President Renny Passes Twelve New Laws Before Election

12 April 2023

Yesterday, President Jaxson Renny decided to use his second-to-last day in office wisely by passing twelve new bills into law. Some of the bills had been in "limbo" for since early march as President Renny has been unable to reach a decision on many of them. These new laws are made up of a variety of topics, such as Freedom of Religion and the creation of a new territory. Along with the passing of these twelve bills, President Renny also vetoed eight other bills. Below is a description of each of the bills that were passed along with the pros and cons of them.

Regional Restructuring Act II

Author: Rep. Cooper Norfolk (I)

Details: This law expands upon the original Regional Restructuring Act, which combined Phillip's eight districts and many of its territories into four administrative regions. That bill actually takes place today, the day of the 2nd General Election. This law allows the Governors of the new regions, which are now an elected office, to choose the capital of their new regions.

Pros: It allows for the Governors to have more power than simply just being able to raise taxes in their regions

Cons: This law allows for the capital of the regions to be changed frequently and at the will of the Governor

Respect for Riley's Peaceful Evenings Act

Author: Rep. Cooper Norfolk (I)

Details: This law was written by Rep. Norfolk in response to multiple complaints by fellow Rep. Riley Cook about Rep. Owen Itzen frequently asking him to vote on bills in the Assembly. This law blocks Rep. Itzen from asking Rep. Cook to vote on certain bills. If he breaks this law, he could have his National Assembly seats removed.

Pros: This law benefits Rep. Cook and only Rep. Cook.

Cons: This law can legally remove Rep. Itzen from his National Assembly seats if he makes a simple mistake and asks Rep. Cook to vote on something. It puts a lot of unfair power into the hands of Rep. Cook.

Culture and Holidays Bil

Author: Rep. Cooper Norfolk (I)

Details: This law nationalizes four different holidays:

• 13 February: National Day of Agreement in celebration of the end of the Phillip National Front

• 26 February: Coopie D-Day in celebration of a day where Phillip citizen Will Nelson shoved Rep. Norfolk into a pool. This was put into the bill on a request from President Renny

• 19 June: National Macklemore Day in celebration of Macklemore's birthday

• 30 October: National Walker Day in celebration of Jolly Parliament member Walker Von

The also recognizes German, Spanish and English as the official languages of Phillip. English is, of course, spoken by 100% of the population, while Spanish and German have large speaking populations in the Alemana Region. Rep. Norfolk wanted to recognize the two languages as he views them as "culturally important", even though only a small portion of the country is fluent in them.

Pros: Gives recognition to two minor languages

Cons: It could be said that this law overcomplicates the government, but not to a great extent

Executive Antitrust Act

Author: Rep. Owen Itzen (LNL) and with suggestions from Rep. Cooper Norfolk (I)

Details: This law sets a limit on the number of subsidiary business that can be owned by an entity to forty. This law was written by Rep. Itzen in an attempt to limit his own power, as his corporation claims ownership over more than one hundred individual companies. It has been assumed by many that he wrote this law in order to improve his public approval, while others believe he wrote it out of a genuine want to limit his own powers.

Pros: Significantly decreases the powers of corporations and prevents uncontrolled growth of businesses

Cons: This law blocks business owners from liquidating excess subsidiaries and requires them to either destroy or donate them. Many politicians, such as Vice President Luke Fitzgibbins, have stated their opposition to this law because they believe that the donation of subsidiary companies could become "sleazy".

Foreign Citizenship Bill

Author: Rep. Owen Itzen (LNL)

Details: This law prevents the Phillip Ministry of Citizenship from denying citizenship requests based on the applicant's past citizenships.

Pros: Prevents the Ministry of Citizenship from using "past citizenships" as an excuse for denying

Cons: Limits the power of the Ministry of Citizenship

Separation of Traqueto Bill

Author: Rep. Cooper Norfolk (I)

Details: This law separates the Island of Traqueto from the rest of the recently annexed lands. The new lands would have become the "Greater Traqueto Territory", but because of the Regional Restructuring Act, they will be incorporated into the North Phillip Region. This law was written at the request of President Renny who wanted the two to be separate as he holds sentimental value towards the island.

Pros: Creates a new territory

Cons: Creates a new territory

Civil & Criminal Court Fair Trial Act

Author: Rep. Owen Itzen (LNL)

Details: This law had failed the National Assembly multiple times, but finally gained enough support to get passed in early March. The law is one of Phillip's most complicated and covers almost every aspect of a court trial, such as overall procedures and case termination. Some have criticized this bill for its size and complexity, but President Renny decided to pass it. This bill also specifies that if a court trial is initiated and goes thirty days without a trial, the case will no longer be heard. This means that the Von v. Itzen case has officially died, even though Rep. Von already planned on dropping the charges.

Pros: Allows for a clear court system

Cons: Many have considered the law to be "too complicated", as it is one of the longest bills ever written in Assembly history and covers almost everything related to court trials.

Freedom of Religion

Author: Rep. Cooper Norfolk

Details: This law guarantees citizens the right to choose their own religious affiliation and that citizens cannot be forced to convert religions, officially nullifying the Church of Phillip mandate passed into law by President Renny. Many were surprised that President Renny passed this bill into law as he strongly supported the Church of Phillip mandate, but he reportedly wanted to end his term on a good note.

Pros: Allows citizens to avoid religious persecution

Cons: The Church of Phillip could potentially dip in popularity

Händel National Anthem Bill

Author: Rep. Owen Itzen (LNL)

Details: This law changes the National Anthem from "any Macklemore song" to "Handel: Music for the Royal Fireworks: Suite HWV 351 - 1. Ouverture". Rep. Itzen wanted to change the National Anthem to a more serious and "patriotic" song.

Pros: This law provides a strong anthem for the Republic

Cons: No more Macklemore as the National Anthem, which was sung during the Invasion of Traqueto.

National Assembly Voting Limit Bill

Author: Rep. Cooper Norfolk (I)

Details: This law restricts the amount of time members of the National Assembly have to vote from a week to three days. The law was written in response to a National Assembly member who took a full week to respond to the ballot.

Pros: Speeds up the process of the National Assembly.

Cons: Makes voting harder for some representatives

Ministry of Art Bill

Author: Rep. Owen Itzen (LNL)

Details: This law establishes the Ministry of Art, which will have the main purpose of cultivating art in Phillip and approving of art to be put into museums.

Pros: Promotes the creation of Phillip-related art

Cons: Restricts the freedom that museums have to put up their own artwork

Executive Authority Protocol Bill

Author: Rep. Cooper Norfolk (I)

Details: This law allows for the President to hand off their executive authority to their Vice President if they are unable to perform their duties for a certain amount of time.

Pros: Allows for Presidents to take breaks when they need to focus on other more important things

Cons: This law could lead to shadow presidents or an abuse of power by a Vice President