General Assembly Rules and Procedure

Resolution to Repeal and Replace the

General Assembly’s Rules of Procedure

Sponsored by Die Kronprinzessin

Section 1: The Chairperson

1. At the beginning of February, June and October, the Chairperson shall open a Chairperson Selection in which the General Assembly shall vote for a new Chairperson. Voting shall occur after, at minimum, 24 hours of discussion during which candidates may nominate themselves for the position and questions may be fielded to each candidate.
    a. If the Chairperson is unavailable, the President shall preside over the Chairperson Selection.
    b. If the Chairperson resigns or is removed from office a new Chairperson Selection shall begin; presided over by the President.

2. Following the conclusion of the General Assembly Chairperson Selection, the Chairperson shall be required to appoint a Deputy Chairperson who will serve as Chairperson when the Chairperson is unavailable.
    a. If the Chairperson and Deputy Chairperson are unavailable the Vice President shall become the acting Chairperson.

3. The Chairperson will oversee debates and votes; they are responsible for maintaining the records of the General Assembly.

4. The Chairperson will present proposals that have passed the General Assembly to the Senate or the President immediately upon their passage.

5. The Chairperson will present proposals that have been sent from the Senate within 72 hours of their reception.

6. Any Assembly Member can call for a vote of no confidence against the Chairperson in which a three-fifths majority is required for it to be successful.

7. The Chairperson is subject to these Rules of Procedure and must set an example for the rest of the General Assembly; being impartial when they act with the authority of the Chairperson.

Section 2: Procedural Motions

1. Assembly Members may make any reasonable number of motions, during any period of an External or Internal Motion (as detailed in Section 3); before they come into effect the Chairperson must respond to the motion.

2. Procedural Motions may only be considered one at a time, in the following hierarchy of importance:
    a. Motions to protest violation of procedure
    b. Motions to withdraw a motion from the General Assembly
    c. Motions to Extend
    d. Motions to Close
    e. All other Motions

3. Assembly Members may motion to close a period, this requires a majority within 24 hours of its proposal in order to pass.

4. Assembly Members may motion to extend a period by a specified length of time, this requires a majority within 24 hours of its proposal in order to pass.

5. Assembly Members may motion to protest a violation of procedures, which the Chairperson shall consider and then take appropriate action.

6. Except under circumstances outlined later within this section, the primary sponsor for the motion is entitled to motion to withdraw the motion and may cite their reason for doing so. This action is only available to the primary sponsor and they may only do so during the motion’s debate period, following the provisions for such in Section 3.

7. The motion to withdraw may not be initiated when:
    a. The bill originated in the Senate.
    b. The bill is returning to the General Assembly from the Senate.

Section 3: External Motions and Internal Motions

1. All Assembly Members may introduce motions, upon reception of a motion the Chairperson shall create a thread on the forum for the official discussion of the motion.
    a. If, during this period, the primary sponsor motions to withdraw the motion which remains unobjected to within the following 24 hours, the motion passes
    b. If, during this period, the primary sponsor motions to withdraw the motion which is objected to within the following 24 hours, a vote is initiated to withdraw the motion, following the standard provisions for voting on an procedural motion detailed later in this Section.
    c. Except in the case of Procedural Motions, the procedures of which are detailed in Section 2.

2. The Sponsors and Co-Sponsors of the motion are entitled to make Opening Statements within the first 24 hours of the motion’s introduction.
    a. Sponsors and Co-Sponsors may decline to make an Opening Statement and yield their time.
    b. When a vetoed motion is being overturned, the President shall also be entitled to an Opening Statement.

3. Following Opening Statements, a minimum of 24 hours shall be given for the debate period of the bill, during which time amendments may be proposed and discussed.
    a. If, after 48 hours, the motion has received no discussion the Chairperson may close this period; otherwise a motion to close is required.

4. If the motion to withdraw has been invoked and subsequently passed, following confirmation from the Chairperson or Deputy Chairperson, the motion shall become withdrawn and will progress no further.

5. If amendments have been proposed an amendment voting period shall begin. Assembly Members may vote in favour for an amendment, against it, or express their lack of a decision. Those who do not vote shall not have their non-attendance counted against the amendment.

6. Following the amendment voting period the motion shall be voted on for 48 hours. Assembly Members may vote in favour for the motion, against it, or express their lack of a decision. Those who do not vote shall not have their non-attendance counted against the motion

7. Following voting internal motions shall be considered passed, once the Chairperson has tallied the votes, and if the motion received a majority of votes in favour of the motion. If a tie has occurred the Chairperson shall vote in favour of the status quo, and any motion not receiving a majority of votes in favour of it shall have failed.

8. Following voting, once the Chairperson has tallied the vote and broken any ties and if the motion received a majority of votes in favour of the motion. If an external motion has passed and originates in the Senate it shall be given to the President and if the motion originates in the General Assembly it shall be given to the Speaker of the Senate.
    a. When an overturning of a veto occurs the bill in question shall automatically become law.

Section 4: Record of the General Assembly

1. Formal debates, votes, censures, and official documents shall be posted to the forum and be collectively referred to as the Record of the General Assembly.

2. Punished behavior and only punished behavior may be censored from the Record at the Chairperson’s discretion.

Section 5: Discipline

1. Disruptive behavior may be punished. The Chairperson may bring forward, with reasoning, a claim that an Assembly Member has violated a rule.

2. Assembly Members shall have 24 hours to object to the Chairperson’s claim and vote against it with majority approval required to succeed, if this is successful the accused Assembly Member shall not be punished. These votes shall not prevent any other business of the Assembly from occurring.

3. If the Chairperson has not been successfully overridden by the General Assembly then they shall determine punishment, unless they or the Deputy Chairperson are the subject of the motion.

4. Assembly Members may introduce Motion to Punish the Chairperson or the Deputy Chairperson to punish them for the violation of rules. This shall require a three-fifths majority to pass. The Chairperson may not seek to punish the Assembly Members(s) who introduced the Motion nor obstruct the motion. This vote shall not prevent any other business of the Assembly from occurring.

5. Punishable disruptive behaviour may include:
    a. Submission of inappropriate content to the Chairperson.
    b. Ad hominem attacks directed at another person.
    c. The use of offensive or threatening language.
    d. Frivolous motions to withdraw.

6. Available punishments consist of:
    a. Official censure of an Assembly Member, to be entered into the permanent record of the proceedings of the General Assembly.
    b. Removal of the voting rights of an Assembly Member.
    c. Expulsion from the General Assembly, a three-fifths vote must be held in the General Assembly to confirm this punishment.

7. If an Assembly Member is punished by removing their voting rights, the duration of the punishment shall be measured by bills introduced, and follow the following pattern:
    a. First offence: 2 bills
    b. Second offence: 4 bills
    c. Third offence: 8 bills
    d. Fourth offence: Indefinite removal. This shall require a ⅔ majority vote of the Assembly.
    e. One offence shall be removed every two months.
    f. This punishment does not remove the Chairperson’s tie breaking vote.

8. If an Assembly Member believes they have been punished unfairly, they may appeal to the Supreme Court. If the Supreme Court rules in their favor, the related punishments shall be revoked.

Section 6: Provisions

1. AR-001, AR-002, AR-003, AR-003, AR-004 and AR-005 are hereby repealed.