The Sôgmô has proposed a new business model for the Council, changing the current forum-based model to one that features two annual sessions held in March and September. The change would make the Council’s work more efficient and concentrated, allowing for synchoronous debate and deliberation.
A hybrid model might be necessary, the Sôgmô noted, because the Council has other resolution-based business that can be kept for out-of-session deliberation by forum. For example, the Council votes on each citizenship application, so a biannual meeting would slow down an applicant’s approval.
Below is the Sôgmô’s message to the Council.
Time-Sensitive Proposal to Adopt New Business Model
Tonight, I spoke with Speaker Artemis Langford and raised in the cabinet a proposal to change our method of business in the Council from a perpetual deliberative body to one that meets in two annual sessions, in March and September. Additionally, a hybrid could be found whereby bills are passed at sessions, but much of the necessary business of the Council (such as voting on motions to approve an applicant’s citizenship, for example) can be done out-of-session in this forum.
This proposal, I think, has many benefits. For one, we are all busy adults. Adopting a biannual session format can allow us to work effectively in short but concentrated periods of time, such as having two one-hour meetings per year to discuss bills and other proposals. We already do this in the Party with the Party Congress, and this would merely be a continuation of that.
However, adopting a session format (or a hybrid format, such as reserving bills for in-session deliberation while holding votes and delibation on motions and resolutions for out-of-session deliberation) would require changing our Rules and Procedures. I have proposed a few changes regarding this to the Rules and Procedures document (linked below), and I welcome your questions and comments here below.
With the Spring Equinox coming up in less than a month, however, we need to work fast, though we can decide to adopt this model after the election (and after a session would happen under this model).
sandus.org 