Table of Contents
The Peerages of AH.com Reform Bill
Written and sponsored by Atreus (E) and presented to the Landsraad on August 18, 2009, as a more sweeping version of the Lord Lyon and Earl Marshal Reform Bill.
Failed to achieve 6-vote majority. Some MLs complained of its length. On August 20 Atreus gave an impassioned speech in its defense, but it failed to draw any votes.
Text of the Bill
WHEREAS AH.com currently has a system of peerages and lordships for the members of the website;
WHEREAS To this point, the system by which peerages are dispensed has been haphazard and irregular;
WHEREAS It has been recognized that the system is in need of reform;
The government of AH.com enacts the following:
Article I.
Section 1: The government of AH.com shall create a College of Arms
Section 2: The aforementioned College of Arms shall be responsible for the regulation of the noble titles and heraldry of AH.com
Article II.
Section 1: The College of Arms shall be composed of five officers: 1 Herald of Arms and 4 Pursuivants of Arms.
Section 2: The herald of Arms shall act as chairman, moderator, and speaker of the college of arms.
Section 3: All officers of the college of Arms shall be accorded one equal vote on matters set before the college of Arms.
Section 4: The cabinet post of Minister of Arms shall be created, and the occupant of said post shall serve as a liason between parliament and the college of arms. The Minister of Arms shall be accorded a non-voting seat in the college of arms.
Section 5: The Minister of Arms shall be nominated by the president of AH.com, and confirmed by the landsraad of AH.com
Article III.
Section 1: The college of Arms shall assume sole control over the regulation of the noble offices, titles, and arms of AH.com
Section 2: The College of Arms shall be granted the exclusive power to grant, rescind, promote, demote, modify, and reassign peerages among the members of Ah.com.
Section 3: The College of Arms shall be granted the power to regulate the coats of arms of the people of AH.com, by approving and registering the official arms of the peers and organizations of AH.com
Article IV.
Section 1: The officers of the college of arms shall all be peers of AH.com, or have otherwise rendered good and meaningful service to AH.com
Section 2: The initial herald of arms and pursuivants of arms shall be selected by the landsraad.
Section 3: All Officers of the college of arms shall sit for an indefinite term, which can only be ended by resignation or an impeachment by the four other officers of the college of arms, or by a two-thirds majority in the landsraad followed by a majority of the college of arms.
Section 4: Should one of the posts of Pursuivant of arms become vacated, it shall be filled by the Herald of Arms, with his appointment being ratified by the landsraad.
Section 5: Should the office of Herald of Arms become vacant, the Pursuivants of Arms shall choose a new herald of arms.
Section 6: The Officers of arms shall not be forbidden from holding other political office; however, it shall be recognized that their post is non-partisan, and acting in a partisan manner is grounds for dismissal from the post.
Article V.
Section 1: once the initial membership of the college of Arms is constituted, the College of Arms shall begin a thorough examination of the peerages of AH.com, with the intent of modifying the peerage to be more orderly and logical, to eliminate excessive or redundant titles, and to confirm the qualifications of the current peers.
Section 2: The College of Arms shall hear petitions from the members of AH.com for appointment to the peerage, and shall award titles to those it deems worthy.
Section 3: The college of Arms shall determine the standards necessary to be worthy of peerage, but those awarded titles must be considered “good posters” who have made some form meaningful contribution to the site. Section 4: The college of arms shall attempt to create a balance among the ranks of titles in the peerage, while minimizing the impact upon those already granted titles.
Section 4: The two houses of the parliament of AH.com shall, every six months, nominate up to five members for the peerage, and the College of Arms shall give these nominations all due consideration.
Section 5: The College of Arms shall be responsible for approving coats of arms for the denizens and organizations of AH.com.
Section 6: Should a member or organization request a coat of arms which is deemed acceptable by the college of arms, but be unable to produce one, the college of arms shall attempt to create a coat of arms matching the request, or find an artisan capable of doing so, and judge whether the coat of arms is fitting for the member.
Section 7: The college of arms shall create and maintain an official registrar of the peers, titles, and arms of AH.com
Section 8: The College of Arms shall maintain a listing of titles and arms which have become vacant or been abolished, for possible future usage or reclamation.
Section 9: In any disputes over noble titles, arms, or other such privileges, the college of arms shall have the final say.
Section 10: At it’s earliest convenience, the college of arms shall resurrect and restructure the defunct order of precedence of AH.com.
Article VI.
Section 1: All nobles of AH.com shall have one title, that shall be considered their primary title, and when addressed officially be referred to by this title (ex: JohnSmith, Count of Nonesuch).
Section 2: Should a peer hold one title, than they shall be referred to by that title.
Section 3: Should a peer hold multiple titles, than they shall select one title as their primary title, which shall be the title by which they are addressed.
Section 4: Should a peer with multiple titles hold a seat in the Landsraad which is not their primary seat, than they shall be referred to by their Landsraad title for the duration of their holding that seat. However, their primary title will not change, unless they choose to alter it to match their seat.
Section 5: The College of Arms shall be responsible for recording the primary titles of the peers of AH.com. This shall be done by having the existing peers select a title (when selection is possible), and recording the primary titles of newly created peers.
Section 6: A peer may change his primary title at any time, so long as he holds at least two titles and registers his new primary title with the landsraad.