Final session of Third Congress adopts Second Amendment and various Acts; MEDFA announces Second Annual Economic Plan

The Second Ordinary Session of the Third Congress of People's Councils has concluded its business after enacting the Second Amendment to the Second Basic Law and various acts; concurrently, the Ministry of Economic Development and Fiscal Affairs announced the Second Annual Economic Plan.

The Second Amendment, adopted unanimously by Congress and thereafter granted consent by the respected Mother Hewitt as People's Commissioner, instituted major reforms to the administration of NRR land and political rights of citizens.

​The amendment recognized the two cantons - Old Roanoke (formerly known as Meditullia) and Campestria - as sovereign and historical republican entities, exercising their sovereignty in communion with and under the supremacy of the federal sovereignty of the Republic.

​Cantons now possess the right institute their own cantonal constitutions with the consent of the local people's councils and to elect their own cantonal assemblies of deputies to exercise legislative authority; furthermore, the cantonal governors now possess the sole authority to appoint the sheriffs of counties (formerly called territories), a responsibility formerly held by the federal Ministry of Home Affairs. Cantonal governments, however, are not permitted to establish courts or adopt legislation regarding economic planning, foreign affairs, or state security, and no cantonal constitution or law can contradict the Basic Law or other federal statutes.

In recognition of the newly federal nature of the Republic, and as an homage to the defunct Confederation of Amager from which New Richmonder society is descended, the Central Executive Committee was renamed as the Federal Council by the amendment; its function and composition have remained unchanged.

The Second Amendment also lowered the minimum age to join the Blair Mountain League - and, therefore, to become a voting member of people's councils and become eligible for election to federal and cantonal offices - from the original eighteen years to sixteen. The Revolutionary Committee of the Blair Mountain League issued an extraordinary amendment to the Party Constitution in recognition of this change in federal law.​

​The Blair Mountain League presented three bills as part of its legislative program: the Naturalization Act of 2022, which established a robust process of naturalization for prospective citizens; the National Holidays Act of 2022, and the Apportionment of Delegates (Fourth Congress) Act of 2022. All three were adopted unanimously by Congress, which also voted unanimously to uphold the now Federal Council's Decree on Foreign Policy.

Following the conclusion of legislative business, the Ministry of Economic Development and Fiscal Affairs presented its Second Annual Economic Plan for the 2022-2023 planning period to the Congress. The plan incorporated two new state workers' cooperatives - Joe Kennedy State Whiskey Bartenders' Cooperative and Kristie's Crafts State Printers' Cooperative - and set the National Development Fund's annual fundraising goal at $600 USD. Also included in the plan is the announcement that the Ministry is drafting legislation to institute a quarterly tax (which it intends to propose at the first session of the upcoming Fourth Congress) and the Ministry's plans for disseminating money to other government agencies, cantonal and local governments, and the state workers' cooperatives.

The Ordinary Session's minutes will be released in the coming days on this page.