Repealed Legislation Contempt of Parliament Act

[Library of Parliament]

Original Legislation:
Passed Bill Link: https://cityrp.org/threads/contempt-of-parliament-act.200/
Final Vote: 9-0-0
Ratified: April 4, 2025
Note: This is a duplicative law. It both amends theParliamentary Procedure Act, but also exists on its own because of the added clause.

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Author: Lysander Lyon, MP
Sponsor: Lysander Lyon, MP

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Contempt of Parliament Act
Preamble: There is a crime for acting in contempt of court, but not for defying Parliamentary orders. This bill remedies that.

1. Short Title and Enactment
(a) This bill shall be referred to as the "Contempt of Parliament Act".
(b) This bill was authored by Lysander Lyon, MP.
(c) This bill serves to amend the Parliamentary Procedure Act.

2. Amendment
(a) The Parliamentary Procedure Act shall be amended to add Section 13.5, which shall state "If an individual should fail to respond to committee inquiry during a hearing within 48 hours of being pinged with questions, with a reminder ping having been given at least 24 hours after having been pinged the first time, a committee member may motion to vote to hold the individual or entity in contempt."
(b) The Parliamentary Procedure Act shall be amended to add Section 13.5a, which shall state "If a committee votes to hold an individual or entity in contempt, the matter shall immediately be relayed to the broader Parliament for a 24 hour vote on whether the individual/entity should be held in contempt. The result will take effect upon a majority in favor of one side or the other."
(c) The Parliamentary Procedure Act shall be amended to add Section 13.6, which shall state "If an individual should fail to respond to a formal Parliamentary inquiry made through a majority-approved motion of Parliament within 48 hours of being pinged with or directly sent the inquiry, with a reminder ping or direct message having been given at least 24 hours after providing the initial inquiry, any Member of Parliament may make a motion to vote to hold the individual or entity in contempt."
(d) The Parliamentary Procedure Act shall be amended to add Section 13.6a, which shall state "When such a motion is made, the matter shall immediately be brought up for a 24 hour vote on whether the individual/entity should be held in contempt. The result will take effect upon a majority in favor of one side or the other."

3. Held In Contempt
(a) If an individual is held in contempt, they shall be ordered to pay a $2,500 fine and serve 10 minutes in jail.
(i) This crime is exempt from the Azalea Isles Criminal Code requirement that crimes with fines of over $1,000 must be charged by a prosecutor.
(b) If an entity is to be held in contempt, Parliament should first attempt to locate the individual responsible for the contempt of Parliament, and consider charging the individual.
(i) If Parliament chooses to hold an entity in contempt, perhaps because multiple representatives have failed to answer questions, the entity shall be fined $5,000.

Enactment: This Act comes into force immediately upon passage.

 

[Library of Parliament]

Repealed and stricken from the laws by the Repeal the Contempt of Parliament Act on September 26, 2026.