SO 2017-33 Parliamentary Journals Act

Parliamentary Journals Act 2017

An Act to regulate Parliamentary Journals.

WHEREAS there is at this current moment not yet a comprehensive overview of proceedings within a Session of Parliament;

BELIEVING that there should be created such an overview;

BE IT ENACTED by Us, by and with the advice and consent of Parliament, and by the authority of the same, as follows:-

Article 1
A Parliamentary Journal (hereafter ‘Journal’) shall be an overview of the proceeding and minutes within each Session of Parliament.

Article 2
Journals are to be used to inform Members of Our Region about the proceedings in Parliament. They shall contain objective information only.

Article 3
A Journal shall be created at the end of each Parliament by the Founder, or another person to whom this privilege shall be delegated to.

Article 4
Journals are to be published at the Lobby of Parliament, or in a dispatch to which a link is then put on the Regional Message Board, as soon as they are completed. Journals shall not be publicized in the International Gazette.

Article 5
Each Journal shall contain at least:
a. The names of Senators who actively took part in the proceedings that specific Session;
b. The number of proposals of law that were introduced during the Session, in total as well as by Member;
c. The number of proposed amendments to the law that were introduced during the Session, in total as well as by Member;
d. The number of proposed repeals that were introduced during the Session, in total as well as by Member;
e. The other proposals that were laid before Parliament in that Session, in total as well as by Member;
f. The number of questions that were asked in the General Debate Topic of that Session, outlining who the question asked, and who answered;
g. The outcome of each and every vote taken during that Session in the Voting Chamber, as well as an overview of the votes casted per Member;
h. The result of the election for the Speaker Pro Tempore of Parliament, if there was one;
i. An overview of papers that were laid before Parliament by the Cabinet or any other executive position or office;
j. All other such measures that have any significant impact upon or relate to the proceedings in Parliament for that Session.

Article 6
This Act may be cited as “[The] Parliamentary Journals Act 2017”.

Monday 1 May 2017
The Rt. Hon. Nassau-Windsor MP LSM
The Rt. Hon. Libertarian Democracy MP GSM LSM, Minister of Development
The Hon. Abdoa MP GSM LSM

Debate will last until Friday April 5, 2017.

I do hereby table the following amendment:

Amendment I, Abdoa:

To amend Article 3 to read as follows: "A Journal shall be created at the end of each Parliament by the nation lawfully exercising the functions of Speaker of Parliament at that time, or, if explicitly delegated and in case of incapacity of that nation, the Founder or another nation to whom this privilege shall be delegated to."

Justification: As I have previously argued, in the spirit of not judging a position by its incumbent but by its role and functions, the sitting Speaker of Parliament has much more direct experience with all the items to be contained in this Journal than the Founder, who has no obligation to follow Parliamentary proceedings anyways.

I do hereby move to pass to a vote.

While I agree with Abdoa that Parliamentary internal affairs should be governed by Parliament, and that the position should be referred to by its role and purpose, I object to the inclusion of the founder, as that belongs in an entirely separate bill regarding emergency powers.

So would you prefer this?

Amendment I, Abdoa:

To amend Article 3 to read as follows: "A Journal shall be created at the end of each Parliament by the nation lawfully exercising the functions of Speaker of Parliament at that time, or another nation to whom this privilege shall be delegated to.

That is satisfactory, however I'd say that the last bit is unnecessary given the description of the position rather than the title, but that's not a big deal at all.

Abdoa wrote:So would you prefer this?

Amendment I, Abdoa:

To amend Article 3 to read as follows: "A Journal shall be created at the end of each Parliament by the nation lawfully exercising the functions of Speaker of Parliament at that time, or another nation to whom this privilege shall be delegated to.

I have one question, being whether my Honourable friend [Abdoa] also wishes to include into his Amendment the provision to give this privilege in commission? As the Speaker (PT) at the time may be quite busy with other things. He does not give it particularly to the Founder, but just to any Member willing to write it.

That's what the amendment does...?

Anyways, debate over, please go vote on the amendment to the bill in the Voting Chamber.