Fleet Constitution

The Fleet Council

The Fleet Council is the legislative authority of the Ninth Fleet. It alone has the power to make laws, rules, regulations, or measures that bind the whole or part of the Fleet, in such a way that they would constitute an administrative burden on Fleet Members or their time.

The Fleet Council shall comprise:
a. The Joint Fleet Executive.
b. The Games Group Directors.
c. The Director of the Office of Communications
d. The Director of the Office of Lore & Technology.
The Fleet Council shall have the following specific powers:
a. To establish and amend the Manual for Player Disputes and Conflict Resolution to govern the Mediation and Arbitration process.
b. To approve Fleet policies, regulations, or measures.
c. To approve or reject departmental reports.
d. To create, amend or delete awards, and approve special awards.
e. To alter the membership of the Council.
f. To grant or revoke specific executive authority.
g. To ratify the appointment to the Joint Fleet Executive.
h. To override or amend a decision of the Mediation and Arbitration process with the consent of Joint Fleet Executive.
i. To approve Fleet Academy courses and their materials.
j. To approve binding and non-binding Fleet canon material.
Each member of the Fleet Council is required to submit a monthly report, published on the Fleet website, outlining their activities for that month.
A monthly report shall be deemed to be automatically approved unless a Fleet Council Member demand a poll.
The Joint Fleet Executive shall have the power to determine the procedures and rules for the Fleet Council, shall perform the administrative duties of the Fleet Council and be responsible for maintaining a Register of Votes and Proceedings, and for ensuring compliance with the Fleet Constitution.

Proposals and Voting

The Council may delegate its powers to a Committee which shall consist in the majority of Fleet Council Members, with representation from Game Managers, other postholders in the Fleet, and Players, as necessary. For such a delegation of authority to occur, a proposal to delegate must be tabled and no less than 75% of the council should agree to the decision to delegate. Such Committees are subject to the oversight of the full Council via regular reporting from the Council member nominated as Chair.
Proposals shall be laid before the Fleet Council only by the members of the Council.
If a proposal is considered major and has been submitted to the Fleet Council for a vote, it shall be submitted for comment to the Game Managers of the Fleet unless it is deemed not to concern them. Any comments made by the Game Managers of the Fleet must be considered by the Council.
The Joint Fleet Executive has the power to require a potential proposal to be referred to a committee of the Fleet Council to determine whether the consent of the Fleet Council is required. A referral to committee does not impact on the ultimate right of a Council Member to table a proposal.
Upon the submission of a proposal, a poll shall be opened. A poll shall close once all Council Members have voted or the time-limit expires. Polls shall be open for one week or less in the case of the whole council voting within the 7-day period. Council Members must vote in all polls unless excused by leave of absence or on the direction of the Joint Fleet Executive. Each Fleet Council Member shall have one vote.
The Fleet Council shall comment and vote upon the proposal. If at the end of the poll has not been closed, it shall be closed, and the matter shall deem to be approved unless:
- At the time of its close, the poll was in the negative or tied
- Twenty-five percent of the Council demand the proposal be deferred for another 3 days
If a Fleet Council member feels they have a conflict of interest in a matter, they should declare that to the Fleet Council. The Joint Fleet Executive shall decide if they may vote or discuss the matter and may exempt them from the voting requirement if necessary.

Unanimous Consent Procedure

The Fleet Council, when not acting on a major Proposal, may pass orders and decisions under the Unanimous Consent procedure. For a matter to be laid before the Council under the Unanimous Consent procedure, the Joint Fleet Executive must certify it as appropriate for the procedure before it is laid before the Council.
Proposed orders or decisions under the following provisions shall be subject to the Unanimous Consent procedure:
a. Rejection of departmental reports.
b. Grant of special awards.
c. Ratification of an appointment to the Joint Fleet Command.
d. Approval of ship and technology submissions.
e. Creation, amendment, or deletion of awards.
f. Approval of Fleet Academy courses and their materials.
g. Other matters, where the original Measures has specifically granted the Council the power to amend the Measure by Unanimous Consent procedure and not by full Proposal.
If a matter is laid before the Council and the Joint Fleet Executive or Proposer informs the Council that the Unanimous Consent procedure is in effect, then 4 days after the matter was laid before the Council, it shall be deemed to have been passed by the Council without objection.
If any Councillor objects before the 4-day period is up, then a full vote of the Council must be held.

The Fleet Executive

The Fleet Executive is the executive authority of the Ninth Fleet. It has the power to represent the Fleet externally, superintend over the execution of the Fleet’s laws, rules, and regulations and to appoint officials.
The authority of the Fleet Executive is split into General Authority (which rests with the Joint Fleet Executive) and Specific Authority (which is delegated to post holders for specific purposes). No Fleet Member may exercise authority unless they have the right to do so under this Structure.
Post holders may delegate their authority to other officers or officials within their area of authority. This delegation does not absolve the post holder from responsibility and any acts done by their subordinates are accountable to them.
The Fleet Executive has the following specific powers:
a. Formulation of Fleet-Wide policies.
b. Appointment of Fleet staff.
c. Implementation of Fleet Council orders, directives, and policies.
d. Admission and expulsion of Fleet members.
e. Admission and expulsion of units from the Fleet.
f. Submission of departmental reports.
g. Responsibility for Fleet Operations.
h. Determination of ranks and commands.
Specific authority is delegated to the following for the specific purpose of administering and managing their Directorates:
a. The Game Group Directors.
b. The Director of the Office of Internet Services.
c. The Director of the Office of Communications.
d. The Director of the Obsidian Fleet Academy.
e. The Director of the Office of Lore and Technology.

Amendment

The Fleet Council may amend the constitution