# Standing Rules of the 2nd Mayflower State Senate
## RULE I — THE PRESIDING OFFICER
1. The Lieutenant Governor shall be the President of the Senate and its primary presiding officer. When the President shall be absent, the President pro tempore shall be the presiding officer. Only the President shall have the power to break ties; that authority shall not be given to the President pro tempore. The President pro tempore, if the presiding officer, shall not be required to vote but may choose to do so.
2. The Senate shall at the beginning of the Congress, and for any vacancy, elect a senator to be the President pro tempore. The Senate may, by resolution, remove the President pro tempore provided that there is a just reason for it.
3. The presiding officer shall control the proceedings of the Senate, ensure these rules are upheld, and maintain order and attendance of the Senate.
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### RULE II — JOURNAL OF RECORD AND SENATE STAFF
1. The Journal of Record shall contain:
a) date and time of sessions convening and dispersing;
b) register of present members;
c) motions;
d) orders of the presiding officer;
e) votes;
f) messages between the Senate and other branches of Government; and
g) All instances of removal, including reasons and duration,
and all votes casted by barred Senators.
2. The Journal shall not contain transcripts of speeches by members and specific oration that is irrelevant to the record.
3. The President of the Senate shall appoint, at the beginning of every Congress, a Chief Clerk and any additional clerks he deems necessary. The President of the Senate may remove a clerk at any time.
4. The President of the Senate, after a resolution of the Senate, may appoint a Sergeant-at-arms. The Sergeant-at-arms shall be from the Lander Police Department, with a rank of Police Officer or higher.
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### RULE III — SESSIONS AND QUORUM
1. The quorum requirement for normal business shall be 2⁄3 of the membership. Proxy votes, for quorum accounting purposes shall count towards this quorum requirement as long as the total number of person's attending in game is at least 1⁄2 the membership, and in combination with in game attendance proxy votes meet the quorum requirement for normal business.
2. The membership shall convene in regular session at least once every two weeks, as prescribed by the Lieutenant Governor.
3. Special sessions shall be convened by the Governor or by 1⁄2 of the senate membership. During special sessions convened by the Governor, the legislature shall be confined to discuss:
a) subjects designated in the calling of an emergency session;
b) subjects presented by him; and
c) the reconsideration of bills vetoed by the Governor.
4. Emergency Sessions that are convened by 1⁄2 of the membership shall not be limited in discussion.
5. The membership, when wishing to perform an override of a veto or rescindation of an impeachment, shall require a presence of 2⁄3 of the membership at the session.
If the membership, when convened, does not meet Quorum then the only motion that shall be available is to compel the attendance of absent members.
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### RULE IV — ORDER OF BUSINESS
1. At the beginning of the Congress, the first item of business shall be taking the oath. The second item of business shall be to ratify the standing rules. The third items of business shall be to elect the President pro tempore from the sworn-in members. The fourth item of business shall be to appoint the members to the standing committees.
2. uring regular business:
a) roll shall be called and the register of the members taken;
b) priority shall be given to unfinished business left at the end of the previous session;
c) members shall then listen to any members, confirm any Judicial or Cabinet appointment, hear committee reports, and then proceed to hear bills that have been tabled. The presiding officer or the clerk shall read out the title unless it is motioned that the entire text of the bill is to be read;
d) the presiding officer shall then entertain any other petitions or motions from the floor after which, the Orders of the Day will then be created in the order that they were introduced. No motions placed on the Orders of the Day shall be removed without its regular course;
e) sessions will close when adjournment is made solely from the floor of the Senate.
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### RULE V — RULES OF DEBATE
1. When a member desires to speak, at any time during the session, he shall rise and address the presiding officer (Mr./Madam President), and will not proceed with the request until recognized by the Presiding Officer. Once he begins speaking, the Senator will not be forcefully required to yield the floor unless the Senate shall call the question. Only one member may hold the floor unless authorized by a special motion by the Senate.
2. Every member speaking shall avoid personalities, they shall sit down when finished. No member shall speak out of their place without leave from the presiding officer.
3. When two or more members rise at the same time, the presiding officer shall name the member entitled to the floor.
4. Members repeatedly in violation of any of the rules of the Senate shall be called to order by the presiding officer, and order the member to take their seat.
5. A member called to order shall lose the right to speak on the pending motion, but shall not be barred from voting.
6. A member called to order shall remain seated until the Senate begins consideration of another motion or unless the presiding officer returns the rights of the member to the floor.
7. If a member called to order refuses to immediately take their seat, the presiding officer shall name that member, who shall be escorted from the chamber by the Sergeant-at-arms.
8. A member having been named shall not be allowed to resume their seat until the presiding officer returns the member their rights to attend the session, or a new session has begun.
9. If, after a member is seated or named, the action of the presiding officer is appealed, the Senate shall decide the case by a majority vote of the present members; if there is no immediate appeal, the decision of the presiding officer shall be conclusive.
10. No member may interrupt another except:
a) in compliance with the motions in order;
b) to doubt the presence of a quorum; or
c) to ask the person speaking to yield.
11, No member shall speak more than once on a question unless all other members have been afforded that chance.
12. No member shall occupy more than five minutes at a time while speaking where debate is unlimited.
13. All members shall be courteous, avoid personal attacks, avoid digressions and shall direct their remarks to the presiding officer
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### RULE VI — MEMBERS OF THE SENATE
1. A member must be a member of Roblox for a hundred and twenty days and a citizen of Mayflower for thirty days. Any member that loses citizenship shall lose their seat in the Senate. Any member that commits a felony while in office is subject to expulsion proceedings to be brought up.
2. Whenever a vacancy shall occur in the Senate, the President of the Senate shall certify such to the Mayflower Elections Commission and request a by-election; if an election occurred within two weeks of the vacancy, the President of the Senate shall certify such to the Governor. The Governor shall fill the vacancy by appointment and a presiding officer shall swear the member in.
3. Members are not subject to civil process and are privileged from arrest, except for felony or breach of peace, while attending a session.
4. The Senate shall elect a President pro tempore by simple majority of the whole Senate. The Senate may remove a sitting President pro tempore by 3⁄4 of the whole Senate, but will be required to nominate a replacement at the earliest convenience.
5. The Senate may expel or temporarily suspend other members with a 3⁄4 majority vote due to the member’s inactivity, incompetence, lack of responsibility, or general disobedience.
6. Should a Senator be in jeopardy of being expelled for not attending any session in person for a period of thirty days, a motion may be made to block the automatic expulsion. Should a majority of the Senate vote to block the automatic expulsion, it shall be considered blocked.
### RULE VII — MOTIONS IN ORDER
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1. Motions will only be entertained when the presiding officer deems it to be suitable; the exception being points of order and parliamentary procedure. Only motions that allow members to interrupt the presiding officer may allow members to speak without being recognized by the presiding officer.
2. Motions may only be made by the member after being recognized by the presiding officer. If the motion requires a sufficient second, the presiding officer shall go out for them. If a sufficient second is not achieved as required, the motion shall fail automatically.
3. The presiding officer, after the motion is seconded, shall seek any opposition. If none are heard, the motion is granted automatically. If a member objects, they shall briefly state why. A motion may only be refused by the presiding officer if it breaks any of these rules.
4. If opposition is made, the presiding officer may make time for debate or may call the motion for a vote. The result shall be stated with either of the following: “The motion is adopted” or “The motion is defeated.”
5. The following motions are in order:
| Motion | Type of Motion | Second? | Debatable? | Voting Procedure |Can interrupt PO?|
| -------- | -------- | -------- | --- | --- | --- |
| *Adjourn with fix time* — To arrange a time for the next session | Privileged | Yes | Yes | Simple majority | No |
| *Adjourn sine die* — To dismiss the session without an assigned time, subject to the call of the President. | Privileged | Yes | Yes | Simple majority | No |
| *Recess* — To start a short intermission of the session; motion must contain the length of time. | Privileged | Yes | No | Simple majority | No |
| *Rise to a question of privilege* — To make a personal request. | Privileged | No | No | Decision of the chair | Yes |
| *Call for orders of the day* — To force the Senate to conform to its agenda or orders of business. | Privileged | No | No | One member, requires 2⁄3 to overrule | Yes |
| *Appeal a decision of the Chair* — To reverse a decision by the Chair. | Incidental | Yes | Yes, on the merits | Simple majority | Yes |
| *Rise to a point of order* — To challenge for violation of the rules | Incidental | No | No, unless appealed | Decision of the chair | Yes |
| *Roll call vote* — To verify a vote | Incidental | No | No | Decision of the chair | Yes |
| *Object to the consideration of a question* — To suppress action | Incidental | Yes | Yes | 2⁄3 majority | Yes |
| *Divide a motion* — To consider parts of a motion separately | Incidental | Yes | No | Simple majority or decision of the member | No |
| *Leave to modify or withdraw a motion* — To modify or withdraw a motion | Incidental | No | No | Simple majority | No |
| *Suspend the rules* — To take action contrary to the Standing Rules; must include the individual rule | Incidental | Yes | Yes | 2⁄3 majority | No |
| *Rescind* — To repeal previous action. | Bring a question again | Yes | Yes | 2⁄3 majority | No |
| *Reconsider* — To consider a defeated motion again | Bring a question again | Yes | Yes | Simple majority | No |
| *Take from the table* — To consider a tabled motion | Bring a question again | Yes | No | Simple majority | No |
| *Lay on the table* — To defer action | Subsidiary motion | Yes | No | Simple majority | No |
| *Previous question* / Invoke Cloture — To force an immediate vote on a Main Motion or Subsidiary Motion; ends debate. | Subsidiary motion | Yes | No | 2⁄3 majority | Yes |
| *Refer to a Committee* — Refer to a Committee for further scrutiny or study | Subsidiary motion | Yes | Yes | Simple majority | No |
| *Discharge from Committee* — To remove from the Committee | Main motion | Yes | Yes | 2⁄3 majority | No |
| *Amend an amendment* — To modify an amendment | Subsidiary motion | 1⁄3 of members | Yes | Simple majority | No |
| *Amend* — To modify a Main Motion | Subsidiary motion | 1⁄3 of members | Yes | Simple majority | No |
| *Proceed* — To introduce business to the floor (Question for debate, Bill, Resolution, Impeachment, etc.) | Main motion | Yes | Yes | Simple majority | No |
6. Other motions not mentioned here may be accepted by the discretion of the presiding officer and will require a second and 2⁄3 vote to pass.
7. In the event no clerk is present, the Senate may vote to continue or start a session in the absence of a clerk providing the session is being recorded with two thirds of the membership in favour.
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### RULE VIII — IMPEACHMENT PROCEEDINGS
1. Whenever a member shall propose articles of impeachment against the Governor, Lieutenant Governor, or members of the Cabinet, it shall be referred to the Committee on Government Oversight. Unless discharged by the Senate, the Committee on Government Oversight shall vote to send it to the Senate either favorably or unfavorably. The articles of impeachment shall list fully the basis for the proceeding.
2. Whenever a member shall propose articles of impeachment against the Chief Justice, members of the Supreme Court and District Court, it shall be referred to the Committee on the Judiciary. Unless discharged by the Senate, the Committee on the Judiciary shall vote to send it to the Senate either favorably or unfavorably. The articles of impeachment shall list fully the basis for the proceeding.
3. The Senate may impeach the Governor, Lieutenant Governor, members of the Cabinet, Chief Justice, members of the Supreme Court and District Court. Whenever the committee reports the articles of impeachment, the Senate may vote; it shall require 2⁄3 of the Senate's membership present, and a majority of membership in favor of the impeachment as per the Constitution.
4. The Senate may vote rescind an impeachment with the majority of the membership of the Senate in favor of rescindation.
5. Following a majority in favor of impeachment, the impeachment shall be referred by the President of the Senate to the Chief Justice or the Chief Judge (whichever is applicable). The Senate shall then appoint an impeachment manager, which may be any Senator or any bar-certified attorney.
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### RULE IX — INTRODUCTION OF BILLS
1. All members wishing to introduce a bill to the floor through a motion must publish the draft bill at least 24 hours before the motion is made.
2. Repealing a hence signed piece of legislation shall require a simple majority of the members as a collective in favor of such motion.
3. Overriding the Governor’s veto of passed legislation shall require all of the members present in favor of such motion.
4. Bills which have been vetoed by the Governor and not overridden by the Senate within a period of 3 weeks after being vetoed shall not be able to be reintroduced without modifications for the remainder of the congress.
5. All Bills will be given the chance to have amendments or amendments of amendments, scrutinized by the floor in one straight reading of the bill.
6. The presiding officer or clerk will update when a Bill has gone through its straight reading in the respective channel in the Legislative Discord, and mark any amendments made to the bill in red font. Any removed or edited text must be struck out and must be in red font.
7. The presiding officer or clerk shall update the Trello whenever a Bill has been introduced and shall put the bill under the respective list within the Trello. Bills added to the Trello may not be removed or tampered with unless being amended prior to voting, and must remain on the Trello after being voted on indefinitely for record keeping purposes, and may not be removed or tampered with for any reason following voting.
8. The President, President pro tempore, or clerk will appoint bills their number and fill out any dates, numbers, or names which the template has marked in red.
9. In the instance that a Senator has planned absence but wishes to vote on a bill planned to be brought to the floor, they may notify the presiding officer to accept their vote in proxy.
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### RULE X — VOTING
1. The presiding officer shall declare the result of all voted motions in the session; but shall any member doubt a vote, the presiding officer shall order the Clerk produce a roll.
2. All votes shall be taken by voice vote unless requested by any member or by the presiding officer, in which the presiding officer shall roll call the motion.
3. Any member shall require permission from the presiding officer to abstain from voting on any question or motion.
4. A member, having been away from their keyboard, shall be marked as abstained by the clerk; however, following their return to their keyboard, shall be required to change their vote.
5. The clerk or presiding officer shall report at the conclusion of any vote the outcome along with the vote breakdown, in the format of ayes-nays-abstentions.
6. When a question has been decided by the Senate, any member voting with the prevailing side or who has not voted may, on the same day or during the next session thereafter, move for reconsideration. If the Senate shall refuse to reconsider such a motion entered, or if such a motion is withdrawn by leave of the Senate, or if upon reconsideration the Senate shall affirm its first decision, no further motion to reconsider shall be in order. Every motion to reconsider shall be decided by a majority vote.
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### RULE XI — SENATE CHAMBER
1. The business of the membership shall be done within the State Chamber in the State House, located in the City of Lander, unless the presiding officer chooses to conduct it elsewhere for an extenuating circumstance.
2. The Chamber shall be made public access for those wishing to spectate the convening legislative session unless the presiding officer orders to seal the chambers in which the Sergeant at Arms shall direct to do so. The Senate may motion to seal the chambers as well with a majority vote of Senators present in favor.
3. The presiding officer shall make reasonable arrangements for the press on the Senate floor. Only those with pre-approved press pass shall be allowed to enter.
4. The Presiding Officer of the Senate shall have the authority to order the Sergeant-At-Arms to temporarily remove Senators from the Senate Chambers for conduct deemed disruptive, disorderly or otherwise obstructive to the orderly proceedings of the Senate. Senators that have been temporarily barred must be allowed to return back into the Chambers after a maximum of 5 minutes spent outside. Senators that have been barred maintain the ability to vote on any business that requires the voting of a Senator and such votes shall be done via proxy-chat.
5. The criteria for temporary removal shall include but is not limited to: (1) Speaking out of turn or without being recognised by the Presiding Officer. (2) Using offensive or inflammatory language that violates the decorum of the Senate (3) Persistently refusing to yield the floor or disregarding the Presiding Officer. (4) Engaging in physical altercations or threatening behaviour. Senators engaging in violent behaviour may be barred from the Senate Chambers for the entirety of the session. Barred Senators may be permitted to return back to the Chambers after five minutes have passed. Senators which continue in disruptive behaviour shall be barred for the entirety of the session.
6. “A Senator shall be issued a verbal warning from the Presiding Officer if their behaviour violates expected Senate Conduct. If disruptive behaviour continues, the Presiding Officer should issue a formal call to order. Continuous disruption shall afford the Presiding Officer the right to bar an individual. Senators which engage in violent behaviour must be barred immediately. Should an individual be barred from the Senate Chambers, the Sergeant-At-Arms must escort them outside and prevent them from entering unless they’re permitted back inside. The Senate, upon a 2⁄3 majority vote, may overturn the Presiding Officers and allow barred Senators to return back inside of the chambers.
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### RULE XII — COMMITTEES
1. The following standing committees shall be established within the Mayflower State Senate, and shall have jurisdiction and empowerment through these rules:
``a) Committee on Government Affairs`` - The Committee on Government Affairs shall be the standing committee regarding government economics, employment, expenditure, budgets, foreign relations, disciplinary action of senators, investigations of ethics violations by the executive branch, and maintenance of transparency between the Senate and the public with direct specialty regarding the Department of State, transit and general lifestyle/welfare improvements of the state, Mayflower Public Broadcasting Service, Mayflower State Legislatures, and matters concerning the executive branches established within counties.
Bills of specialty regarding Government Affairs shall be defined as any bill that involves the topics as defined by Title One of the Committee on Government Affairs subsection.
``b) Committee on the Judiciary`` - The Committee on the Judiciary shall be the standing committee regarding judicial proceedings, judges, justices, the operations and administration of the Department of Justice, criminal penalties, civil liberties, and the judiciary and its operations in general with direct specialty regarding all courts on the district level within the state, the Mayflower Supreme Court, and the Mayflower State Bar;
Bills of specialty regarding judicial affairs shall be defined as any bill that involves the topics as defined by Title One of the Committee of Judiciary;
The Committee on the Judiciary shall be afforded the ability to table state resolutions regarding nominations to the New Haven County District Court or the Mayflower Supreme Court for review by the committee pursuant to Section Four of this standing rule;
``c) Committee on Public Safety and Law Enforcement`` - The Committee on Public Safety and Law Enforcement shall be the standing committee regarding law enforcement, fire prevention and suppression, and emergency medical services, with a direct specialty regarding the Mayflower State Police, the Parks and Wildlife Department, the Mayflower Law Enforcement Training Institute, and all incorporated law enforcement agencies within the State of Mayflower;
Bills of specialty regarding law enforcement shall be defined as any bill that involves the topics as defined by Title One of the Committee on Safety and Law Enforcement.
``d) Committee on Homeland Security and Intelligence`` - The Commitee on Homeland Security and Intelligence shall be the standing committee regarding matters concerning state security, the operations and administration of the Mayflower National Guard, matters of counterterrorism, and any branch of an incorporated law enforcement agency within the State of Mayflower that concerns investigations of criminal matters;
Bills of specialty regarding the homeland security shall be defined as any bill that involves the topics as defined by Title One of the committee on Homeland Security and Intelligence.
2. Each senator must nominate themselves to two (2) committees, with a minimum of three (3) members per committee.
a) If there are not enough senators to maintain a minimum of three (3) members per committee, the President Pro Tempore shall sit on whichever committee falls short.
3. To be nominated to a committee, a senator must have a standing background regarding the specialty of the committee;
a) If there are not enough individuals in the Senate with a standing background in the specialty of the committee, any individual can be appointed to the committee.
b) When multiple individuals are attempting to appoint themselves to a committee in a manner that, if all are appointed, violates the rules established here - individuals with more defendable experience in the specialty shall take precedence over those with less.
c) If a decision cannot be made between senators on the nomination of committee members, a total of nine (9) subject matter experts with at least two (2) specializing in each committee shall be brought in by the President of the Senate to make the appointments separate from the members of the Senate. The names of these subject matter experts shall be withheld from the public until nominations are finalized.
4. A chairman of the committee shall be nominated by the nominated standing members of the Committee and approved in the resolution as all the committee nominations.
5. Upon all nominations being agreed upon, a formalized resolution of committee assignments and the chairs for each committee shall be voted upon in the first legislative session of the Congress as per the orders of buisiness.
a) If the nominations were agreed upon amongst senators prior to the first legislative session, and the bill failed, the next set of nominations shall be completed by subject matter experts.
b) If the nominations were made by subject matter experts, and the bill failed, the appointments to the committees shall be finalized by an executive order.
6. There may be no more than one chairman per committee.
7. The President or Chief Clerk of the Senate shall be responsible for appropriately referring legislation or nominations to a committee upon the introduction of the legislation to the docket when the piece of legislation overwhelmingly involves a bill of the specialty of a committee. This can be done even if the the senate does not vote for a bill to be referred to a committee.
8. A committee may only handle pieces of legislation on the committee’s docket when all members are present or available to discuss the legislation within the committee's communication channels.
a) If a committee member is not able to be present, the remaining committee members may agree upon a subject matter expert to advise on and vote in place of that senator.
9. When a piece of legislation is referred to a committee;
a) The committee has five days to vote on the legislation (either approving it to be passed on or denying it from entering the Senate floor) before it is introduced to the Senate floor;
b) If no action is taken within those five days by the committee, the bill will return to the Senate;
c) If a meeting is held by the committee within those five days to discuss the piece of legislation, another five days shall be added on from that first meeting to take action before it returns to the Senate floor;
d) A bill that has been to a committee and is returned with no action may not be returned to that committee again.
10. When a piece of legislation regarding an impeachment or nomination to a position is referred to a committee,
a) The committee shall be allowed to approve the impeachment and allow it to continue to the Senate floor or deny the nomination from proceeding to the Senate floor only after;
``i) Hearing the argument from the individual who the impeachment or nomination concerns, herein referred to as the individual of a topic, and optionally up to two (2) additional subject matter experts brought in by the individual of the topic to speak in and present evidence in the defense of approving the nomination/denying the impeachment.``
``ii) Hearing the argument from the individual presenting the impeachment or nomination and up to two (2) individuals as referred to by that presenting individual.``
``iii) Arguments may last no more than two (2) minutes unless an extension is granted by the chairman of the committee.``
``iv) All individuals listed shall receive an official subpoena by the committee.``
11. A senate committee meeting must be public unless the information to be presented to the committee involves state secrets or information which committee membership may deem as harmful if released, in which case the members of the committee, in a majority decision, can agree to make the meeting private.
a) In such cases, it shall be considered contempt of the Senate to violate the order or to leak information from the meeting.
b) A representative of the Department of Justice, State Bureau of Investigation, and Governor’s Office must be present during a closed meeting.
12. Committees can issue subpoenas to an individual to testify in front of the committee in the pursuit of investigating misconduct or crimes related to the committee’s specialty. If a committee chooses to conduct an investigation, their findings shall be reported to the Department of Justice or State Bureau of Investigations for further action.
a) An individual subpoenaed shall have three reasonable opportunities within seven days to present themselves to the committee during a meeting. Failure to do so shall be considered contempt of the Senate.
13. Committees can create their own standing rules as so long as the rules are within the framing of the existing Standing Rules of the Senate.
14. A committee, whenever meeting, must have a Journal of Record maintained by the Clerk of the Senate or an appointed Clerk of the Committee. This does not apply when meetings are conducted over Discord channels.
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### RULE XIII — THE PRESIDENT
1. The President of the Senate may:
a) participate in debate;
b) sit on committees, if elected;
d) present Senate resolutions as well as other Senate-only documents; and
c) cast votes on Senate resolutions, and other Senate-only documents.
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### RULE XIV — AMENDMENTS TO THESE RULES
1. Any proposal to amend the rules shall be done in writing and sent to the President of the Senate or President pro tempore. No motion to amend these rules shall be in order unless by one day’s notice. No amendment shall take effect unless 3⁄4 of the whole Senate be in agreement.
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