The Legislative Branch
(The Senate and the House of Representatives)
SECTION 1
Vacancies shall be filled as they occur.
Membership shall continue for life, except that absences not provided for by rule shall constitute retirement, and that Senators may retire voluntarily.
The Senate shall elect as presiding officer a Convener who shall serve for two years, when his further service may be discontinued by a majority vote. Other officers, including a Deputy, shall be appointed by the Convener unless the Senate shall object.
The Senate shall meet each year on the second Tuesday in July and shall be in continuous session, but may adjourn to the call of the Convener. A quorum shall be more than three-fifths of the whole membership.
The Senate shall consider, and return within thirty days, all measures approved by the House of Representatives (except the annual budget). Approval or disapproval shall be by a majority vote of those present. Objection shall stand unless the House of Representatives shall overcome it by a majority vote plus one; if no return be made, approval by the House of Representatives shall be final.
For consideration of laws passed by the House of Representatives or for other purposes, the Convener may appoint appropriate committees.
The Senate may ask advice from the Principal Justice concerning the constitutionality of measures before it; and if this be done, the time for return to the House of Representatives may extend to ninety days.
If requested, the Senate may advise the President on matters of public interest; or, if not requested, by resolution approved by two-thirds of those present. There shall be a special duty to expressions of concern during party conventions and commitments made during campaigns; and if these be neglected, to remind the President and the House of Representatives that these undertakings are to be considered.
In time of present or prospective danger caused by cataclysm, by attack, or by insurrection, the Senate may declare a national emergency and may authorize the President to take appropriate action. If the Senate be dispersed, and no quorum available, the President may proclaim the emergency, and may terminate it unless the Senate shall have acted. If the President be not available, and the circumstances extreme, the senior serving member of the presidential succession may act until a quorum assembles.
The Senate may also define and declare a limited emergency in time of prospective danger, or of local or regional disaster, or if an extraordinary advantage be anticipated. It shall be considered by the House of Representatives within three days and, unless disapproved, may extend for a designated period and for a limited area before renewal.
Extraordinary expenditures during emergency may be approved, without regard to usual budget procedures, by the House of Representatives with the concurrence of the President.
The Senate, at the beginning of each session, shall select three of its members to constitute a National Security Committee to be consulted by the President in emergencies requiring the deployment of the armed forces abroad. If the Committee dissent from the President's proposal, it shall report to the Senate, whose decision shall be final.
The Senate shall elect, or may remove, a National Watchkeeper, and shall oversee, through a standing committee, a Watchkeeping Service conducted according to rules formulated for their approval.
With the assistance of an appropriate staff the Watchkeeper shall gather and organize information concerning the adequacy, competence, and integrity of governmental agencies and their personnel, as well as their continued usefulness; and shall also suggest the need for new or expanded services, making report concerning any agency of the deleterious effect of its activities on citizens or on the environment.
The Watchkeeper shall entertain petitions for the redress of grievances and shall advise the appropriate agencies if there be need for action.
For all these purposes, personnel may be appointed, investigations made, witnesses examined, post audits made, and information required.
The Convener shall present the Watchkeeper's findings to the Senate, and if it be judged to be in the public interest, they shall be made public or, without being made public, be sent to the appropriate agency for its guidance and such action as may be needed. On recommendation of the Watchkeeper the Senate may initiate corrective measures to be voted on by the House of Representatives within thirty days. When approved by a majority and not vetoed by the President, they shall become law.
For the Watchkeeping Service one-quarter of one percent of individual net taxable incomes shall be held by the Chancellor of Financial Affairs; but amounts not expended in any fiscal year shall be available for general use.
The House of Representatives shall be original lawmaking body of the Newstates of America.
It shall convene each year on the second Tuesday in July and shall remain in continuous session except that it may adjourn to the call of a Speaker, elected by a majority vote from among the Representatives-at-large, who shall be its presiding officer.
It shall be a duty to implement the provisions of this constitution and, in legislature to be guided by them.
Party leaders and their deputies shall be chosen by caucus at the beginning of each session.
Standing and temporary committees shall be selected as follows:
Committees dealing with the calendaring and management of bills shall have a majority of members nominated to party caucuses by the Speaker; other members shall be nominated by minority leaders. Membership shall correspond to the parties' proportions at the last election. If nominations be not approved by a majority of the caucus, the Speaker or the minority leaders shall nominate others until a majority shall approve.
Members of other committees shall be chosen by party caucus in proportion to the results of the last election. Chairmen shall be elected annually from among at-large-members.
Bills referred to committees shall be returned to the house with recommendations within sixty days unless extension be voted by the House.
In all committee actions names of those voting for and against shall be recorded.
No committee chairman may serve longer than six years.
Approved legislation, not objected to by the Senate within the allotted time, shall be presented to the President for his approval or disapproval. If the President disapprove, and three- quarters of the House membership still approve, it shall become law. The names of those voting for and against shall be recorded. Bills not returned within eleven days shall become law.
The President may have thirty days to consider measures approved by the House unless they shall have been submitted twelve days previous to adjournment.
The house shall consider promptly the annual budget; if there be objection, it shall be notified to the Planning Board; The Board shall then resubmit through the President; and, with his comments, it shall be returned to the House. If there still be objection by a two-thirds majority, the House shall prevail. Objection must be by whole title; titles not objected to when voted on shall constitute appropriation.
The budget for the fiscal year shall be in effect on January 1. Titles not yet acted on shall be as in the former budget until action be completed.
It shall be the duty of the House to make laws concerning taxes.
b. Except such as may be authorized by law to be laid by Authorities, or by the Newstates, all collections shall be made by a national revenue agency. This shall include collections for trust funds hereinafter authorized.
c. Except for corporate levies to be held in the National Sharing Fund, hereinafter authorized, taxes may be collected only from individuals and only from incomes; but there may be withholding from current incomes.
d. To assist in the maintenance of economic stability, the President may be authorized to alter rates by executive order.
e. They shall be imposed on profitmaking enterprises owned or conducted by religious establishments or other nonprofit organizations.
f. There shall be none on food, medicines, residential rentals, or commodities or services designated by law as necessities; and there shall be no double taxation.
g. None shall be levied for registering ownership or transfer of property.
2. For expenditure from revenues:
b. For such other purposes as the House may indicate and require the Planning Board to include in revision of the budget; but, except in declared emergency, the total may not exceed the President's estimate of available funds.
4. To provide for the regulation of commerce with other nations and among the Newstates, Possessions, Territories; or, as shall be mutually agreed, with other organized governments; but exports shall not be taxed; and imports shall not be taxed except on recommendation of the President at rates whose allowable variations shall have been fixed by law. There shall be no quotas, and no nations favored by special rates, unless by special acts requiring two-thirds majorities.
5. To establish, or provide for the establishment of institutions for the safekeeping of savings, for the gathering and distribution of capital, for the issuance of credit, for regulating the coinage of money, for controlling the media of exchange, and for stabilizing prices; but such institutions, when not public or semipublic, shall be regarded as affected with the public interest and shall be supervised by the Chancellor of Financial Affairs.
6. To establish institutions for insurance against risks and liabilities for communication, transportation, and others commonly used and necessary for public convenience.
7. [paragraph not in the copy used for this file]
8. To assist in the maintenance of world order, and, for this purpose, when the President shall recommend to vest jurisdiction in international legislative, judicial, or administrative agencies.
9. To develop with other peoples, and for the benefit of all, the resources of space, of other bodies in the universe, and of the seas beyond twelve miles from low-water shores unless treaties shall provide other limits.
10. To assist other peoples who have not attained satisfactory levels of well-being; to delegate the administration of funds for assistance, whenever possible, to international agencies; and to invest in or contribute to the furthering of development in other parts of the world.
11. To assure, or to assist in assuring, adequate and equal facilities for education; for training in occupations citizens may be fitted to pursue; and to reeducate or retrain those whose occupations may become obsolete.
12. To establish or to assist institutions devoted to higher education, to research, or to technical training.
13. To establish and maintain, or assist in maintaining, libraries, archives, monuments, and other places of historic interest.
14. To assist in the advancement of sciences and technologies; and to encourage cultural activities.
15. To conserve natural resources by purchase, by withdrawal from use, or by regulation; to provide, or to assist in providing, facilities for recreation; to establish and maintain parks, forests, wilderness areas, wetlands, and prairies; to improve streams and other waters; to ensure the purity of air and water; to control the erosion of soils; and to provide for all else necessary for the protection and common use of the national heritage.
16. To acquire property and improvements for public use at costs to be fixed, if necessary, by the Court of Claims.
17. To prevent the stoppage or hindrance of governmental procedures, or other activities affected with a public interest as defined by law, by reason of disputes between employers and employees, or for other reasons, and for this purpose to provide for conclusive arbitration if adequate provision for collective bargaining fail. From such findings there may be appeal to the Court of Arbitration Review; but such proceedings may not stay the acceptance of findings.
18. To support an adequate civil service for the performance of such duties as may be designated by administrators; and for this purpose to refrain from interference with the processes of appointment of placement, asking advice or testimony before committees only with the consent of appropriate superiors.
19. To provide for the maintenance of armed forces.
20. To enact such measures as will assist families in making adjustment to future conditions, using estimates concerning population and resources made by the Planning Board.
21. To vote within ninety days on such measures as the President may designate as urgent.