The Galactic Senate: Special Rules/Guidelines (Please Read)

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Fyremage

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Hello all! We have experienced a lot of changes as of late, namely the election of our new FL @Nor'baal , and the appointment of myself and @Beta12 as his AFLs. Over the past few days, we have had a few discussions as to which direction we would like to take the Republic into, and our fearless leader was so kind as to post a general overview in our newsletter.


With all of that being said, I thought it prudent to post below some special rules and guidelines that primarily apply to the Senate. Not all of these rules will be new or earth-shattering, but good to know for those who are new or unfamiliar with where to start as a Senator. These rules are of course subject to change, so please watch this thread for any updates. And of course, if you have any questions or concerns regarding these rules, please let me know and we'll talk together about it.





*****​





Senate Rules and Guidelines 6/9/2016


1. Character Creation:


So you want to be Senator? Cool! A Senatorial character has the potential of being a very diverse and engaging type of character. Want to help drive the main story? Want to help pass bills and legislature that will shape the galaxy at large? Then you will likely enjoy being a Senator. Please keep the below points in mind when making a Senator character. If you are confused in any form or fashion about what is listed, contact me and I'll help answer any questions you may have.


(a) - Please peruse this thread to see which planets have been claimed by other players. As of now, we have twenty-nine planets represented by Senators. There can only be one Senator per planet. An exception to this is if a Senator is killed or dies, then there will be a 48 hour grace period before they can apply for that same planet again with a different Senator character. The 48 hours starts from the timestamp of the post wherein the character is killed (and it is agreed upon by the parties involved, including admins, that this aforementioned post is indeed when the character was killed).


(b) - Please be realistic in creating your Senator character. What I mean by this is - please do not try and create a character that, as the admins put it in their overall site rules, is a Mary Sue. Obviously that would cover a character that is good at using every weapon system, wears super heavy armor that can deflect nearly any type of weapon, projectile, or blaster bolt, and is just good at everything. But specifically in senatorial terms, please do not make your Senator with the intent of them being 'the most influential within the Senate' or 'the most powerful within the senate,' whether that is through planetary influence or personal wealth. We do not stipulate this to restrict your enjoyment and latitude with character creation. In fact, we encourage it! But we also want this to be an enjoyable experience for everyone. So, if you can establish how influential your Senator is over time in threads with other Senators, then fine. And if you want your character to be wealthy and powerful, also fine. But use discretion, and don't push the envelope. If the Senator is basically the head of state of your planet and has sole authority to do whatever they want, there better be a good reason, and it better be used responsibly. If we do not feel that is the case, and there are repeated instances wherein you are abusing that power in role plays that goes above and beyond the spirit of fair play, then there will be consequences appropriate to the offense. To be clear, we do not mean you cannot have a corrupt Senator. But if you are doing things and expecting to not get caught or for there to not be realistic repercussions or valid reactions to your own actions, this is what we are talking about.


(c) -Be Active and Be Social. Of course we do not mean to dictate how you can roleplay and how you feel comfortable roleplaying, but please also consider the role a Senator plays. They are only effective characters if you can rally the support of other Senators, just speaking from a purely IC (in character) perspective. Logically there may be some ooc (out of character) negotiating and lobbying with those you like writing with, and that's ok too. But it's preferable to do all of that IC so as to further enrich the experience we are trying to create for everyone. There's a lot of potential to also be involved with other types of characters, and not exclusively Senators. So keep that in mind as well. As said before though, role play how you feel comfortable. This is supposed to be fun after all. :)



2. Inactivity:


This won't be a lengthy section. In short, if you do not participate in a thread for one month (assuming there are threads available to participate in), or if you do not log in for two weeks straight without informing us first, then we reserve the right to remove your Senator from serving on the planet you have laid claim to so that someone else who may wish to actively participate can utilize that planet. This is still in effect if you are banned for any reason.


3. Hearings, Missions, Senate Votes, and Committees Overview:


Although "Mission Packs" are the standard by which factions engage in missions, and will still be utilized within the Senate and the Republic at Large, the beauty of the Senate is the fact that all senators have the ability to propose a hearing or motion, which can potentially be ratified into a bill. This means that, although I will take the lead in posting vague prompts to base missions off of, you as a senator do not need to wait on me to do that if you have a good idea as to a possible hearing or bill to be voted on/discussed with other senators. In fact, the idea was posed earlier in forming Senate Committees, where the committee chairs would receive requests for Bills from others within that committee, and help craft it into an actual Bill. That being said, there is a progression I would like followed in order to take an idea and turn it into a bill. Please see the next point for that progression and keep it in mind for the rest of this post.


(a) - Player Created Missions:


For Crafting a Bill
Step 1: Acquire Bill Supporters (Do it yourself while partnered with your committee chairman.)
Step 2: Arrange a Senate Hearing (Get with Fyre and your committee chairman)
Step 3: Have A Senate Vote (Get with Fyre and your committee chairman)


(b) - As mentioned in the above progression for creating your own bill, please respect the 'chain of command' as it were, namely that you need to forward any actual petition to get your Bill voted on in the Senate Rotunda through your committee chairman. A list of those chair-persons can be found in the aforementioned newsletter by @Nor'baal. If you are interested in joining any of those committees, please contact the appropriate heads of those committees.


(c) - If you suffer from the occasional bout of writers block, or just have a hard time with the concept of crafting your own piece of legislation, of perhaps you just want to, please feel free to use the prompts I will post in the form of the aforementioned mission packs. They will be vague to promote creativity on the part of whomever wishes to take it on. Rather than restricting whomever can take on the 'mission' like in other factions, the premise is whomever can partner with their chairperson and get with me first, and has the most viable idea, will be the actual person going further with that Bill. It's not exclusively first come first serve, so please keep that in mind.


4. Hearings and Votes Breakdown:


(a) - After a bill is crafted, based on the above overview, a Senate Hearing is in order. A hearing is basically the first time the bill is publicly put before the Senate. This is not a vote, and votes will not be levied during a hearing. The sole purpose of a hearing is to gauge where the senate as a whole rests about the bill in its current state. It is a courtesy that allows the sponsoring senators to revise the bill to increase the chances for passing it, and it provides a starting point for private negotiations before the vote is brought about. On a case by case basis, a hearing may be bypassed by the sponsoring senators if approved by the Chancellor, but this comes with a greater risk of Senators uncomfortable with the bill in its current form voting against the Bill. So bypassing the hearing process is not recommended in most cases.

The Hearing will proceed as follows:

-The Sponsors of the Bill will outline the intent and read the bill in its entirety to the senate.
-Each Senator that chooses to do so will voice their concerns once given leave to do so by the Chancellor, who will preside over the Hearing. If the Chancellor is for any reason unable to do so, a Committee Chairman designated by the Chancellor will take their place.

-The Sponsors have the right to respond to each concern as it is presented, before other concerns are voiced. If they decide not to do so (after a grace period of 24 hours), then other senators are permitted to proceed by voicing their concerns/comments.

-After all Senators have an opportunity to speak and voice their concerns, the hearing will adjourn and the sponsors will then have an opportunity to revise the bill if they so choose before it proceeds to the Senate Voting phase.

(b) - After the hearing process, the bill will then proceed into the next phase of the process, namely the Senate Vote. This is the 'moment of truth' for the bill, as votes will be cast by all Senators.

The Senate Vote will proceed as follows:

-The Sponsoring Senators will have the opportunity to once again outline the purpose and intent of the bill presented, in its entirety, highlighting any amendments or changes thereof in their entirety, to all members of the senate present.

-After doing so, the Sponsoring Senators will then have the opportunity to make their closing arguments as to why this bill should be passed.

-Voting will commence. Sponsoring Senators are permitted to vote, and upon the Chancellor's leave, will begin the voting phase.

-After the Sponsoring Senators cast their votes, all other senators are permitted (in turn) to express their closing arguments and cast their vote thereafter. The Chancellor is not permitted to vote except in the event of a tie, wherein the Chancellor will cast the tie breaking vote.

-Once all of the votes are cast and the result is determined, the Chancellor will conclude the session and dismiss all in attendance.


Stuff Senators Can Do:

  • Investigate Crimes
  • Lead negotiations with Indie factions (with FL permission)
  • Do business and missions with Indies and the BA
  • Solve planetary disputes
  • Galas and Social Threads
  • Take up an issue, and run with it - ie: Refugees
  • Marry a Jedi and accidentally give birth to he future Sith Lord
  • Gamble, be a criminal and have a laugh
  • Join the BA
  • Research new weapons and technology
  • Run Humanitarian Aid Projects
  • Employ Staff and do missions with them


 
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Fyremage

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Updates have been made, featuring a breakdown of the hearing and voting process under section 4.
 

Nor'baal

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Stuff Senators Can Do:

  • Investigate Crimes
  • Lead negotiations with Indie factions (with FL permission)
  • Do business and missions with Indies and the BA
  • Solve planetary disputes
  • Galas and Social Threads
  • Take up an issue, and run with it - ie: Refugees
  • Marry a Jedi and accidentally give birth to he future Sith Lord
  • Gamble, be a criminal and have a laugh
  • Join the BA
  • Research new weapons and technology
  • Run Humanitarian Aid Projects
  • Employ Staff and do missions with them
 
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