Fwurg

[Mercury]

((Moderator note: see Laws influencing each other, and effects on tax brackets for more context.))

This thread is in response to the discussion on laws where we distinguished between laws and motions.

For purposes of this post, a Motion is "A formal proposal by a Senator for an Action, in accordance with the Law of Motions.". An Action in turn is defined as "An activity engaged in by the Unions bodies at the request of the Senate after an official vote on a motion passes."

Motions must be made in person in the Senate - a motion cannot be made by an aid, through a letter or by Holonet. Seconding a motion need not be done in person - only the primary call for the motion must be made in person.

Below are some example suggestions for motions:

No Confidence
A motion of no confidence declares the Senate no longer stands behind the Chancellor and Cabinet and demands elections be made immediately without waiting for the next electoral period.

• A motion of No Confidence must be made by a Senator
• The motion must be seconded by at least four Senators before it can be put to a vote.
• If the motion passes, elections must begin immediately, starting with the opening of the floor for new candidates as per the regular schedule.

Declaration of War
A declaration of war is a motion for the Union to go to war with a certain group. It requires military action be taken against that group. The military forces led by the Minister of Defence may decide the best manner to implement this military action.

• A motion for a declaration of war must be made by the Chancellor or if necessary the Minister of Defence. As a special exception, it may also be made over the holonet in a live feed - but not through a pre-recorded message or holomail.
• If both the Minister of Defence and the Chancellor are unavailable or incapacitated, any Senator may make the motion as above.
• A motion for a declaration of war must be seconded by two Senators who are not Ministers or Chancellor
• A declaration of war is voted upon immediately after being called and properly seconded.

Special Enforcement Motion
A Special Enforcement Motion calls for special forces, Jedi or other operatives to engage in a particular mission.

• A Special Enforcement Motion must be made by a Minister or Chancellor
• It must be seconded by a Senator who is not a Minister or Chancellor
• A Special Enforcement Motion may not be made against a member of the Union under any circumstances, nor on their territory without permission of that nation.

Inquiry
A motion of Inquiry calls for an official investigation into something. It must be made on the grounds that certain crucial information is not available. A motion of inquiry is automatically denied if the missing information is provided publicly by any party

• A motion of inquiry may hold up a vote, other motion or discussion, requiring it be put off until the inquiry is completed.
• The committee shall contain one Minister (which may be the Chancellor) assigned by the Chancellor
• The committee shall contain one Senator (who may not be a member of the government) assigned by the Senate in a separate vote
• The committee shall contain one non-government official with expertise in the field, such as an admiral, a jedi or a scientist
• The committee may assign additional members by majority vote
• The committee may give assignments to agencies such as the military, jedi or other parties to provide agents to aid in the investigation
• The committee must actively investigate the matter. Failure to follow up on leads or similar negligence is punishable by law
• The committee shall produce a report which will be presented to the Senate, providing the crucial information that was not available or providing evidence that the information is impossible to produce.
• A motion of inquiry requires one senator to second it, if the motion does not hold up a vote or discussion or seconds from three senators if it does hold up a vote.
• A held up vote must be re-started once the new information is available.

Support
A motion of support is a no-action motion. If passed, it expresses the support of the Senate for a certain group, event, act, or other matter.

• A motion of support must be seconded by two other Senators before it can be put to a vote.

Sadness
A motion of sadness is a no-action motion. If passed, it expresses the deep sadness of the Senate about the actions of a Minister, Chancellor or committee. The Minister, Chancellor or committee may otherwise continue with their duties as normal.

• A motion of sadness must be seconded by two other Senators before it can be put to a vote.
• No more than one motion of Sadness may be called on a Minister or Chancellor in one electoral period.

[Brend]

I take it that with 'government' in the motion of inquiry elaboration "The committee shall contain one Senator (who may not be a member of the government) assigned by the Senate in a separate vote", you actually mean 'cabinet'? Because all senators are part of the government...

Why is a Motion of Sadness not a mirror of the Motion of Support, and instead focusses only on ministers and the chancellor?

[Mercury]

Yes, I'm confusing in terms of terminology. I meant cabinet.

The motion of sadness is not a mirror its not intended to be a counterpart for the motion. Instead of making a motion of sadness over a sad event such as a horrible accident that killed thousands, you make a motion of support for the surviving family members for example.

The Motion of Sadness is a criticism from the Senate over something a body in the Union does, to express its disapproval without actually forcing them to cease and desist, which may be too strong an intervention for the situation.

[Brend]

How do we handle things like the Bozzy Spine Extension vote, or the [Vote] Subsidy to the Embers of Aten and Kalidor?

The first seems to be a non-motion opinion-only vote, and the second seems to be a camouflaged amendment?

[Mercury]

Excellent questions. What would you suggest?

[Brend]

Elmer and I discussed this, and we observed the following: both votes were about the spending of (saved up) contingency budgets. We know that ministers are free to spent contingency budget at their leasure. But there is a catch: if they spend it frivolously they will be held accountable.

Both votes, and especially the second, seem to be a way of covering their asses. By calling for a Motion of Referendum (bad name; we had no better idea yet) they can propose to spend a chunk of the contingency budget in a way that would normally call their actions into question. If the motion passes, they have effectively put the responsibility for it on the whole senate. If the motion is rejected, they would do well to spend it somewhere else.

In effect, a Motion of Referendum is a Motion of Support, but it is called before the action...

Referendum
A motion of referendum is a no-action motion. If passed, it expresses the support of the Senate for the intended spending of a part of the Contingency budget.

• A Motion of referendum must be made by a Minister or Chancellor.
• A motion of referendum must be seconded by two other Senators before it can be put to a vote.
• A motion of referendum may list alternative options, instead of a binary yes/no vote.

We are not happy with the name, and we explicitly made the motion result non-binding. Furthermore, as all other motions are binary yes/no, this is a bit of an odd duck.

Note: Elmer and I will not start working on the laws today; we think this deserves some more thought, and we have other things to do for fwurg that we like more.

[Mercury]

No rush ^_^

I think your proposal is excellent, though I agree on the naming issue. How about Motion of Input, as it is requesting input from the Senate on a decision?

[Brend]

'Motion of Input' coveres it nicely.

Are there other problems anyone can see?

[Brend]

Since no one has come forward with any problems, I will put this text in a lawly format and into the wiki in the weekend of 10-11 August.

If you have any reservations, please inform us of them before then.

[Brend]

I have added this law to the wiki: Law of Motions.

[Elmer]

yeey, nice :)