First Ordinary Session of the Congress of People's Councils convenes; People's Commissioner and Central Executive Committee elected

Newly elected officers of the Central People's Government, from left to right: People's Commissioner K. Riley Hewitt, Central Executive Committee Chair Brooklyn Hewitt, and Central Executive Committee members Gaia Pacifice and Savannah Wellman.

The Congress of People's Councils of the New Richmond Republic concluded its 1st Ordinary Session on the 9th of August, electing the other organs and officers of the Central People's Government and enacting various laws.

​The session - the first of its kind in the fledgling Republic's history - was held in accordance with the recently-enacted Basic Law's requirement for an ordinary session in the summer. The session reported a turnout of 100% of all delegates. The Congress of People's Councils is the supreme organ of state power and the highest decision-making body of the Republic, and is vested with various unique powers such as the right to elect all other officers and organs of the Central People's Government.

Comrade Brooklyn Hewitt served as presiding officer for the session. She opened the Congress with brief remarks, calling for delegates to "not lose sight of [their] responsibility to [their] fellow citizens," reaffirmed the duty of the Blair Mountain League to defend the foundational principles of "socialism, equality, protection for the disparaged, refuge for the marginalized, and fierce opposition to reaction and bigotry of all sorts," and proclaimed that the Central People's Government "must live up to the spirit of the Blair Mountain revolt and the July Revolution."

The Congress proceeded to its first order of business: the election of the Central Executive Committee and the People's Commissioner of the Republic (the ceremonial head of state and symbol of national unity). Comrade Brooklyn was elected Chair of the CEC, Foreign and Military Minister, and Economic Minister; Comrade Gaia Pacifice was elected Culture and Arts Minister, and Comrade Savannah Wellman was elected Home Minister. Comrade K. Riley Hewitt was elected as People's Commissioner. All elections were unanimous and without competing nominations.

Following elections, Comrade Brooklyn presented the legislative program of the Blair Mountain League for deliberation and voting by the Congress. All bills within the program were enacted unanimously by the Congress and have since been signed by the People's Commissioner. The statutes enacted were:

• the Economic Development and Planning Act of 2021, which lays the foundation of a socialist economy under the direction and planning of the Ministry for Economic Development and Fiscal Affairs. Economic production will be done through "state cooperative entities," which are workers' cooperatives based on collective ownership and workers' self-management through elective management. The Ministry will be responsible for supervising and coordinating the operations of the SCEs, planning economic development through year plans, ensuring the equitable distribution of food produced by the SCEs, providing venues for the sale of goods and services at home and abroad, and compiling reports on the status of the economy to the Congress of People's Councils.
• the National Symbols Act of 2021, which proclaims various national symbols and reaffirms those which were proclaimed under the Provisional People's Government. Among those symbols recognized are a rewritten version of "Which Side Are You On?" by Appalachian union activist Florence Reece as the national anthem, the Virginian opossum and the northern cardinal as national animals, and Ale-8-One as the national non-alcoholic beverage.
• the Corps of Revolutionary Guards Act of 2021, which authorizes the Ministry of Foreign and Military Affairs to recruit and organize a standing armed force known as the Corps of Revolutionary Guards.
• the National Holidays Act of 2021, which proclaims various national holidays such as Independence Day on the 2nd of August, the Day of the July Revolution on the 29th of July, the Day of Remembrance for the Battle of Blair Mountain on the 2nd of September, and the Day of Freedom from Imperialism on the 11th of February.
• the State Awards Act of 2021, which proclaims the establishment of various state awards to be awarded to individuals and groups. Those awards established are the Order of the July Revolution to be "awarded to individuals or groups who have aided in the progression of the cause of Socialism in the New Richmond Republic, the other New Virginian states, and throughout the world," the Order of Blair Mountain to be "awarded to individuals or groups in recognition of meritorious accomplishments within the Republic and abroad," and the Order of Camaraderie to be "awarded to individuals or groups which have demonstrated exceptional friendship to the New Richmond Republic and its people."

Following the conclusion of ordinary business, Comrade Brooklyn opened the floor for discussion regarding various topics. Among those discussed were plans for the first SCE under the Economic Development and Planning Act, negotiations of an alliance and heritage association for the various New Virginian states, joining the Borean Community, and ratifying the Augusta Accord. 

The Congress of People's Councils will not convene in ordinary session until this winter; until then, the Central Executive Committee may legislate through Decrees which are subject to later approval by the Congress. Should the need arise, the Congress may convene in extraordinary session by order of at least two People's Councils or by order of the Central Executive Committee.