Republic of Pentium Legislative Feed

[Pentium]

Whedon's Row — Halls of Parliament, 25 June 2024.

The day was quiet as Callahan entered the halls of Parliament, he felt a weight upon his shoulders.  Not one of impending struggle or difficult fights yet to come, it was a vote day.  A vote on expanding the economic freedom of its citizens and improving rights for workers that had been suspended earlier by the previous administrations.  Several laws regarding competition, price fixing and recourse for individuals had been revoked under the rule of the Sunhaven Corporate Concern, it was time for it to be reinstated and expanded upon.  Today's dual vote was meant to address both issues, Callahan's party was behind him, and so were the Liberals today, which was a strange combination.  Yet many of the concerns and worries that they had expressed were partially or entirely address within this legislation, assuming they followed up on their word to support the bill, it should pass with a 59% majority.  Likely higher than that due to independent votes supporting the bill as well.

Entering the chamber properly, each member rose for him.  Sitting when he did, the speaker began listing off the talking points for the day.  As was tradition for the house, Callahan rose to speak first in favor of bill P-23.

"Members of Parliament, friends.  Today, our party, with the support of our friends in the Liberal Party, we are putting forward the long awaited Bill P-23.  This piece of legislation is meant to restore the confidence and trust of our citizens and small businesses in our economy, to ensure that the previous of dominance megacorporations is not repeated again in our future.  That, going forward, there will be a fair market to operate in, and allow for our small businesses to find their place in our economy and to support their families and lifestyles."  Callahan took a breath before he continued to speak "Additionally, we will be expanding protections for those who have the courage to report blatant wrongdoing in our industries.  Expanding on our commitment to create a level playing field for everyone to thrive in."

He nodded, and sat back down.  The head of the Liberal Party, Lachlan MacLeod rose in support the bill.  Callahan mostly tuned it out however, there was enough going on in his head that he did not wish to give his full participation in the discussion.  Brigid MacKinnon, head of the Reformed Sunhaven Party spoke about the bill neutrally, neither fully supporting or dejecting the bill.  Callahan wagered that such a sensitive topic to her parties recent history wasn't worth supporting or denying fully.  She made the wise move.  A few independent members rose to speak, some agreed and disagreed with the bill, as was expected.
 

After the speeches and support was made, voting began.  Callahan voted "Yes" on the bill, before turning his head to watch the tally of votes go up.  The outcome was what Callahan was hoping for, resulting in 231 "Yes" votes and 149 "No" votes.  The full details of the regulations are below:

Pentium Fair Markets Act

Preamble: Understanding the issues of the past eight years of economic exploitation has been at the forefront of many peoples minds since the civil war's end, and the overthrow of the previous domination by business began to degrade the quality of life among citizens of this Republic, the following Anti-Trust Act will be adopted by the Parliament in order to prevent monopolistic practices, restrain unfair trade practices, and promote a competitive marketplace within the Republic.  Corporate entities will have 3 months in order to comply with new legislation, or will face financial penalties for non-compliance, and will face additional financial, legal, and investment consequences if being found engaging in such behaviors repeatedly or in ways deemed excessive.

Section 1: Definitions

Monopoly: A market situation where a single entity or group of entities controls a substantial share of a particular market. 
Anti-Competitive Practices: Actions that limit or undermine competition, including but not limited to price-fixing, exclusive dealing, tying arrangements, and predatory pricing.

Section 2: Prohibited Practices

Monopolization: No entity shall engage in practices that create or maintain a monopoly in a manner that restricts competition. 
Oligopoly: Agreements among competitors to fix prices, limit production, allocate markets, or engage in bid-rigging are strictly prohibited. 
Tying Arrangements: No entity shall impose dealing arrangements or tie the sale of one product to another, where such practices substantially lessen competition. 
Predatory Pricing: Setting prices below cost with the intent to drive competitors out of the market is prohibited, or price items well above market value excessively. 
Mergers and Acquisitions: Mergers and acquisitions that substantially lessen competition or create a monopoly are subject to review and approval by the Pentium Fair Business Authority.

Section 3: Enforcement

Pentium Fair Business Authority: A dedicated organization shall be established to enforce this Act, investigate alleged violations, and impose appropriate penalties.
Penalties: Violators of this Act may be subject to fines, injunctions, divestiture orders, or other remedies deemed necessary to restore fair market competition.

Section 4: Exceptions

Efficiencies and Benefits: Practices that result in efficiencies, technological progress, or other pro-competitive benefits may be exempted from certain provisions of this Act upon review and approval by the Pentium Fair Business Authority.

Section 5: Implementation and Review

Effective Date: This Act shall take effect immediately upon passage, businesses will have 3 months to ensure compliance is met.
Periodic Review: The effectiveness and relevance of this Act shall be reviewed periodically to ensure it continues to meet its intended objectives by the Pentium Fair Business Authority.

 

Freedom of Criticism and Reporting Act

Recognizing the fundamental rights of citizens to freely express opinions in line with the Freedom of Speech laws of Pentium, report on business illegal practices, and seek legal recourse against unfair or harmful actions by businesses, the following seeks to enact the following Act to protect and promote these freedoms.

Section 1: Freedom of Expression and Criticism

Freedom of Expression: Every citizen of The Republic of Pentium has the right to freely express opinions and criticisms about businesses, products, services, and practices, without fear of retaliation or legal action, this act also makes it illegal for businesses to restrict the language employees may use when discussing their place of work, subject to reasonable restrictions on copyrighted information, patents, confidential or private information.
Protection of Whistleblowers: Individuals who disclose information about illegal or unethical business practices in the public interest shall be protected from retaliation and afforded legal immunity, provided their disclosures are made in good faith, this act also places restrictions on firing the employee or discrimination based on actions made in the interest of the public.

Section 2: Reporting and Transparency

Right to Information: Citizens have the right to access accurate and transparent information about businesses, including financial statements, corporate governance, environmental impacts, and product safety records, under the presumption that the business is a publicly owned and traded entity.
Public Reporting: Businesses shall be required to make certain information publicly available on their websites and through other accessible means to ensure transparency and accountability to the public.

Section 3: Legal Recourse

Right to Sue: Any person or entity harmed by the actions or practices of a business, such as, negligence or discrimination shall have the right to seek legal recourse and pursue civil remedies in a court of law.
Class Action Lawsuits: Citizens shall have the right to file class action lawsuits against businesses for collective grievances, advertisement of falsehoods, or unethical business practices.

Section 4: Protection Against Strategic Lawsuits Against Public Participation (SLAPP)

Prohibition of SLAPPs: Businesses shall be prohibited from filing Strategic Lawsuits Against Public Participation (SLAPP) intended to intimidate, censor, or silence critics or whistleblowers.
Legal Costs: Courts may award attorneys' fees and costs to defendants in SLAPP cases where the lawsuit is determined to be frivolous or aimed at stifling free expression.

Section 5: Enforcement and Implementation

Oversight Authority: The Pentium Fair Business Authority will oversee the implementation of this Act, investigate complaints, and ensure compliance with its provisions.
Penalties: Businesses found to violate the provisions of this Act, including retaliating against whistleblowers or filing SLAPP lawsuits, may be subject to fines, injunctions, and other penalties as determined by the courts.

Section 7: Amendments

This Act may be amended by legislative action to address emerging issues or improve its effectiveness in protecting freedoms of criticism, reporting, and legal recourse against businesses.

Establishment of the Pentium Fair Business Authority

Understanding that the federal government and court systems cannot be informed of every violation or unethical practice in the economy, the power of enforcing the legislation, distribution of fines, legal action and divestment activities will be granted to a council of MPs in order to oversee and enact the laws implemented.  The MPs granted this authority will be required to rotate every 2 years, have negligible holdings in large publicly traded companies and will be made up of MPs from every party as well as independent candidates in order to represent the interests of all Pentian people.

Section 1: Assignment to the Council

Selection of Representatives: MPs selected to represent the council after meeting the aforementioned requirements will be distributed with 2 members from each major political party, and 4 independent members in order to make up a total of 10 on the seats
Requirements: MPs granted this authority will be required to rotate every 2 years, AND have negligible holdings in large publicly traded companies.

Section 2: Limits of Authority

Authority to Act: The council may enforce fines, divestment orders, conduct investigations within corporations and may request injunctions or legal action be take against corporate entities.  Any legal actions must be approved by the local provincial court and enacted by law enforcement agents that do not answer to the Pentium Fair Business Authority.
Breaches of Authority: Any breach of authority that is found from the council, or unjustifiable actions taken against the entities in question will bear personal legal responsibility that comes from intentionally defaming or misrepresenting another entity, and a removal from the council.

Section 3: Requirements of Action

Requirements of Action: Acting on any sort of report or information gathered first requires an investigation into the entity in question, these investigations are not required to be announced and may be assisted by local law enforcement agencies if requested in order to protect the safety of the agents undertaking the investigation.
Vote Requirement: Any action beyond investigation requires a simple majority vote by the members of the council, if the threshold is met by the 10 members then action may be taken.  If the threshold is not met by the 10 members, then action may not move forward.  This is intended to keep frivolous or minor infractions to a minimum.

Section 4: Amendments

This Act may be amended by legislative action to address emerging issues or improve its effectiveness in protecting freedoms of criticism, reporting, and legal recourse against businesses.

[Pentium]

Whedon's Row — Halls of Parliament, 12:00 PM.

The buzz of parliament was in full swing, opposition question time had concluded moments ago.  The topic of debate was criticism over the growing issue of financial utilization within the Republic's budget.  A long-standing legislative requirement was to ensure a balanced or surplus budget to maintain responsible fiscal policy within the government.  This had its benefits and negatives, maintaining low public debt reduced the costs of debt servicing and cost of borrowing.  Additionally, it kept inflation and interest rates low compared to other nations.

It did come with its negatives, of course, the cap on public spending hurt the government's flexibility when responding to unforeseen expenses and financial issues.  The Republic generally offsets this inflexibility by making large swaths of funding available to ongoing and new projects under the Innovation & Subsidy fund.  The fund does help in keeping the republic funded with the aforementioned uncertainties that may arise from the capped spending.  The leader of the Pentium Liberal Party, Lachlan MacLeod argued that this regulation was doing more to hurt the people and businesses of the republic because of the often uncertain access to funding.

The question had been put aside for the time being, the question period ending with President Callahan dismissing the motion outright.  As the policy of the current government was not up for debate or questioning from the opposition on the day, though, he was sure there would be further demands for change from the opposition.

It was time for a different subject, however, the creation and mandate of the RPASP, or Republic of Pentium Astronautics & Space Program.  Callahan rose to spoke as the house quietened to listen to him speak.

“Honourable colleagues of the house, for longer than any of us can remember.  The Coavish people have been looking towards the stars in our sky, once it was a guide to travel safely across the unknowns of Yeetland and Argis at large.  It was once the deities we looked up to in the infancy of our national spirit and concept of country.  Watching the progress of several other nations and organizations reach out to the stars and grasp at them with their hands has been an inspiring tale to witness.  It has made me reflect more than once on the lack of our space program and agency, I have rapidly concluded each time that we are missing a wonderful opportunity to advance the boundaries of our nation in the fields of science and achievement.”

Callahan paused to change his notes over and to add a bit of drama as the scene began to unfold in front of him

“What I am proposing, of course, is the establishment of our very own domestic space program.  This initiative would be responsible for various works, but we can simplify it down to two major sub-departments of the entire project.  The Launch and Science divisions focused on launching, monitoring and commissioning various space-faring craft, satellites and probes to expand the horizons of our nation and its people.  Whereas the science division will work on the more theoretical aspects of space technology, understanding our wurld and space and various other responsibilities.”

“With this in mind, we would be transferring an airbase and its surrounding territories off to this new agency to transform the area into a modern and launch capable facility to support our operations and that potential cooperative efforts with other nations or agencies as the opportunities arise.  Depending on how we move forward with the potential future agency.  It would also require the appointment of an additional minister and sub-agencies required for efficient operations.  Each of these process will be handed after the establishment of the RPASP.”

“With the motion proposed, I open the floor to questions.”

Callahan sat back down and waited for the potential objections or questions to flood him after his proposal.  There were surprisingly few.  

Brigid MacKinnon from the Reformed Sunhaven Party spoke.

“I would simply submit that this proposal is a waste of time when compared to the several other issues that the government has yet to address, in particular, the re-establishment of the Sunhaven Accords after a period of negotiation, reducing regulations on businesses and the reintroduction of several items yet to mention here.  For such reasons, we do not wish to support this initiative unless the government can prove there is a concentrated economic incentive.”

“The honourable member does not quite understand the current government's initiative is not focused on the reinstatement of an atrocious agreement that sold out the rightful governing body of our Republic.  However, there is extreme economic potential in space.  The development of new technologies on Eurth, additional jobs and incentives for those working in the fiends of mining, engineering and emerging technologies.”

“Additionally, to cut in.  The presumption of funding would come from the I&S fund, as discussed earlier today in this chamber, it will take away more potential funding for our citizenry and emerging businesses for the sake of little to no potential return.  However, we would be willing to support the implementation of this bill if we are given time in parliament to discuss our proposal for limited deficit spending in an upcoming session.”

“That is an agreement that we can concur on, I will have one of our people speak to the party opposite to allot time for your proposal to be heard before parliament among your colleagues and members of the opposition and further parties.”

Smaller back and forth continued in detail from independent members, but there wasn't a particular point of directed opposition beyond the RSP's initial objections.  The final vote tallied over 60% in favour of the motion with the support of both the sitting government and the official opposition with additional help from several independent parliamentarians.  After roughly an hour or so of minor amendments, compromises and effort from numerous speakers, the establishment of the RPASP had been officiated and work towards creating the agency was officially underway.

END