Faction Until Morale Improves | THR Senate

[Verity Stuyveris]

THE SENATE​

"Madam Chancellor, esteemed colleagues," Verity began, economical in both words and movements as she stood straight in her pod, slowly orbiting the Chancellor's podium. "I rise this morning to formally introduce the Displaced Persons Relief and Resettlement Act. This bill is designed to supplement existing High Republic laws regarding immigration and refugee to account for the realities that are faced by individuals fleeing the Core and other devastated regions -- to wit: being unable to offer a complete package of documents currently required due to the documents being either inaccessible or destroyed because of the current violence being perpetuated by the Sith Covenant and the Sith Order. The Bill offers common sense solutions, recognizing these realities, by providing an avenue for refugees to enter our Republic with slightly relaxed documentation requirements, while at the same time requiring robust security vetting and safeguards to ensure that the nation's efforts to address the matter of refugees is not take advantage of by bad actors."

Verity shifted her weight, one foot to the other, the motion all but imperceptible in her simple dress. "The Bill leverages existing security, law enforcement, national security, and immigration and border enforcement agencies, financial incentive channels, and other resources. It creates no new agencies and it recognizes the Chancellor's executive prerogatives and imposes no additional burdensome oversight requirements. Nothing within the Bill obligates member world participation. The Bill is designed to provide a tool in the Chancellor's toolbox which she may reach for -- or not -- as per her best judgment."

"I reserve the remainder of my time and yield."

Spoiler: Summary of S.B. 7005: The Displaced Persons Relief and Resettlement Act

• Allows (but does not require) the Chancellor or a designee to identify 'Designated Crisis Zones' (DCZs), refugees from which are eligible for entry into the High Republic under slightly relaxed documentation requirements in recognition that access to official documents in violent warzones or other catastrophically impacted areas may be limited.
• Requires the publication of basic quarterly reporting to include data and statistics on displaced persons, resettlement outcomes, and security audits.
• Requires refugees utilizing this program to comply with intensive security controls, including the collection of biometric data, background reporting and screening, immigration interviews, and the requirement to carry documentation and report to refugee authorities on an ongoing basis.
• Imposes penalties, including deportation, for individuals entering the High Republic under this program who are convicted of crimes while present in the High Republic.
• Provides broad discretion to the Chancellor for national security considerations, including:
  • The authority to suspend the program, if implemented, for up to 90 days at a time with notification to the Senate, which can be extended indefinitely in 90-day increments
  • The authority to review and redact quarterly reporting prior to publication for national security purposes. Notwithstanding this provision, the Senate shall have access to unredacted quarterly reporting subject to existing classification regulations.
• Does not create new ministries, departments, or agencies.
• Does not impose Senate oversight over the Executive Branch, beyond the right to receive quarterly reports and review/debate but not override the Chancellor's decision to suspend the program once implemented.

@Senators​

 

[Lex]

Verity Stuyveris

He focused on the pad for this one. Made sure to read the ins and outs of the proposal rather than lean on his aide. Not because he didn't want to but because unlike the last few bills proposed, this was a bill that actually mattered. This was, if he was to accomplish anything, exactly the kind of bill that Lex was into office to pass.

Displaced Persons Relief and Resettlement Act. The DPRaR Act. There wasn't even a stupid acronym for this one. Lex glanced over the rim of his pad towards Stuyveris as she announced the bill. He had only been here for a short while but it was increasingly clear she was one of the big players in the room. She wasn't afraid to turn an idea into a bill and see what stuck around. He could admire that approach.

From the looks of things it was a bill that could help Nubia a lot. He wasn't aware of how many others were senators and in truth he didn't care. His people had voted for him and on this day they would be heard.

"As I understand, this proposes a way for current member worlds to essentially volunteer as worlds that would accept refugees from the war." Lex's voice boomed across the senate. His aide lowered his voice again. He glared towards Column 53 and shook his head. Idiots.

"Am I correct in this assumption?"

 

[Ayumi Pallopides]

Verity Stuyveris

Ayumi sat perfectly centered in her repulsor pod, her frame projecting a warm, welcoming and architectural elegance that matched the atmosphere of the Senate. She was dressed in a pristine white command blazer, a garment of sharp lines and structured shoulders that showed amazing and disciplined tailoring. The fabric was a heavy, materia silk that resisted wrinkling even as she shifted, accented by thick gold piping along the lapels and cuffs that caught the shifting light of the rotunda. Beneath the jacket, she wore a high-collared ivory dress secured by a band that was doing all of the work, a choice that projected an image of professionalism

Her lightly bronzed copper skin appeared radiant against the stark white of her attire, a natural glow that remained constant under the artificial neon of the legislative dome. Her straight, dark-honey hair was meticulously bound in tight mission braids, ensuring that the golden-threaded strands remained out of her face as she leaned over her holographic terminal. Ayumi's deep honey eyes, flecked with sharp amber, scanned the text of the Displaced Persons Relief and Resettlement Act with efficiency. While she remained silent during the initial presentation, her focus was entirely on the mechanical vulnerabilities of the bill. To her, the bill could be seen as dangerous as a live thermal detonator but they said the same thing for her last bill so.

She adjusted her seated position, her waist-length braids shifting against the gold-trimmed white fabric of her outfit as she began to rise and the repulsor pod came forward with a look. "The Senator Stuyveris intent is noble, but the mechanics of this bill are porous," Ayumi began, her voice projecting with a neutral care edged clarity that cut through the low hum of the pod. She adjusted a gold cuff, her movements precise and devoid of wasted energy. "I am submitting two amendments to address the 'Designated Crisis Zones' framework. First, the reliance on existing security vetting is a fantasy when we are dealing with systems currently being dismantled by the Sith."

She said it but was looking to make sure her tone was fine... she wasn't against it. She rarely saw Verity's bills as unneeded as some would imply. "I move that we mandate a tertiary biometric sweep conducted by Judicial Forces for any individual lacking a verifiable digital footprint. If the home-world database is dark, we do not simply 'relax' our standards; we shift the burden of proof to a localized forensic audit. We are opening a door, not inviting a breach, and I would like the language of Section Two to reflect that distinction." She looked around, the gold lines of her dress catching the light as she watched the reactions on the surrounding pods.

"Furthermore," she continued, her voice came out with a small movement, "the Chancellor's ninety-day suspension power is insufficient without a mandatory 'Deep-Freeze' clause. If this program is halted due to a confirmed security compromise, my amendment requires a retroactive audit of every refugee processed within the preceding sixty days. If a danger has already crossed the threshold under these relaxed rules, a simple pause of the program does nothing to find them. We must have the ability to re-verify every shadow we've let into the refugee sectors.." She said it and was a little tougher but at the same time knew even with all of the security proposed most didn't care.

 

[Verity Stuyveris]

​

"The honorable member for Nubia has the right idea," Verity confirmed. "But if he will indulge me, at the risk of being overly-explanatory, I would stress that the scope of this Bill is necessarily limited to refugees admitted under the terms described -- not all refugees generally. Whatever laws currently govern the settlement of other displaced persons would remain unchanged. The framework applies only to those whose documentation may be incomplete under existing refugee requirements, and those hailing from worlds the Chancellor's office identifies as being within Designated Crisis Zones."

"Some planetary governments may, for example, view the absence of a complete documentation package as an unacceptable security risk, even when counterbalanced with robust vetting." She paused briefly to look around the chamber. "This Bill gives member worlds a choice -- not an obligation -- to accept these refugees."

Verity turned her attention to Ayumi Pallopides , her lips twitching up at the corners, and a nod of friendly recognition crossing between them. Pallopides always had big ideas, and usually valuable ones. "Perhaps my honorable friend the member for Denon would be kind enough to provide a detailed definition of a tertiary biometric sweep that might be workable within this framework. As impressive as it sounds, it is unclear how exactly that would differ from what is being proposed in the original text."

Her hands clasped behind her back. "While I am no stranger to a rhetorical flourish, it borders on mischaracterization to suggest that this legislation suggests a relaxation of standards. It is, rather, a relaxation of some documentary requirements, with a corresponding increase in vetting to assure those who enter under such a protocol do not pose a risk higher than a refugee who enters with, for example, a birth certificate. That being said, if the gentlelady has some textual amendments to suggest -- something more operational than ornamental -- she will find me fully prepared to second her amendment."

"As for the second amendment," Verity said, fingers flexing minutely behind her back as she considered this slightly stickier wicket. "I think the gentlelady knows me well enough by now to know that I appreciate instinct toward caution. But a mandatory, retroactive audit may not be appropriate in all cases. The Chancellor may pause the program, for instance, not in response to a breach but in anticipation of one -- a preventative measure based on credible threat intelligence. That is not necessarily a moment to consume resources chasing phantoms."

Verity's voice softened a measure then, though her posture remained unmoved. "However, I am not opposed in principle to the prudence the amendment demands -- assuming, of course, that we as a body are now comfortable in issuing direct operational mandates to undertake significant action to the Executive Branch."

The pause housed a mild, all but impassive glance toward Dominique Vexx 's podium, her blue eyes flinty, but at this distance there was no way to gauge a reaction. She turned her eyes back to Ayumi Pallopides . "Nothing in this Bill limits the Chancellor from ordering such an audit through her intelligence services, law enforcement, and other executive agencies -- in fact I suspect were it warranted she almost certainly would. But it is unclear to me, as things stand today, the extent to which this body is authorized to direct her or the agencies within her control to act."

Dominique Vexx | Lex | Ayumi Pallopides​

 

[Aurelian Veruna]

Tags: Verity Stuyveris | Lex | Ayumi Pallopides

Aurelian had half the pod turned into a reception lounge. Delegates from Plooriod III lounged around a low table, glasses in hand, plates half-finished. The Senate droned on in the background while business, politics, and mild indulgence blended together.

His old world. The one he had represented before Naboo crowned him king. He did not miss it. Well. Not much.

Aurelian leaned back, watching the chamber rotate slowly around the Chancellor's dais. Plooriod was quiet. Naboo was… Naboo. Elegant headaches and diplomatic theater. Sometimes he missed the simplicity of a world where the most controversial debate was unemployment rates.

The bill caught his attention when the delegates began murmuring. Senator Stuyveris again. He skimmed the proposal on his datapad, one brow lifting slightly. Solid legislation. Humanitarian. Very on brand for Verity. Another attempt to keep the Core crisis front and center in the Senate's mind.

Hard to argue with this one. Plooriod III would opt-in, Naboo would not.

He glanced across the chamber toward Naboo's neighboring pods, eyes briefly searching for Eadu Yittreas . No obvious reaction yet. Pity. Aurelian enjoyed a little political theater with his afternoon drink.

Still, one detail made him pause. The Chancellor could redact portions of the reports. Necessary, perhaps, but it left plenty of room for suspicion later. Secrets had a way of aging badly in the Senate.

He sighed quietly. No drama today, it seemed. Tragic.

Aurelian rose, the motion smooth and unhurried. His pod drifted forward as he spoke, a smile already forming. He knew exactly the look Verity would give him.

"I applaud Senator Stuyveris for finally presenting a well crafted bill. It is refreshing to see a proposal arrive fully assembled rather than stitched together."

He paused just long enough for a few amused glances across the chamber.

"My friends and delegates from Plooriod III have expressed interest in participating in this program. Both Naboo and Plooriod will be voting in favor."

Behind him, the delegates straightened, pleased. "However, I would propose a minor adjustment regarding the sunset clause."

Aurelian folded his hands behind his back, gaze drifting across the Senate. "Five years is a short horizon for a program of this scale. It encourages short term planning and politically convenient decisions. Refugee integration requires stability."

He tilted his head slightly toward Verity's pod. "I propose extending the sunset clause to ten years. A longer term would encourage meaningful resettlement planning and prevent the program from vanishing midstream, leaving those it was meant to protect stranded between systems."

Aurelian let the silence settle for a moment, studying the chamber. Senators calculating. Delegates whispering. "I yield."

He sat again, lifting his glass as the delegation from Plooriod smiled beside him. Ten years of funding would make their little world very happy. And Aurelian, unfortunately for everyone involved, enjoyed making useful friends.

​