All bills under this constitution not made by process of consensus
committee shall contain a statement of purpose, conforming to the
requirements of a consensus committee topic. No omnibus bills may be
offered, and no bill may contain any provision not within its
statement of purpose. No initiative, referendum, or superstatute
may be promoted on any provision not central to its statement of
purpose or in any way which would tend to mislead the voters as to
the purpose or content of the bill.
Parlaiment shall have the power to approve, disapprove, send
to the people, or amend and send back for approval any proposed
legislation by the Republic Council. However, the Council may
propose only 12 laws in this way in any one year for legislative
purposes.
Parlaiment shall additionally have the power to make laws under:
laws made under this section are subject to Council approval.
Within the general crime of felony defined in Article III chapter B
section 2 (III.B2) Parlaiment shall have the power to define more
specific crimes with more specific ranges of sentences, and to set
sentence ranges for crimes at common law within any authorized
felony under Article III chapter B (III.B2-4) including ranges less than the minimum for felony itself,
it shall also have the power to overrule any commonlaw crime created
within felony and make the conduct legal or attach a misdemeanor
sentence range.. All such laws shall be subject to Council
approval.
Wherein Council approval is required for an act of Parlaiment,
it may override the lack of approval by a 2/3 majority vote if the
original provision required a majority, or a 3/4 majority vote if
the original provision required more than a simple majority.
Parlaiment shall have the power to propose referenda on any topic
of valid legislation by a simple majority, on which the people may
vote. However, no item which requires a consensus committee under Chapter C section 3 (II.C3) may be
put forward in this way, and the number of referendum items allowed
on the ballot may not exceed the number of initiatives. Each
referendum item shall note its priority for the ballot. Any law
created by Parlaiment with the consent of the Council shall be
subject to referendum if a 5% petition requesting it is submitted
within 90 days of the passage of the law.
Likewise, the people have the right and power to create statutes by
process of initiative ballot; any 5% petition to the Republic
Council suggesting proper legislation and which proposes itself to
be an initiative shall be placed on the next ballot as a piece of
initiative legislation.
If any initiative garners a majority of the vote in its favor, it
is to be considered approved by the people, and subject to the
approval of the Republic Council, if the Council disapproves,
the initiative shall automatically be placed on the next ballot
and if it gains a majority shall become law without approval.
No person shall be excluded from their right to petition by virtue
of serving or having served on a consensus committee or in some
other governmental function except that current members of the
Council and Parlaiment shall be excluded from petition, except as
otherwise specified under this constitution, during their term in
office.
A 7% petition claiming to call for an initiative superstatute shall,
if approved by Parlaiment, be placed on the ballot as an initiative
superstatute, and if it garners a 2/3 majority of the vote, will be
considered approved by the people as a superstatute, though if it
garners a majority less than 2/3 it shall be considered approved as
a piece of initiative legislation unless outside the constitutional
authority to make laws. Such superstatutes are further subject to section 8 above (II.D8) Superstatutes shall supersede all laws
except this constitution, may be made regardless of authorization
under article III, and may only be amended or repealed by a
referendum garnering a 2/3 majority of the people or by the
initiative process used to create them. No superstatute may be
created which is contrary to the intent of any provision of this
constitution or any treaty obligation of the Republic.
The Supreme Court, upon receipt of evidence that a proposed
initiative, referendum or superstatute is constitutionally invalid
for any reason prior to the election shall have the power to prevent
said item from being placed on the ballot at this election. This
may be overridden by a 2/3 majority vote of Parlaiment with the
advice and consent of the council.
The judiciary shall have the power to create and develop the
common law, subject to the powers of Parlaiment under chapter C
section 16 (II.C16). The accepted works on Anglo-American
common law (to the extent that items are consistent with the
constitution), and the principles derivable from all enacted
statutes in the Republic are here acknowledged as the initial
starting point for the common law in the republic. No statute
shall be invalid by reason of contradicting the common law.
Parlaiment and the Republic Council shall each have the power to
make rules regulating the conduct of their own members and business,
including the Prime Minister as a member of the Republic Council,
and to set their own schedules within the defined period. No rule
of procedure may be agreed to over the objection of a majority of
members; or of a majority of the members of each of more than one
third of the parties in the body, without regard for absolute
numbers, when such objection occurs at the time of the final vote
on passage.
No person may be the head of Parlaiment, the time for debate and
the items considered shall be controlled by all of the members
through the rules they make for the body, which may not contain
provision for such a person. No rule may limit the time for debate
on any item not subject to a constitutional limitation on time, nor
the order of debate, which does not apply to one specific set of bills and is not affirmed by a 3/5 majority of the
whole number of members in addition to the rule ofsection 10 above
(II.D10).
Parlaiment shall have the power to temporarily and specifically
delegate certain powers of the government, in a limited way
consistent with all provisions of law and this constitution and
with the other powers so far delegated, to executive and local
organizations, such as the power to make local laws to a city.
Cities and local cabinets shall have the power to issue ordinances
regarding zoning, development, traffic regulation, building codes,
and other purely local issues affecting the quality of life provided
they are within the national law and constitution.
The government shall respect the charters and governments of cities
and other localities to the extent they are consistent with self-
government by direct or representative democracy, this constitution,
and the law, and insure the local government's compliance with such
charters and laws.
The Prime Minister and Ambassadors shall receive diplomats and
shall have the power to negotiate, and likewise the Council with
the advice and consent of Parlaiment shall have the power to enter
into, international treaties on behalf of the republic.