HC Bill 26-1 · Bill · 26th Totemian Parliament
Be it enacted by the Emperor’s most Excellent Imperial Majesty, by and with the advice and consent of the Lords and Commons, in this present Parliament assembled, and by the authority of the same, as follows:
The Chancellor is a position which is paid quite well, being second only to the Crown Prince when it comes to the highest paid salaries from the central government. The assumption is that the Chancellor would be focused on executing the duties of their office, hence it would be fair to limit the Chancellor from being compensated for other titles which they might hold during their tenure.
The Civil Code shall be amended by creating Title 1, named General Provisions, and all existing Articles shall be placed under Title 1. Title 2 shall be created and named The Government. Chapter 1 shall be created under Title 2 of The Government, which shall be named The Chancellor, and under that Chapter, Articles shall be created describing the duties of the Chancellor, as well as their pay and benefits.
The following shall be inserted:
Title 2 - The Government
Chapter 1 - The Chancellor
Article 1 - Duties & Expectations
Section 1 - Legislative Duties
The Chancellor has a duty to review and approve or veto bills in accordance with the Constitution.
Section 2 - Imperial Duties
The Chancellor has a duty to advise The Emperor in accordance with the Constitution.
Section 3 - Behavioral Expectations
Being the highest elected office in Totemia, the Chancellor should behave themselves publicly during their tenure to provide a good image for all of Totemia.
Section 4 - Personal vs Official Politics
The Chancellor is a political position, but they shall not provide or give benefits tied to the office to benefit themselves, candidates, parties, or other entities which they support from gaining an edge.
For the purposes of this section, "official" refers to any action, communication, resource, post, publication, announcement, website, or material that is conducted, issued, funded, published, posted, or endorsed through the authority of the Chancellor’s office or the central government, including but not limited to official documents, official announcements, official posts, official websites, projects, funding, or use of government platforms.
This can include, but is not limited to, putting their name on official documentation, official announcements, official posts, official websites, or project credits for political gain, or crediting political candidates, parties, or other entities on official materials without direct involvement.
The Chancellor shall not use official posts, official announcements, official websites, or government platforms to promote themselves, candidates, parties, or other entities in a way that normal candidates, parties, or entities would not have equal access to.
Indirect support, such as providing funding or campaigning for something to be created, posted, published, or promoted, shall be considered personal politics and must not be conducted using official resources or authority.
Article 2 - Income & Benefits
Section 1 - Salary
During their tenure, The Chancellor shall receive 10,000 SL in accordance with the central payroll service.
Section 2 - Income Limits
During their tenure, The Chancellor shall not be entitled to payroll from the central payroll service that comes from other titles which they hold and must only be paid their official salary.
Section 3 - Chancellery Fund
The Chancellor shall receive a dedicated fund known as the Chancellery Development Fund, which shall have 50,000 SL allocated for the purposes of general construction, renovations, or upgrades related to the office of chancellery, including but not limited to chancellery residences or properties.
Section 4 - Benefits
The Chancellor shall be entitled to an event refund if they incur personal costs while hosting events tied to the chancellery and not tied to personal politics, provided that such refunds shall not exceed 20,000 SL per event.
Article 3 - Chancellor Properties
Section 1 - Creation of Properties
The Chancellor may issue or direct the creation of a new property by executive order and must comply with any local laws regarding the use and purchase of land.
Section 2 - Management of Landmarked Properties
Properties which are under the management or use of the Chancellery may be modified, but only with approval and oversight by the High Government. This shall only apply to Landmarked Properties, as they hold historical or official significance when compared to other properties or residences. All Landmarked Properties shall be listed and established in Section 4 of this Article.
Section 3 - Construction
Development on land owned by the Chancellery may occur, but any costs related to the project shall be owed by the office of the Chancellery. The Chancellor may also accept donations, pay for such costs themselves, directly request additional funding for construction purposes beyond the Chancellery Development Fund, or use funds from the Chancellery Development Fund for construction or the purchase of land.
Section 4 - List of Landmarked Properties
Empty but left for future listings
Chapter 2 - The Vice Chancellor
Article 1 - Duties and Expectations
Section 1 - Advisory
The Vice Chancellor is expected to provide advice and work with the Chancellor.
Section 2 - Acting Chancellor
The Vice Chancellor shall be designated as the Acting Chancellor in accordance with the Constitution. A formal address shall be issued by executive order or Imperial Order regarding the appointment and dismissal of the Acting Chancellor.
Section 3 - Behavior
The Vice Chancellor should behave in a mature manner when acting in their official capacity as the Vice Chancellor.
Article 2 - Income & Benefits
Section 1 - Salary
During their tenure, the Vice Chancellor shall receive 5,000 SL in accordance with the central payroll service.
Section 2 - Vice Chancellery Fund
The Vice Chancellor shall receive a dedicated fund known as the Vice Chancellery General Purpose Fund, which shall have 15,000 SL allocated for the purposes of general construction, renovations, or upgrades related to the office of the Vice Chancellery, including but not limited to Vice Chancellery residences or properties.
Section 3 - Benefits
The Vice Chancellor shall be entitled to a Mate Burger coupon to receive free goods at any Mate Burger location.
Article 3 - Vice Chancellor Properties
Section 1 - Creation of Properties
The Vice Chancellor may request the creation of new properties through the Chancellor and/or The Emperor of Totemia.
Section 2 - Management of Properties
Properties which are under the management or use of the Vice Chancellor may be modified or developed if requested and then authorized by the Chancellor and/or the High Government. Funding for such properties may come from the Vice Chancellery General Purpose Fund.
All local laws must be respected regarding land ownership and land obligations, including but not limited to local land taxes or fees.
Chapter 3 - Parliament
Article 1 - Concurrent Mandate Limitations
Section 1 - Definition
A concurrent mandate shall be defined as holding two or more offices, titles, or positions at the same time and thereby receiving the powers, privileges, or authority of those offices.
Section 2 - Restrictions on Concurrent Mandates
Concurrent mandates shall be restricted for any offices or positions outlined in Section 3 of this Article. While subject to a concurrent mandate restriction, individuals shall not be required to resign from or lose their office, but they may not use the restricted powers listed under their specific use case.
Section 3 - Restricted Offices
The Chancellor shall be restricted from exercising concurrent mandate powers during their tenure. If the Chancellor holds any parliamentary office, seat, title, or position at the same time as the office of Chancellor, the parliamentary powers of that office shall be suspended for the duration of their tenure as Chancellor.
The same restriction shall apply to the Chancellor-elect during the period between their election and their assumption of office.
The Vice Chancellor shall be restricted from exercising concurrent mandate powers during their tenure. If the Vice Chancellor holds any parliamentary office, seat, title, or position at the same time as the office of Vice Chancellor, they may not use that parliamentary office to gain legislative advantage, parliamentary authority, or voting power not otherwise provided to them through the office of Vice Chancellor.
Article 2 - Parliament Benefits
Section 1 - Salary
Each member of Parliament shall receive 2,500 SL in accordance with the central payroll service.
Article 3 - Veto Override
Section 1 - Override Bill
If the Chancellor vetoes a bill passed by Parliament, Parliament may reintroduce the same bill as an Override Bill.
An Override Bill shall be limited to the bill vetoed by the Chancellor.
Section 2 - Veto Override Requirements
An Override Bill shall pass only if three-fourths of each chamber votes in favor of the bill and its veto override.
If passed, the bill shall be sent directly to The Emperor for approval.
Section 3 - Public Referendum
If an Override Bill fails, Parliament may submit the bill to a public referendum by a 2/3 vote of each chamber.
If at least 60% of participating voters approve the referendum, the bill shall take effect once certified as a law approved by public referendum.
For this Section, participating voters shall mean citizens who cast a valid vote on the question being decided.
The Civil Code shall be amended and the following shall be inserted:
Title 1 - General Provisions
Article 27 - Fonts & Numbers
The Totemian Empire shall reject the use of Roman numerals in official documents or official text created or edited on or after July 10th, 2026, for the purpose of numbering chapters, sections, titles, or similar divisions.
All such numbering shall instead use the base-ten decimal system.
This standard is intended to improve legal referencing, simplify amendment and revision, and make official documents easier to read and maintain.
The Totemian Empire shall use Public Sans in official documents created on or after July 10th, 2026, for normal body text. This standard is intended to provide a universal official font that is readable, modern, and suitable for consistent use across official documents.
This font requirement shall apply only to body text.
Whereas, the Interlink is one of the major infrastructure rollouts in Totemia, and is expected to allow the movement of people more than ever before, reduce travel times, and encourage economic growth.
The following shall be inserted:
Title 4 - Public Infrastructure
Chapter 1 - The Interlink
Article 1 - The Interlink
Section 1 - The Interlink
The Interlink shall be the primary public transportation network of Totemia, made up of blue ice for long-distance, high-speed travel.
Section 2 - Interlink Protections
No person may destroy, block, obstruct, remove, or damage any part of the Interlink or its supporting infrastructure, including blue ice, pillars, lighting, stoppers, water systems, stations, signs, side braces, or access points.
A person who violates this Section may be fined 120 SL per offense, ordered to repair the damage through community service, ordered to pay the cost of repair, or be subject to any combination of these penalties.
Section 3 - Main Interlink Design Standards
The main continuous Interlink line that connects Totemia shall be at least 4 blocks wide and shall use blue ice as its travel surface. The blue ice travel surface shall be built at Y-level 82.
The frame, guides, and non-ice structure of the main Interlink line shall be built at Y-level 81 and shall use smooth stone unless another material is approved for safety, terrain, or design reasons.
Pillars for the main Interlink line shall be spaced at a minimum of 20 blocks apart. Greater spacing may be used where appropriate for terrain, design, or structural considerations, provided the Interlink remains safe and stable.
Side braces may be placed along the side of the main Interlink frame. A side brace pattern shall consist of 2 blocks of space, 1 upper brace block, 2 blocks of space beneath the upper brace block, and 1 lower brace block. This pattern may be repeated where needed for structure, safety, or design.
Section 4 - Secondary Interlink Lines
Secondary Interlink lines may be created by private parties or local governments. Secondary Interlink lines shall be at least 4 blocks wide and shall not damage, obstruct, or interfere with the main Interlink line.
Secondary Interlink lines shall not be required to connect to the main Interlink line. If a secondary Interlink line connects to any public Interlink infrastructure, the connection must be safe and may be removed, modified, or denied if it creates a safety issue, obstruction, or design conflict.
Section 5 - Interlink Stations
Interlink stations shall provide safe access to and from the Interlink without requiring users to lose health.
Interlink stations shall provide adequate lighting to prevent mob spawning at the station and within 50 blocks in each direction from the center point of the station.
Section 6 - Right of Way
The Interlink right of way shall include the land directly under the route path of the Interlink, including where its frame, pillars, stations, access points, and supporting infrastructure are built.
Such land shall be annexed by the Totemian Empire and shall become public land.
Section 7 - Existing Structures
When planning Interlink lines, routes, or designs, designers shall make reasonable efforts to avoid the destruction or removal of structures that existed before the Interlink line or design was planned.
An existing structure may only be destroyed, removed, or substantially altered for Interlink construction with approval from The Emperor and after consultation with affected parties.
The Civil Code shall be amended and the following shall be inserted:
Title 3 - The Judiciary
Article 1 - Interpretation
Section 1 - Authority of the Courts
The courts shall have the authority to interpret laws passed and enacted when resolving cases, disputes, or questions of law.
In interpreting a law, the courts shall apply the text as written and shall consider the legislative intent of the law as part of interpretation.
Section 2 - Legislative Intent
A law may include a section titled Legislative Intent.
Legislative Intent is not required unless the law expressly includes it.
If Legislative Intent is included, it must be written explicitly by the legislator and codified within the law itself in a dedicated section titled Legislative Intent.
The Legislative Intent section shall state the purpose, meaning, and intended application of the law in plain language.
Legislative Intent shall form part of the law in which it is placed and shall be considered by the courts when interpreting that law.
Section 3 - Hierarchy of Law
The courts shall interpret and apply law according to the following hierarchy:
1. Imperial Orders
2. The Constitution
3. The Civil Code
4. Executive Orders and Policy Orders
Executive Orders, Policy Orders, administrative rules, and laws issued by states or lower governments shall comply with Imperial Orders, the Constitution, and the Civil Code.
A new Title shall be created inside the Civil Code and shall be named Public Finance.
The following text shall be inserted:
Title 5 - Public Finance
Chapter 1 - Central Payroll Service
Article 1 - Payroll Administration
Section 1 - Bi-Weekly Payroll
The Central Payroll Service shall distribute payroll every 2 weeks on Friday.
All positions included in the central payroll system shall be paid through the Central Payroll Service.
Section 2 - Management
The Central Payroll Service shall be managed by His Imperial Majesty’s Treasury.
All payroll cost data, including current costs and projected future payroll costs, shall be automatically included on receipts, records, or automated systems accessible to Parliament and members of the Privy Council.
Chapter 2 - Grants
Article 1 - Grant Administration
Section 1 - Grant Funds
When a grant is created and funding is allocated to it, a dedicated grant fund shall be created inside His Imperial Majesty’s Treasury.
Unless otherwise provided by law, grants shall be managed by His Imperial Majesty’s Treasury.
A grant may be transferred to a separate department, office, or ministry if provided by law.
Section 2 - Grant Creation Requirements
When creating a grant, Parliament shall describe the grant’s purpose, total funding, maximum request amount, and any limits on how often an applicant may receive funding.
Parliament may set daily, weekly, monthly, or yearly funding limits per applicant.
Section 3 - Grant Applicants
Parliament may define eligible applicants based on the purpose, circumstances, or goals of a grant.
Parliament may provide additional funding for specific types of applicants or direct His Imperial Majesty’s Treasury to limit the grant to a specific class of applicants.
Section 4 - Applicant Favorability
A grant may favor specific applicants, applicant classes, or grant candidates if the law creating the grant expressly allows it.
Applicant favorability may include increased funding, reserved funding, faster review, priority processing, relaxed requirements, or exclusive eligibility.
Any applicant favorability must be stated in the law creating the grant and must be tied to the purpose, circumstances, or goals of the grant.
Section 5 - Grant Cost Breakdown
A grant application shall include a basic funding breakdown with, at minimum, the following divisions:
1. Labor
2. Materials
Labor shall mean funding used to pay for labor power, including personal payment, payment of workers, contracted work, services, management, construction, planning, or any other paid human work connected to the grant.
Materials shall mean funding used to acquire, use, purchase, replace, transport, or prepare resources, goods, supplies, equipment, land, blocks, items, or other non-labor inputs connected to the grant.
The applicant shall state the amount requested for Labor and the amount requested for Materials.
A grant application shall not be required to provide a fully itemized budget, as the Labor and Materials categories serve as a general overarching classification, unless the law creating the grant, His Imperial Majesty’s Treasury, or the grant terms require further detail.
Section 6 - Grant Review and Recovery
Unless otherwise provided by law, His Imperial Majesty’s Treasury shall have default authority to review the use of grant funding after 20 days from the date the funding is issued.
A grant review shall be limited to determining whether the grant funding was used, is being used, or is reasonably intended to be used for the approved grant purpose.
His Imperial Majesty’s Treasury may request basic proof, explanation, records, or progress evidence from the grant recipient.
Parliament may create additional review rules, project managers, reporting requirements, or oversight procedures for a specific grant.
His Imperial Majesty’s Treasury may recover grant funding if, after review or investigation, it finds that the recipient failed to use the funding for the approved purpose, failed to apply the funding during the approved grant period, misused the funding, gave false information, refused basic review, or kept unused funding without authorization.
Recovered funding shall be returned to the grant fund, unless otherwise provided by law.
Chapter 3 - Misuse of Public Funds
Article 1 - Public Fund Misuse
Section 1 - Offense
A person commits misuse of public funds if they knowingly use, redirect, conceal, withhold, misrepresent, or authorize the use of public funds for a purpose not allowed by law, grant terms, payroll rules, fund rules, or lawful authorization.
Public funds shall include grants, payroll funds, refunds, dedicated funds, reimbursements, Treasury funds, departmental funds, ministry funds, office funds, or any other funds held, managed, distributed, or authorized by the government.
Section 2 - Penalties
A person found guilty of misuse of public funds shall repay the misused amount and shall be fined at least 1,000 SL or the value of the misused funds, whichever is greater.
The court may order additional penalties allowed by law, including loss of grant eligibility, removal from payroll eligibility, disqualification from managing public funds, community service, or other lawful penalties.
Section 3 - Related Crimes
Misuse of public funds may be charged together with any other crime arising from the same conduct, including fraud, theft, bribery, corruption, forgery, false statements, conspiracy, abuse of office, or obstruction.
A person shall not avoid liability for misuse of public funds merely because the same conduct also violates another law.
Chapter 4 - Donation Limits
Article 1 - Political and Religious Donations
Section 1 - Regulated Organizations
For this Article, a regulated organization shall mean a political party, political organization, religious organization, or other organization designated by law as subject to donation limits.
Section 2 - Individual Donation Limit
An individual shall not donate more than 5,000 SL per calendar month in total to regulated organizations.
Section 3 - Organization Donation Limit
A regulated organization shall not receive more than 225,000 SL in donations per calendar month.
Once a regulated organization has received 225,000 SL in donations during a calendar month, it shall not receive additional donations for the remainder of that month.
Section 4 - Banking Enforcement
Donation limits under this Article may be enforced through the banking services of the Totemian Empire.
The banking services may automatically reject, block, return, or prevent any donation that would exceed the limits under this Article.
Section 5 - Definition of Donation
A donation shall mean funding given directly to a regulated organization through the use of the donation tab or by sending money without any reasonable purpose directly to a bank account owned by the organization.
Section 1 - Repealed Articles
The Constitution shall be amended, and the following Articles shall be repealed:
Article 2
Article 4
Article 9
Section 2 - Renumbering of the Constitution
The Constitution shall be amended and reordered accordingly.
The Constitution shall switch from Roman numerals to the base-ten decimal system in order to reduce friction when referencing laws, articles, or sections.
Section 3 - Repeal of Amendments Article 1, Section 2
Amendments Article 1, Section 2 of the Constitution shall be repealed.
Section 4 - Repeal of Amendments Article 1, Section 3
Amendments Article 1, Section 3 of the Constitution shall be repealed.
Section 5 - Amendment to Amendments Article 8
Amendments Article 8 shall be replaced with the following text below:
All citizens shall have the right to vote in elections, public referendums, recalls, and other public votes when provided by law.
Citizens may place a proposed law, amendment, repeal, or recall on the ballot by petition. A petition shall require valid signatures equal to at least 10% of the total votes cast in the most recent general election.
A public referendum concerning ordinary law shall pass if at least 60% of participating voters vote in favor. A public referendum concerning a constitutional amendment shall pass if at least 90% of participating voters vote in favor.
A recall may only be used against an office filled by direct public election, and shall pass if at least 60% of participating voters vote in favor.
A law, amendment, or repeal approved by public referendum shall take effect once certified. Parliament shall not amend, repeal, suspend, or weaken a law approved by public referendum for 90 days after certification, unless approved by another public referendum.
An official removed by recall shall be removed from office once certified, and a new election shall be held or an appointment may be made by the Emperor to fill the vacancy.
For this Article, participating voters shall mean citizens who cast a valid vote on the question being decided.
Section 6 - Amendment to Article 5
Article 5 of the Constitution shall be amended by adding the following text to the parliamentary lawmaking process:
If the Chancellor vetoes a bill passed by Parliament, Parliament may reintroduce the same bill as an Override Bill.
An Override Bill shall be limited to the bill vetoed by the Chancellor.
An Override Bill shall pass only if 3/4 of each chamber votes in favor of the bill and its veto override.
If passed, the bill shall be sent directly to the Emperor for approval.
If an Override Bill fails, Parliament may submit the bill to a public referendum by a 2/3 vote of each chamber, subject to the rules for public referendums under Amendments Article 8.
Section 7 - Replacement of Article 7
Article 7 of the Constitution shall be replaced with the following text below:
This Constitution may be amended by Parliament and the Emperor, or by public referendum where provided by this Constitution.
A constitutional amendment introduced through Parliament shall require approval by 3/4 of each chamber, shall be subject to the Chancellor’s approval or veto, and shall require approval by the Emperor.
If the Chancellor vetoes a constitutional amendment passed by Parliament, Parliament may reintroduce the same amendment as a Constitutional Override Amendment.
A Constitutional Override Amendment shall be limited to the constitutional amendment vetoed by the Chancellor.
A Constitutional Override Amendment shall pass only if 3/4 of each chamber votes in favor of the amendment and its veto override.
If passed, the constitutional amendment shall be sent directly to the Emperor for approval.
If a Constitutional Override Amendment fails, Parliament may submit the amendment to a public referendum by a 2/3 vote of each chamber, subject to the rules for constitutional amendment referendums under Amendments Article 8.
Section 8 - Concurrent Mandate Restrictions
Article 5 of the Constitution shall be amended by adding the following text:
Parliament may by law restrict concurrent mandates to prevent abuse of power, conflicts of interest, or improper legislative advantage.
A concurrent mandate restriction may suspend powers gained through another office, title, seat, or position, including powers gained through the House of Lords.
A person subject to a concurrent mandate restriction shall not lose their office, title, or seat solely because of the restriction.
A concurrent mandate restriction shall last for the period provided by law. If no period is provided, the restriction shall last while the person holds the office, title, seat, or position that made them subject to the restriction.
A concurrent mandate restriction shall not suspend powers granted to the person through the office being protected from conflict, unless this Constitution allows it.
