To be clear -- the Government should make up their mind about what exactly they want to happen, since I can't compel anyone to attend, and most of the ceremony is centered around the Seneschal.

I will be happy to conduct the proceedings and to facilitate the scheduling of the event, but I can't do much more. Whether the agenda includes a swearing-in, and/or a Cabinet announcement, and/or a Speech from the Throne, and/or a rebuttal from the Opposition, etc., is not up to me.

I mentioned how the new name should preferably be Talossan and starting with "Be"; in my mind, the latter is to ensure familiarity with the new name, a la "look, we're still the same province"; while the former felt like a natural requirement. These are only my opinions, though.

If we went with those, though, using "bel-" and "ben-" Talossan prefixes is a low hanging fruit to find ourselves a name that fits the bill.

We could additionally look at the features that set us apart from the other provinces, like our coast bordering the river and the tranquil woodland of Riverside Park. I particularly think "Belaschagă", "beautiful-copse", sounds like an ok option (or even "Benschagă", "good-copse", if we wanted to retain the whole "Ben" root.)

I explored doing something with "Betz", "birch", but it appears that birch trees are much more common in Lake Park, Vuode. "Besc", "bush", could be a more useful option for a compound name, together with one of the many words for river,stream,brook.

"Berucă", "crag", could refer to the former ravines of Riverside Park, which are still partially there, though flattened by F.L.Olmsted's work.

"Berberïă" could be a nod at a certain independent streak in our province.

"Beatifică", "that which makes one happy", is I suppose a poetic name but probably needs tweaking to sound less awkward.

Azul, as outlined in my Maestro platform, I am committed to changing the name of this province during the current term.

I am open to suggestions regarding what process we follow, though my tentative outline would be to:

- Have a public consultation on this forum to come up with potential new names;
- Decide on a candidate name by some kind of process of elimination, if needed;
- Introduce and pass legislation at the provincial level amending the Constitution;
- Introduce and pass legislation at the national level amending El Lexhatx.

Either way, a good way to start would be to begin with that consultation.

WHEREAS, many years ago, a misguided catchment reform bill attempted to put geographic coherence above any other parameter for provincial assignment; and

WHEREAS, this blatantly ignored years of provincial culture-building; and

WHEREAS, this didn't even have the balancing effect I hoped it would have; but

WHEREAS, this caused unnecessary grief to many people now caught in the catchment area of another province, and particularly to the Cjovani people of Benito; and

WHEREAS, Ohio is not Vuodean, it never was, and it's high time we rectified the blatant error besmirching our statute books; so

THEREFORE, Article 7.5 of Title E of El Lexhatx, which reads

Quote7.5. BENITO PROVINCE. Talossan citizens living in the following areas shall be assigned to Benito Province: the Wisconsin counties of Columbia, Dane, Dodge, Fond du Lac, Green Lake, Jefferson, Marathon, Marquette, Portage, Waukesha, Waupaca, Waushara, Winnebago, and Wood. Internationally, Albania, Andorra, Austria, Benin, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Burkina Faso, Cabo Verde, Côte d'Ivoire, Croatia, Gambia, Ghana, Greece, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Hungary, Italy, Kosovo, Liberia, Liechtenstein, Malta, Moldova, Montenegro, Nigeria, North Macedonia, Portugal, Romania, San Marino, Senegal, Serbia, Sierra Leone, Slovenia, Spain, Switzerland, Togo, Vatican City.

is amended by inserting "; and the U.S. state of Ohio" after the word "Wood", to read:

Quote7.5. BENITO PROVINCE. Talossan citizens living in the following areas shall be assigned to Benito Province: the Wisconsin counties of Columbia, Dane, Dodge, Fond du Lac, Green Lake, Jefferson, Marathon, Marquette, Portage, Waukesha, Waupaca, Waushara, Winnebago, and Wood; and the U.S. state of Ohio. Internationally, Albania, Andorra, Austria, Benin, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Burkina Faso, Cabo Verde, Côte d'Ivoire, Croatia, Gambia, Ghana, Greece, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Hungary, Italy, Kosovo, Liberia, Liechtenstein, Malta, Moldova, Montenegro, Nigeria, North Macedonia, Portugal, Romania, San Marino, Senegal, Serbia, Sierra Leone, Slovenia, Spain, Switzerland, Togo, Vatican City.

FURTHERMORE, Article 7.6 of Title E of El Lexhatx, which reads

Quote7.6. VUODE PROVINCE. Talossan citizens living in the following areas shall be assigned to Vuode Province: the City of Milwaukee (WI) and all suburbs of Milwaukee, which lie to the north and east of the City of Milwaukee; and the U.S. states of Connecticut, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Michigan, Missouri, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, and Pennsylvania; and the Mexican States of Aguascalientes, Baja California, Baja California Sur, Chihuahua, Coahuila, Durango, Guanajuato, Jalisco, Nayarit, Nuevo Leon, Sinaloa, San Luis Potosi, Sonora, Tamaulipas, Queretero, and Zacatecas. Internationally, the nations of Algeria, Chad, Libya, Mali, Mauritania, Morocco, Niger, Tunisia, and Western Sahara.

is amended by removing the word "Ohio, ", to read:

Quote7.6. VUODE PROVINCE. Talossan citizens living in the following areas shall be assigned to Vuode Province: the City of Milwaukee (WI) and all suburbs of Milwaukee, which lie to the north and east of the City of Milwaukee; and the U.S. states of Connecticut, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Michigan, Missouri, New Jersey, New York, and Pennsylvania; and the Mexican States of Aguascalientes, Baja California, Baja California Sur, Chihuahua, Coahuila, Durango, Guanajuato, Jalisco, Nayarit, Nuevo Leon, Sinaloa, San Luis Potosi, Sonora, Tamaulipas, Queretero, and Zacatecas. Internationally, the nations of Algeria, Chad, Libya, Mali, Mauritania, Morocco, Niger, Tunisia, and Western Sahara.

Ureu q'estadra så,

Sir Lüc da Schir (MC-IND/FreeDems)

Let it be known that, unless I hear any objections:

- @Mic'haglh Autófil, SMC MC EiP is automatically assigned the lone PdR seat;

- @Iason Taiwos is automatically assigned the lone NPW seat.

I suppose I could consider stepping into a full time appointment, if nobody else wants a crack at it.

Incidentally, the OrgLaw has been scribed to reflect the ratification of 58RZ13 during the most recent GE.

Pursuant to Lex.H.1, I am required to begin preparations for a State Opening of the Ziu. Unfortunately, parts of the agenda are a little moot, as I imagine the Seneschal will want to name a Cabinet in short order instead of waiting around for a State Opening. The Seneschal himself has also already been officially appointed, though he could still be sworn in as a formality.

However, unlike the previous term, this time we have the option of taking advantage of the H.1 provision combining a State Opening and a Living Cosă: we'd have the King swear in the Seneschal, the Seneschal outlining his programme, the Opposition rebutting, and debate and voting taking place on the First Clark.

Thoughts? Opinions?

WHEREAS, the process to elect a Túischac'h is essentially fine, but is worded weirdly; and

WHEREAS, there was a reason why it was worded this way, namely to use the device of the "petition" to let a headless Cosă organise itself and have the Chancery merely proclaim the results; and

WHEREAS, however, this may open the door to all sorts of recourses in case the procedure is not followed to the letter; and

WHEREAS, it may be desirable to reword the procedure to allow a little leeway in the actual way the election is conducted, while keeping the essence of the process unchanged; so

THEREFORE, El Lexhatx H.21, which currently reads:

Quote21. The Cosa shall elect the Túischac'h as follows.
    21.1. At any time between the Election Deadline and the following Dissolution of the Cosa, any Member of the Cosa shall be empowered to publish and open for signatures a petition nominating an eligible person for the office of Túischac'h.
    21.2. Once a petition is published, any eligible Member of the Cosa shall be empowered to second the nomination by countersigning the petition in public.
    21.3. Members may not second multiple nominations concurrently; if a Member wishes to support a different petition, he/she shall first publicly retract the earlier countersignature.
    21.4. Following any number of petitions, presented as above and supporting the same candidate, being signed or counter-signed by members currently representing an absolute majority of seats in the Cosa, the candidate named in the petition(s) shall be declared by the Secretary of State to be the Túischac'h.
    21.5. Petitions may not be carried over from one vacancy in the office of Seneschal to Túischac'h. Once a Túischac'h is elected as above, all petitions shall be made moot.

is amended to read:

Quote21. The Cosă shall elect the Túischac'h as follows.
21.1. Should the position of Túischac'h be vacant and a majority of Cosă seats be filled, any Member of the Cosă may either nominate one eligible person for the office of Túischac'h, or second such a nomination made by another Member of the Cosă.
21.2. Members of the Cosă may not nominate or second multiple different nominees.
21.3. Should the Secretary of State determine that an eligible person has been nominated and seconded by members currently representing an absolute majority of seats in the Cosă, the Secretary of State shall declare the person to be duly elected as Túischac'h, to serve until the Dissolution of the current Cosă.

Ureu q'estadra så,

Sir Lüc da Schir (MC-IND/FreeDems)

Congratulations!

To the Secretary of State, @Sir Txec dal Nordselvă, UrB , to the Acting Lord President of the Senate, @GV , and to all whom this may concern:

Hear ye, the following.



I, Sir Lüc da Schir, by all powers conferred unto me as the sitting Maestro of Benito, and specifically pursuant to article III, section 7 of the Organic Law, do hereby appoint


to the Senatorial vacancy created by the resignation and renounciation of S:reu Eiric S. Börnatfiglheu.

May I be the first to congratulate Senator Taiwos in his capacity as the new Senator for our beloved province.



Done today the 29th of October 2023/XLIV, from the Benitian Capitol, Riverside Sextieir, Lançacuratx/Garibaldi Canton,

--Sir Lüc da Schir, Maestro of Benito

My own six seats constituting a majority, I am therefore elected as Maestro of Benito. (Hopefully the last to be elected under the current partisan rules.)

Pursuant to Article 14 of the Provincial Constitution, I move that Lüc da Schir be elected to the post of Maestro of the Sovereign Province of Benito, and cast my vote in favour, worth six seats.

Of course!

Quote from: Baron Alexandreu Davinescu on October 25, 2023, 10:26:45 AMAs someone who recently had to review the law around this committee in detail, I think this is a great change to make. The existing stuff is fine and certainly well written, but simpler is usually better.

That's my gripe with it - it works fine if and when there's interest. The existing language was clearly overkill when it was written, never mind now.

The law around this kind of pet projects should strike the balance between clearly defining scope and boundaries, and allowing the entity to stand on its own legs when interest wanes. (Ironically, larger parts of the Senate rules were themselves deliberately written in order to allow for this autopilot behaviour.)

WHEREAS, the Standing Rules of the Senate have mostly been followed after their main proponent (me) stepped down from the role of chief enforcer; and

WHEREAS, this is good and makes me happy; and

WHEREAS, the Rules Committee has not even assembled since then; and

WHEREAS, it admittedly was my pet project, but pet projects shouldn't stand in the way of efficiency and streamlining, and they should be capable to stand on their own legs;

THEREFORE, El Lexhatx H.18, which currently reads

Quote18. The Senate shall autonomously determine the rules of its proceedings. To this goal, the Mençei shall mantain a body of Standing Rules of the Senate.
    18.1 At the beginning of a new term, and optionally at any subsequent time during a term, the Senate shall consider a motion to estabilish a Senate Committee on Rules and Administration. Upon successful passage, any previously estabilished Committee shall disband and a new one be formed; upon failure, a Committee shall not be formed.
        18.1.1 Regardless, any previous iteration of the Committee shall disband at the beginning of a new term of the Senate, as defined by the publication by the Chancery and/or the respective provincial conducting officers of final results for all of the seats up for elections, or the beginning of a First Clark, whichever comes first.
        18.1.2 Upon disbandment, a Committee shall not be allowed to complete debate on any proposal, but shall be empowered to complete any voting that already was in progress by the time the disbandment was effective.
    18.2 The Senate Committee on Rules and Administration shall be formed by three Senators, appointed by the Mençei. The Senate shall be empowered to object to the appointments by passing a motion to suggest an alternate composition; successful passage shall override the Mençei's appointments with the Senate's suggestion.
    18.3 The Senate Committee on Rules and Administration shall be chaired by the Mençei, but unless him- or herself was appointed to the Commitee, the Mençei shall not be considered a member of the Committee.
    18.4 Any member of the Senate Committee on Rules and Administration, and the Mençei, shall be empowered to submit to the Committee proposals regarding the estabilishment of a new Standing Rule, or the amendment or deletion of any of the preexisting Standing Rules of the Senate. After due debate, the Committee shall vote on the proposal, and the proposal shall be considered to be adopted by majority vote. Unless he/she is a member of the Committee, the Mençei shall only vote to break a tie, in the event that at least one of the three members abstained or did not vote by the end of the allotted voting time.
    18.5 The Senate Committee on Rules and Administration's proceedings shall be public; and the Mençei shall not deny a Senator's request to speak and be heard in front of the Committee. Additionally, any Senator shall place a proposal for the Committee's consideration, and upon endorsement of the proposal by any member of the Committee, or the Mençei, said proposal shall be debated and voted on as described in 21.4.
    18.6 Any proposal that has been adopted by the Senate Committee on Rules and Administration shall be referred to the whole Senate for approval. The Senate shall then vote to uphold the proposal by majority vote; upon successful passage, the proposal shall take effect. Should the Senate instead reject the proposal, it shall return to the Committee's consideration for amendments, or be discarded at the original proposer's discretion.
    18.7 No Standing Rule shall infringe on any Organic or Statutory provision, and Standing Rules shall be germane to the Senate's operations.
    18.8 The Senate shall be empowered to waive any Standing Rule for the remainder of the current term by majority vote, without consulting the Senate Committee on Rules and Administration.
    18.9 At any time a vacancy in the Senate Committee on Rules and Administration arises, the Mençei shall be empowered to appoint another Senator to the empty seat. The Senate shall be empowered to object to the appointment by passing a motion to suggest an alternate Senator; successful passage shall override the Mençei's appointment with the Senate's suggestion.
            18.9.1 Should a Senator resign or be expelled from the Committee, resign, strike out or be expelled from the Senate, the member will still be empowered to cast his or her vote in any Committee votes that are currently open, but not any that are initiated after the notice of resignation or expulsion is published.
            18.9.2 Failure to stand for reelection to the Senate shall not impede a member of the Committee from taking part in any of the Committee's activities prior to disbandment as per 21.1.1 and 21.1.2.
            18.9.3 Failure of a member of the Committee who is standing for reelection to the Senate to win his race, according to any provisional results, shall not impede said member of the Committee from taking part in any of the Committee's activities prior to disbandment as per 21.1.1 and 21.1.2.
    18.10 At any time, due to inactivity, other impediments to normal activity or subsequently to an individual motion of censure, the Senate shall be empowered to remove any of the Senate Committee on Rules and Administration's members, through a motion adopted by simple majority.

is repealed in full and replaced by the following:

Quote18. The Senate shall autonomously determine the rules of its proceedings.
    18.1 To this goal, the Mençei shall mantain a body of Standing Rules of the Senate.
    18.2 The Senate may amend the Standing Rules at any time between the first day of a First Clark and the Cosă being dissolved, by a vote of a majority of Senators duly chosen and seated.
    18.3 No Standing Rule shall infringe on any Organic or Statutory provision, and Standing Rules shall be germane to the Senate's operations.
    18.4 The Senate may waive any Standing Rule for the remainder of the current term, by a vote of a majority of Senators duly chosen and seated.

Noi urent q'estadra så,

Sir Lüc da Schir (MC-IND/FreeDems)
Baron Alexandreu Davinescu (MC-TNC)
Mximo Carbonel (Senator-FL)