Senate vote on rule proposals 3 & 4

[Lüc da Schir]

Esteemed Senators, a particularly busy weekend prevented me from opening the vote on adopting rule proposals 3 and 4, that were both passed by an unanimous vote of the Rules Committee on November 30th. Nevertheless, voting is now open and will run until the 23rd, like a normal Clark (accounting for the two missed days).

I recognise that the fact we're on recess may hamper turnout, so:

• Voting will stay open even if a majority has voted for the same option;
  
• I will remind Senators to cast their vote as the Chancery normally would;
  
• If a quorum of a majority of Senators (4, or 5 if Florencia gets a Senator) is not met, we'll repeat the vote during the Fifth Clark.
  

Tagging Senators Sevastáin Pinátsch , Alèx Soleighlfred , Gödafrïeu Válcadác’h , Sir C. M. Siervicül , Ian Plätschisch and Trotxâ .

The approved rule proposals are as follows; I had written a small summary here.

Rule 3 | Questions of Eligibility
1. Questions over the eligibility of members of the Senate shall always be in order; and the Mençei, either of his or her own accord or acting on a petition from another Senator or the Secretary of State, shall rule on any issues of eligibility of a member of the Senate, a Senator-elect or a Senator-designate, in accordance to the law. Such a ruling can be overturned by a majority of the Senate.
2. Should a Senator be ruled ineligible to hold his or her seat, he or she shall be barred from voting on any matter laid before the Senate, and his or her attendance not counted for the purpose of ascertaining the presence of a quorum, until such time as a majority of the Senate rules that the issue of eligibility is resolved.
3. Should a Senator-elect or a Senator-designate be ruled ineligible to assume his or her seat before his or her first floor vote has been recorded, he or she shall not be seated, until such time as a majority of the Senate rules that the issue of eligibility is resolved.

Rule 4 | Seniority
1. For the purpose of estabilishing an order of precedence, Senators shall be ranked according to tenure. Tenure shall be defined as the length of the unbroken service of a sitting Senator. The most senior Senator shall be termed the Dean of the Senate.
2. Ties in tenure between Senators shall be broken through the following tiebreakers: 1) total number of Clarks served in the Senate; 2) total number of Clarks served in the Cosa; 3) number of eligible voters of the home province as of the most recent general election; 4) chronological age.
3. For the purpose of calculating tenure, elected members shall be counted as taking office in the first day of the term following the election, and appointed members shall be counted as taking office in the day of their nomination to the seat. Temporary vacancies prescribed by law, or any other suspension imposed by these Rules, shall not be accounted as a break of service in calculations of tenure.
4. Seniority status shall not infringe upon a Senator’s right to speak or be heard, or the fundamental equal right of Senators to exercise their duties, and shall be only used to select between Senators whenever mentioned in these Rules.

[Sevastáin Pinátsch]

Per (both)

[Ian Plätschisch]

Per on both.

[Lüc da Schir]

I vote Për on both proposals.

[Gödafrïeu Válcadác’h]

Për on both

[Lüc da Schir]

Only two days left to vote, Sir C. M. Siervicül Alèx Soleighlfred Trotxâ

[Alèx Soleighlfred]

për, për.

[Lüc da Schir]

Order. The PËRs are 5, the CONs are 0. A quorum being present and all votes cast being in favour, rule proposals 3 and 4 are ratified and will be added to the body of standing rules.

We'll stand in recess until the next Clark.