In its first peacetime meeting, the Varkonian Senate today debated and passed new laws for Varkonia and was dominated by Gaboner senators.
EvilxFish, a Gabon citizen, deftly chaired the meeting as the senate clerk. He navigated the senate through its new procedure and empowered discussion on the several bills that accumulated in the senate chamber floor since the senators’ elections.
Senate’s power to remove Red Duke disappears
The senators debated on whether the constitution reform bill proposed by EvilxFish should allow the senate to remove the Red Duke from office with a 2/3 majority rather than 3/4 majority. His reform also limited this power during wartime to when the Red Duke commits a crime. The senate amended the proposal, and took away its power to remove the Red Duke whatsoever.
The senators passed a proposal to solidify the Varkonian democracy, limiting the Red Duke’s power during peacetime to appointing only senators who were elected. His power to remove senators was also limited to their term ending, them committing a crime or there being a war.
EvilxFish’s proposal to limit the King’s veto power to times of war was defeated by the senate. But a new requirement of a 2/3 majority to amend the constitution was passed.
Duties of the upper echelons codified
The Lord High Chancellor of Gabon and Varkonian Senate Speaker, BritishWanderer, proposed the powers reform bill. It made it clear that the King is the figurehead of Varkonia, should conduct diplomacy on behalf of Varkonia and act as an arbitrator in the senate. His Majesty is also now empowered to cast a deciding vote where the senate deadlocks.
The Lord High Chancellor’s bill also solidified the Red Duke as the head of state in international affairs and work with the King in representing Varkonia diplomatically.
Establishment of civil service
The senate unanimously passed EvilxFish’s civil service bill, which established a government body to oversee senate projects and pay citizens for their work.
Consisting of the head of the civil service, department heads and workers, the service will request funds from the senate and deliver departmental goals. Department heads will acquire tools and hire workers to construct new buildings and farm materials.
Departments will advertise jobs to citizens, provide them tools and pay them a minimum wage of two emeralds an hour.
Four departments were created by the bill:
- Transportation: to create new roads, ice roads and rail tracks, connecting cities, towns and villages of Varkonia to other nations
- Architecture: to create bot farms and other non-transportation construction projects
- Information: to collect and analyse data to produce reports for the senate, including estimating project costs and cataloguing infrastructure
- Cartography: to create maps requested by the senate or the department
The Gazette understands that the Vice Chancellor of Gabon and Varkonian senator Gobblin is expected to be appointed as the head of the civil service. He will then be able to appoint whoever he pleases to the department heads and establish the goals of Varkonia’s future.
XP production reform rejected
But the senate did not pass the XP production reforms proposed by EvilxFish.
He proposed that the guildmaster be replaced by state ownership of farms in Varkonia. The government would then tender operation of the farms to citizens for month-long terms. The highest bidder would be awarded the contract.
The government would be able to levy taxes on farm operators. This was intended to require contractors to actively harvest their farms or pay significant penalties to Varkonia.
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