Create titles of Civilian Commissioners

Commissioner Reformation motion for Constitutional Dignity.

Creation of the Civilian Commissioners title Inspiratum Magna Virtus, for the prosperity of the Empire. This is a national appointment for each nation, that will enable the holder of the title to build any civil commission in any territory of their nation by announcement in the Senate, provided they don't require upkeep or provide votes in the Synod. The bearer of this title will have the responsibility of raising or collecting the necessary funds for any commissions. The title of Civil Commissioner of {bearer's nation} is an Imperial title that will be appointed after Synod Judgement. These titles holders would be decided upon by unanimous vote of the Senators of the appropriate nation. Who may choose the manner of selection in good wisdom, the title can be revoked by the General Assembly, National Assembly or the Assembly of the Nine

Proposed by Skarsind, Seconded by Kallavesa

Overview

• Passed
• Ten Imperial Titles of Civilian Commissioners were created, one in each nation.
• Civilian Commissioners are national titles, appointed by unanimous decision of the Senators of that nation.
• Civilian Commissioners can commission the construction of sinecures, ministries, great works and follies.
• Any commissions of sinecures or ministries authorised by the Civilian Commissioner will automatically create titles when they are completed.
• The holders of these titles will be appointed by the Senators of that nation as national positions.
• To use their powers, the Civilian Commissioners must provide an announcement to the Civil Service, who present the decision to the Senate. No voting is possible by the Senate at this point, as the power has been delegated to the Civilian Commissioners. The Imperial Synod may, however, choose to exercise their right to veto over the Civilian Commissioner's decision.

Date

• Winter 379YE

Campaign Outcome

• The Imperial title of Civilian Commissioner is created, one for each nation of the Empire.
• The title was amended in Spring 380YE to limit the use of the power to once each season per commissioner

Constitution

• Clarify the limits of Imperial capacity to Commission
• Raise an administrative motion to allow the Senate to consider a recommendation from the Civil Service to limit these titles to one commission per season

Creating a commission requires a considerable amount of work for the Imperial civil service, who must identify potential sites for the construction, clear land, check supply routes, as well as ensuring that sufficient skilled architects, engineers, and workers are available for such a large scale construction. There is a practical limit on the number of commissions that the Senate can authorize each season before the practical limits of the Civil Service and the Empire to arrange them is exhausted. This limit applies on the number of commissions approved, even if the commission is never funded, since much of the administrative work needed to assess the commission and prepare for it is done before the building begins.

This practical limit has not been an issue previously - since the number of commissions the Senate has approved has been well within the capacity of the Civil Service to support them (albeit only just at times). With the passage of this motion, any practical limit on the number of commissions that the Senate might approve has been removed - they might theoretically approve dozens or even scores of commissions - vastly more than the Empire has the ability to support.

The constitutional court are concerned that the likely outcome of this practical limit, once it becomes apparent, is that civilian commissioners will compete with each other to announce their commissions first, with permission going to the quickest commission, not the most appropriate. In light of this possibility, and the fact that the senators were unaware of this practical limitations at the time that this motion was passed, the court have asked the civil service to raise an administrative motion recommending that the Senate amend all titles with the power of commission be allowed to announce a single commission per season.

There is no requirement for the Senate to accept this recommendation, this isn't a constitutional issue, it is a practical issue of the Empire's logistical capabilities. This functional limit of the Empire's capacity to support commissions will apply no matter what decision the Senate takes, it is a case for the Senate to decide how it wishes to allocate those resources.