The Oversight Continuance Act of 2019
BE IT ENACTED BY THE STATE OF FIRESTONE CONGRESS HERE ASSEMBLED THAT:
PREAMBLE: Given the questioning of the constitutionality of the current CGOC legislation, this legislation has become necessary as a replacement.
SECTION 1. Upon the passage of this legislation, the members of the Congressional Government Oversight Committee who occupied a seat on the committee at the time of this passing shall not be ‘reset’ in any way.
SECTION 2. It shall be the responsibility of the Congressional Government Oversight Committee to investigate any and all corruption and/or criminal activity which may require action by the State of Firestone legislature, such as impeachment or the passage of legislation. Any member of the State of Firestone government is subject to the investigation of the Congressional Government Oversight Committee, and the Congressional Government Oversight Committee may recommend that the impeachment process be started for any individual they have found (by vote of the committee) to be in violation of the law.
SECTION 3. The Congressional Government Oversight Committee may consist of up to twelve (12) members. This includes five (5) committee members from the House of Representatives, five (5) committee members from the Senate, a Scribe, and a Chairperson. The Chairperson is to be elected by vote of the Congressional Government Oversight Committee. Elections for Chairperson may be hosted by the Governor, the Lieutenant Governor, or the Speaker of the House. The Chairperson must be a member of the House of Representatives or the Senate, and upon being elected Chairperson, the chamber from which the Chairperson resides shall elect a new member of that chamber to fill the vacancy in the Congressional Government Oversight Committee left by the election of the Chairperson. No person hosting an election for Chairperson of the Congressional Government Oversight Committee may run for Chairperson themself in the same election.
SECTION 4. The Lieutenant Governor shall hold the power to hold elections for the Senate seats in the Congressional Government Oversight Committee, and the Speaker of the House shall hold the power to hold elections for the House seats in the Congressional Government Oversight Committee. In the event that the Lieutenant Governor or the Speaker of the House wishes to run for the Congressional Government Oversight Committee themselves, the election shall be held by another member of their chamber who is not running for the committee. If every member of the chamber is running for the committee, the Governor shall host the election. Elections for the Congressional Government Oversight Committee shall be held whenever there is a vacancy and at the start of each Congressional term. Previous members of the Congressional Government Oversight Committee must re-run if they wish to remain in the committee; no one shall be automatically placed back in the committee.
SECTION 5. Sessions of the Congressional Government Oversight Committee are to be hosted by the Chairperson for any proposal which has been approved by simple-majority vote of the committee. During a session, the Congressional Government Oversight Committee holds the power (but is not limited) to:
- Summon the individual in question
- Summon witnesses
- Consider evidence
- Debate
- Dedicate a period of questioning
- et cetera
SECTION 6. The following are a list of motions which may be made and recognized by members of the Congressional Government Oversight Committee:
- Motion to vote on [issue/topic]
- Motion to debate on [issue/topic]
- Motion to request the Scribe provide [specified information]
- Motion to override the Chairperson on [specified order]
Congress may create more motions as necessary with proper legislation.
SECTION 7. The Scribe shall be responsible for recording all sessions from beginning to end and for releasing official documents on behalf of the committee (as may be done by the Chairperson as well).
SECTION 8. All summons must be issued at least forty-eight (48) hours prior to when the summoned person is expected to appear. In the event the summoned person is unable to appear at the specified time, (s)he may provide the Chairperson with a reasonable excuse as soon as possible and the time shall be changed as is necessary to accommodate the summoned person. If the Chairperson determines that the summoned person’s excuse is not reasonable and therefore does not excuse the summoned person, the summoned person may challenge that in the court system, where the courts shall be responsible for determining if the excuse was reasonable. Summons may be issued with the consent of the Chairperson unless overruled by simple-majority vote of the committee or by the committee itself with a simple-majority vote.
SECTION 9. Any and all persons questioned during a session of the Congressional Government Oversight Committee, excluding committee members, must be sworn in prior to questioning. They may choose a religious or non-religious oath, as follows:
Religious: “Do you solemnly swear to tell the truth, nothing but the truth, and only the truth, so help you God?”
Non-religious: “Do you solemnly swear to tell the truth, nothing but the truth, and only the truth?”
Any person who violates this oath may be held in contempt of Congress, where they may be convicted of the courts and serve no more than four (4) hours in the state penitentiary. The committee shall NOT have the authority to charge anyone with contempt of Congress themselves. If any person fails to meet the standards of summons as defined in Section 8 of this legislation, they also may be held in contempt of Congress. All persons questioned by the Congressional Government Oversight Committee in regards to an ongoing investigation by the committee must be read their Miranda rights as defined in the Bill of Rights.
SECTION 10. Any person who intentionally, willingly, and knowingly does anything with the purpose to subvert an investigation of the Congressional Government Oversight Committee may be charged with perjury and serve no more than four (4) hours in the state penitentiary upon conviction. The committee shall NOT have the authority to charge anyone with perjury themselves.
SECTION 11[a]. The “Congressional Government Oversight Committee Formation Act” is hereby declared null and void.
SECTION 11[b]. The “Congressional Government Oversight Committee Formation Act” shall be defined as:
SECTION 12. This legislation shall be enforced by the State of Firestone government.
Respectfully submitted to the Firestone House of Representatives,
CHIEF SPONSOR(S):
SPT Skye Jones, Chairwoman of CGOC