9th Senate Week in Review | 08/16 - 08/23
Written by Kasa
Edited by Vor
Edited by Vor
Introduction
Welcome back to Senate Week in Review. This edition will be the penultimate article fully focused on the 95th Senate, with the General Election less than two weeks away. There are a few debates and discussions still technically considered active within the Senate that weren't discussed at all this week, so for the sake of brevity they will not be covered in this article.
Circuit Court Abolishment Act (2024)
Following Senator Calvin Coolidge's introduction of a bill earlier this month, the discussion was moved into its first reading. The bill has not yet received any direct input from Senators, though Senator Cordova asked some clarifying questions regarding the existence of a Court of Appeal under this proposal (which Senator Coolidge noted he had plans to incorporate later).
It is somewhat difficult to predict the future of the bill until Senators respond to it directly, but going by the earlier opinions of the Senate as noted in last week's Week in Review, it seems that this discussion will result in some level of reform. Three Senators (Rand, Eldorin, and Sopo) have expressed their willingness to change the current system, which would be an overwhelming majority with the added support of Senator Coolidge. If past opinions still hold weight, however, the bill will likely not have enough votes to pass in its current form, with only two Senators ready to vote in favor.
Empowering the Speakership Amendment (2024)
Debate on one of the most lively topics in the Senate recently continued this week. After a brief straw poll which showed that the Senate favored internal election for the office of Speaker, Senator Cordova published a new draft of the bill in accordance with the results of the poll. As of the writing of this article, no Senators have responded to this new draft, but it seems likely that it will get a favorable impression given the changes made by Senator Cordova to reflect the will of the majority.
Overall, the future of this bill seems bright. Senator Cordova has been active in gathering opinions and making amendments to minimize opposition, and the Senate has warmed to the idea considerably since its introduction. The proposed reforms included in the recent drafts would certainly make large changes to how the Senate functions, so it is natural that there is so much Senatorial interest in the bill.
Conclusion
The 95th Senate approaches the General Election with some major pieces of legislation before it, though a question remains regarding which bills will find consensus before then and which will be consigned either to the dustbin or to the hands of the next Senate. Thanks for reading the 9th edition of Senate Week in Review, and the EBC will be back next week with the 10th.
