Minister of Internal Affairs Edition

The EU Senate Constitution

I. AUTHORITY

1. The Chancellor

a. Casts two votes or has the option of "No Opinion."
b. May call Senate Discussions.
c. Chief ambassador to all elements within the JC.
d. Cannot also serve as senator of a thread. He/she must appoint a new senator to represent his/her thread while serving as Chancellor. e. Any Senator may call for a vote of "No Confidence" in the Chancellor. If three Senators second the movement, the Chancellor or any Senator will have the option of addressing the Senate, then it will go to a Senators-only vote. If 3/4 of the votes cast are in favor of removing the Chancellor, the Vice Chancellor will take his/her place until a new Chancellor can be elected. When a new Chancellor is elected, he/she may choose to appoint new Aides and Ministers.
f. The Chancellor's term shall last ninety days from the day the vote ends and a winner is announced. He/she may serve no more than three consecutive terms. No more than a week before the Chancellor's term is up, new candidates will be elected and a new vote taken. If a new Chancellor is elected, he/she must be ready to take the position the day the former Chancellor hands over the office.

2. The Vice Chancellor

a. Casts one vote. b. Cannot also serve as senator of a thread. He/she must appoint a new senator to represent his/her thread while serving as Vice Chancellor c. In the event of the Chancellor's absence, serves as Acting Chancellor, and may choose a Minister to be Acting Vice Chancellor

3. The Ministry

a. There will be:

• Minister of Public Affairs: The Minister of Public Affairs' duties include the organisation and promotion of EU Senate projects and games in the EU Community forum, the co-ordination of external volunteers within the Senate, the arbitration of any disputes between EUS member threads, and the introduction of new threads and Senators into the EU Senate. The Minister of Public Affairs is expected to send new Senators introductory PMs that briefly outline their obligations and roles within the EU Senate, and is expected to assist threads that wish to join the EU Senate in any way possible.

• Minister of Intelligence: The Minister of Intelligence's duties include the supervision and observation of all EU Senate representatives and member threads, specifically focusing on thread activity and Senator contributions to the Senate and their thread. The Minister is required to keep a log that briefly summarises thread and Senator activity, and they are to present their observations in a weekly report to the Chancellor and/or current chair of Senate Discussion. The Minister of Intelligence is expected to make judicious use of Ministerial Aides to assist them in completing their duties, and the application of these aides is left up to each individual Minister to manage.

• Minister of Internal Affairs: The Minister of Internal Affairs' duties include the moderation of the EU Senate thread, the mediation of any internal disputes between EU Senate members, the regulation and enumeration of all EU Senate votes, and the operation of the EU Senate PM notification system. The Minister of Internal Affairs is expected to inform all Senators, through the EUS_Update sock, of current EU Senate issues, discussion surrounding the topics of upcoming votes, and all other information that the Chancellor or chair of Senate Discussion deems important.

b. All Ministers are equal.
c. Ministers are equal to all Senators.
d. Ministers may hold any other position within in the EUS, with the exception of the Chancellor.
e. Ministers are appointed by the Chancellor.
f. Ministers may choose up to three aides to assist them in their duties and to cover for them when they are absent.

4. Senators

a. Senators are chosen by the founder or recognized leader, or elected by members/regulars, of their thread.
b. Each is allowed two Aides of their choosing. Must have at least one Aide.
c. Senators cast one vote, representing the feelings and needs of their thread, in the Senate.
d. Can not be a spammer, a flamer, a basher, a troll, or a sock.
e. Must have been a registered and active user (i.e. you are a fairly regular poster and have accumulated many on-topic posts) on the Jedi Council forums for at least 3 months. You also should not have received a ban for any amount of time for flaming, spamming, bashing, or trolling, although in special instances, this may be voided.
f. Should participate regularly in the thread they wish to represent and in the EU Community forum in general. This does not include posts that are off-topic, irrelevant, unwanted, or debilitating to the thread in which they are posted and refers to serious on-topic posts replying to a given subject.
g. Should be prepared to contribute to EU Senate discussions, operations, and events, and understand the responsibilities they will hold as a Senator.

5. Senatorial Aides

a. Must be members/regulars of the thread their Senator represents.
b. If a Senator has two Aides, one will be the Primary Aide who will assume his/her position when absent. In this case, the Primary Aide will be superior to the Secondary Aide. In all other instances, both Aides are equal.
c. Aides are allowed to vote in changes of defense and the constitution when filling in for their Senator.
d.Cannot be Senators in addition to being a Primary Aide. Senatorial Primary Aides may also be Ministers, however.
e. Can not be a spammer, a flamer, a basher, a troll, or a sock and should not have received a ban for any of these offenses, although in special instances, this may be voided.
f. Must have been a registered and active user (i.e. you are a fairly regular poster and have accumulated many on-topic posts) on the Jedi Council forums for at least 3 months.
g. Should participate regularly in the thread they wish to represent and in the EU Community forum in general. This does not include posts that are off-topic, irrelevant, unwanted, or debilitating to the thread in which they are posted and refers to serious on-topic posts replying to a given subject.
h. Should be prepared to contribute to EU Senate discussions, operations, and events, and understand the responsibilities they will hold as a Senatorial Aide.
i. When Aides are not directly serving in place of their Senator, their primary duty is to assist their Senator in any way deemed appropriate.

6. Ministerial Aides

a. Ministerial Aides are chosen by the Ministers. They can be any EU regulars and do not have to be directly affiliated with an EU thread/club.
b. They can assume individual responsibilities and titles, such as Ambassador to .
c. A Minister chooses a Chief Aide who will assume his/her duties when absent.

7. Chancellor's Aides

a. Advises the Chancellor, helps him/her with various work, and occasionally speaks on his/her behalf in unofficial settings.
b. Chancellor's Aides do not assume the Chancellor's position when he/she is away.
c. Chancellor's Aides can be any EU regulars.

8. Senator and Aide Activity

a. Senator and Aide activity in the EU Senate thread shall be monitored by the Minister of Intelligence, who will incorporate their findings into their weekly Intelligence report.
b. Senator inactivity shall be monitored using a strike system, where the accumulation of three strikes by a Senator allows for dismissal of the aforementioned Senator.
c. Strikes shall be given to a Senator after a period of inactivity (defined in Section 8f), and further strikes will be assigned as per Section 8i.
d. The assigning and long-term recording of strikes against Senators and the date/details of each particular strike shall occur in private. The disbursement of strikes and the dismissal of Senators shall be carried out by the Minister of Intelligence, Chancellor, and Vice-Chancellor.
e. A strike handed to a Senator will remain "active" for six months. After six months, the strike shall no longer count towards a Senator's three-strike dismissal total. Strikes should, however, remain in each Senator's record permanently.
f. Definitions of Inactivity:

• Three weeks (21 days) of no participation within the EU Senate thread. Earns one strike.
• One missed EU Senate vote. Earns two strikes.

g. When a Senator has been inactive as defined under Section 8f, they shall be assigned one or more strikes as per Section 8f by the Minister of Intelligence, Chancellor, or Vice-Chancellor. The Senator in question and the other parties in charge of dispensing strikes shall be sent Private Messages indicating the strike/s.
h. If the Senator responds immediately to the warning PM and resumes constructive activity in the EU Senate thread, no further action shall be taken. That Senator will retain all strikes already handed to them.
i. If the Senator in question has not responded to the warning PM and resumed constructive activity in the EU Senate thread after a period of one week, they shall be assigned one additional strike and be sent a second warning PM. This process shall continue until the Senator has accumulated three strikes.
j. When a Senator is assigned their third strike the Chancellor shall send the Senator a Private Message advising them that they shall be temporarily dismissed from their position in the EUS until explanation has been given for their inactivity.
k. An Aide of a dismissed Senator is to be contacted by the Minister of Intelligence advising them that they are to take their Senator's place in the EU Senate, unless the thread would prefer to select a new Senator themselves.
l. Action to be taken against a Senator:

• If a Senator has been inactive due to real life circumstances (including, but not limited to, a death in the family, illness, or school), the Chancellor may, at their discretion, dissolve strikes given to the Senator during that time period, and the Senator will be free to resume their EU Senate post when possible.
• If a Senator has been inactive without a real life excuse, they shall be dismissed from their post. If the dismissed Senator chooses to appeal such dismissal, a vote within the EU Senate thread will be taken, where a 2/3 majority will be required for an allowance to remain within the Senate. If the 2/3 majority is not reached, the Senator's dismissal shall stand.

m. A once-dismissed Senator will be allowed to take a Senatorial post again if they have the willingness and capacity to return to such a post. They will retain one of their previous strikes for the first time they return from dismissal, two strikes for the second return, and after their third dismissal for inactivity, they will not be allowed to return to a position in the EU Senate.

II. SENATE DISCUSSIONS

1. The Senate shall be in a permanent state of discussion regarding policy, issues, etc. relating to the EUC forum. This discussion is open to any user, not merely those involved with the Senate in an official capacity.
2. The Chancellor or a simple majority vote may close discussion on a single topic when they feel the time is right and there is no more need for discussion. At such time, the issue will either be brought to vote or be dropped.
3. Discussions will be chaired by the Chancellor. In the Chancellor's absence, the Vice Chancellor will chair the discussion.
4. All participants will be expected to behave in a dignified and respectful manner and obey the ToS/RoC at all times. If there are problems concerning this, the chair and the Minister of Internal Affairs will attempt to mediate any conflict or deal with any offenders, if necessary by going to the moderators. In case of a continuing problem, a 2/3 majority may expel any participant from the thread for a period of time determined after the vote.

III. VOTING

1. The Chancellor has two votes, each Senator has one. Ministers and Aides have no votes unless they are serving in their superior's absence.
2. Senators and the Chancellor may also choose not to cast a vote and say "No Opinion."
3. The Chancellor or any three Senators may call for a subject to be voted on.
4. Anyone may request the Chancellor call for a vote.
5. The Chancellor is voted into office by a majority vote. Anyone can be nominated, by themselves or someone else.
6. The current Chancellor can not vote in the election and must use his first vote as a tie-breaker only, unless he is running him/herself and therefore the vote is not used as a tie-breaker. The tie breaking duty will then go to the EUC moderators.
7. Any Senator can call for a vote to change the Constitution. Three Senators must second the movement before it can go to a vote.
8. 3/4 of the votes cast must agree for the Constitution to be changed.
9. If ever there is a tie (except in an election), the Senate will discuss the matter further and vote again or come up with an alternative solution.
10. All voting periods will last for a minimum of 48 hours. The Chancellor has the power to add any extra time he or she deems appropriate to any voting period.

IV. DEFENSE AND LAW ENFORCEMENT

1. Flaming, trolling, and spamming are all considered provocation. The official definitions of the JC will be used. Any other complaints will be voted on by the Senate as to whether they should be considered transgressions.
2. If a member or non-member thread provokes a member thread or an individual is provoking a thread or another individual, complaints can be made to the appropriate Senator, who will then involve the Chancellor and Vice Chancellor to attempt to help resolve the matter. If they are unable to reach a compromise, the Senate will discuss the situation and vote on further action.

V. EXTERNAL RELATIONS

1. Every official of the Senate will represent the EUS to the best of their ability.
2. The Chancellor, the Vice Chancellor, the Minister of Public Affairs and their Aides will be the only officials with the power to officially represent the EUS to the JC Administration, Mods and Managers and non-member threads.

VI. INTERNAL RELATIONS

1. If Senate officials cannot get along, the Chancellor and the Minister of Internal Affairs will attempt to help them resolve their problems. If they are unable to do so, then the Chancellor may call on the Senate to vote for the removal of the troublesome party or parties. A 2/3 majority of the votes cast is needed to remove a Senator. Aides and Ministers can be dismissed by the Chancellor alone.
2. All member threads and EUS officials are expected to refrain from provoking one another.
3. Threads are eligible to join the EUS once they reach at least 250 posts, but not before.
4. A thread is no longer eligible for membership if it remains inactive for more than 14 days.