The Parliamentary Procedure Reform Act 2006 was passed by the 2nd Imperial Parliament on February 15th 2006, it received Imperial Assent on February 16th 2006.
This Act was voted on through roll call.
YES - 3
NO - N/A
PRESENT - N/A
DEFER - N/A
Section 1: Name[]
1.) This Bill is called the Parliamentary Procedure Reform Act of 2006 (PPRA).
Section 2: Definitions[]
1.) Sponsor: one who presents a bill.
2.) Floor: The forum for debate.
3.) Bill: shall be a draft of a proposed law, statute, decree, enactment or amendment, presented for the approval of the Imperial Parliament.
4.) Act: shall be a law, statute, decree, enactment or amendment, resulting from a decision of the Imperial Parliament.
5.) Resolution: shall be a formal statement of a decision or expression of opinion adopted by the Imperial Parliament.
6.) To simplify matters, all references to the male gender shall mean both male and female gender.
Section 3: The Speaker of Parliament[]
1.) The Speaker of Parliament shall be the Presiding Officer of the Imperial Parliament.
2.) At the beginning of each session, the outgoing Speaker shall conduct the vote for the new Speaker, either from among the Members of Parliament who are not members of the Executive Government or from among persons who are not Members of Parliament; provided that a person shall not be elected as Speaker if, under any of the provisions of the Constitution, he is not qualified for election. If the outgoing Speaker is not present, the Emperor shall conduct the vote.
3.) The Speaker shall not be prohibited from fulfilling all other duties and privileges of a Member of Parliament.
4.) The Speaker shall present all bills passed by Parliament to His Imperial Majesty the Emperor for Imperial Assent if such bills require Imperial Assent as soon as possible.
5.) The rights, duties, responsibilities and obligations of the Speaker of the Imperial Parliament shall be established and outlined according to The Speaker Act 2006.
Section 4: Parliamentary Procedure[]
1.) The old means of parliamentary procedure shall be ended in full.
2.) Any member may introduce legislation. To do so he must present the bill to the Speaker, who shall introduce for debate no more than 3 bills at a time.
3.) Each bill shall be debated for no less than three days and no more than a week.
4.) After the debate period is over the Speaker shall conduct a vote. The voting choices will be: "Oui" in approval, "Non" in disapproval, "Present" in neutrality, and "Defer" to extend the debate period for another week.
5.) Voting shall last exactly four days, or until a majority is reached.
6.) The Speaker is empowered to cut down the voting as he deems necessary.
7.) No new legislation may be presented to the Imperial Parliament after the eighth day before the end of the session.
8.) Any member of the Imperial Parliament may call for "fast track" in regards to any piece of legislation. This must be seconded by another member. Under “fast track” procedures, voting procedures are immediately initiated once such a motion is seconded. The Speaker of Parliament has the authority to revoke or evoke Fast Track procedures if he feels it is necessary.
9.) At any time, a voting MP may declare a leave of absence, which shall be valid for no more than four (4) days. The declaration should be filed to either the Speaker’s Office or the Ministry of Interior. The MP may specify how long his leave of absence shall last. If it should last for more than 4 days, the MP may specify so clearly in his LOA announcement. MPs may not appoint proxies. Proxy voting is hereby outlawed.
Section 5: Behavior of the Members of Parliament[]
1.) All members must treat each other with respect and dignity.
2.) The Speaker reserves the right to suspend a member for a period of three days, if he is out of order.
3.) Any member of the Imperial Parliament may present a motion to suspend another member. To do so he must have a verifiable cause.
4.) A member of the Imperial Parliament may be expelled if he acts in unethical ways, or if he has been suspended three times. The Emperor must give His Imperial Assent for the expulsion.
5.) Expulsions may be appealed in the High Court of Justice of the Empire.
Section 6: Committees[]
1.) Any Member of Parliament may present a motion to form a Committee on a particular subject area for the purposes of legislative discussion and possible formation of a bill.
2.) The Speaker of the Imperial Parliament must consent to the formation of the Committee and shall serve as its Chair. The Speaker shall be responsible for adjourning such a committee session.
Section 7: Amendments to the PPRA, Suspension of the PPRA[]
1.) The PPRA may be amended by the Speaker of Parliament upon recommendation by the Members of Parliament.
2.) If a motion to amend the PPRA is approved by two-thirds of Parliament, the Speaker shall amend the PPRA.
3.) The Speaker of Parliament shall reserve the power of suspending and reinstating the PPRA.
4.) If a motion to suspend the PPRA is approved by two-thirds of the Parliament, the Speaker shall suspend the PPRA.
5.) If a motion to reinstate the PPRA is approved by two-thirds of the Parliament, the Speaker shall reinstate the standing orders.
6.) Amendments to the Constitution may not be introduced under suspension of the PPRA.