Agent of the Bourse
The history of humanity is the story told by money.
Emperor GiovanniOverview
The Civil Service appoint one or more of their number to the position of Agent of the Bourse. This position is designed to ensure the smooth operation of the Imperial Bourse and has powers to support that.
The Agent of the Bourse is an NPC only position. Its role is to be the umpire for the Bourse sessions - not to play the game.
Duties
The Agent of the Bourse is charged with ensuring the smooth running of all operations of the Bourse. They oversee the Tally of the Votes and arrange the Auction of the Seats as well as the Public auction. Civil servants supporting the office of the Agent of the Bourse have important duties helping the Empire assess resources, and collecting tithes and taxes.
Powers
Auctioneer
An Agent of the Bourse has the authority to conduct the Auction of the Seats. Their role is a fine balance of keeping order, ensuring fair access to the auction for all present and hosting a time-honoured Imperial spectacle.
In times when civil service numbers in Anvil are low a citizenauxiliary has been deputized to serve as auctioneer. This has been caused in the past by the Senate requiring civil servants to observe fleet behaviour to prevent piracy and by attacks on civil servants. However the impartial nature of the Auctioneer is a vital part of the auction, so an Agent of the Bourse will always handle the duties where possible.
Proposal
The Speaker may propose any number of motions for consideration by the Senate each summit. In practice this ability is only used to raise administrative motions. They do not accept "suggestions" for motions from citizens.
Right of Address
The Speaker has the right to make a Senate address once per summit. This is intended to allow them to present important information for the senators consideration. To make an address, the Speaker must add the address to the agenda for the next Senate session.
Powers of Censure
The Speaker for the Senate has the power to sanction anyone attending a Senate session. This power is used to censure rowdy or disruptive individuals, and extends equally to anyone who is present for the session. Any member of the Senate including The Throne, guests in the viewing gallery, a priest attempting to use the right of witness to act in an inappropriate manner, or a civil servant who was speaking out of turn are all subject to censure by the Speaker.
As with the Herald of the Council, the Speaker can apply three sanctions, each of increasing magnitude. The Speaker may use any power they judge appropriate - they do not need to start with silence and escalate.
Silence
The first sanction is silence. The Speaker can silence a persistently rude or boorish senator for the duration of a single motion; they will not be allowed to speak on the floor or answer points made while silenced. They may still vote and once the vote has been cast, are free to speak once more.
Exclusion
Should this prove insufficient the second sanction is exclusion - the offending senator is obliged to leave the Senate chamber until the end of the current motion. This denies them the right to vote on it so is a serious matter. They may re-enter the chamber following the vote.
Expulsion
The third and final sanction is expulsion - the senator is expelled from the Senate chamber for the entire sitting. They lose their chance to vote on all issues. This is an extreme sanction and historically is used only in response to grave misdemeanours such as threats of violence in the chamber.
Appointment
The Civil Service selects the Speaker for the Senate. Although the title is usually referred to in the singular, the civil service may grant the title to more than one citizen. It is common practice to have two civil servants "raised to the Speaker's Chair" at a time.
The Speaker for the Senate can be revoked by the General Assembly, and by the Assembly of the Nine.
The current encumbant Speakers of the Senate are John of Meade and Elodie Harper.
The Speaker in Play
The Speaker is an NPC whose role it is to keep Senate sessions fun and engaging for the participants.