DG4 Code of Laws: Progress Indicator

[Donovan Zoi]

Welcome to the DG4 Code of Laws Progress Indicator.

The idea here is to either confirm or replace all text in blue. New laws or standards confirmed by either unanimous discussion or conclusive poll will be adopted, after which progress will be tracked by changing the passage to black text.

Due to the size of DG2's second book, I have divided it into the first two posts.

This thread is for informational purposes only. This is not a discussion thread.

[color=blue][b]The Code of Laws(Part 1: Articles A-D)[/b]
A. Citizen Rights 
   1. Right to Assemble 
       A.  Citizens may form civilian agencies/groups to perform specific tasks or 
       promote specific agendas. 
           1. Examples include a history tracking group and activists for or 
           against war. 
           2. Citizen groups may lobby for candidates and agendas. 
B.  Political parties (slate polling) are not permitted. 
   2.  Right to Free Movement 
       A.  Each citizen resides in a city of Fanatika. 
       B.  Citizens choose where they live and may change this location at will. 
   3.  Right to Free Speech 
       A.  Citizens may post their comments in forum threads wherever 
       appropriate. 
       B.  Citizens may post their comments in chats wherever appropriate. 
       C.  Citizens may create discussion threads on any topic. 
       D.  Citizens may create polls on any topic. 
   4.  Right to a Fair Trial 
       A.  A citizen accused of a crime is considered innocent until proven otherwise. 
       B.  Cases will be tried by the judiciary and citizenry through discussion and
       judged and sentenced by votes of the citizenry. 
   5.  Right to Representation 
       A.  The citizenry forms the Congress and thereby controls the passage of 
       laws and amendments. 
   6.  Right to Demand Satisfaction 
       A.  Any citizen may call to account any violation of the Constitution or 
       Code of Laws. 
       B.  Any citizen can request that a departmental leader post a poll that lies 
       within that leader’s responsibilities. 
           1.   If two other citizens agree with the proposed poll (proposal 
           seconded and carried) the request becomes a demand and the 
           leader must comply. 
   7.  Right to Vote 
       A.  All citizens have the right to vote in all public polls. 
       B.  No citizen will be forced to cast their vote against their conscience. 
       C.  No citizen will vote more than once in the same poll. 
B.  Game Play Restriction 
   1.   It is unlawful to play through actions, move troops, make deals or take any 
   other action that would change the state of the playing game from that of the 
   saved game. 
       A.  Exception: The structure of peace renegotiation treaties requires an 
       action to be taken to view the bargaining possibilities. Specifically, once 
       the deal is broached it must result in a new deal or a declaration of war. 
       Once the bargaining possibilities have been noted the altered game must 
       be immediately closed without saving. Further activity in the altered 
       game is not allowed. 
C.  The Executive Branch 
   1.  Presidency 
       A.  The Leader of the Executive Branch is the President. 
       B.  The Deputy of the Presidency is the Vice President. 
       C.  The Vice President assumes all powers and responsibilities of the 
       Presidency during the absence of the President. 
       D.  May initiate Administrative, Legislative, Mobilization and Spot Council 
       Votes. 
       E.  Casts a tie-breaking vote in Council Votes. 
       F.  Organizes decisions on what to do with Great Leaders. 
       G.  Organizes worker activities. 
       H.  Has veto power over Legislative Council Votes (votes on Standards). 
       I.    Organizes policy, plans and agendas for departments when these have 
       not been set by a department. 
       J.   Organizes policy, plans and agendas for items and activities that have 
       not been defined as a task of an individual department or leader. 
   2.  Council 
       A.  The Council of the Executive Branch consists of the Leaders of the 6 
       departments. 
       B.   Each department will have a deputy. The departmental deputy assumes 
       all powers and responsibilities of the department during the absence of 
       the leader. 
       C.  Each department may also have one or more chat representatives. The 
       chat representative assumes all powers and responsibilities of the 
       department during the absence of the leader and deputy in a turn chat 
       only. 
       D.  Department Leaders share several powers and responsibilities, 
        regardless of department. 
           1.   Post polls and discussions to determine citizen desires for 
           departmental policies, plans and agendas. 
           2.   Cast a tie-breaking vote in the polls determining their 
           departmental policies, plans and agendas. 
           3.   Formulate departmental policies, plans and agendas based on 
           citizen feedback. 
           4.   Formulate departmental policies, plans and agendas of their 
           own in the absence of citizen feedback (forum outage, low 
           participation, etc). 
           5.   Convey these policies, plans and agendas to the President for 
           play in the game. 
           6.   Call Legislative and Override Council Votes. 
           7.   Vote in Council Votes of all types. 
       E.   Some departmental powers and responsibilities overlap. If overlap 
       should cause the creation of non-complementary plans, departmental
        precedence will be determined by rank in the Chain of Command. 
       F.   Domestic Department 
           1.   Organize decisions about settler placement. 
           2.   Organize decisions about wonder building. 
           3.   Organize the science/tax/luxury rate. 
           4.   Organize departmental and provincial budgets. 
           5.   Governor of cities that do not have a provincial governor. 
           6.   Call a Mobilization Council Vote to determine if the economy 
           should be mobilized. 
           7.   Organize mapping of Provincial Borders. 
       G.   Military Department 
           1.   Organize decisions on troop movements. 
           2.   Organize decisions on defensive plans. 
           3.   Organize decisions on offensive plans. 
           4.   Organize decisions on troop upgrades and terminations. 
           5.   Call a Mobilization Council Vote to determine if the economy 
           should be mobilized. 
           6.   When the economy is mobilized for war, becomes the defacto 
           President, superceding the President in the Chain of Command. 
           7.   Can supercede a provincial build queue with military units or 
           improvements during time of invasion. 
               A.   Invasion is the presence of offensive troops belonging 
               to a country we are at war with inside the borders of the 
               province to be superceded. 
       H.   Foreign Affairs Department 
           1.   Organize decisions on declarations of war. 
           2.   Organize decisions on peace treaties. 
           3.   Organize decisions on construction of embassies. 
           4.   Organize decisions on rights of passage. 
           5.   Organize decisions on trade embargoes. 
           6.   Organize decisions on mutual protection pacts. 
           7.   Organize decisions on placement of spies. 
           8.   Organize decisions on intelligence gathering, spying and sabotage. 
       I.   Science Department 
           1.   Organize tech research queue. 
           2.   Organize tech trades. 
           3.   Organize tech espionage. 
       J.   Culture Department 
           1.   Can supercede a provincial build queue with cultural 
           improvements when: 
               A.  The city does not control its full 20 tile radius due to 
               lack of cultural expansion; or 
               B.  The city does not control its full cultural radius due to 
               foreign cultural borders. 
       K.   Trade Department 
           1.   Organize trade deals. 
           2.   Track the status and expiration of established deals. 
   3.   Council Votes (Executive Branch) 
       A.   A quorum requires the attendance of 2/3 of the Council. 
       B.   Administrative Council Vote 
           1.   Called by the President. 
           2.   Affirmative result overrules an elected official’s instructions and 
           decisions for game play. 
           3.   Simple majority of respondents required to override the official. 
       C.   Legislative Council Vote 
           1.   Called by any Department Leader or the President. 
           2.   An affirmative result amends the Code of Standards. 
               A.   The President can veto a legislative vote. 
               B.   The Presidential veto can be overruled by an Override 
               Vote. 
           3.   Simple majority of respondents required to pass the proposed 
           measure to amend the Code of Standards. 
           4.   Judicial Review may occur at any time when requested by the 
           sponsor of the proposal or immediately upon the vote being 
           posted. 
       D.   Override Council Vote 
           1.   Called by any Department Leader. 
           2.   An affirmative result overrules a presidential veto. 
           3.   Unanimous support is required to override the veto. 
       E.   Confirmation Council Vote 
           1.   Called by the President. 
           2.   An affirmative result confirms a Legislative, Judicial or 
           Provincial Governor position. 
           3.   Simple majority of respondents required to confirm the official. 
       F.   Mobilization Council Vote. 
           1.   Called by the President, Military Leader or Domestic Leader. 
           2.   An affirmative result mobilizes the economy. 
           3.   Simple majority of respondents required to mobilize the 
           economy. 
       G.   Spot Council Vote 
           1.   An Administrative vote called and carried out in the turn chat. 
           2.   Tallied immediately in the turn chat. 
           3.   Simple majority of respondents required to pass the proposed 
           measure. 
       H.   Process and Procedure 
           1.   Poll is posted by the sponsoring official. 
           2.   Proposal must be in Yes/No/Abstain format. 
           3.   Forum polls will stay open until: 
               A.   All votes have been cast, or; 
               B.   A quorum has responded and further votes cannot 
               affect the outcome of the vote, or; 
               C.   The posted poll closing time has been reached. 
                   1.   Minimum duration to run a poll is 48 hours. 
           4.   Each Department Leader casts one vote. 
           5.   In the event of a tie where a simple majority is required, the 
           President will cast the deciding vote. 
D.   The Legislative Branch 
   1.   The Senate (Governors) 
       A.   Provinces 
           1.   Provincial borders are geography based and will be approved 
           by the Congress. 
           2.   A province may contain any number of cities. 
           3.   Provincial borders shall be defined well ahead of expansion. 
       B.   Each province will have a deputy. The Deputy Governor assumes all 
       powers and responsibilities of the provincial office during the absence of 
       the governor. 
       C.   A governor organizes the production (building queues) of the cities in a 
       province. 
           1.   A governor’s build queues may be preempted under certain 
           circumstances: 
               A.   Presidential decree supported by Administrative 
               Council Vote. 
               B.   Military Leader decree during invasion of the province. 
               C.   Cultural Leader decree for cultural border expansion 
               or defense. 
               D.   A governor organizes the tile use in his province. 
                   1.   If a tile is unused, it may be used by a city in a neighboring 
                    province. 
               E.   A governor organizes tile development in his province. 
               F.   The Domestic Leader is the governor of all cities that lack a
                provincial governor. 
                   1.   When a defined province grows to 3 cities during an election 
                    term, a provincial governor may be appointed. 
   2.   The Congress (Citizens) 
       A.   Comprised of all registered citizens of Fanatika. 
   3.   Legislative Votes 
       A.   Poll mechanics 
           1.   Congressional and Senatorial polls will be posted by the 
           Judiciary upon completion of Judicial Review. 
               A.   Congressional polls are in anonymous responder 
               format (standard Forum poll option). 
               B.   Senatorial polls are in open response format (normal 
               thread, no Forum poll option). 
           2.   Proposal must be in Yes/No/Abstain format. 
           3.   Polls will stay open until: 
               A.   All votes have been cast, or; 
               B.   A quorum has responded and further votes cannot 
               affect the outcome of the vote, or; 
               C.   The posted poll closing time has been reached. 
                   1.   Minimum duration to run a poll is 48 hours. 
           4.   The quorum for changes in the Code of Laws is 1/2 of the 
           active census. 
           5.   A 2/3 majority of support is required to adopt or alter a law. [/color]

 

[Donovan Zoi]

[color=blue][b]The Code of Laws(Part 2: Articles E-J)[/b]
E.   The Judicial Branch 
   1.   The judiciary is comprised of three members, the Chief Justice, the Public 
   Defender and the Judge Advocate. 
   2.   All members of the judiciary share several rights and responsibilities. 
       A.   Post polls and discussion on interpretations of the Constitution, Code 
       of Laws, and Code of Standards. 
       B.   Do not have Deputies but may appoint Pro-Tem officials (Pro-Tem 
       Justice, Pro-Tem Defendant and Pro-Tem Advocate) if they are unable 
       to fulfill their duties. Pro-Tem officials have all of the rights and 
       responsibilities of the officials they are filling in for but are a temporary 
       position and must surrender their pro-tem status upon the request of the 
       official. 
       C.   Participate in Judicial Review to determine the legality of proposed 
       amendments, laws and standards. 
       D.   Initiate and participate in Judicial Review to interpret and clarify 
       existing amendments, laws and standards. 
       E.   Initiate and participate in Judicial Review to dismiss investigations as 
       having "No Merit". 
       F.   Post Legislative polls that have passed Judicial Review. 
   3.   The Chief Justice 
       A.   Perform as needed in the positions of Public Defender and Judge 
       Advocate in the absence of either official. 
       B.   Is responsible for posting the current full census and current active 
       census at the beginning of each term. 
       C.  Is responsible for updating and maintaining the Judicial Log. 
       D.  Is responsible for monitoring investigation threads to keep them on topic 
       and accurate. 
   4.   The Public Defender 
       A.   Is tasked with ensuring all public investigations are performed correctly 
       with deference to the presumed innocence of the accused. 
       B.   Will ensure that the accused understands the charges against them and 
       what rules were purportedly broken so the accused can mount a valid 
       defense. 
       C.   Will perform as defender, if so wished by the accused. 
   5.   The Judge Advocate 
       A.   Is tasked with the mechanics of investigation and trial. 
       B.   Will open and close discussions and polls as appropriate to the trial. 
       C.   Will perform as prosecutor (gather and present evidence) for 
       anonymous accusers. 
   6.   Judicial Review 
       A.   A quorum requires the attendance of all 3 members of the judiciary. 
       B.   Review of proposed amendments and laws. 
           1.   2 of 3 must agree that the amendment or law does not conflict 
           with existing amendments, laws and standards. 
           2.   If a proposal is rejected due to conflicts it is returned to the 
           Congress with detail of the conflicts noted. This proposal may 
           then be edited and resubmitted for Review. 
           3.   If a proposal is approved through Judicial Review it is posted 
           as a Legislative poll(s) by a member of the Judiciary. 
       C.   Review of proposed standards. 
           1.   2 of 3 must agree that the proposal does not conflict with 
           existing amendments, laws and standards. 
           2.   If a standard is rejected due to conflicts it is returned to the 
           sponsor with detail of the conflicts noted. This proposal may 
           then be edited and resubmitted for Review. 
               A.   If the standard is already in the polling process the 
               Legislative Council Vote is declared VOID. 
               B.   If the standard has completed the polling process it is 
               revoked and removed from the Code of Standards. 
       D.   Interpretation and clarification of existing amendments, laws and 
       standards. 
           1.   2 of 3 must agree on the interpretation or clarification. 
           2.   The interpretation/clarification is then entered into a Judicial Log 
           for reference. 
               A.  The Judicial Log may be referenced for further 
               interpretation or clarification but may not be used as 
               criteria for review of proposed amendments, laws and 
               standards. 
       E.   Dismissal of investigations 
           1.   3 of 3 must agree that the accusation shows "No Merit". 
           2.   Specific reasoning for a judgement of "No Merit" must be 
           provided. 
F.   Forum Moderators 
   1.   Democracy game forum moderators are responsible for handling elections and 
   site maintenance. 
   2.   Democracy game forum moderators are responsible for enforcing Civfanatics 
   Forum rules within the Democracy Game Forums. 
   3.   Are not officials in the demogame government just by virture of their status as 
   Moderators. However, Moderators, properly registered as citizens, may stand 
   for election, or appointment, to any office, or position, as allowed to all citizens 
   within the law. 
   4.   Do not enforce Democracy Game specific rules, unless they have been elected, 
   or appointed, to an office that is tasked with such functions. 
G.   Chain of Command 
   1.   Determines the Designated Player if the President is unavailable for the turn 
   chat. 
       A.   If the COC should fall to the "Remaining Elected Officials" or 
       "Appointed Officials", a spot vote will be conducted in the turn chat to 
       determine which official will be the Designated Player. 
   2.   Settles departmental jurisdiction conflicts. 
   3.   COC 
       A.   President 
       B.   Vice President 
       C.   Domestic Leader 
       D.   Military Leader 
       E.   Foreign Leader 
       F.   Science Leader 
       G.   Trade Leader 
       H.   Cultural Leader 
       I.    Chief Justice 
       J.    Public Defender 
       K.  Judge Advocate 
       L.   Domestic Deputy 
       M.  Military Deputy 
       N.   Foreign Deputy 
       O.   Science Deputy 
       P.   Trade Deputy 
       Q.   Cultural Deputy 
       R.   Remaining Elected Officials (example - Governors) 
       S.   Appointed Officials (example - Designated Chat Representatives) 
H.   Appointed Positions 
   1.   Leaders in Executive, Judiciary and Provincial Government (office vacant mid-
   term or not filled during elections) 
       A.   Deputy is promoted to Leader. If there is no Deputy then: 
           1.   Appointed by President. 
           2.   Leader is confirmed by a Confirmation Council Vote. Simple 
           majority required. 
   2.   Departmental Deputies (office vacant mid-term or not filled during elections) 
       A.   Designated Chat Representative is promoted to Deputy. If there is no 
       Designated Chat Representative then: 
           1.   Department Leader appoints a deputy. 
           2.   Deputy is confirmed by a poll of the citizenry. Simple majority 
           required. 
           3.   Designated Chat Representative 
               A.   Appointed by Leader. 
               B.   Confirmed by a poll of the citizenry. Simple majority required. 
           4.   Deputy Governor 
               A.   Appointed by Provincial Governor 
               B.   Confirmed by a poll of the citizenry. Simple majority required. 
           5.   Pro-Tem Justice, Defendant and Advocate 
               A.   Appointed by Public Defendant and Judge Advocate, respectively. 
               B.   Confirmed by a poll of the citizenry. Simple majority required. 
I.   Nation Name and Flag 
   1.   Proposed changes to the nation name and national flag can be implemented only 
   during periods of anarchy. 
J.   National Park Rules 
   1.   Parkland may not be terraformed. Exception: jungle tiles in the radius of a city 
   may be cut down to prevent disease. 
   2.   Roads may be constructed. Railroads may be constructed only directly 
   between cities. 
   3.   Cities that have park land in their radius may not construct new pollution 
   causing improvements (factory, coal plant, nuclear plant, manufacturing plant, 
   research laboratory, airport, Iron Works). 
   4.   Pollution on park land will be cleared in preference to all other worker tasks. 
   5.   A majority of citizen approval is required to override standing park rules. 
   6.   Any citizen may propose a new park or change in territory for an existing park. 
   Approval requires the support of the governor(s) whose province is involved 
   and a majority of citizen approval. [/color]

 

[Donovan Zoi]

My apologies. I am fully aware that the tabs are off on all three of these. Please bear with me while I figure this out.

 

[Donovan Zoi]

This Progress Indicator has been updated , with our official Code of Laws placed in its permanent home in our Main Forum.

I have not taken the time to reformat it here so please visit the link to do so.