Cross-posted in the Minister of Culture 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.â€
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.
There is one part of the bill as currently proposed I particularly object to. The final charge is that "The RA will consider and adopt appropriate legislation in each of the four areas specified above by 1 November 2007." This is entirely inappropriate. On its terms, it creates a commission that will mandate conclusions to the RA, which the RA must adopt without exercising the independent judgment of the RA and its members. The RA must never give up its independent legislative judgment or delegate that judgment to some unelected body. At best, the language should be changed to make it clear that the Commission makes recommendations to the RA, which the RA, in its independent judgment, may adopt in whole or in part or may entirely disregard.
Beathan
Let's keep things simple enough to be fair, substantive enough to be effective, and insightful enough to be good.
