The Organizing Our Finances Act

[Tric’hard Lenxheir]

THE ORGANIZING OUR FINANCES ACT

Whereas our current system leads to chaos and
Whereas the people of Talossa deserve a more organized transition of government especially as it pertains to the nations finances
Be it enacted by the King, Cosa and Senats in Ziu an additional section to be numbered Section C 1.5.8 in El Lexh

The Organizing Our Finances Act

C.1.5.8 The burgermeister shall be required to submit a Final Financial Report 30 days before the end of the Cosa to include all expenditures during the Cosa.

Uréu q'estadra så:
Tric'hard Lenxheir (Senator-TNC)

[Tric’hard Lenxheir]

I am sure this will need some tweaking.

[King Txec]

THE ORGANIZING OUR FINANCES ACT

Whereas our current system leads to chaos and
Whereas the people of Talossa deserve a more organized transition of government especially as it pertains to the nations finances
Be it enacted by the King, Cosa and Senats in Ziu

The Organizing Our Finances Act

The burgermeister shall be required to submit a Final Financial Report 30 days before the end of the Cosa to include all expenditures during the Cosa.
Also be it enacted that there shall be a freeze on all government spending during the last 30 days of the Cosa, except that which is necessary for the proper functioning of the government or emergency funding which must be approved by the King and/or a 2/3rds majority of the Cosa.

Uréu q'estadra så:
Tric'hard Lenxheir (Senator-TNC)

This bill needs to specify where in El Lex it should go and ideally reference or change existing statute.

[Tric’hard Lenxheir]

THE ORGANIZING OUR FINANCES ACT

Whereas our current system leads to chaos and
Whereas the people of Talossa deserve a more organized transition of government especially as it pertains to the nations finances
Be it enacted by the King, Cosa and Senats in Ziu

The Organizing Our Finances Act

The burgermeister shall be required to submit a Final Financial Report 30 days before the end of the Cosa to include all expenditures during the Cosa.
Also be it enacted that there shall be a freeze on all government spending during the last 30 days of the Cosa, except that which is necessary for the proper functioning of the government or emergency funding which must be approved by the King and/or a 2/3rds majority of the Cosa.

Uréu q'estadra så:
Tric'hard Lenxheir (Senator-TNC)

This bill needs to specify where in El Lex it should go and ideally reference or change existing statute.

I agree, do you have any suggestions on where it should go?

[Tric’hard Lenxheir]

THE ORGANIZING OUR FINANCES ACT

Whereas our current system leads to chaos and
Whereas the people of Talossa deserve a more organized transition of government especially as it pertains to the nations finances
Be it enacted by the King, Cosa and Senats in Ziu

The Organizing Our Finances Act

The burgermeister shall be required to submit a Final Financial Report 30 days before the end of the Cosa to include all expenditures during the Cosa.
Also be it enacted that there shall be a freeze on all government spending during the last 30 days of the Cosa, except that which is necessary for the proper functioning of the government or emergency funding which must be approved by the King and/or a 2/3rds majority of the Cosa.

Uréu q'estadra så:
Tric'hard Lenxheir (Senator-TNC)

This bill needs to specify where in El Lex it should go and ideally reference or change existing statute.

I agree, do you have any suggestions on where it should go?

I have edited to add where I think it should be placed in El Lexh

[Breneir Tzaracomprada]

THE ORGANIZING OUR FINANCES ACT

Whereas our current system leads to chaos, and

Whereas the people of Talossa deserve a more organized transition of government, and

Whereas, this is especially true as it pertains to the nation's finances.

Therefore, be it enacted by the King, Cosa and Senats in Ziu, that a new section is added to Section C in El Lexhatxh, to read as follows:

C.1.5.8 The burgermeister shall be required to submit a Final Financial Report 30 days before the end of the Cosa to include all expenditures during the Cosa.

Also, be it further enacted, that there shall be a freeze on all government spending during the last 30 days of the Cosa, except that which is necessary for the proper functioning of the government or emergency funding which must be approved by the King and/or a 2/3rds majority of the Cosa.

Uréu q'estadra så:
Tric'hard Lenxheir (Senator-TNC)


Tric'hard I made a few proofreading edits, if acceptable.

[Baron Alexandreu Davinescu]

I don't really like the spending freeze aspect of this. This never been a problem, as far as I can remember. May I suggest eliminating that provision?

I would also suggest changing this to the "anticipated conclusion of the Cosa term," instead of "end of the Cosa."

[Tric’hard Lenxheir]

I don't really like the spending freeze aspect of this. This never been a problem, as far as I can remember. May I suggest eliminating that provision?

I would also suggest changing this to the "anticipated conclusion of the Cosa term," instead of "end of the Cosa."

The only reason I included the spending freeze is because it could lead to confusion with the incoming government if money gets spent but not properly documented. The balances would not add up and could cause confusion and arguments. I did include a method of providing for emergency funding.

[esbornatfiglheu]

King should not be able to authorize expenditure without the Cosa, and your and/or gives him the ability to do this.  Given that financial bills have to originate int he Cosa, they should be the backstop here.

[Tric’hard Lenxheir]

Changed the wording to indicate the preferred placement in El Lexh, removed the King's ability to approve and to make it more palatable for the good Baron I changed it to a simple majority of the Cosa to approve emergency spending in the final 30 days.

[King Txec]

This bill could effectively end spending 60 days or more before the end of Cosa. Suppose the entire term goes by and no month of recess is called. At nearly the last minute it is decided to call a month of recess after the 6th Clark. Now we have 60 days without spending authority. Now, it takes a month for the election and certification, etc. now we are up to 90 days. So now we have been in a spending freeze for 3 months. That's half a Cosa term.

Do you see a problem? I do.

[King Txec]

Also you say "proper functioning of government."  That could definitely mean, if we budgeted it we can spend it because it is within the proper functioning of government to do so.

[Tric’hard Lenxheir]

Okay, since a few people don't seem to like the idea of the freeze on spending I have removed that part, though I think allowing spending after the final financial report opens up the possibility of more confusion. Look it over and let me know if you all think it will work better now. I will have to go back and see if it has been in the hopper long enough to clark with permission.

[Üc R. Tärfă]

Because in the end the problem is in the whole idea to have "the" financial report in that point of time far from the end of the possibility to spend the budgeted money, far from the start of the new budget.

Again it doesn't make sense from a financial point of view, like zero. And those frenzy started only for a misinterpretation of the law on who is in charge to do the Report: the Burgermeister and not the Minister, the Civil Service and not the Government.

However: do you all want so desperately the law to provide for a financial report made before the election? I could accept that only if it's an addition to the report made before the next budget.

Two Reports: A preliminary report before the election (to discover that we only spent few bucks) and a final report (which includes the preliminary) before the budget but detached from it: published by the Burgermeister before the first Clark and not attached to the Budget.

Because, again, the latter one is the only one that makes sense from an accounting point (because it covers from one budget to the other) view and that is needed also for the new Government to draft the new budget.

(Actually to make total sense it should be issued immediately after the approval of the Budget to cover revenues/expenses up to the day before the next budget comes in force. If we take this road there should be 3 Reports: one final and two preliminaries).

It only requires a little more work from the Burgermeister, but having preliminaries reports to be included in the final one halves the work for the final report. And frankly we don't move much money, so the work is limited anyway.

What the Burgermeister think of this?

If this compromise satisfies everyone, I'll hopper a new bill. It requires a little more changes in different part of the lexh, and I can't quite frankly vote for those whereases.
But I'd love to have you as cosponsor.

[Baron Alexandreu Davinescu]

Well, the actual whole point is realizing that it doesn't make sense to report on our financial state right after elections.  Money is almost never spent in the interim period except on emergencies or scheduled items, so why are we settling accounts after that, rather than in the useful time where it will be visibly linked to the probity and activity of a government?  It's not transparent and it's not useful.

So I think you're largely wrong, but it would seem make sense to require a supplementary report included with the budget, detailing any further expenditures, if any, and providing new final figures in such a case.  @Tric'hard Lenxheir , would you be open to adding that to your bill?

[Üc R. Tärfă]

Well, the actual whole point is realizing that it doesn't make sense to report on our financial state right after elections.  Money is almost never spent in the interim period except on emergencies or scheduled items, so why are we settling accounts after that, rather than in the useful time where it will be visibly linked to the probity and activity of a government?  It's not transparent and it's not useful.

Because final balances/statement are made up to the day when a new budget starts to be useful and relevant. A final balance made before the election is a balance that covers not one budget but two part of two different budgets (and governments).

Can we get real on that part? It's like the first thing taught in accounting 101. The final balance should be on the budgeted period.

You want the Burgermeister to be required by law to report before the election (Which btw it can be done today with the existing law, it only requires the minister to request a report - or the ziu to approve a sense of the ziu to bind the minister to request it)? Fine, but we can't reinvent how accounting has always worked since it was invented 😅

[Baron Alexandreu Davinescu]

The most useful and relevant time to give a financial statement is when it will keep a government accountable to the people.  It is more transparent and democratic.  It should be required of a government, not optional.  It's the people's money.

I understand that this might bother accountants. We can budget some money for counseling for them, if it gets severe. But I think they will be assuaged if a supplemental report is required in the case of any further expenditures (which almost never happened in that period of time anyway).

[Tric’hard Lenxheir]

Well, the actual whole point is realizing that it doesn't make sense to report on our financial state right after elections.  Money is almost never spent in the interim period except on emergencies or scheduled items, so why are we settling accounts after that, rather than in the useful time where it will be visibly linked to the probity and activity of a government?  It's not transparent and it's not useful.

So I think you're largely wrong, but it would seem make sense to require a supplementary report included with the budget, detailing any further expenditures, if any, and providing new final figures in such a case.  @Tric'hard Lenxheir , would you be open to adding that to your bill?

Absolutely, my proposal was not intended to remove the responsibility of the incoming government to also do a financial report prior to or with the new budget (especially after taking out the freeze on spending) it was simply an effort to make the transition easier so that the incoming government wasn't coming in blind trying to figure out where we were financially. Basically I want to keep the country financially open and make the transition easier on everyone.

[Üc R. Tärfă]

The most useful and relevant time to give a financial statement is when it will keep a government accountable to the people.  It is more transparent and democratic.  It should be required of a government, not optional.  It's the people's money.

Absolutely, my proposal was not intended to remove the responsibility of the incoming government to also do a financial report prior to or with the new budget (especially after taking out the freeze on spending)

You keep talking about transparency, but in your posts (I added the underlines in the quotes above) there's always this part about the Government making the report: how there can be any transparency at all if a Government is required to report on itself?

We are all for transparency and democratic oversight: that's why it is and it must continue to be the job of the Burgermeister and not the Government.

it was simply an effort to make the transition easier so that the incoming government wasn't coming in blind trying to figure out where we were financially. Basically I want to keep the country financially open and make the transition easier on everyone.

The Government "was coming in blind" because it tried to be something he must not be: the reporter and not the receiver of the report.

I recongise that the Senator proposal - as it stands at the moment I'm writing this (C.1.5.8 The burgermeister shall be required to submit a Final Financial Report 30 days before the end of the Cosa to include all expenditures during the Cosa.) - sounds different from his comments: he talks about government reporting but in the proposal says the Burgermeister.

I understand that this might bother accountants. We can budget some money for counseling for them, if it gets severe. But I think they will be assuaged if a supplemental report is required in the case of any further expenditures (which almost never happened in that period of time anyway).

Excpet that the only assured and constant flow of revenues to our Treasury comes exactly in the period between the end of the term and the new budget.

Use that money in better counseling and not for accountants, it will be more useful.

I can assure the Ministreu that we will not allow him to take transparency away from the Kingdom's money and put the Government in charge of the duty to report on itself on how it spent the money, like it is always implied in all his comments and actions.

I offered a four point common sense compromise:

• keep the Civil Service, the Burgermeister,  (and not the Government) in charghe of Reporting and supervising how money are spent, just like we have the Civil Service, the Secretary of State, (and not the Government) in charge of the elections;
• detach the final report from the budget (the Government won't have to attach the report to the budget bill);
• add a compulsory preliminary report at the end of the Cosă term (by the Burgermeister) before the Election to give people voting the opportunity to have a report on how money were or werent' spent by the outgoing Government;
• the final report will cover the period from one budget to the other as accounting practice requires.

The above plan keeps and adds real transparency and democratic oversight, responds to requests from both the majority and the opposition and has a chance to be approved.

I see the good faith of the Senator, if these concerns are our common and shared goals I'd be more than happy to consponsor a new bill and write it together.

[Tric’hard Lenxheir]

We are all for transparency and democratic oversight: that's why it is and it must continue to be the job of the Burgermeister and not the Government.

This is simply a misunderstanding, I realize that the Burgermeister is a "civil servant" however a civil servant is simply an employee of the government so I admit I am getting it wrong when I say "the government" needs to do a financial report, it is already in the law that it is the burgermeisters responsibility and my proposal is not trying to change that, it is simply trying to change, or rather add when the financial report is done.