Congress of the Realm

Ventora's national-level, collectively known as the Congress of the Realm (: Congreso del Reino), consists of two chambers: Grand Council of the Realm (Gran Consejo del Reino) and People's Assembly (Asamblea Popular). Its 832 members (52 Grand Council fellows and 780 People's Assembly delegates) meet in Plenas,. The Grand Council is the oldest continuous organ of state in Ventora, dating from 1282. Although the monarchy is technically older, a regent has served in the stead of the monarch since the demise of the entire royal family in the 1961 royal train derailment.

History
Queen issued the Canon of Obligations in 1282 which established certain rights and obligations and provided for the Grand Council of the Realm (Gran Consejo del Reino). Initially consisting of representatives of the 26 s, the Grand Council's purpose was to monitor adherence to the Canon. Rather than view it as a constraint on the monarchy, Emiliana embraced the Grand Council as a consultative body.

In 1299, the first stipulation to the Canon called for a consultative body representing noblemen and freemen. What became known as the People's Assembly developed into the lower ary house, making the Grand Council the upper house. The roles, responsibilities, and authorities of both houses varied greatly over the years depending on the particular monarch and the political climate of the times.

King issued the Precepts Concerning the Nation in 1673 to reform and codify key elements of governance in the kingdom. The third chapter concerns the Nature of Parliament. It increased the Grand Council from the 26 dukes to add 26 for a total of 52 fellows. It also set the ratio of one delegate for every 50,000 freemen as the makeup of the People's Assembly.

The last major change in the structure of Ventora's legislative bodies was included in the Protocols of State. The Protocols are an addendum to the 1964 Treaty of Terelle which ended the War of the Three Capitals that followed the demise of the royal family in 1961. Chapter 4 set the size of the People's Assembly at 780 delegates. They are elected from geographically contiguous districts apportioned generally equally among the total population under the three-tier franchise system.

Functions
The Congress of the Realm serves several key functions in the governance of Ventora. Its chambers are deliberative bodies representative of the nobility and all citizens, the former in the upper Grand Council and the latter in the lower People's Assembly. Their primary purposes are the furtherance of, determination of taxation, and broad authorization of public expenditures. A 1740 amendment to the Precepts Concerning the Nation gave the parliament the authority to overrule a monarch's edict by two-thirds majority in both houses. While the regent is not empowered to issue decrees, the amendment serves to underscore the authority of the chambers to review actions of the government such as the rules established by the various state departments and agencies. With the adoption of the Protocols in 1964, each chamber became empowered to ratify certain senior official appointments by the regent or governor general. Also of note, dismissal of a governor general requires approval of the People's Assembly.

Grand Council of the Realm
As the upper chamber of parliament, the Grand Council of the Realm, commonly just the Grand Council, consists of 52 fellows. who are all titled nobles. The Grand Council elects a prexy (prexio/a) as leader for the session at the start of each two-year session. The current prexy is Horacio Dali de Ocoa Evoschato, Duke of.

Half of the fellows are the 26 s or duchesses regnant over the 26 who serve life during their reign. In the event a duke or duchess regnant is elected Regent of Ventora, their heir apparent serves in the Grand Council as fellow for the duchy until completion of service as regent. The other 26 fellows must be titled nobles who are at least 25 years of age. They serve four-year terms with no limit on the number of terms served. Thirteen seats (half of 26) stand for election every two years with all of the, both titled and , eligible to vote upon reaching age 20.

In addition to its legislative roles, the Grand Council has the responsibility to consider certain appointments by the regent and governor general.The Grand Council confirms these appointments by simple majority vote. If confirmation fails, a new nomination, which may be the same candidate, must be put forward. Appointments which the Grand Council must ratify are:
 * Governor general (appointed by the regent)
 * Magistrates of the Supreme Court of the Realm (appointed by the regent)
 * General Council of the Judiciary members appointed by the regent
 * Commissioners (appointed by the governor general)

People's Assembly
There are 780 delegates in the People's Assembly, the lower house of parliament, which begins a new session annually. Upon convening, the Assembly elects a president (presidente/ta) to serve as leader for the term. The current president is Estrella Julia Flora Toledano, a member of the.

Each term of office is two years and there is no limit on the number of terms that may be served. Each year half of the seats become subject to election. Any citizen who is twenty-five or older may be a delegate to the Assembly to represent the county in which their domicile is located. Under universal suffrage, citizens who are at least 20 years old elect representatives, who must be citizens aged at least 25, to the Conclave of Electors. The Conclave subsequently elects delegates to the Assembly on the basis of one delegate per geo-populational district.

Only the People's Assembly can validate a regent's dismissal of a governor general through a simple majority vote. If the Assembly does not concur, the governor general remains in office. This would not preclude the regent from additional requests to dismiss the governor general. If a governor general does not concur or veto a legislative bill within the 14 day period allowed by law, the People's Assembly may initiate a in the governor general. An absolute majority of delegates voting in support of the motion of no confidence results in the dismissal of the governor general, requiring the regent to appoint a replacement.

The People's Assembly elects three magistrate-judges and three magistrate-assessors to serve staggered 12-year terms on the Supreme Court of the Realm. The People's Assembly also designates three judges and three assessors to serve on the General Council of the Judiciary and must ratify the governor general's appointments to that body.

Procedures
Each chamber determines its own internal structure and sets its own rules. By convention dating from the 1300s, each chamber must meet in plenary session at least quarterly. An set the quorum for each chamber at half plus one (27 for the Grand Council and 391 for the People's Assembly). In practice, each chamber meets more frequently, according to a calendar it sets, while various committees play a significant role in legislative activities. Individual members and committees are empowered to request information from government officials and agencies in the furtherance of their work.

Committees
Both chambers have a number of standing committees charged with particular topics of interest such as foreign affairs, economics, and social programs. The chambers also convene ad hoc committees for specialized or non-recurring matters. This allows the committee members to become knowledgeable in the subject. As a result, they can suggest legislative priorities for addressing matters of importance to the country while also evaluating legislative proposals for their potential effects and costs. The committees vary in size depending on their responsibilities and meet at the call of their chair or upon direction of the chamber.

While congress is not an investigative body, committees may request individuals and representatives of businesses and other organizations to appear before them. The purpose is to derive information, facts, and knowledgeable opinions, advice, and recommendations regarding concerns under consideration by the committee, its chamber, and the congress as a whole. Although congress cannot compel an appearance before it, public perception tends to encourage cooperation by those summoned. Although persons who appear before congress occasionally decline to answer and retain the constitutional privilege against self-incrimination, responses are typically honest and accurate. This is because providing intentionally false or misleading information to a member of congress acting in an official capacity is a criminal offense.

Legislation
There are three possible sources for legislative proposals: members of the legislature, government officials, or popular initiatives. Historically, the monarch could also submit for consideration but the deaths of all royal family members in 1961 ended this source. Although legislation may be introduced in either chamber, a sponsoring member almost always introduces legislation in his or her chamber while other bills are introduced in the People's Assembly by long-standing convention. For the people to propose legislation by popular initiative, a petitioner submits a request to Elections Ventora which reviews the wording and format to ensure it meets lawful requirements. Upon verification of compliance, proposers must obtain at least 500,000 valid signatures of voters on petition forms within a 9-month period. Elections Ventora validates signatures on submitted petitions and, if statutory requirements are met, forwards the initiative to the People's Assembly. Upon receipt, the People's Assembly assigns a delegate, usually representing a district of the petitioners, to champion the bill through the legislative process. A delegate may volunteer to advocate for a government-proposed bill or the People's Assembly assigns a delegate to serve as advocate.

Upon introduction in a chamber, a bill is enrolled in the chamber's register, the official record of the chamber's proceedings. The bill is then assigned to a committee for review which will develop a report which summarizes the bill, provides an assessment of its benefits and consequences, and includes an estimate of its fiscal impact. The report is provided to all members of both chambers and allows the bill to be tabled in the chamber of introduction. When a bill is tabled, it is scheduled for deliberation by the full chamber. During deliberations, members may offer amendments which can add or remove text from the original draft. Amendments may not substantially change the intent of bill developed from a popular initiative, however. The chamber schedules a vote on the bill when deliberations are substantially complete. A bill may be passed by simple majority of votes cast in both chambers but an organic law requires an absolute majority (half plus one of the chamber's members). If the bill passes, it moves to the other chamber where it undergoes deliberations. If the second chamber passes the bill with amendments, it returns to the first chamber for reconsideration. This process can continue until a bill fails in either chamber or passes both chambers in identical language.

When a bill passes both chambers, it becomes the final bill and moves to the governor general who has 14 days to concur or veto it. A bill with the governor general's concurrence becomes a law and goes to the regent for assent. If the governor general vetoes the bill, he must tell congress why, typically done through a warrant of veto (orden de veto). Congress may use the explanation in the warrant to initiate an amendment to the bill in either chamber which must, then, follow the normal legislative process. The People's Assembly may override the governor general's veto within 30 days by a two-thirds majority vote of all delegates which passes the bill into law and sends it to the regent for assent.

The regent has seven days to assent to the new law. Assenting to the bill also serves as of the law with immediate effect unless a later date is specified in law. There is no statutory provision for the regent to withhold assent so the law is automatically promulgated after seven days if the regent fails to act. The regent may defer assent, however, which will trigger a public on the law to be held on the first Sunday at least 30 days from the deferral date. Direct voting resulting in popular support of 60% or more for the law promulgates it with effect seven days after the voting day. If the law fails to achieve at least 60% support, it is rescinded and withdrawn.

Privileges
Although members of congress had been able to perform their duties in chambers without meddling through long-standing convention, the Precepts Concerning the Nation codified this in 1673. They are specifically "protected from obstruction, interference, intimidation, and molestation" in chambers or any official meeting whether of the whole or any part of congress. A 1740 amendment to the Precepts ensures protections for non-treasonous speech as part of their official duties, both verbal and written, whether in chambers, in committee, or elsewhere, even if malicious, patently defamatory, or false in nature. The amendment also exempts members from jury duty or being compelled to testify in contravention of privileged speech or actions taken in the furtherance of their official duties. Members are also shielded from arrest for violations of technicalities of duchy law in the conduct of their official duties. They are, however, subject to arrest for committing common felonies, such as murder, theft, and other crimes recognized as being universal in nature.