Post by Lüc da Schir on May 13, 2018 15:54:29 GMT -6
Esteemed colleagues, while we are waiting for the Committee to be estabilished, I'd like to share with you some thoughts about what I'd like to see in our body of standing rules.
In no particular order, other than timing throughout a term:
1) Standing rules about elections and returning members. For example: a rule on who can verify eligibility and what to do if a Senator-elect/designate is found to be ineligible. It would also be very important to state the beginning and the end of a Senator's term in office, because the Senate is never dissolved. For example,
A Senator-elect or Senator-designate takes office immediately after his or her credentials are accepted, and leaves office upon death, resignation, disqualification, expulsion; or if a different successor is elected, immediately upon the acceptance of credentials to his successor or immediately upon the first Clark of the new Cosa is published, whichever comes sooner.So if a Senator is reelected, his new term technically begins with the new Cosa; otherwise, he still has full control of his seat until a successor is elected and accepted; or if issues arise with the acceptance of credentials for the new Senator, and he/she doesn't get seated on time for the start of the new Senate, the old Senator still leaves office before the Clark is published.
"Presenting the credentials" would simply be, in our case, the SoS or the provincial officer declaring the Senator officially elected, or the Premier appointing him to the Senate. It would be fancy if actual certificates of election were presented to the Senate, but it would also be needlessly complicated.
2) Standing rules about the election of a Mençei. As soon as all of the Senators are seated (either everyone has been reelected, or the new Senators have all been accepted), the Dean of the Senate shall preside over the Senate and over the election of a new Mençei, and act as presiding officer in the absence of the Mençei, if the Mençei has not named a deputy.
3) Standing rules about the powers of a Mençei.
4) Standing rules about voting on motions; we should probably differentiate between "urgent/short" motions (where we need an outcome in a short timespan, or it's just a minor procedural hurdle; 48/72 hrs to vote), "ordinary" motions (such as electing a Mençei or voting on a standing rule that cleared the Committee; around a week to vote), and "full" motions (such as electing a ChRTB; coincident with a Clark).
5) Standing rules about Living Senates - in person (wishful thinking), by live video and by live text chat.
