of the Committee. The Member of Parliament that motions for a Committee shall henceforth become its Chairman. The Chairman shall be responsible for adjourning such a committee session.
25. The rules may be amended by the Speaker of Parliament upon recommendation by the Members of Parliament. If a motion to amend this act is approved by two-thirds of Parliament, the Speaker shall amend the act. If a motion to suspend the rules is approved by two-thirds of the Parliament, the Speaker shall suspend the rules. If a motion to reinstate the rules is approved by two-thirds of the Parliament, the Speaker shall reinstate the rules. Amendments to the Constitution may not be introduced while suspension the rules are in effect.
I Yield to the floor. _________________ Mr. Dervin, Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Devonia
I personally now wish to hear from the sponsor, the Honorable Deputy Prime Minister, as to his final draft from all these suggestions before I make any more comments other than to say I'm in favor of leaving the "rehased" parts of the Constitution in this Resolution.
It is easy to strike or change a paragraph from my point of view and better to be able to go to one document for all the rules of procedure than to the resolution and then have someone say, 'but the Constitution says ...'. '.. so there was really no need to tell you that bcause you should have known...'
- just my view on that little matter. _________________ Austi Scot MP
Royal Chancellor
Order of Devonia
---
Part III Section 9 of the version of the Resolution that confused the Right Honourable Prime Minister was originally written by myself, referring to the length of time allowed for Members to submit proposed legislation to the Prime Minister. This section no longer makes sense, as the alterations made by the Right Honourable Chancellor, according to His Royal Majesty the King's version of the Resolution, made the submission of legislation an ongoing process. Now that four pieces of legislation may be presented at once, I think that it would be fine to allow legislation to be proposed throughout the session. The problem is that both the latest versions of the Resolution then start talking about the Agenda.
I will gladly take all these changes into consideration and put together a new, and hopefully final, version of this Resolution, but first I think we need to decide whether we want an Agenda at all. If we can introduce up to four pieces of legislation at once, I do not think that an Agenda is really necessary, and it might make things simpler not to have one. May I ask if anyone thinks differently?
I yield to the floor. _________________ Christopher Wright MP
Deputy Prime Minister
Well, I think we should still keep the agenda bit in the resolution as it is no harm to have, an angenda will keep the order of the business on the Parliament in order so that we know what we are doing and are not looking around seeing what should be done next or which bill should we now consider. A Agenda will make sure we know what we are doing when we are suppose to be doing it.
I look forward to seeing the final draft (hopefully) of this Bill and will be glad to help if you need it! _________________ Mr. Dervin, Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Devonia
I like the idea of keeping the agenda also. Having an agenda simple means the Prime Minister may at his discretion list the bills that will be having a first reading, second reading - a vote on first reading, a vote on second reading etc:
It basically lets everyone know the activity planned for the week, although I wouldn't mind seeing a two week agenda posted each week so that we know what is planned for the following week instead of having to wait; a two week running calendar with the second week moved up to current each week. _________________ Austi Scot MP
Royal Chancellor
Order of Devonia
---
Should a vote commence? _________________ His Royal Majesty King Rafael II of the House of Aluveaux. Consul of Etampes, Prince of Arretium, Prince of Apulia, The Duke of Calabria, The Duke of Devon, The Duke of Lavinium, and The Duke of York.
The Parliament is awaiting The RH Deputy Prime Minister's Updated Copy of the Bill, which will take on board all our suggestions made in this thread. When Mr. Wright presents this Updated Draft of the Bill (Second Reading) the Parliament, if it believes the Bill is apt, will then vote on the Bill. At the moment, we have no one version of the Bill to vote on, so I will wait and see the updated copy before we make any vote.
Yours,
Michael Dervin,
Prime Minister _________________ Mr. Dervin, Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Devonia
My Right Honourable Friends, I apologise for the delay in the production of the Bill. I have been busy over the last couple of weeks, but things are calming down now, so I hope to have completed the Bill in the next couple of days.
Whilst writing it I have tried to combine my original Bill with elements of His Royal Majesty the King's version, taking into account all the issues that have been raised during the debate, and constitutional restrictions. I hope that the next version will be acceptable to all, as I would like to see the body moving on to other business.
I yield to the floor. _________________ Christopher Wright MP
Deputy Prime Minister
As the sponsor of this Resolution, I present it for its second reading under the new title, Parliamentary Resolution for the Rules of Procedure 2008, formally the Parliamentary Procedures Bill 2007. In this second draft, I have attempted to combine contributions made by myself, His Royal Majesty the King, the Right Honourable Prime Minister, and the Right Honourable Chancellor, to form the most comprehensive form of the resolution produced yet, which I hope will be acceptable to all concerned.
I have added the definitions as written by the King, and have integrated his contributions relating to the position of Speaker into Part III. I have also written a Part V, which includes His Majesty's ideas relating to Leave of Absense and Cursus procedures. I have also included the Right Honourable Chancellor's section on the suspension and resumption of the rules of procedure. Some parts of this bill have been copied directly from the suggestions, others have been slightly fine-tuned or paraphrased for clarity.
Throughout the Resolution I have made many other minor adjustments, including many of those suggested by Messrs. Dervin and Scot. I will not go into these in detail. I should, however, say that I have retained most references to the Constitution, as I agree with Mr. Scot that it is useful to have them as a guide, so that we mostly only need to refer to one document. Whenever referring to the requirement to give bills put forward by members of the Grand Council priority, I have referred to this as ' the order of precendence stated in the Constitution,' in case any other requirements are made.
As to the Agenda, I have included this in this version of the bill as an optional feature of Parliament, so that the Speaker may write one 'should he deem it necessary'. In other words, if an any one time only a handful of bills are in the Hopper, there seems little point in taking the time to write an agenda. If many bills are introduced, on the other hand, an agenda could be a useful organisational tool. I have written that the order of precedence (i.e. priority for Grand Council bills) should be observed when writing the Agenda (i.e. Grand Council bills first). I have decided that if a member of the Grand Council introduces a bill while an Agenda is in progress, the existing Agenda should be completed first. As soon as the Agenda is completed, the Grand Council bills should be dealt with. As Grand Council bills are still given precendence, I do not think that this defies the Constitution, but if anyone disagrees with this, please speak.
I hope that you will all look upon this draft favourably.
I yield to the floor. _________________ Christopher Wright MP
Deputy Prime Minister
Last edited by Christopher Wright on Mon Jan 21, 2008 12:44 pm; edited 1 time in total
PARLIAMENTARY RESOLUTION FOR THE RULES OF PROCEDURE 2008
A Resolution to establish the rules of procedure within sessions of the Parliament of Devonia, including the admittance to Office of Members of Parliament following election, the election of the Prime Minister, the processes required for the proposal, debate and establishment of new legislation, and the maintenance of order within Parliament.
Be it therefore resolved by His most Excellent Majesty, the King’s Parliament, by and with the advice and consent of this present Parliament assembled, and by the authority of the same, as follows: —
PART I
1. Definitions
(1) Sponsor: One who presents a bill.
(2) Floor: The forum for debate.
(3) Bill: A law, statute, decree, enactment or amendment, presented for the approval of Parliament.
(4) Act: A law, statute, decree, enactment or amendment, resulting from a decision of Parliament, and requiring Royal Assent to become law.
(5) Resolution: A formal statement of a decision or expression of opinion adopted by Parliament, which shall not require Royal Assent.
(6) All references to the male gender shall refer to either the male or the female gender.
2. Following the announcement of the results of a Parliamentary election, whether this may be a General Election of Parliament in its entirety or a By-Election deciding one seat or more, all successful, elected candidates shall be granted the title, ‘Member of Parliament’.
3. Within a week of the announcement of the results of a general election, the King shall announce the official opening of Parliament, at which time he shall request Members to swear the oath given in Section 3.
4.
(1) The King shall request that successful candidates swear the following oath: “I, {name of candidate}, affirm that I will support the Constitution and the laws of the Kingdom of Devonia to best of my abilities and to be bound by my conscience in my duties as a Member of the Parliament. I pledge my loyalty to the Kingdom of Devonia and to the {King/Queen}. Long live {reigning Monarch}.” This shall henceforth be known as the ‘Royal Oath of Allegiance’.
(2) Only upon declaring the Oath publicly in Parliament shall Members of Parliament be entitled to attend sittings of Parliament.
(3) Failure to swear the Oath shall not be considered resignation from office.
A Member may choose to swear the Oath at any point during the Parliamentary Term, upon so doing they shall be immediately permitted to attend Parliament.
(4) Should any Member either directly refuse to swear the oath, or fail to do so by the second Session of that Parliamentary Term, the Prime Minister or their Deputy shall communicate to the electorate that their representative has chosen to do so. This shall not affect the Member’s right to swear the Oath during the second Session.
5.
(1) At the beginning of each Parliamentary Session, Members wishing to participate shall declare themselves Present. A brief, formal statement that one is present shall be a sufficient.
(2) Declaration of the Royal Oath of Allegiance shall also be considered to be a Declaration of Presence. Therefore, during the first session, any Member who has sworn the Oath shall not be required to declare their presence in addition; having already sworn the Oath, Members shall only be required to make a simple Declaration of Presence to attend the second Session.
(3) Should any elected candidate fail to swear the oath during the first Session, they shall be required to swear the Oath, instead of a simple Declaration of Presence, in order to attend the second Session.
PART II
6.
(1) In accordance with the Constitution, the first responsibility of Parliament shall be to elect a Prime Minister. A period of three days after the Opening of Parliament shall be allowed for Members to swear to the Oath, after which the King shall request that Members wishing to stand for the position of Prime Minister should announce their intention.
(2) All members wishing to stand for election to the position of Prime Minister should announce their intention within three days of the King’s request.
(3) The Prime Minister and shall be elected by a system of direct ballot, by simple majority rule. Each Member of Parliament may place one vote for the Member they wish to be elected. Candidates may vote for themselves.
(4) Once either a period of three days has passed, or all eligible Members, who have sworn the Oath, have voted, the King shall appoint the candidate with the most votes to the position of Prime Minister.
7.
(1) Once the election is complete, the new Prime Minister shall nominate a Member to the position of Deputy Prime Minister. The Deputy may or may not be a member of the Prime Minister’s own party.
(2) The Prime Minister shall then call for other nominations to the seat of Deputy Prime Minister. The sitting Members of Parliament shall then elect the Deputy Prime Minister by Majority vote.
PART III
8.
(1) Once the Prime Minister and Deputy Prime Minister are seated, the Prime Minister shall declare the Hopper open, and request that Members of Parliament and of the Grand Council, and the King, submit any bills and/or Amendments they wish to present for debate.
(2) Each submission to the Hopper should include no more and no less than the draft bill or amendment to be presented for debate. Subsequent drafts produced following debate should also be placed in the Hopper.
9. Submission of draft bills and amendments to the Hopper shall be an ongoing process throughout the session of Parliament.
10. The Speaker of Parliament shall be the presiding officer. While the Prime Minister is present, he shall take the position of Speaker. The Deputy Prime Minister shall take the role of Speaker in the Prime Minister’s absence. In the absence of both the Prime Minister and his Deputy, Parliament shall elect a temporary speaker to carry out the necessary duties until the return of the Prime Minister or his Deputy.
11.
(1) The Speaker shall have the responsibility of deciding when submissions to the Hopper are to be debated.
(2) The Speaker shall observe the order of precedence established by the Constitution when introducing legislation or setting an Agenda.
12. Up to four pieces of legislation may be presented to and discussed in Parliament simultaneously. A new piece of legislation may be presented as soon as a previous piece has been Passed or Rejected by Parliament.
13.
(1) Should the Speaker deem it necessary, a Parliamentary Agenda may be written.
(2) The Agenda shall comprise a list of all legislation submitted to the Hopper at the time of its writing, in the order in which they shall be presented and subject to debate in Parliament. Each entry should include the name of the Bill and its sponsor.
14. Upon completion, the Speaker shall present the Agenda to Parliament, providing a copy to the King. The first item may be presented before Parliament once the Agenda has been read in Parliament and a copy provided to the King.
15.
(1) When the time comes for an item on the Agenda to be presented, the Speaker shall call upon its sponsor to read the appropriate draft bill or amendment in Parliament. This shall be called the First Reading. The sponsor may choose to make an Introductory Speech to the piece of legislation before or after the Reading, or not at all, as he pleases.
(2) If no Agenda has been written, the Speaker shall introduce legislation in an order of his choosing, but complying with the order of precedence established by the Constitution at all times.
16.
(1) After the First Reading, the Debate shall begin, during which all Members of Parliament may discuss the proposed legislation, ask its author questions, with intent to decide whether this legislation will be beneficial to the Kingdom, highlight any weaknesses, and to suggest any improvements that could be made.
(2) In accordance with the Constitution, Members of the Grand Council shall be entitled to attend and participate in these debates.
17.
(1) After a period of three days, when debate is drawing to a close, the Speaker shall ask for Members of Parliament to vote ‘Aye’ or ‘No’ to whether they wish the Bill or Amendment to receive a Second Reading. No longer than a period of twenty four hours shall be allowed for Members of Parliament to vote. Members of the Grand Council may not vote, unless they are also Members of Parliament.
(2) If the majority vote Aye, then the sponsor shall be allowed to make any necessary amendments to the Bill or Amendment, and a Second Reading shall be added to the Agenda after the next scheduled item.
(3) If the majority vote No, the Bill or Amendment shall be considered Rejected. It shall be removed from the Hopper, and may not be reintroduced until the next Session.
18. When the time comes for a piece of legislation to be presented to Parliament for its Second Reading, the Speaker shall call upon its author to read the appropriate Bill or Amendment for the second time. The author shall read the revised version of the piece of legislation; they may choose to make an Explanatory Speech to highlight and explain the changes made before or after the reading, or not at all.
19. After the Second Reading, the Speaker shall call for a vote, lasting a maximum of 24 hours, on whether to begin another debate period, allowing the piece of legislation a Third Reading. Members may vote ‘Aye’ or ‘No’. If a majority of ‘Ayes’ is reached, a debate shall begin, after which the sponsor may make final amendments to the bill, which shall be presented for a Third Reading, then voted on by the process described in Section 20. If a majority of ‘Nos’ is reached, the final vote shall begin immediately.
20. The Speaker shall call for the piece of legislation to be voted on. Members may vote ‘Aye,’ ‘No,’ or ‘I Abstain.’ Members of the Grand Council may not vote, unless they are also Members of Parliament. The Vote shall continue for three days, or until all Members of Parliament who are Present have voted.
21.
(1) Once the Vote has concluded, the Speaker shall announce the result. A simple Majority of ‘Ayes’, of over fifty percent, not including votes of Abstention, shall be required for the Bill or Amendment to be Passed by Parliament.
(2) Should a Majority be achieved, the Speaker shall present the Bill or Amendment to the King for Royal Assent. Once the King has granted the Bill or Amendment Royal Assent, it shall be considered Enacted, and shall become Law, and shall be removed from the Hopper and placed in the Parliamentary Library, labelled as Enacted.
(3) Should a Majority not be achieved, the Bill or Amendment shall be considered Rejected. It shall be removed from the Hopper and placed in the Parliamentary Library, labelled as ‘Rejected’.
22. Once an item has been Passed or Rejected by Parliament, the next item on the agenda shall be dealt with, by the process described in Sections 11-21.
23.
(1) Any Member of Parliament may call for ‘Cursus’ (The Course of Honour) in regards to any piece of legislation. This must be seconded by another member. Under ‘Cursus’ procedures, voting procedures are immediately initiated once such a motion is seconded.
(2) The Speaker shall have the authority to revoke or evoke The Course of Honour procedures if he feels necessary.
PART IV
24.
(1) During sittings of Parliament, Members or Parliament are to be addressed as ‘my Right Honourable friend’.
(2) Members must Yield to the Floor after they have finished speaking during a Parliamentary Session, by saying, “I Yield to the Floor.”
25. It shall be the responsibility of the Speaker to maintain order in Parliament.
26. Discussion in Parliament shall not digress from the topic of debate.
27. Although intense political debate shall be allowed, Members shall not make use of profane language, or direct inappropriate personal insults at other Members.
28. Members shall not make any attempt to impede or hinder the functioning of Parliament.
29.
(1) Should any member begin to behave in a way that impedes the functioning of Parliament, the Speaker shall politely request that they cease such behaviour, and focus on the topic of debate.
(2) Should a Member repeatedly defy such reasonable requests, and continue to conduct themselves in a manner that impedes the functioning of Parliament, the Speaker shall ask for a Vote to be called to Expel the Member from Parliament. If over fifty percent of Members vote ‘Aye,’ the Member in question shall be temporarily Expelled, and the case brought before the High Court of Devonia, which shall judge whether the Member should be permanently Expelled from the body, Expelled for the remainder of the Term or Session, or reinstated.
PART V
30. At any time, a voting Member of Parliament may declare a Leave of Absence, which shall be valid for four days. The declaration should be filed to either the Prime Minister’s Office or the Ministry of the Interior.
31. Should a Member of Parliament expect to be absent for longer than four days, he should apply to the Prime Minister’s Office or the Ministry of the Interior for an Extended Leave of Absence, stating the length of time for which he expects to be absent.
32. Members of Parliament may appoint proxies; the proxy of choice shall be stated on the Leave of Absence. If the Member does not wish to appoint a proxy, they should state ‘Sans Proxy’ on their Leave of Absence.
33. Any Member of Parliament may present a motion to form a Committee on a particular subject area for the purposes of legislative discussion and possible formation of a bill. The Speaker of Parliament must consent to the formation of the Committee. The Member of Parliament that motions for a Committee shall henceforth become its Chairman. The Chairman shall be responsible for adjourning such a committee session.
34. Any motion to amend this resolution must be approved by two thirds of Parliament, rather than by a simple majority.
35.
(1) If a motion to suspend the rules is approved by two thirds of Parliament, the Speaker shall suspend these rules. If a motion to reinstate the rules is approved by two thirds of Parliament, the Speaker shall reinstate the rules.
(2) Amendments to the Constitution may not be introduced while suspension of the rules are in effect.
36. Commencement of Resolution.
This internal resolution shall come into force within Parliament upon approval by two thirds of Parliament. It shall remain in force until suspended by Parliament according to Section 35, Subsection (1) of this resolution, and may be put back into force by Parliament according to same. _________________ Christopher Wright MP
Deputy Prime Minister
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