Bill: Draft Armed Forces of Redmont Act

[Jabolko]

A
BILL
To

Amend the Constitution and institute a Professional Military of the Commonwealth​

The people of the Commonwealth of Redmont, through their elected Representatives in the Congress and the force of law ordained to that Congress by the people through the constitution, do hereby enact the following provisions into law:

1 - Short Title and Enactment
(1) This Act may be cited as the 'Armed Forces of Redmont Act'.
(2) This Act shall be enacted immediately upon its signage.
(3) This Act has been authored by Representative Jabolko.
(4) This Act has been co-sponsored by Representative eKatto.
(5) This Act has support of President UnityMaster.

2 - Reasons
(1) Redmont is currently engaged in an active war with the town of Oakridge. A form of deterrence may help prevent such conflicts in the future.
(2) There are currently no government-managed professional armed forces, which leaves the people of Redmont vulnerable.

3 - Establish the Armed Forces of Redmont (AFR)
(1) The Armed Forces of Redmont (AFR):
(a) Shall be managed by the Department of Homeland Security, who are responsible for the organisation, structure and training of the Armed Forces.
(b) Shall consist of a number of professional trained combat personnel. The pay (if any) is determined by the Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security and comes from the DHS budget.
(c) Shall also consist of a number of unpaid reservists, who only undergo basic training. The Department of Homeland Security must maintain a reservist intake form. If citizens wish to participate in an ongoing conflict, they may declare their intent, and join the reserve.
(d) Shall, in times of peace, undergo additional training and assist law enforcement. In case of a violent uprising, the Armed Forces should assist other DHS units. The Armed Forces may also be used to combat large criminal organisations that would otherwise be too powerful for law enforcement to handle.
(e) Shall, in times of war, be under full executive control of the President.

4 - Constitutional Amendments
(1) Add the parts highlighted in green (Under section III - THE PRESIDENT & CABINET of the Constitution):
24. Role of the President
The President is both the Head of State and Head of Government. The President is responsible for the execution and enforcement of the law.

Powers of the President:

• Grant reprieves and pardons to citizens charged with breaking the law, with the exception of impeachment.
• The President nominates, appoints, and dismisses members of the Executive Cabinet.
• Vested in the President is the power to assent to or veto legislation and declarations of war passed by Congress.
• The President is the chairperson of Cabinet and therefore calls for and adjourns meetings.
• The President may issue and revoke non-complex Executive Orders for the good governance of the server. The President must issue Executive Orders if and when requested by the Owner.
• The President also has the power to dissolve the House of Representatives if requested by the Speaker, and the Senate if requested by the President of the Senate.
• The President and his Departments may not spend government funds in a way that would conflict with appropriations.
• Department balances may not be less than $0.00. In the event that a Department’s balance reaches $0.00 all spending related to this Department must cease, excluding salaries which will then come from the DCGovernment balance. Neither the Executive nor the Congress shall have the power to cease salaries to any person or group which holds a government position.
• The President may at any time unless otherwise codified in law outside this Constitution, propose a budget for any individual or multiple departments to the House of Representatives.
• The President may, at any time and for any reason or no reason at all, remove a Secretary, Principal Officer, or General Advisor from their position. The President may NOT remove any department employee, excluding those that may be removed under the terms of the previous clause, or the Vice President of the Commonwealth of Redmont. The President may advise their Secretaries to fire an employee. In the event that the serving President is simultaneously serving as Secretary, they may fire any employee of the department for which they are Secretary only.
• The President has the power to sign international treaties (including peace treaties), or ask somebody to sign them as the representative of the government. The President is the only person able to decide to revoke/leave any international treaty. The decision of signing, revoking, or leaving a treaty needs to be approved by the Senate through a simple majority vote.
• In times of war, The President acts as the Commander in Chief of the Redmont Armed Forces. The President assumes full control of the Armed Forces upon declaration of war. In times of peace, the Armed Forces are under management of the DHS.
• To avoid a conflict of interest, the President may not serve as a President, Vice President, Mayor or Deputy Mayor of any other Nation or Town.

(2) Add the part highlighted in green (Under section I - THE CONGRESS of the Constitution):
2. Role of Congress
The Congress serves to represent the will of the people and is responsible for debating, creating, removing, and amending laws and rules.

Congress enters ‘caretaker mode’ on the first day of the electoral month.

Congressional jurisdiction summary:

• Responsible for the creation, as well as the modification and removal of all server laws.
• Congress can also change rules in addition to laws, but only rules that affect groups that the government has oversight of.
• Congress has the ability to amend the Constitution as prescribed by Section V of this Constitution
• Congress may amend, create, regulate through appropriations, and remove government departments, including the roles and responsibilities they hold, and the positions within them. All of these except regulation through appropriations are complex changes.
• Congress can override an Executive Order (EO) made by the President by a supermajority vote in both chambers.
• Congress can override a Presidential veto by supermajority vote in both chambers.
• Congress can impose, amend, cease, and collect taxes.
• Congress can check, approve, or deny government spending
• Congress has the power to declare war. A Declaration of War shall be made in the form of a bill. Declaring war shall require a supermajority in both chambers of Congress to pass, and Congress cannot override a presidential veto on it. A Declaration of War must specify the party or parties that war is being declared against.
• Congress cannot give themselves power over other branches of Government nor can they take power away from them.
• Congress cannot override a veto on an appropriations bill.
• Congress cannot override a veto of a complex change.
• The Congress shall have the power to originate an Appropriations bill which shall allocate Government funds for specific purposes. Such a bill may be proposed at any time unless otherwise codified in law outside this Constitution.
• Congress may pass non-binding resolutions as formal requests to the Executive and the Departments. These do not require presidential assent.
• Congress may vote to remove the President for being unfit for office through the defined impeachment process or the defined process of the President being considered incapacitated.

(3) Add the parts highlighted in green (Under section I - THE CONGRESS of the Constitution):
3. The House of Representatives
The House of Representatives shall consist of 11 citizens, referred to as Representatives (Abbreviated Rep.) who are elected for 2-month terms. The House of Representatives is where all bills originate from.

Powers of the House of Representatives:

• The House of Representatives is responsible for the creation of all bills.
• The House originates all declarations of war. A declaration of war requires a supermajority of votes in both Chambers of Congress.
• The House of Representatives begins the process of overriding a non-complex Presidential veto by a supermajority of votes. Such a motion would then be delivered to the Senate.
• Congress cannot override a veto of a complex change.
• Congress cannot override a veto on a declaration of war.
• Congress cannot give themselves power over other branches of Government nor can they take power away from
• Can impeach government officials, and ex-government officials no more than 2 months after leaving office, if the actions that led to impeachment happened while in office.
• The House shall have the power to issue a motion of Censure against any person or group. This has no legal repercussions and is purely a statement of disapproval. Should this motion be specific to the House’s disapproval it does not require Senate approval or Presidential assent. Should this motion seek to represent the whole Congress’s disapproval it must also attain Senate approval but not Presidential assent.
• The House may create and start a vote on non-binding resolutions. These do not require presidential assent.

(4) Add the part highlighted in green (Under section I - THE CONGRESS of the Constitution):
4. The Senate
The Senate shall consist of 6 citizens, referred to as Senators (Abbreviated Sen.) who are elected for 4 month terms. The Senate acts as the house of review to the House of Representatives and cannot originate any bills.

The Vice President shall have the power to cast a tie-breaking vote should a tie arise within the Senate, unless otherwise provided.

Powers of the Senate:

• Responsible for reviewing all bills passed by the House of Representatives and voting on them as well as making amendments where they see fit.
• Responsible for reviewing all declarations of war passed by the House. A declaration of war requires a supermajority of votes in both Chambers of Congress.
• Approving and overturning motions of no confidence.
• Responsible for conducting impeachment trials after the house has impeached the official or ex-official, whereby a supermajority is required to decide a verdict. The Senate may appoint a presiding officer in accordance with the Impeachment Act.
• Responsible for approving and rejecting players nominated by the President for Cabinet and Judicial appointments.
• The Senate shall have the power to issue a motion of Censure against any person or group. This has no legal repercussions and is purely a statement of disapproval. Should this motion be specific to the Senate’s disapproval it does not require House approval or Presidential assent.
• The Senate may create and start a vote on non-binding resolutions. These do not require presidential assent.
• Responsible for approving the signage/revocation/leaving of any treaty in which the Commonwealth of Redmont is involved, after a motion started by the President and through a simple majority vote.

(5) Add the part highlighted in green (Under section VII - DEFINING KEY TERMS of the Constitution):
53. Declaration of war:
A formal document in which a country declares the beginning of an armed conflict. It includes the reason for the war and parties against which war is declared.