Events Promotion Bill

[michelmanen]

Actually Beathan CARE has three Chairs: Bromo, Mizou and I. We had a meeting last week, we created a Commerce, Arts and Recreation Taskforce headed by one of the CARE RA Members and established our strategy and approach on this. Since Bromo is away on holiday and Mizou on vacation I am CARE spokesperson for now. Not that I have to explain myself or CARE to someone like you - but since you are now a duly elected RA member, I will give the office you hold the respect I don't have for the individual...

[Patroklus Murakami]

[quote="Fernando Book":1dtyye6x]I think that, if we have a true separation of powers, the RA should not appoint other members of the Executive than the Chancellor. Any other Executive officer, ever a political one, like a Minister, should be part of the Chancellor team.

In my opinion, this law should create the Ministry of Culture inside the Office of the Chancellor, and, perhaps, should state that the CDS budget will appropiate an amount for it, without being specific. Otherwise, each RA will have to modify this law to alter this amount.

We are very prone to be too specific in the laws.[/quote:1dtyye6x]Fernando
The Minister of Culture will not be a member of the Executive Branch but a member of the Legislative branch given special responsibility for the promotion of Arts and Culture in the CDS and will, therefore, liaise closely with the Chancellor. The purpose is to ensure that at least one of our elected representatives has responsibility for promotion of this aspect of CDS life (we also want to introduce Foreign, and Economic Ministers for those purposes). This solves one of the problems of CDS life; we all think these aspects are important but nobody is responsible for them. The appointment of a Culture Minister, allied with the weekly Government Question Hour gives citizens a named, elected representative to come to with suggestions and to ask 'Why haven't you done this?' It is intended to improve this aspect of CDS life and provide a clear line of accountability.

[Beathan]

Fernando --

I agree. I also believe that the Minisiter of Culture is properly an Executive role -- and should be a civil servant in the Executive Branch. I have proposed a revision of Pat's proposal, in my "Omnibus Bill", to address your concerns and to incorporate these proposed revisions to the proposal.

Beathan

[michelmanen]

I agree with Pat's approach entirey.

[Fernando Book]

[quote="Patroklus Murakami":z0kutrb0]Fernando
The Minister of Culture will not be a member of the Executive Branch but a member of the Legislative branch given special responsibility for the promotion of Arts and Culture in the CDS and will, therefore, liaise closely with the Chancellor. The purpose is to ensure that at least one of our elected representatives has responsibility for promotion of this aspect of CDS life (we also want to introduce Foreign, and Economic Ministers for those purposes). This solves one of the problems of CDS life; we all think these aspects are important but nobody is responsible for them. The appointment of a Culture Minister, allied with the weekly Government Question Hour gives citizens a named, elected representative to come to with suggestions and to ask 'Why haven't you done this?' It is intended to improve this aspect of CDS life and provide a clear line of accountability.[/quote:z0kutrb0]
Pat,

Who is responsible for the spending of the appropiated amount? If the answer is 'the Minister of Culture', we are talking about an Executive member, who should be part of the Office of the Chancellor (even if the actual minister is a member of the RA). If the answer is 'the Chancellor' and the Minister of Culture is the RA member overseeing that government area (in the way a Commitee would do it in a larger Assembly), then the word 'Minister' is a very confusing word.

[Patroklus Murakami]

i'm happy to use another name if Minister is too confusing. A rose by any other name would smell as sweet!

[Fernando Book]

It isn't a question of names, it's a question of which functions and powers the post will have; then, in which part of our administration the post will be, and, then, the name of the post.

[Arria Perreault]

There are several levels that we have to take in account in the domain of a policy of culture (and any culture).

- policy: RA is responsible for the conception of a cultural policy. Il really think that one member of the RA should be responsible for that domain.
- executive: the Chancellor is responsible to execute the poliy of the RA

There is also an inbetween level that we can called strategic. This level need some knowledge in the domaine of the culture. It can be a part of the Chancellor office and can give advice or help to prepare decisions. This person can also be responsible for the promotion of the policy and activities of the CDS in the domain of culture. The Chancellor can choice this person. It is not an elected position. The final decision will always be in the hands of the Chancellor, with a review of the RA.

I agree that the name of Minister of culture that I have also used is not the good one, neither for the RA member responsible for culture, nor for the advisor of the Chancellor in the domain of culture.

[Beathan]

Cross-posted in the CARER Commission Bill for obvious reasons

There shall be a Minister of Culture, who shall be a civil servant, appointed by the Chancellor with the advice and consent of the RA. The Minister of Culture shall administer a programme for financial (and other) support of events in the CDS. The 'Culture Minister' will administer an events promotion budget and plan and implement public activities and functions that further the promotion of culture and arts within the CDS. A sum of $L4 000/month is appropriated to this progamme beginning in August 2007 and running through to the end of January 2008. Additional sums may be set aside for this programme, from time to time, by the RA, and any such funds shall be administered as provided herein.

Further, the Minister of Culture shall chair the Commercial, Artistic, Recreational, and Educational Revitalisation Commission (CARER Commission), which may be instituted by the Chancellor, on advice and consent of the RA, from time to time. The CARER Commission shall serve for a term that ends with the end of the term of the Chancellor that constituted it, and shall be charged with the powers and obligations as follows:

1. The Commission is charged with considering how the CDS could achieve the revitalisation of our community's cultural, artistic, recreational and educational life.

2, The Commission will hold a full and participatory set of discussions inworld and on the CDS forums for its term of service.

3. The Commission will present a report to the RA in the first scheduled meeting of the RA following the Commissions term of service with recommendations (and draft legislation if needed) in any area concerning the qualification and rights of citizens in the CDS, including, without limitation,] the following areas:

a) Business & Commercial Development;
b) Marketing and Tourism;
c) Arts, Culture and Creativity Promotion;
d) Community Education; and
e) The establishment of CDS civic holidays, not more than one per month and not less than one per two months, to celebrate and recognize critical events in the history of the CDS including, without limitation, the founding of Neualtenburg; the founding of Neufreistadt; the founding of Colonia Nova; the survival of the CDS in the “Ulrika Crisis” and the survival of the CDS in the “Judiciary Crisis.”

4. The Commission will number not less than three and not more than eleven members, including the Minister of Culture and P.I.O, and shall hold public meetings inworld not less than once per month. These meetings may include closed sessions attended by Commissioners only, but must include public meetings open to all citizens of not less than one hour duration. Additionally, the Commission forum must be open to participation by all citizens. Citizens wishing to serve on the CARER Commission must apply for a position on the Commission within one month of its formation. The Minister of Culture shall select the members of the Commission, subject to the advice and consent of the RA, and shall make a good faith effort to ensure that the broadest possible range of viewpoints is represented on the Commission. Commissioners, other than the Minister of Culture, shall not be considered public servants and may hold offices other than and in addition to that of Commissioner.

Further, the Minister of Culture shall attend RA meetings once per month and will discuss this programme with the RA at such meeting, giving details of funds which have been awarded and planned expenditure.