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Citizens' Initiatives Assembly Complete Text of Opening Rules

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Preface

The planned constitutional Amendment adopts these Opening Rules for the Assembly. However, the rules are not incorporated into the Amendment so that they can be changed by the People's Initiatives without amending the constitution. In this way, any non-constitutional defects in the Assembly and the Initiative process can be addressed by the People and changed by Initiative to meet their requirements.

The planned constitutional Amendment gives the Assembly broad authority and responsibility to evolve, improve, and meet changing circumstances. To balance this broad authority and responsibility, the Assembly is limited by key rules that can only be changed by Direct Initiative of the People (Part A), or supermajorities of the Assembly (Part B).

These Opening Rules will help to keep the Assembly in reasonable order when it first convenes. However, they be are incomplete and the Assembly will undoubtedly make extensive changes through Direct Initiatives and its own areas of authority. The experiences of each Assembly will accumulate, providing continuity and knowledge for the benefit of future Assemblies.

Rules Index

Rules Text

Part A: Direct Initiative Rules (Assembly Charter)

1. Repair Deficiencies and Confirm Completions

   The Assembly shall use its powers to advance Proposed Candidate Initiatives in order to repair any deficiencies in its initial convocation by the Government and to assure thereafter that it functions in accordance with the intent of the Constitutional Amendment that established it. The Assembly shall advance Candidate Initiatives that enable the People to accept or reject part or all of Governments' completion of their implementation of the Initiatives Amendment and, when satisfied, to stop any further Government actions in this regard.

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2. Definitions

   1. Full Complement of Members: The maximum authorized membership (i.e., it includes absent Members and unfilled seats).

   2. Whole Assembly: The Assembly of all Members at the current session (i.e., it excludes absent Members and unfilled seats).

   3. Simple Majority or Simple Supermajority: Shall be based on the number of votes cast and is the default method of determining the success or failure of a vote unless otherwise specified.

   4. Absolute Majority or Absolute Supermajority: Shall be based on the Full Complement of Members.

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3. Precedence of Assembly Rules
   1. Part A (Initiative) rules can be changed only by a Direct Initiative passed by double majority vote of the Electorate and prevail over Part B and C rules.

   2. Part B (supermajority) rules can be changed only by a two-thirds simple supermajority Assembly vote, and prevail over Part C rules.

   3. Part C (majority) rules can be changed only by an absolute majority Assembly vote.

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4. Direct Democracy Guidelines
   The Citizens' Assembly shall ensure that direct democracy Initiatives comply with the Constitution. In order of priority, it shall focus on advancing Initiatives to:

   1. Check and balance, provide oversight and remedy representative democracy, but not supersede it.

   2. Set policies, principles, objectives and limits so that government shall best benefit the general well-being. In order that the nation's assets shall be available to serve the long-term well-being of the People, the Assembly shall foster:

      1. Reduction in waste for all forms of the nation's assets.

      2. Increasing all forms of the nation's assets.

      3. Promotion of effective efficiency—i.e., doing the right things well for the right objectives.

   3. Resolve issues of importance to the People that the government has not addressed adequately, because, for example, government:

      1. Is politically unable to take them up.

      2. Will not resolve them because Congresspersons have a personal conflict of interests.

      3. Will not resolve them because to do so would be contrary to the wishes of a set of special interest groups.

      4. Is otherwise unwilling to resolve them.

      5. Has neglected to deal with them.

   The Assembly shall avoid focusing on advancing Initiatives that:

   1. Address problems that are at core symptomatic and/or intractable, however emotionally appealing (unless they tackle the core problems).

   2. Will incur significant expenditures, but are unfunded (unless the funds are created by the Initiative or the costs are relatively small).

   3. Comprise nationwide actions that could effectively be tried and proved first at a willing State level (unless they support a State trial).

   4. Compete with or nullify Congressional legislation (unless the People clearly wish it).

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5. Composition of the Citizens' Assembly
   The Citizens' Assembly shall consist of a cross-section of all U.S. Citizens who are legally entitled to vote. Their terms shall be staggered to ensure organizational continuity. At the end of each one-twelfth portion of their term of service, one-twelfth of their number who have served the longest (if equally long, then selected by lot) shall resign and be replaced by new Assembly Members to fill the Full Complement.
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6. Method of Selection
   The method of selection of Members shall be simple random sample, stratified random sample or similar sampling process that is feasible and provides an effective random sample. The Assembly shall select the optimum method. The selection process shall be audited by the Assembly and open to public and press; the names of those selected shall not be made public.
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7. Size of Assembly
   The maximum size of the Assembly shall be 600 Members and the minimum size 300 Members. Within these limits the Assembly shall set the optimum number.
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8. Term of Service
   The maximum term for a Member's service shall be 25 months and the minimum term shall be 12 months. Within these limits the Assembly shall set the optimum term.
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9. Period of Protection of Assembly and Members
   The Governments shall protect from tampering, or to press and media exploitation or manipulation for the following periods:

   1. The Assembly when in session by means of law and a physical presence.

   2. The security of the Assembly's facilities on a continuous basis by means of law and a limited physical presence.

   3. For each Member and each Member's family from the Members' notification of selection until a minimum of two years and a maximum of five years from the date the Member is first seated, by means of law and its enforcement.

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10. Members' Basic Job Description
    A Member's primary function as a deputy of the People is to develop an independent, un-coerced, informed opinion after open-minded deliberation about the overall benefit to the People's best interests of one proposed Initiatives compared to another. When the Assembly expects the Member to vote, then to vote that opinion by secret ballot. The Assembly shall expand this job description.
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11. Reduced Assembly Operations
    When the People have voted on nearly all worthy Initiatives that the Assembly can submit to them, the Assembly shall not burden the Electorate by proposing less-worthy Candidate Initiatives. By a two-thirds majority vote of the Assembly it may temporarily reduce its operations and corresponding Members' remuneration for a period not to exceed two years by cutting back 50 percent (or less) on the frequency of its sessions and/or by cutting back 50 percent (or less) on the duration of its sessions.
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12. Requirements for New Assembly Members
    Lists shall be generated from the best available database of U.S. citizens, defaulting to the social security number database if none better is available. The lists shall be kept in the order drawn from which each new batch of Assembly Members will be selected. Anyone ineligible to vote shall be removed from the list, e.g.,:

    1. Not entitled to vote—e.g., by reason of lack of U.S. citizenship or of sufficient age.

    2. Is incarcerated.

    3. Whose death has not been recorded in the database.

    4. Has previously served as a Member.

    5. Is automatically exempted.

    The lists will be sufficient so that additional Members can be selected to compensate properly for those who are unavailable, e.g.,:

    1. Cannot be found after a good-faith attempt.

    2. Has been released from duty by an expedited hardship hearing.

    3. Refuses to fulfill the duty.

    After the monthly complement has been filled and seated, names drawn in excess of requirements shall be voided but remain eligible for subsequent selection. The records of all as-drawn lists showing those who become Assembly Members and the reason why the others did not become Assembly Members shall be retained for seven years in a form suitable for statistical audit and analysis.
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13. Citizens' Assembly Facilities
    The Assembly shall provide its Members with comfort but without extravagance. The facilities shall be more than two-hundred miles from Washington D.C. The facilities shall be leased or rented. If the Assembly determines that it needs permanent facilities, it shall obtain budget and approval by Direct Initiative.
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14. Duration of Relationships
    The Assembly shall avoid long-term arrangements, commitments or bureaucracy that might permit personal or institutionalized influence. The maximum duration that the Assembly Moderator (or Chairperson) shall hold office is one calendar month.
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15. Remuneration
    Each Member shall receive $300 per diem. Separately, $50 per Member per diem shall be paid into a bonus pool. All amounts are computed as of January 1st, 2007 before deductions, to be adjusted each year by the cost of living index used for Social Security pensions, and paid monthly. In addition, all reasonable expenses, including economy transportation, board, lodging, and child care shall be reimbursed. Members shall receive one-day's per diem for travel time per Assembly session if they attend. The employment relationship policies between Members and the Assembly shall correspond to those between a Juror and a Federal Grand Jury where relevant and applicable.
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16. Rewards Recognizing Members' Performance
    Four years after Initiatives first appear on the ballot, the Electorate shall have an opportunity to vote on how they think the Assembly Members who were seated between four and six years previously had performed. The bonus shall be based on the overall quality and results (not the total number of Candidate Initiatives) of the Initiatives that they selected and were adopted four years ago. Each Voter shall select a bonus amount. The bonuses shall range from zero to one-third of the per-diems originally paid in increments of tenths and shall correspond to 11 grades from D to A+. These awards shall be averaged over all votes cast. Bonuses shall be distributed by the current Assembly on the basis of the number of months each Member served in that two-year period—note that about half the Members will receive bonuses from two periods.
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17. Budget
    The budget is $90 million for the first year including startup, $75 million for the second year including residual startup, and $60 million for subsequent years (using the dollar value as of January 1st, 2007 to be adjusted each year by the cost of living index used for Social Security pensions). The accounts shall be kept on a cash basis except for accrual of bonuses in an interest-bearing trust account. If the bonus pool needs to be "topped up" due to Members' high performance, this shall be drawn from Assembly funds and added to the budget. After an annual financial audit, and after the current year's budget has been deposited, unused funds shall be returned to source. If the Assembly wishes to change its budget, it shall submit a Direct Initiative to the Electorate proposing and justifying its budget.
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18. Philanthropic Funds
    As a last resort to sustain the Assembly if the U.S. Government fails to provide the Assembly's budget and access to loans is unavailable, the Assembly may use unconditional U.S. philanthropic funds, State funds, and/or unconditional U.S. Citizens' private donations that do not to exceed one percent of the maximum annual Social Security payment. The Assembly shall not use these funds to accommodate expenditures in excess of its budget. To the maximum and quickest degree possible, any use of philanthropic funds shall be repaid as loans at an interest rate of prime plus one percent.
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19. Incorporation as a nonprofit Corporation
    If necessary, the Assembly may incorporate as a nonprofit corporation in the State where it assembles. It shall meet the minimal requirements of the State of incorporation. The registered agent may be a local attorney. The maximum combined time that an Assembly Member may serve as a corporate director or officer is four months.
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20. Excessive Hardship Excuse
    The Assembly shall define the term "Excessive Hardship" that the Federal Courts should consider in excusing Citizens selected for Membership from serving and in excusing Members from completing or otherwise fulfilling their membership obligations. The Assembly shall attempt to find ways to relieve some categories of excessive hardship so as to permit those to serve who might otherwise have to be excused.

    The following sitting and candidate officials shall be automatically excused: U.S. Congresspersons, U.S. President and Vice President, Secretaries of Departments of the U.S. Government, Justices of the Supreme Court, and State Governors and Lieutenant Governors.
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21. Losses Not Borne by the Assembly
    Any Member's losses due to attending Assembly shall be paid only up to the amount of normal Member's expenses.
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22. Types of Initiatives
    The Authors shall indicate whether the Initiative shall be Direct, Indirect, or Advisory.
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23. Obligatory Initiatives

    1. If Congress passes a bill and the President signs it to propose an alternative annual budget for the Assembly, and submits it 60 days before Draft Candidate Initiatives must be published, this alternate budget choice shall be offered without change as an alternative to the Assembly's budget. Both alternatives shall be included in the Assembly's budget Direct Initiative at the next election for the nationwide Electorate to decide between them or to reject them both and leave the annual budget unchanged.

    2. The following shall apply until such time as the Congress first submits a nationwide Referendum for vote by the People. If Congress passes a bill and the President signs it to repeal or amend legislation passed in a prior Direct Initiative and submits it 60 days before Draft Candidate Initiatives must be published, this proposal shall be offered without change as a Direct Initiative at the next election. The limit shall be one such repeal-or-amend proposals per two-years, unless the Assembly agrees to include more.

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24. Minimum Size of Citizen Groups
    The minimum size of a Citizen Group that may propose an Initiative may be set by a simple Supermajority vote of the Assembly to be between 5 and 100 Citizens. Each Member of the Citizen group shall sign the Initiative and furnish other information needed for unique identification. Each Member of the Citizen Group shall act independently in proposing the Initiative. A Member shall not act as a surrogate for another person or organization, which would be abuse of their right. The Assembly may use the Citizen group size to control the number and quality of Initiatives proposed.
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25. Minimum Requirements for Organizations
    An Organization that may propose an Initiative shall comply with the following requirements:

    1. Legally incorporated under the laws of a State for at least two years.

    2. Financially solvent and not delinquent on taxes or payroll.

    3. 90-percent or more of the Board of Directors shall be U.S. Citizens.

    4. 90-percent owned and 90-percent controlled by U.S. Citizens.

    5. The proposed Initiative shall be approved by the Board of Directors, any non-U.S. citizen members abstaining.

    6. The organization shall have at least the equivalent number of full-time U.S. citizen members, officers, employees, and, in the case of a nonprofit corporation, volunteers forming the minimum size of a citizen group that can propose Initiatives. These persons shall become a Citizen Group and conform to its requirements and shall sign the opposed Initiative.

    7. The persons involved in any activities associated with the Initiative shall all be U.S. Citizens.

    8. The organization shall report all funds expended and services donated on the proposed Initiative, and the sources of those funds and services. This report shall be included as part of the proposed Initiative.

    The U.S. Presidency, the U.S. Congress, State Governorships, and State Legislatures shall qualify as organizations that may propose Initiatives provided that they comply with applicable requirements.

    All U.S. Judiciary organizations that may hear litigation or write opinions regarding U.S. Initiatives shall be automatically disqualified from proposing U.S. Initiatives.

    No organization shall submit a proposed Initiative via a proxy Citizen Group. This would be abuse of the Initiative process.
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26. Proposed Initiative Submittal Fee
    The Assembly by a two-thirds vote may introduce a fee not to exceed $20,0000 per proposed initiative in order to help control the rate at which the people submit Initiatives.

27. Maximum Number of Initiatives Per Citizen
    The Assembly may set a limit on the number of Initiatives (cumulating both Citizen Group and Organization Initiatives) that may be proposed over a period of time in order to limit abuse and to control the rate of submission of Proposed Initiatives.
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28. Assembly's Authority to Propose or Change Initiatives
    The Assembly shall not propose or change Initiatives except:

    1. The Assembly may propose Direct Initiatives to obtain the Electorate's approval for changes to the Assembly's Part A: Direct Initiative Rules and to deal with Assembly administrative issues.

    2. After Citizens' feedback, expert advise and deliberation, the Assembly may suggest corrections, improvements and consolidations of any part of a Proposed Initiative(s) to the original authors, who may then re-propose their Initiative. The Assembly may pay the publication cost of such re-proposal.

    3. If the proposed initiative supply is inadequate, the Assembly may advertise suggestions on their web site for potential initiative topics. The assembly may also advertise suggestions for its own administrative changes.

    The Assembly shall not bypass the normal procedures of publication for any Proposed or Changed Initiative.
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29. Quorum
    A quorum shall be one-half plus one of the Full Complement of Members—e.g., 241 for a 480-Member Assembly.
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30. Voting
    Motions passed in Plenary Session with a quorum present shall govern the Assembly. Passage shall require a simple majority vote with the exception of the following that shall require a two-thirds simple supermajority vote:

    1. A Candidate Initiative containing a proposed constitutional amendment.

    2. Expulsion of a Member.

    3. Reduced Assembly operations.

    4. Changes to Part B Rules.

    The Moderator (Chairperson) shall not vote except to break a tied vote.
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31. Readings of Candidate Initiatives
    Before a Candidate Initiative can be placed on the ballot, the Assembly shall have approved it twice in two separate readings separated by at least one month.
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32. Member Equality
    All Members are equals in the Assembly.
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33. Member Independence
    Members shall have and shall vote their independent opinions on the initiatives. Exchange of knowledge and information are essential, discussion is required, debate is acceptable, and occasional change-of-mind is expected—however, consensus is neither required nor desired and Members are encouraged independently to research the issues. Members shall not participate in discriminatory group association amongst Members—for example, groups based on political parties, race, color, religion, ethnic origin, age. Coercion of individual member votes by an advocacy group within the Assembly shall be tampering.
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34. Frequency and Notice of Initiatives
    Initiatives shall be included with the even-year federal elections. Each Candidate Initiative submitted for vote of the Electorate shall be published in draft form not less than six months before the date of the vote by the Electorate and withdrawn or published in final form not less than four months before the date of the vote by the Electorate.
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35. Congressional Right to Change or Overrule
    A Direct Initiative may specify how Congress may change or overrule the Direct Initiative. Congress also has the right to use nationwide Referendums to change or overrule a Direct Initiative.
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36. Legal Review
    The Assembly shall arrange that before a proposed Initiative reaches Draft Candidate status, it has been expertly reviewed for constitutional and legal issues and ensure that no unintended conflicts exist.
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37. Self-Education and Sources of Advice
    The Assembly shall arrange the Members shall have the materials and information to educate themselves. Special care shall be taken on the issues of an initiative before the Assembly votes to advance the initiative to Draft Candidate Initiative status. This shall take precedence over the number of initiatives that are advanced. The Assembly shall have no limitations on its sources of advice, data, information, knowledge and self-education except that the sources should be diverse and independent. This may include the use of consultants and experts, reading materials and Internet sources, Government information, Think Tanks, hearings, Citizens Jury^® methods, Deliberative Polling^® methods, Deliberative Blog™ methods, Wikinitia™ methods, subpoenaed testimony, and their equivalents, which may be paid for by the Assembly and may be provided by third parties. Reasonable requests for information by individual Members shall be fulfilled. No source of advice may become institutionalized such that any special interest influence or long-term individual influence may be brought to bear on the Assembly.
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38. Limit on Number of Initiatives on the Ballots
    The number of Direct and Advisory Initiatives on the ballot at each even-year federal election shall be limited to a maximum of twelve per two-years, including:

    1. Any obligatory Initiatives from Congress.

    2. Any Initiatives needed to bring the Initiative Rules up-to-date.

    3. Assembly Members' Recognition of Effort and Bonus Rewards Initiative.

    Moreover, the total of all Initiatives must not overburden the Electorate.

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39. Limit on Number of Indirect Initiatives Submitted to Congress
    The number of Indirect Initiatives submitted to Congress each year shall be limited to a maximum of six per year.
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40. External Communications
    All Assembly external communications shall be:

    1. by publication.

    2. in writing with clear origination and destination identification. A copy shall be retained by a committee that scrutinizes outgoing and incoming written communications (including fax and e-mail).

    3. telephone and other communications shall be monitored.

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41. Classified Materials of the United States
    Each Member may have access to classified materials only up the security level and in the manner to which they have been authorized by the Government of the United States.
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42. Confidentiality and Sunshine Provision
    Assembly records, recordings and affairs of the Assembly shall be confidential as they occur. Later, they shall become public record within the following range of time after the event occurred:

    1. A maximum of five years.

    2. A minimum of a Member's normal term of duty.

     All materials published or posted on its web site by order of the Assembly are not confidential.
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43. Avoidance of Tampering or Influence
    Members who report tampering or improper influence leading to a conviction shall receive (or share) a reward up to $50,000 per event (or set of related events). The amount and allocation of the reward shall be made by the Assembly after court sentence has been passed.
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1. Content and Format of Candidate Initiatives
   The Assembly shall publish their expectations and guidelines. Candidate Initiatives shall:

   1. Be clear, concise and quickly understandable.

   2. Be expressed in language of reason not emotion.

   3. Not overwhelm the voters.

   4. Complement the legislative process, not replace it.

   5. Be limited to a single subject or closely related issues.

   They shall contain:

   1. A title, reference number and date. Titles should use clear yet brief language to explain the intent and effect of the initiative.

   2. Authors (up to ten).

   3. Preamble.

   4. The Initiative as approved by the Assembly.

   5. Period that Congress shall not change or overrule a Direct Initiative.

   6. Brief impact statements: Fiscal, Social, Environmental as appropriate.

   7. Pro and con opinions prepared by the Assembly,

   8. Pro and con opinions from others in order of shortest first, longest last:

      1. Authors who proposed the Initiative.

      2. A separate Independent Citizens' Assembly Review if it exists.

      3. President.

      4. Senate.

      5. House of Representatives.

      6. Supreme Court—an important goal is to keep initiatives out of the courts after approval.

      The Assembly may place a limit on the length of the opinions if necessary to protect the Electorate from overload.

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2. Method of Submitting Proposed Initiatives
   U.S. Citizens groups and organizations shall submit proposed Initiatives to the Assembly only by their publication as specified by the Assembly. The Assembly may occasionally invite proposed Initiative's authors to become advisors to the Assembly regarding their Initiative, attend hearings, and submit supporting data.
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3. Minimum Size of Citizen Groups
   The minimum size of a Citizen Group that may propose an Initiative is set at 25 Citizens who are eligible to vote.
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4. Number of Proposed Initiatives Per Citizen
   Each Citizen may sign and submit only one Proposed Initiative per Congress. A Congress is seated at the start of each odd year and sits for two years. This limit applies for Initiatives proposed by Citizen Groups and Organizations. The limit will be reviewed to control the number of Proposed Initiatives received by the Assembly.
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5. Initiative Fee
   Initially, the fee to propose an initiative shall be $10,000 in order to avoid an possible flood of proposed initiatives.
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6. Expedited Initiatives
   The Assembly shall expedite proposed Initiatives from the following sources to the status of an Assigned Initiative so that prompt action can be taken to process them through the system:

   1. Proposed Initiatives generated by Congress. These may originate in Congress or be counter-proposals to USCIA Initiatives sent to Congress for comment.

   2. Any group of State Governors comprising fifty percent of all the Governors and with pro-rata (based on all the Governors) multi-partisan approval.

   3. Any group of State Legislatures comprising fifty percent of the States.

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7. Direct, Indirect and Advisory Initiatives
   The Assembly shall review if an Initiative shall be submitted as a Direct, Indirect or Advisory Initiative, and may suggest revision of their preference to the authors. Preference may change as required to meet the prevailing circumstances:

   1. Direct. The Direct Initiative is the fundamental power of the People. If there is not reason to expect that Congress will cooperate on an Indirect Initiative, then a Direct Initiative shall be used.

   2. Indirect. When Congressional cooperation can be expected and Congress appears to have assured consensus, an Indirect Initiative shall be used in preference to a Direct Initiative. The Indirect method has the advantage of assisting integration into the U.S. legislative and budgeting structure.
      Subsequently the Assembly shall determine, or use a Poll or Advisory Initiative to determine, if Congress has met the intentions of the People as expressed in the Indirect Initiative. If it has not, then the Assembly may use a Direct Initiative to remedy the situation.

   3. Advisory. If a poll will not suffice and the will of the People is not clear on some important issue or if common ground is not obvious, then an Advisory Initiative shall be used to determine if it is possible to develop a subsequent Direct or Indirect Initiative with assurance.

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8. Publication of Initiatives and Feedback
   The Assembly shall negotiate with publishers and periodically select a specific publication(s) that on certain days shall be distributed to all the Members. The Assembly shall post their selection(s) prominently on their web site. U.S. citizens and organizations will publish proposed initiatives without copyright in a standard modest format. Frivolous, repeated or numerous submissions shall be an abuse of the right to propose initiatives. A unique numeric identification shall be assigned to each proposed initiative, with sub identification of revisions and comments, by a method agreed by the Assembly and the publisher.

   U.S. citizens and organizations will published materials that include:

   1. Source Initiatives, generally with brief reasons, pro and con summaries, and references.

   2. Revisions to previously published source Initiatives.

   3. Comment, opinions and feedback.

   The Assembly shall publish:

   1. An up-to-date searchable Internet database of all published Initiatives and comments on Initiatives from proposed to approved status with all revisions. There shall be no read-only restrictions on access. Only persons registered on the database, clearly identified as Citizens eligible to vote with confirmed Internet addresses, shall be permitted to post to the database. If a database of Citizens eligible to vote is not available, a default to Citizens registered to vote with a valid voter ID and valid personal data shall be used.

   2. The database shall contain a short list containing proposed initiatives that are under consideration for advancement so that readers can focus their comments effectively.

   3. Draft Candidate Initiatives shall be published on the Assembly's web site and copies sent by mail to major newspapers, magazines, and television media. They shall solicit published feedback.

   4. Candidate Initiatives being placed on the ballot. They shall be published on the Assembly's web site and copies sent by mail to major newspapers, magazines, and television media. Candidate Initiatives shall be sent to all Election Authorities.

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9. Voting Secrecy
   All votes shall be in secret. Records of all vote counts shall be retained, but no names shall be identified. Votes shall be tallied by machines whenever possible with voter receipt for the vote cast.
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10. Voting Methodology
    Use of straw polls or votes shall be avoided in order that members cannot become emotionally committed to their initial straw vote. Moreover, votes shall be after all deliberation is complete or a motion to terminate discussion has passed, thereby assuring that the decision is taken simultaneously (i.e., at one time) rather than cascading sequentially over time.
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11. Readings of Candidate Initiatives
    The two readings of each final Candidate Initiative shall be separated by at least three months and the final Candidate Initiative shall pass on both readings. Vote counts shall be published with the Initiatives.
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12. Employment at Assembly
    The Assembly shall not have any employees (except as may be mandated under law). All services shall be contracted.
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13. Advisors and Consultants
    The Assembly shall by vote select and appoint Advisors and Consultants they deem necessary, and determine their remuneration and time to be present. They shall be chosen to address properly all pertinent sides of the issues and particularly to balance any immoderation or hidden agenda of the proposed Initiative's authors. Advisors and Consultants shall provide information and answer questions in writing or in Plenary Session, and shall not meet alone with any Members whether in Assembly Session or on leave to avoid risk or appearance of tampering. However, if necessary, Consultants expert at training and evaluating Moderators may meet on an occasional and temporary basis with smaller groups than a Plenary Session to solve deliberation issues and improve deliberation methods. The term of appointment of any Advisor or Consultant shall not be longer than 160 hours in one year. Moreover, having served in a calendar year, an Advisor or Consultant may not normally be re-appointed for a period of the following two calendar years.
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14. Proposed Initiative Testimony and Advice
    The Assembly shall invite or contract for testimony and advice (and, if necessary, subpoena) both for and against proposed Initiatives that are considered sufficiently worthy. Testimony from the original authors of the Initiative shall normally be included. Devil's advocates shall be appointed as necessary to assure a balanced perspective. The testimony and advice shall be presented in Plenary Session with appropriate handout notes and other materials.
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15. Recording
    All meetings (e.g., Plenary Sessions, Moderator lead meetings, Task Force meetings, and Committee Meetings) shall be recorded. Secure (encrypted or cable) voice microphones shall be provided in adequate numbers for the members to be heard. The Plenary Sessions shall be recorded on video, but need not be broadcast quality.
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16. Separate Facilities
    For the reassurance of Members' spouses or partners and the maintenance of general order, the Assembly shall provide accommodations for men and women in separate facilities beyond easy walking distance. The meeting rooms shall be at one of the facilities or at a third location. Buses shall be provided to transport members.
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17. Discipline
    The Moderator (with the resources of the Security and Discipline Committee, Sergeant at Arms, Security and local Law Enforcement) shall have authority and responsibility to maintain discipline in all meetings and at all times of the day and night while the Assembly is in Session. A meeting that does not come to order may be temporarily suspended or terminated for that day only by the Moderator. A disruptive Member may be required by the Moderator to watch the proceedings in a separate area over a television link and shall have the ability to vote. Additional sanctions, including expulsion and dishonorable discharge, may be imposed as authorized by a two-thirds majority vote of the Assembly.
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18. Excessive Hardship Excuses Defined
    The following definitions will be used as guidelines by Federal Courts to help define excessive hardship that would be incurred by attending Assembly meetings. Hardship shall not generally be considered extreme if another qualified person or persons can periodically assume the responsibilities of the selected person who is otherwise able to attend the Assembly.

    1. Persistent contagious disease that could seriously harm other Members and cannot be cured within two months.

    2. Physical or mental incapacitation that will last more than two months and would prevent participation in the Assembly's work.

    3. Pregnancy with complications that require absence for more than three months.

    4. Ongoing obligations of a critical nature where others would suffer grave harm as a result of the selected person's periodic absence.

    The following are some examples of circumstances that do not generally qualify as excessive hardship. The Assembly will not generally provide any additional compensation.

    1. A doctor, lawyer, engineer, teacher, priest, executive or other highly skilled person whose basic skill is available from others in the community.

    2. A military person on active duty during time of war.

    3. A state assemblyperson.

    4. A diplomat.

    5. A civil servant.

    6. A student.

    7. A mother of children five years old or younger who normally cares for the children, where a qualified relative or professional is willing to provide the care, perhaps with additional modest compensation from the Assembly.

    8. The owner of a small business where another qualified person is willing to run the business, perhaps with additional modest compensation from the Assembly.

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19. Excuse from Service
    The Assembly may excuse a Member from service for excessive hardship. Care shall be exercised not to create inappropriate precedents, duplicate Court's jurisdiction, or jeopardize the credibility of the definition of excessive hardship used by the Courts.
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20. Time Limit
    The Moderator may set time limits on all presentations and may terminate debate on a motion when the Moderator deems it appropriate. Unless the Moderator determines otherwise, the maximum time that any Member may speak is one minute per day.
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21. Statistical  Method Used to Select Members
    The statistical method initially used to select Members shall be a simple random sample. The Assembly shall hire experts to advise on the long-term optimal statistical method considering factors such as:

    1. Assembly control of the process and bureaucratic complexity of the statistical method.

    2. Availability and quality of databases.

    3. Frequency of excuse from service.

    4. Feasibility, auditability and randomness of system.

    5. Fairness of system to the People and the Members.

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22. Assembly Membership Size
    The Assembly shall initially consist of 480 Members. The Assembly shall hire experts to advise on the long-term optimal size of the Assembly and the number of days it should meet based on factors such as:

    1. Number of proposed Initiatives submitted.

    2. The minimum size of a group of Citizens who can propose an Initiative.

    3. Approval rate for Candidate Initiatives.

    4. Proximity of the Assembly vote to the Electorate vote on each Initiative.

    5. Assembly organization, effectiveness and efficiency

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23. Duration of Service
    A Member shall have a training period in the month before becoming a full Member of the Assembly. After training, a Member shall serve for one year. Attendance shall be for a group of consecutive days each month.
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24. Duration of Protection
    In general, the Governments' protection of each ex-Member and each ex-Member's family from tampering, or to press and media exploitation or manipulation, shall end when all of the ex-Member's contemporaries are no longer Members. Specifically, with a one-year term of service, this means that the protection shall last for a period of two years from the date a member is first seated as a full Member.
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25. Oaths of Members and Other Persons
    Before taking their seat, each Assembly Member shall provide a copy of their Oath to the Membership Committee Moderator (or given as soon as the Membership Committee has been formed). Anyone with whom Members may come in contact during their Assembly activities shall all swear a similar oath. The Oath Forms are shown at the bottom of this page.
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26. Authority to Expend Funds
    Expenditure of funds shall only be authorized by vote in Plenary Sessions. All expenditures shall be properly justified for the record. It is the responsibility of the Assembly members to expend funds economically, and to ensure that Session lengths are such that Members are fully occupied in productive work.

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27. Acronyms and Abbreviations

    The following acronyms and abbreviations shall be used:

    1. USCIA: United States Citizens' Initiatives Assembly.

    2. Citizens' Assembly: An alternative to USCIA.

    3. Assembly: An alternative to USCIA when it is clear that no other assembly can be inferred from the context.

    4. Initiative: A generic form of Direct Initiative, Indirect Initiative, and Advisory Initiative.

    5. DTF: A Deliberative Task Force is a temporary small subgroup of the Assembly that is focused on an issue, randomly selected from the Whole Assembly excluding the Assembly's Moderator (or Chairperson), led by its elected DTF Moderator, and deliberates before voting.

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No Committee Member may serve for longer than six months, and their appointment shall be staggered so that one sixth of its members resigns every month. Each Permanent Committee shall elect a Moderator and a Recording Secretary. Permanent Committee minutes shall be copied to the Archives the day after the meeting occurred and before the end of the Session. The Caretaker committee that shall take care of Assembly business when the whole Assembly is not in Session, but shall not have executive powers. The External Communications committee shall examine incoming and outgoing written or faxed communications connected with Assembly Initiatives to ensure no improper influence or other violation of Assembly rules.
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24. Public Hearings
    When appropriate and feasible, the Assembly shall solicit opinions from the public. It shall also take advantage of any deliberative polls of randomly selected citizens. Public hearings shall not be at the Assembly facility to avoid potential inclusion of media in Assembly business. Public hearings may be assigned to and attended by an Assembly Task Force that will report back to the Assembly.
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25. Initiative Opinions

    1. The simple majority opinions and the number of Members' votes passed in favor and against on the final approval shall be disclosed on all Draft Candidate and Candidate Initiatives. Groups of twenty-five percent or more Assembly Members may present dissenting opinions. Each dissenting opinion shall be included with the published Candidate Initiative and shall note the number of Members who participated in this opinion.

    2. The Assembly shall take great care in presenting their opinion to the Electorate. They have had the opportunity to become well informed and have the benefit of extensive deliberation. It is the Assembly's responsibility to use whatever means necessary to present their knowledge in written, verbal and video format that they effectively communicate this knowledge to the Electorate.

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26. Advisory Initiatives
    An Initiative may be in the form of an Advisory Initiative to test whether people either support or oppose a potential action or issue and to find common ground in complex ethical and political issues. No person or organization is bound by the result of an Advisory Initiative. Advisory Initiatives should be used sparingly and not as an alternative to a poll, but should be considered before any controversial proposed constitutional Amendment.
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27. Multiple Choice Initiatives
    A Multiple Choice Initiative may be used where there is no simpler option to achieve the objective. However, they must be easy to use, and carefully designed and tested before they can become a Nominated Initiative. Voters must be given a clear choice to retain status quo and vote against a Multiple Choice Initiative.
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28. Voter Education Materials
    The Assembly shall publish and distribute by print and electronic means unbiased and balanced voter education materials, including information on the initiative process itself as well as pro and con arguments on each measure certified for the ballot.
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29. Proposed Initiative Content
    Proposed Initiatives shall stand on the merits of their content plus any preamble, relevant impact statements, and arguments pro and con. Proposed Initiatives shall include notarized proof of identity, address, method of contact and citizenship of its source authors. Revisions to previously-received proposed Initiatives are to be encouraged instead of a completely new proposed Initiative that duplicates much of the one previously received.
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30. Support and Servic