Legislative Proposals, Executive Actions, Governor Actions

[matthewyoung123]

Happy to help. Forgive me if some of these are ideas you've already put into the game.  I'm a late comer to this.

I'm originally from Georgia, but have lived in NC for more than a decade so I'll go with what I know from NC.

I know that NC passed this law early in its history.  It may be something that can be proposed for state legislation.https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fraudulent_Conveyances_Act_1571  Something about not being able to defraud creditors.  Wasn't repealed (overridden) until the late 20th century!

Another NC Law from 1776- "That no freeman shall be convicted of any crime, but by the unanimous verdict of a jury of good lawful men, in open court, as heretofore used."  Free men of color with sufficient property were also allowed to vote.

Not sure if you have this later on, but maybe limiting the vote to property owners only, OR to universal male suffrage. 

For many years, the states were not exactly equal on who could and couldn't cast a ballot.  Also, not sure it matters here, but for many years the NC Governor had almost no power without the consent of the legislature.  I actually think the legislature selected the Governor until the mid 1830's in NC.  In some states, the legislature was VERY powerful, more so than the Governor's office.  So perhaps bills the propose more or less power to the Governors or Legislatures.  It's a ongoing battle for power between those two branches at many levels of government.

For 1800-1900 laws, sorry to say, but Jim Crow era laws should probably be included; poll taxes, grandfather clauses, literacy tests, etc.  I do not support these at all, but they are historically correct for many states, not just Southern ones.  Also, Indian Removal laws should be in there somewhere, by state or by executive order. 

Obviously there should be both benefits and consequences to these laws and the time at which they are passed.

Let me think on the other stuff.  Thanks!

 

[OrangeP47]

I know you already have the National Road, or, at least I've seen the first phase of it pass in the play-test, from MD to OH.  IRL my county is named for the National Road, and it ends very near here, in a former state capital, but it only ends there because they ran out of funds and didn't feel like authorizing it further, as railroads were taking off.  I presume there's more in the game in regards to this that could happen, such as actually extending it to St. Louis.  I imagine getting a bridge across the River South of the Missouri 20 years ahead of the historical timeline would be a pretty big deal.

[jvikings1]

For future legislative proposals:

1. Collegiate Name, Image, Likeness legislation (could also be a governor's action, but that might be a little too much in the weeds). After the Supreme Court case NCAA v Alston, this has been the big thing in college sports (and some think just a step on the way to full pay for college athletes). Probably the biggest political development in sports for some time, though Congress has not passed anything quite yet.

2. Legislation mandating pay for college athletes. It is something that has been talked about and is likely to only gain more steam as the years go on. This could also be a hypothetical supreme court case too.

[vcczar]

51 minutes ago, OrangeP47 said:

I know you already have the National Road, or, at least I've seen the first phase of it pass in the play-test, from MD to OH.  IRL my county is named for the National Road, and it ends very near here, in a former state capital, but it only ends there because they ran out of funds and didn't feel like authorizing it further, as railroads were taking off.  I presume there's more in the game in regards to this that could happen, such as actually extending it to St. Louis.  I imagine getting a bridge across the River South of the Missouri 20 years ahead of the historical timeline would be a pretty big deal.

I have it where it can extend to IL and to New Orleans. 

[OrangeP47]

13 minutes ago, vcczar said:

I have it where it can extend to IL and to New Orleans. 

A brief search seems to suggest the plan was to actually go all the way to Independence, MO (so the KS border), but Vandalia is just where the funds ran out.  So maybe another tier, just thinking out loud.

[vcczar]

8 minutes ago, OrangeP47 said:

A brief search seems to suggest the plan was to actually go all the way to Independence, MO (so the KS border), but Vandalia is just where the funds ran out.  So maybe another tier, just thinking out loud.

Ok, Sounds good. I'll do that. 

[OrangeP47]

1 minute ago, vcczar said:

Ok, Sounds good. I'll do that. 

Oh, small correction, I had Oregon Trail on the brain apparently.  It's Jefferson City, MO, not Independence.  Still Missouri.  Just double checked.  Congress authorized the extension to there in May 1820, and funds ran out in Vandalia in 1839.

[Duritz78]

Please remember, I'm not American so how realistic they are, I'll defer to those who have studied US history in more depth but from my limited reading...

 

Federal funding for Pony Express (which ran a loss and closed within a year I believe - maybe a chance of QOL improvement v a chance of an economic loss),

Trans continental railway (Federal speeding up construction providing a QOL v Economic payoff; Gov action for a group of Mid western states on where it meets with proposal providing an economic payoff for increased trade)

Improvement of internal waterways ( I recall this was specifically banned by the Confederate States Constitution so it must have been an issue for a few Southern states leading to actions - but I don't know why).

Can individual states grant voting rights to Indians and/or women for state elections? This may be too difficult to model in the game but it may allow Women to run for Gov even if they can't run for Fed office. Maybe give them access to career tracks even though they can't yet run for office. For historical context -  In Australia some Colonies gave women the right to vote before Federation leading to the situation where women could vote in state elections but not Federally. NSW gave women the vote at a state level after they had the right Federally. Related but different, NZ gave women the right to vote in 1890 but not the right to stand until after 1900.

Edited March 21, 2022 by Duritz78

[Arkansas Progressive]

1 hour ago, Duritz78 said:

Can individual states grant voting rights to Indians and/or women for state elections?

This happend historically in CO and other populist states before federal suffrage was enacted.

For CC legislation, inviting other Crown colonies to join the continential congress could result in additional states after the Revolutionary War is won. 

For gov actions between 1800-1900 there's always fugative slave laws, railway ownership bills, and taxes to enact.

[vcczar]

9 hours ago, Duritz78 said:

Please remember, I'm not American so how realistic they are, I'll defer to those who have studied US history in more depth but from my limited reading...

 

Federal funding for Pony Express (which ran a loss and closed within a year I believe - maybe a chance of QOL improvement v a chance of an economic loss),

Trans continental railway (Federal speeding up construction providing a QOL v Economic payoff; Gov action for a group of Mid western states on where it meets with proposal providing an economic payoff for increased trade)

Improvement of internal waterways ( I recall this was specifically banned by the Confederate States Constitution so it must have been an issue for a few Southern states leading to actions - but I don't know why).

Can individual states grant voting rights to Indians and/or women for state elections? This may be too difficult to model in the game but it may allow Women to run for Gov even if they can't run for Fed office. Maybe give them access to career tracks even though they can't yet run for office. For historical context -  In Australia some Colonies gave women the right to vote before Federation leading to the situation where women could vote in state elections but not Federally. NSW gave women the vote at a state level after they had the right Federally. Related but different, NZ gave women the right to vote in 1890 but not the right to stand until after 1900.

I have all of this except for Native American voting by state. The reason I can't really include this is because it doesn't apply to all the states. All gov action, as they currently are, are the same for every state. The main reason for this is because when I started making the game 3 years ago, the Governors were the lowest priority in the game (in some sense this is still true). I included governors only because many governors run for president. I really didn't want to include them. Initially, I only had governor elections and the governor's had no other function than to handle ratifying amendments. I then decided to give them some token things to do, and this expanded over time. Maybe at some point each state will have unique things they can do, but I have much higher priorities right now and limited time. I'd have to research each state individually in depth for their entire histories to get their unique actions. If I do have time, once the rules are finalized ( @MrPotatoTed) and I go through another draft of everything and the bios get done, and I have nothing on the "to do" list, then this is something I can see myself doing.  

7 hours ago, Arkansas Progressive said:

This happend historically in CO and other populist states before federal suffrage was enacted.

For CC legislation, inviting other Crown colonies to join the continential congress could result in additional states after the Revolutionary War is won. 

For gov actions between 1800-1900 there's always fugative slave laws, railway ownership bills, and taxes to enact.

I've done all of this except for railway ownership bills and state-based fugitive slave acts. 

[matthewyoung123]

Something I'd like to suggest for legislative actions early on- creation of the National Lighthouse Bureau.  Establishing and maintaining light houses along the coast was vital to the continued prosperity of naval commerce. 

Also, perhaps the creation of the Life Saving Service, a very early forerunner of the modern day Coast Guard.

Thanks!

[vcczar]

15 hours ago, matthewyoung123 said:

Something I'd like to suggest for legislative actions early on- creation of the National Lighthouse Bureau.  Establishing and maintaining light houses along the coast was vital to the continued prosperity of naval commerce. 

Also, perhaps the creation of the Life Saving Service, a very early forerunner of the modern day Coast Guard.

Thanks!

Good ideas. I have the Lighthouse legislation that Washington assigned to establish and maintain lighthouses. On a personal note, one of my ancestors was a lighthouse keeper in Ipswich, Massachusetts in 1840s-1860s.

[jnewt]

Sorry I haven't been following as closely as I'd like to, but here are some things I thought of:

• Legalization of all drugs
• Legalization of sports gambling
• Abolition of American football
• Development of high speed rail
• Abolition of single-family zoning
• Cryptocurrency regulation
• Maximum wage
• Bigamy laws
• Chinese exclusion act

[bradleyg223]

This is more flavor than anything, but I think it might be neat to have legislation regarding the National Anthem.

Allow a few different options that might stir up or antagonize different groups. Some options could be:

• Hail Columbia
• America the Beautiful
• My Country, 'Tis Of Thee
• Battle Hymn of the Republic
• Battle Cry of Freedom
• Dixie
• This Land is Your Land

[Timur]

2 hours ago, bradleyg223 said:

This is more flavor than anything, but I think it might be neat to have legislation regarding the National Anthem.

Allow a few different options that might stir up or antagonize different groups. Some options could be:

• Hail Columbia
• America the Beautiful
• My Country, 'Tis Of Thee
• Battle Hymn of the Republic
• Battle Cry of Freedom
• Dixie
• This Land is Your Land

You could also add  "Chester", "God Bless America", "Lift Every Voice and Sing," "You're a Grand Old Flag", "The Liberty Song", "Yankee Doodle", "The Stars and Stripes Forever", and "Rise Columbia".

Edited March 28, 2022 by Timur

[Arkansas Progressive]

More fluff legislation

Governor actions

• Organize statues (at most 2) to be sculpted and sent to Statuary Hall

Legis Props

• Dedicate Statuary Hall
• Name National Park in (State) after (Politician)
• Rename River
• Rename Lake (major lakes)

[matthewyoung123]

1st, 2nd, and 3rd Federal System of Coastal Fortifications

Is the creation of Coastal Fortifications in the legislation already?

"First System of American Seacoast Defense was born by an act of Congress on March 20, 1794."

This could aid in "military preparedness" but it would certainly impact economically since the costs of designing and building this system of forts was expensive and had to be maintained.

Then, there was the creation of the Second System of Forts.  See below from the NPS-

"With the conclusion of the Quasi-War with France in 1800, American concern about seacoast defenses began to wane as European powers fought with one another. With the threat of foreign invasion diminished, the public's focus shifted to domestic issues. Notably attention turned westward as the Northwest Territory of modern-day Ohio, Illinois, and Indiana and the newly acquired land from the Louisiana Purchase (1803) extended the American frontier beyond the Appalachian Mountains and toward the Mississippi River.  However, by 1807 the Napoleonic Wars spilled into American waters. France and Great Britain's repeated offenses against American trade, threatened the United States' neutrality and sovereignty. Both countries prohibited neutral countries to trade with the other and Great Britain continuously stopped American ships in search for Royal Navy deserters. The Chesapeake Incident of 1807, possibly the best known occurrence of these offenses, brought Americans attention back to coastal defense. Five months after the Chesapeake Incident, Congress authorized three million dollars for the construction of a second system of American seacoast defenses."

And after the War of 1812, in 1816, there was again another system, the 3rd, to be approved by Congress for coastal defense.  Each time, new locations were added, defenses were improved, and new cannons were placed.  I wonder if this is something that states with a coast could "lobby" for when this legislation comes up, almost like an early version of pork spending?

In 1816, the "nation created a broad national defense strategy that included a new generation of waterfront defenses called the Third System of Coastal Fortifications.  The Board of Engineers for Fortifications, a committee of officers, met in 1816 to make a plan for national defense. They recommended the government maintain a strong navy, a standing army and reserve militia, a system of paved roads and canals to move troops and supplies, and a network of coastal forts. Each of these pieces relied upon the other to protect the nation from future foreign invasions."

"Unlike First and Second system forts built between 1794–1812, Third System forts had durable construction materials and uniformity. Brick and stone forts were more resilient to time, nature, and battles. Masonry materials also allowed engineers to include essential features into their plans. Two important features included bombproof rooms, called casemates, and cannon openings, or embrasures. Casemates also provided stability, allowing engineers to build forts up to four stories. Sailing ships were no match for these titans of masonry capable of mounting 100 or more cannon."

"The 42 coastal forts were uniquely American. No other country had developed a coastal fortifications program like the Third System. The program was a massive undertaking, but one believed to be necessary to national defense."

References-

https://www.nps.gov/fosu/learn/historyculture/first-system-forts.htm

https://files.nc.gov/ncparks/maps-and-brochures/fort-macon-state-park-fort-brochure.pdf

https://www.nps.gov/fosu/learn/historyculture/second-system-forts.htm

https://www.nps.gov/articles/third-system-forts.htm

 

 

[Timur]

On 3/29/2022 at 12:13 AM, Arkansas Progressive said:

More fluff legislation

Governor actions

• Organize statues (at most 2) to be sculpted and sent to Statuary Hall

Legis Props

• Dedicate Statuary Hall
• Name National Park in (State) after (Politician)
• Rename River
• Rename Lake (major lakes)

Now wait till we have a Trump National Park. Definitely not controversial. :P

[vcczar]

5 hours ago, Timur said:

Now wait till we have a Trump National Park. Definitely not controversial. 😛

I'll be very surprised if he has an sort of public land named after him ever, except maybe in a very small--very right wing populist town. He won't have any major national park. He won't have anything in a major city or capital after him. He's basically having to exile his legacy to NJ and FL. He's supposed to have his library and grave on his golf course. No one else will take him.  

[Pringles]

5 hours ago, vcczar said:

I'll be very surprised if he has an sort of public land named after him ever, except maybe in a very small--very right wing populist town. He won't have any major national park. He won't have anything in a major city or capital after him. He's basically having to exile his legacy to NJ and FL. He's supposed to have his library and grave on his golf course. No one else will take him.  

https://www.usnews.com/news/best-states/nevada/articles/2021-08-05/rural-nevada-lawmakers-vote-to-name-county-complex-for-trump

 

Definitely right about right wing populist towns... 😛