Senate announcement
I thank my Senate for authorizing the construction of the new army and making a disbursement of 50 Thrones to arrange the necessary purchases. As we are concluding this session with my announcement, I hereby declare the immediate disbursement of an additional 180 Thrones from the Imperial treasury to Cassus of Highguard so that he may arrange the construction of the new Highborn army in a timely manner.
Varkula, The ThroneOverview
Some Imperial titles, like The Throne have the authority to use one or more of the powers of the Imperial Senate, without requiring a motion be passed by the chamber. To use these powers, the title holder must make an announcement in the Senate first.
The announcement serves three purposes, it allows the civil service to receive formal notification of the use of the power, so that they can arrange the appropriate support. It gives the Senate oversight of the use of any powers that they have delegated in this way. And finally - and most critically - it ensures that the Imperial Synod retain the ability to veto the announcement if they wish.
Limitations
Veto
An announcement is legally considered to be equivalent to a motion. General Assembly of the Imperial Synod may veto one motion per Imperial summit; or they may instead veto a single announcement exactly as if it were a regular majority vote. If an announcement is vetoed by the Imperial Synod then the holder may not make an announcement which is functionally the same until the next summit. The Throne may veto any number of Senate motions - but they may only veto the announcement at the point where it is made.
No Control
Although the Speaker may occasionally allow a short period of time to discuss an announcement in the Senate, no vote of any kind is permitted. Once powers have been delegated to an Imperial title by the Senate, then they cannot impose limitations on how those powers are used. Only the Synod can veto the use of a power that has been announced in the Senate.
On rare occasions, the Senate has acted swiftly to strip a title of its legal powers in a session following an announcement but before the end of the summit. The legal position in these cases is clear, the power has been legally exercised and the use that has been announced will still go ahead. It is not possible to abrogate an announcement.
Procedure
Raising an announcement
An Imperial citizen who wishes to announce the use of one of the Senate powers that has been delegated to them must confirm this to the Speaker for the Senate in writing, exactly as if they were presenting a senate motion. A terse summary of what will be announced is appropriate. The Speaker will add the item to the agenda for the next session.
Announcements can be presented to the Speaker at any time, but the civil service usually reject an announcement brought to them less than two hours before a session is due to begin, unless there is a very good reason for it.
The citizen should ensure that they are present at the chamber throughout the session, as they may be called at any time. They may only enter the chamber once called, and must leave when their announcement is concluded.
Presentation
The citizen making an announcement must state clearly and succinctly what actions they are undertaking - including any details that are relevant and may be of interest to citizens of the Empire.
Debate
After the announcement is complete, the Speaker may allow some time for members of the Senate to ask questions and for the speaker to reply.
Further Reading
- Saga - a category that contains summaries of significant events in recent history