Draft Text of Immigration Bill

[markymark]

Here is the draft text for my immigration reform bill, which would restore the two essays as requirements:

The Essentialness of Essays Act

Whereas, immigration procedures in Talossa have changed dramatically in recent times, and

Whereas, in these reforms historic elements of naturalization were removed, and

Whereas it has become difficult for the Immigration Minister to determine when citizenship should be granted, and

Whereas, both the biographical essay and the What Talossa Means to Me essay provided valuable information about prospective citizens and showed some level of interest in the nation from the prospective,

Therefore, the Ziu hereby restores both the biographical and What Talossa Means to Me essay as requirements to obtain Talossan citizenship. These essays shall be submitted to the Immigration Minister by the prospective prior to the granting of citizenship. These essays shall be made public for the benefits of all citizens.

The Ziu further declares that this act shall not be retroactive.

[kri]

Azul!

Aside from what I said elsewhere about putting all immigration stuff in one bill, the only change I would make is that the Essays should probably be defined.

That is, the What Talossa Means To Me Essay consists of four parts, traditionally:

* Why do you want to join Talossa?
* How do you plan to participate in Talossa?
* What, if anything, would you change about Talossa?
* Other than a place for you to express your opinions, what does Talossa mean to you?

...or words to that effect.

There should probably be some brief description of the size/length requirement of the essay (essentially, none).

Ben

[markymark]

Thanks for your suggestions. Hopefully Marc has the text of the current immigration law.

[Xhorxh Asmour]

I agree with all of you, but I think the prospectives should also fill in a detailed (confidential) application form including his/her phone # for confirmation.

[markymark]

Yes, I am in agreement with you. Currently, the Immigration Minister is responsible to confirm the identity of the prospective. When I was Immigration Minister I maintained the use of the MC-95a Form.

[kri]

I think using the phone number (and a phone call) for confirmation is a great idea. This will prevent the **** from creating fake e-mail accounts and using them to apply for RT citizenship just to keep us hanging emotionally.

Ben

[markymark]

Marc e-mailed me a copy of the current immigration legislation. I have revised my bill making changes to the immigration procedure to include the text of the current law with my additions.

Here is the revised text of my bill:



The Essentialness of Essays Act

Whereas, immigration procedures in Talossa have changed dramatically in recent times, and

Whereas, in these reforms historic elements of naturalization were removed, and

Whereas it has become difficult for the Immigration Minister to determine when citizenship should be granted, and

Whereas, both the biographical essay and the What Talossa Means to Me essay provided valuable information about prospective citizens and showed some level of interest in the nation from the prospective,

THEREFORE, the Ziu hereby restores the biographical essay and the What Talossa Means to Me essay as requirements of naturalization and the Ziu hereby enacts the following legislation into law as the official Talossan rules for immigration procedure, understanding that all older legislation which is directly in conflict with the principles outlined herein is thereby rendered null and void, to the
extent of the conflict.

1) Non-Talossans shall become Talossan citizens through the immigration process outlined herein. No person who is already a Talossan citizen shall be affected by this legislation.

2) In order to become a Talossan citizen, a non-citizen
(hereafter, "the prospective") shall notify the Immigration Minister of his intent to acquire Talossan citizenship. He must provide proof of identity to the satisfaction of the Immigration Minister.

3) Upon completion of step #2, the prospective shall be granted a Wittenberg account.

4) The prospective shall submit a biographical essay of a length to be determined by the prospective, to the Immigration Minister. The biographical essay shall be made public on Wittenberg.

5) The prospective shall submit a "What Talossa Means to Me" essay of a length to be determined by the prospective, to the Immigration Minister. The "What Talossa Means to Me" essay shall be made public on Wittenberg. This essay shall answer the following questions:

* Why do you want to join Talossa?
* How do you plan to participate in Talossa?
* What, if anything, would you change about Talossa?
* Other than a place for you to express your opinions, what does Talossa mean to you?


6) Upon completion of step #5, the Immigration Minister, in consultation with the Government and with
the Opposition Leader, shall either grant or refuse the prospective citizen Talossan citizenship. In the event of refusal, the prospective may repeat the process.

7) If citizenship is granted under step #6, the person shall be considered a naturalized Talossan for all purposes, legal and moral.

8) Members representing one-third of the Cosâ may, by resolution, during a period of one year following the naturalization of any prospective under this Act, express its official protest against the naturalization. In this event, the Ziu must itself ratify the person's citizenship, by law, or else the citizenship lapses.

9) Any person naturalized under the provisions of this Act shall have one year following the date of his naturalization, to complete the Civics Exam and any other requirements for citizenship which may hereafter be imposed by law. Failure to complete these assignments within the one-year period shall result in the automatic termination of said citizenship.

10) No person granted Talossan citizenship prior to 21 March 2005 shall be affected in any way by this Act.

[kri]

Azul,

The bill looks perfect. I would just say that the title might be changed to "The Talossan Immigration Act of 2005" so that it is absolutely clear what it accomplishes and what it replaces.

Just a thought... I'd have to go back and check, but is there an article in there that says "Any previous legislation in conflict with this Act is hereby repealed"? If not, you might tack that on as the last paragraph in the interest of legal precision.

R. Ben Madison
Deputy Secretary of State
Jargonist extraordinaire

[markymark]

There is indeed a provision that states, "Any previous legislation in conflict with this Act is hereby repealed."

[seahobbit]

KRI said:

I would just say that the title might be changed to "The Talossan Immigration Act of 2005" so that it is absolutely clear what it accomplishes and what it replaces.

I have to agree with Ben, considering how often we change immigration law, we should tried to make it simple and avoid confusion.

Disclaimer: This is not an indorsement nor an opposition to the bill itself.
(I haven't had a chance to form an opinion yet. )

[Xhorxh Asmour]

Marky's last text looks perfect

[markymark]

I agree with the title, that was an oversight of mine. I originally intended to change the title, but never got around to doing it.

[Baron Fritz von Buchholtz]

I too think a new Immigration process is needed and in fact that has been one of the banner issues of the CLP. However I think the essay question "what would you change about Talossa?" isn't needed. They are not even members yet, how would they know what to change? In addition I would argue that the Civic's exam should take place no later than 60 days after application for citizenship. A year is too long and would keep them out of the voting process.
As Immigration Minister I intend to make a concentrated effort to be certain we have legitimate applicants and that their entrance into the Kingdom makes them proud to be a member.
In the past to become a Mason you had to be recomended by a brother Mason. Although this wouldl not always be possible due to internet membership and our use of brochures, etc. I would encourage the use of a recomendation whenever it is possible. In place of "What would you change about Talossa" how about "How did you learn about Talossa"?
Aside from these additions I think the new Immigration Law is an excellent idea. Good job Marcus.

[markymark]

I have always supported expedited citizenship for those who know Talossans. However, under the new immigration rules, expedited citizenship is hardly required (in my opinion). Since prospectives no longer must endure the Cort interview and a vote by the Ziu the process is quite quick, in comparison to the old procedure.

[jj]

I agree with my Fearless Leader (Fritz, I mean) Must be specific since I have multiple leaders... must change that someday... but I digress....

The "What would you change..." question has always resulted in pat answers like "Nothing, it's perfect as it is." This doesn't really tell us much, and never has, since anyone bent on destroying the place and then reshaping it in his own image is not going to come right out and say that! I mean, certainly Fritz and I are more subtle than that! ;D

Anyway, strike this and it's fine with me.