June 5 Update
Legislation and Condemnation
Written by UPC
Attempt to Condemn the Land of Kings and Emperors Fails
This week an attempt was made by Consular to condemn The Land of Kings and Emperors, HEM's former residence and one of Europeia's oldest and closest allies. The proposal received significant support from many individuals as well as small regions, along with the initial support of a select few large regions such as The South Pacific and Osiris. However, support for the condemnation soon collapsed following the discovery that Consular had fabricated evidence against the LKE. This was uncovered by none other than Europeia's own Chief of State, Kuramia. Attempts have been made to condemn Consular in return, though most have been struck down as being 'tit for tat' motions.
Proposal Put Forth for a New Capital City
HEM, Europeia's founder, proposed on Tuesday an idea for a new capital city for the region, Arnhelm City. According to HEM, the city's purpose is to reinvigorate the Citizens' Assembly and to encourage newer citizens to participate. The city would be governed like a real city by a new City Council, hearkening back to before the 2012 rebranding of the Citizens' Assembly, as previously it had been known as the City Council. HEM noted that participation in the Citizens' Assembly has been steadily waning, and hopes that this causes new interest in the body.
Rand's Foreign Interest Disclosure Bill Fails
On May 20 Senator Rand began discussions on the original Foreign Interest Disclosure Bill. Rand proposed an amendment to section 5 of the Elections Act of 2015 stating that all candidates should publicize a list of all current or formal relationships with foreign states, under penalty of prosecution. Rand's bill was contentious to say the least, not only in the Senate but among the citizenry also, as can be seen in the June Senate Foreign Affairs Poll Analysis produced by Senator Astrellan. Rand's bill did not pass, but a less rigorous version has been proposed by Speaker Aexnidaral.
Senate Proposes Two Bills
Two bills were proposed in the Senate this week, both by Speaker Aexnidaral.
The Executive Disclosure Act of 2019 promotes mandatory Foreign Interest Disclosure for certain positions, namely Chief of State and First Minister, and allows candidates for other positions to volunteer to submit for Foreign Interest Disclosure. This bill, written in response to Rand's failed Foreign Interest Disclosure Bill, is intended to provide more transparency within the government of Europeia as well as the internal connections of specific members of the government. Debate is still ongoing regarding this proposal.
The Motion Appeal Amendment seeks to change Section 42 of the Senate Protocol Act to allow only Senators to move to appeal a decision by the Speaker. The former wording allowed anyone with speaking privilege in the Senate to conduct such a move. All five Senators have given their approval for this change.
