The Congress of the Commonwealth

The Congress of the Commonwealth was the sole body of government for the Commonwealth of America after Sikorskiii's abdication of the Chief Justice of Chicago position, and then that position's abolition in Proposition 12. The Congress had 5 seats, which each of them having changed hands in an election besides Comanche, which was always held by bonito_pibb. The Congress first met in Tammany Hall in Chicago, before relocating to Congress Hall on the north side of the city. In it's two months of operation, 23 bills had made it to the House floor, with 20 passing. No formal parties were ever formed between Representatives, with most acting solely to represent their state's constituents.

Formation
On March 29th, 2020, the Commonwealth was officially divided in 5 states. Each state would have an election to determine who would represent them in the new Congress. Elections would be held two days later, on the 31st of March, 2020. In addition, it was stated that new elections would be held every month. By the 30th of March, every state except Shoshone had at least 2 candidates running. On the 31st of March, the elections began. The winners for Shoshone, Comanche, and Cherokee were announced later that day. The winners for Winnebago and Penobscot would be announced the next day, along with the official election results (seen below). The senator of Comanche, bonito_pibb, was named Speaker of the House, as he received the most votes out of any senator. However, the position of Speaker of the House was not considered the highest office of the nation at this time. Instead, the leader of the Commonwealth was a hereditary position known as the Chief Justice of the Commonwealth (held by Sikorskiii). The Chief Justice also acted as the Mayor of Chicago. With this in mind, the Speaker of the House really only acted as second in command in case of the Chief Justice being offline, and did not really have much power or responsibility.

First Proposals (April 1st to April 6th)
The first Congress presented its first proposal on April 1st, shortly after its formation. Proposition 1 was the Revere Relief Act/Bill, proposed by bonito_pibb and sikorskiii. The exact text of the bill was as follows:

"Things we do need to focus on in my opinion, would be a bill to repair revere, the city is a hub of the north eastern part of our nations and its creeper farm and rail duplicator are critical to commonwealth industry. I don’t know what the other reps think but sending 2 stacks of Oak logs and cobblestone from each state to help them rebuild may be a good idea. We can’t focus abroad before we focus at home. I believe this bill should be passed to show union between the state, with one state being helped by all in a time of need. what we would pay -Each state will supply two stacks of oak, birch or spruce logs to Revere to facilitate rebuilding. -Each state would supply 2 stacks of cobblestone to revere. (States with few trees to spare can send cobblestone in the place of the logs such as Shoshone which is mostly grassland and clay)(edited)"

Proposition 2 was proposed after Prop 1 passed, also on April 1st. It was known as the Standard Building Act, proposed by bonito_pibb and sikorskiii. The exact text of the bill was as follows:

"To fit with our standard colonial and federal style feel, I propose that we cap buildings at 50 blocks tall. Not only would this make our nations city aesthetically pleasing, but it would aid with defense in the event of a war. As seen in old earth worlds tall building can be used by the enemy to cobble monster, fire down on cities, and be used as elytra launches. For these reasons I say we institute this act."

Proposition 3 was proposed also on April 1st, after Prop 2 passed. It was known as the Quebec Alliance Act, proposed by the nation of Quebec to the Commonwealth. It was presented to Congress by sikorskiii. The exact text of the bill was as follows:

"Quebec has offered us an alliance, though their leader has said he would like to acquire our part of irl Quebec in the future from us. He is fine with our ownership of Anticosti Island and Newfoundland, though."

Proposition 4 was proposed on April 2nd. It was known as the Heptan Alliance Act, proposed by the Heptan Republic, and presented by sikorskiii. It did not recieve the required votes until the next day, April 3rd. The exact text of the bill was as follows:

"The Heptan Republic in the Far North has asked to be an ally of the Commonwealth"

Proposition 5 was proposed on April 3rd, following the passing of Prop 4. It was known as the Establishment of the Department of Transportation Act, and was proposed by sikorskiii. The exact text of the bill was as follows:

"To create a Department of Transportation that will coordinate the construction and maintenance of all national waterways, roadways, iceways, and railways. The Secretary of the Department will be chosen by the Chief Justice and approved by Congress."

Immediately following the passing of Prop 5, MintyMichael was nominated by sikorskiii to be the Secretary of the Department of Transportation, and then approved by Congress. On April 5th, Tgamer15 attempted to revolt against the Chief Justice and the other members of Congress. However, this failed, and Tgamer15 was removed from the Commonwealth. A snap election for the Representative of Penobscot was to be held April 8th.

bonito_pibb's Speakership (April 6th to April 20th)
On April 6th, sikorskiii decided to leave the Commonwealth in order to take a break from the server. The position of Chief Justice was abolished, and the Speaker of the House (bonito_pibb) became the defacto leader of the Commonwealth. Mudkip took over as the Mayor of Chicago. Following this, bonito_pibb immediately proposed Proposition 6. The bill would not pass until the next day, April 7th. The exact text of the bill was as follows:

"As the speaker of the house is now the highest title, I would like to add a bill to allow a vote of no confidence, at any time the Speaker can be voted against in congress to allow for a new speaker, a simple majority is needed for the motion to pass. If the motion is passed the new speaker will assume the title within 2 days, If the motion fails the old speaker will retain power"

On April 8th the snap election for Penobscot would have been held. However, as there were no other members of the state running, MintyMichael was simply appointed the position. Also on April 8th, Proposition 7 was proposed by Aqua. While the bill was passed the same day, it was never actually enacted. The exact text of the bill was as follows:

"Sbevebob wishes to buy the island of Manhattan. I propose we sink it instead."

On April 9th bonito_pibb proposed Proposition 8. The exact text of the bill was as follows:

"Vegtable from Alaska has offered us an alliance, should we enter this pact? I’ll vote last so there is no bias"

Following the passing of Prop 8, Proposition 9 was proposed by bonito_pibb. It passed later that day. The exact text of the bill was as follows:

"This is a vote to form the Columbian Trade Group, nations invites will include for now, Alaska, Hepta, Malibu, Quebec, and the Commonwealth. The goal is to collectively work towards the betterment of the North American Economy. It would also work towards the development of infrastructure to ease the transport of materials across the continent. This act would create a discord server with Commonwealth oversight. I will vote last to prevent bias"

On April 16th, following the Greenland Incident, Proposition 10 was proposed by bonito_pibb. It passed later that day. The exact text of the bill was as follows:

"This vote calls for a law making it so that the speaker of the house must vote last on all further bills. This is intended to prevent bias, and the swaying of votes in the house." Also on April 16th, sikorskiii returned to the Commonwealth. With his return, he regained the position of Mayor of Chicago and Chief Justice. Sheev_Palpitine stepped down from his position as Representative of Winnebago, resulting in a snap election scheduled for April 17th. Also stepping down was bonito_pibb, resulting in an election for Speaker of the House being scheduled for April 19th.

On April 17th, the snap election for the Representative of Winnebago was held. The results were announced on April 18th, with sikorskiii taking the position. Also on April 18th, the Congress enacted several reforms to better establish the government of the Commonwealth. Proposition 11 was proposed by sikorskiii. The exact text of the bill was as follows:

"This proposition will make it so that the Speaker of the House will be elected directly by the American people, with the first election occurring the day after the passage of this bill, and then on the second day of the month for every month thereafter. Only elected Congressmen can run for Speaker of the House."

Following the passage of Prop 11, Proposition 12 was proposed by sikorskiii. The exact text of the bill was as follows:

"This proposition will abolish the position of Chief Justice of Chicago."

Following the passage of Prop 12, Proposition 13 was proposed by MintyMichael. While the bill passed, it was never fully enacted. The exact text of the bill was as follows:

"The Congress of the Commonwealth will create a document outlining the powers and responsibilities of each of the representatives, The Speaker of the House, and any other government officials, such as the Director of Transportation."

Following the passage of Prop 13, Proposition 14 was proposed by sikorskiii. It was passed later that day. The exact text of the bill was as follows:

"All provisions and articles of the aforementioned governing document [See Proposition 13] must be voted on."

On April 19th, Proposition 15 was proposed by sikorskiii. It was passed later that day. The purpose of the bill was to restart activity in the former state of Shoshone, as it had effectively died. Following the passage of the bill, Vegatable was appointed Representative from Shoshone. The exact text of the bill was as follows:

"Reclaim former Shoshone State up to the Malibu border."

Aqua's Speakership (April 20th to May 3rd)
Also on April 19th, the April Speaker of the House Election was held. The results came out the on the next day, April 20th. Aqua won with approximately 78% of the vote, defeating challenger MintyMichael. On April 21st, Proposition 16 was proposed by Vegatable. It failed, becoming the first bill in Congress to do so. The exact text of the bill was as follows:

"This vote decides whether or not we go to war with Canada."

Following the failure of Prop 16, Proposition 17, known as the Military New Deal, was proposed by Aqua. It passed later that day. The exact text of the bill was as follows:

"The Military Deal: The Commonwealth is the largest nation on the server, and we should be able to defend ourselves with quality as well as just quantity. Each state should create a stockpile of 9 stacks of TNT. This is so we always have enough in case of a war with a foreign power.

''The creation of the Minutemen: Each state should be able to field at least 3 members with fully enchanted armor and top tier weapons. An elite fighting force of 12 members will make our nation much more formidable and make an invasion difficult.''

The State of Shoshone is excluded from this deal as they have just been recreated and should focus on setting themselves up before focusing on war."

On April 23rd, the Commonwealth was attacked by the nation of Canada. However, victory was quickly achieved. Proposition 18 was the official peace treaty imposed upon the Canadians following the Commonwealth victory. It was proposed by sikorskiii, and passed later that day. The exact text of the bill was as follows:

"Imposition of the following treaty on Canada:

The Commonwealth of America annexes:

-the north shores of Lake Superior and Huron

-everything south of the Saint Lawrence River

-the Falkland Islands and Tierra del Fuego

The Commonwealth of America will give:

-the Caribbean the rest of Yucatan up to the Usumacinta River

-Nicaragua to CamTV2218 as a independent banana republic supervised by Pibb Cola

-Romania to the Kingdom of Crimea

Other terms:

-the United States of North America will be disbanded

-sbeve will be banned from both Americas

-sbeve cannot be in a nation with more than one person"

On April 28th, elections of Representatives of Congress were announced for the 29th. On the 29th, elections were held for every seat in Congress. The results of these elections were announced on the next day, April 30th. All senators retained their seats with the exception of Aqua, who do not run for reelection. On May 1st, the interim Congress voted on and passed Proposition 19, proposed by bonito_pibb. The exact text of the bill was as follows:

"I propose that we claim Malibu and complete the Manifest Destiny. We can also build the pacific coast highway, and I think I know some people who will help us inhabit it. Also the old residents are friends of Aqua’s so they will probably assimilate if they rejoin the server."

Thunder's Speakership (May 3rd to Present)
Also on May 1st the May Speaker of the House Election was announced for May 2nd. The election started on May 2nd. The results came out the next day, on May 3rd. Thundermaster99 defeated both Vegatable and MintyMichael with a slim majority, becoming the new Speaker of the House. After becoming Speaker, Thunder proposed Proposition 20, known as the Post-War Rebuilding Act. It passed later that day. The exact text of the bill was as follows:

"This proposition will make state's main priority the rebuilding of settlements destroyed or damaged during the Commonwealth-Canadian War rather than the development or expansion of settlements (excluding those that started before this act was proposed). The Rebuilding effort will be managed by the state's representatives and they have the final say in the rebuilding efforts of their own state. Completion time for this will be from May 3rd to May 10th (This is simply to make the rebuilding effort faster and so we can move on to developing the nation sooner as well)."

On May 6th, sikorskiii proposed Proposition 21, also known as the Japanese Acquisicion Act. It failed, becoming the first bill to have no representative support. The exact text of the bill was as follows:

"This proposition is to allow any land bought by mradper in Sora to be claimed by the Commonwealth of America."

Following the failure of Prop 21, MintyMichael proposed Proposition 22, the Retroactive Polynesian Land Claim. It would fail later that day. The exact text of the bill was as follows:

"Should the Congress accept Pibbs Polynesian land claim (despite a formal claim through Congress) or abandon the land? (nay means abandon)"

On May 7th, Thunder proposed Proposition 23, also known as the Pawnee Formation Act. It would pass later that day, but never be fully enacted. The exact text of the bill was as follows: "This proposition will divide the state of Comanche into 2, Comanche in the south and the Territory of Pawnee in the North. With these being the borders (marked in red): [See Map] "

On May 13th, Thunder proposed Proposition 24, the most recent proposition. It was known simply as DannyDog69 Deportation. Shortly after being proposed, it was declared null as the stated member (DannyDog69) was determined by staff to not actually be a member of the Commonwealth. Therefore, no votes were given on it. The exact text of the bill was as follows:

"This proposition will lead to the deportation of DannyDog69 from the Commonwealth"