The Standing Rules of Senate Simulation

Contents:

Section -1-: Offices

(A) The President of the United States
(B) The Vice-President of the United States
(C) The President Pro-Tempore of the Senate
(D) The Clerk of the Senate


Section -2-: Parties and Committees

(A) Rules Affecting Parties
(B) Committees

Section -3-: Other

(A) References
(B) Elections
(C) Debate and Voting Schedules
(D) Censure
(E) Impeachment
(F) Bills

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Section -1-: Offices


(A) The President of the United States

1.) Will be chosen by the entire membership of the Senate Simulation based on majority of votes.
1a) May not serve more than two consecutive terms.
2.) Shall be responsible for all powers described in the Constitution, as they pertain to this game.
3.) Must resign Senate seat and privileges upon election.
4.) May not serve in any other elective office.
5.) Shall appoint a new Vice President or Senate Clerk with a majority of the Senate should the position become vacant.
6.) Holds a non-voting seat on the Rules Committee and cannot serve as Chair.


(B) The Vice-President of the United States

1.) Shall be elected jointly with the President of
the United States at the same time and place. Voters shall cast one ballot for both offices.
1a.) May not serve more than two consecutive terms.
2.) Shall become President when the latter resigns, is removed from office, or 10-day unannounced absence.
3.) Shall be President of the Senate, and have no vote lest they be equally divided.
1a.) May serve as a non-Chairman and non-voting member of the Senate Committee of his/her choice (not Rules).

(C) The President Pro-Tempore of the Senate

1.) Shall be elected by the majority of the Senate at the same time and place as elections for President.
2.) Shall preside in the absence of the Vice-President and shall act in his place in case of 72 hour unannounced absence.
3.) Shall act as Clerk in case of 72 hour unannounced absence.
4.) Should this office be vacated by 10 day unannounced absence or removal from office, new elections for this office shall commence within 5 days.


(D) Clerk of the Senate

1.) Shall be elected by the entire membership of the Senate by a plurality of those voting.
2.) Shall act as Ombudsman of the Senate, and greet and direct new members.
3.) Shall maintain the proper list of the membership of the Senate, and conduct Roll Calls and elections of the Senate.
3a) Shall maintain that Senate never exceed 100 Senators, 2 per state, on a first come, first serve basis.
4.) Shall maintain the Rules of the Senate, and maintain the Journal and Record of legislation that comes before the Senate.

(D) The United States Senator

1.) Every member of the Senate except the President and Vice-President shall have this title.
2.) Unless specified as a restriction of office or of punishment, is entitled to debate/vote on all questions before the Senate, and in all Committees to which he/she is duly assigned.
3.) May introduce legislation by submitting it to the Senate Hopper.
3a) May introduce germane amendments to legislation before the full Senate, or in the Committee duly assigned to.
4.) May introduce the following non-debateable motions to legislation before the full Senate, and with a proper second, they shall be voted upon:
a) Motion to Table [requires majority]
b) Move the Previous Question [requires 2/3]
c) Motion to Recommit [majority]
d) Motion to Suspend the Rules [2/3]

Section -2-: Parties and Committees

(A) Rules Affecting Parties

1.) Each party must elect a Leader and a Whip, who
shall serve on the Rules Committee.
1a) Each party may conduct and judge its own elections.
2.) The Senate shall consist of 5 permanently sanctioned parties: Democratic, Republican, Libertarian, and Independent [which indicates non-affiliation with any party, but for the sake of organizational purposes, are considered a political entity as a whole].
2a) No new parties may be created.
2b) The Independent Party Leader must assign seats to his/her party members on a first-come, first-serve basis.

(B) Committees

1.) The Senate recognizes the following Standing Committees: National Security, Finance, Commerce/Environment, Judiciary, Government Oversight, Labor/Human Services, and Rules.
1a) All of the aforementioned committees [except Rules] are composed of a Chairman and members appointed by their respective party Leaders [per Roll Call results].
2.) A Party's seats and Chairs on Committees shall be apportioned using the results of the most recent Roll Call.
3.) Roll Call shall commence 7 days prior to every Senate-wide election and 7 days prior to midway through the term, and last for the same. The Clerk shall then break down the membership of the Senate based on party memberships [i.e., 40% Dem, 60% Rep]. The total number of Committee Seats and available Per Committee, excluding Rules, shall be determined to be 25% of the total Senate Roll Call respondents. The results of the most recent Roll Call shall also serve as the eligible voter list for elections. The same result shall be used to determine how many Chairs each party receives.
3a) After the Senate-wide elections have concluded, the party leaders will submit to the Senate Clerk their choices, ranked in order of preference, of which committee(s) they wish their party to chair. The party with the smallest membership shall get their first choice, followed by the party with the largest membership, then the party with the second largest membership, and then the party with the third largest membership.
4.) The Rules Committee shall consist of 13 members;
the Leader and Whip from each party and the Clerk and the President Pro-Tempore and President who shall have no vote and may not be Chairperson.
4a) The Rules Committee shall elect from amongst themselves a Chairman. Shall they not commence elections within 7 days of one representative from each party having signed in, the Vice President shall appoint a Chairman from their members.
4b) No member except for Members of the Rules Committee or the Clerk may propose new Rules amendments.
5.) Each Committee Chairman shall preside over their respective Committees, and control and monitor debate and voting schedules, and report approved bills to the Speaker.
5a) Chairmen shall select a Committee member to be Vice-Chair, who shall preside in the absence of the Chairman.

Section -3-: Other

(A) References

1.) Robert's Rules of Order shall be in effect except when they shall be superseded by these Rules.

(B) Elections

1.) Elections shall commence the first day of March,
June, September, and December and last 7 days, with the winners taking office immediately.
2.) If a person has served more than two months of a term to this position to which someone else was originally elected, that time spent will be counted as one term.
3.) Nominations from parties for Senate offices must be submitted to the Clerk before the end of Roll Call.

(C) Debate and Voting Schedules

1.) All bills and amendments shall be recognized in order they were received by anyone.
a) Debate/Vote on Amendments - no less than 3 days, nor more than 5 days.
b) Debate Vote on complete Bills and Resolutions- no less than 5 days, no more than 10 days.

(D) Censure

1.) Any member shall be subject to Censure (expulsion). Should a member be known to have blatantly and maliciously violated the rules, continuously harassed other members, or caused widespread disruption, or participated as more than one person simultaneously, that member is subject to Censure. A motion to censure may come from any member, who must list the wrongdoing that he/she feels the member in question has committed. The proposal must receive seconds from 25% of the full membership of the Senate, and then a vote shall be held, in which 2/3 of Senate members voting must concur to expel the member. Any Senator making a motion to censure a fellow Senate member must present the evidence he/she believes backs up his/her accusation(s) of wrongdoing at the time he/she motions for censure. If the Senator motioning for censure fails to do this, or if it is proven that he/she has fabricated the evidence he/she presents, he/she is subject to a counter-motion to censure for slandering a fellow Senator. All members of TNP may vote on questions of Censure and Rules amendments.
2.) Order of Censure:
a) When a motion to censure is made, it must be done on the Senate floor along with all seconds.
b) The required seconds to the motion must be made within 7 days of the original motion.
c) When the required seconds are made, the Clerk will immediately call for a vote on the motion. The vote will take place in the same folder and will last 7 days.
d) At the end of voting, the Clerk will announce the results. If the motion is carried, the motion will take effect at once. The accused party must be notified by a post in the Clerk's folder.
e) Only those members who joined prior to a Censure motion being made shall be eligible to vote on it.


(E) Impeachment

1.) The offices of President and Vice-President are subject to Impeachment. Articles of Impeachment may be filed by a Senator(s) for the crimes of Treason, Bribery, or Treachery. Such Articles shall be presented to the Judiciary Committee, which shall investigate the Articles. A majority of those voting in the Judiciary Committee shall pass the Articles on to consideration of the full House. 2/3 of the full House is needed to convict and remove the President or Vice-President from Office.
1a). The Clerk and President Pro-Tempore are also subject to removal for dereliction and failure to perform their duties as prescribed in these Rules. Such a motion shall be made on the Floor, and shall proceed directed to a vote in which 2/3 of those voting shall remove the Officer from office.


(F) Bills

1.) All bills and resolutions shall require a majority vote of both committee and the full House to take effect.
1a) Constitutional amendments shall require a majority of Committee and 2/3 of the full House voting in favor.
2.) Rules changes must have 3/4 vote to pass in Committee and on the Floor. All members of TNP may vote on Rules amendments; only Senators may vote on Constitutional Amendments.