Empire of Austenasia Act 2017
| LXXV Jon. I 2017 (Empire of Austenasia) | |
| Proposed | 12 June 2017 |
| Imperial Consent given on | 14 June 2017 |
| Imperial Consent given at | Chester, United Kingdom |
| Imperial Consent given by | HIM Emperor Jonathan I |
| Amended by | Unamended |
| Purpose | "to reduce the number of seats in the House of Representatives to improve legislative efficiency by ceding those Towns which rarely vote, to provide for the future appointment and dismissal of Margraves and Margravines, and to permit the Monarch to unilaterally grant non-residential subjectship to non-Austenasian Augustae, Caesars, and members of the Imperial Family." |
The Empire of Austenasia Act 2017, formally titled LXXV Jon. I 2017 (Empire of Austenasia), of the Parliament of Austenasia is an Austenasian Act of Parliament passed on 14 June 2017, the primary outcome of which was the ceding of the Towns of Zephyria, Thanasia and Porthbokon to the United Kingdom. The Act was titled in the precedent of those previous Acts (the Empire of Austenasia Acts 2013, 2014, 2015 and 2016) which had similarly dealt with the large-scale cessions, annexations, and administrative reform.
The Act was introduced by Vera Hewitt on 12 June 2017, and over the following two days gained six votes in support, with three Towns not voting before the Act was passed.
Zephyria had been founded in April 2009, and had been represented by Lord Marshal William for most of its time in the Empire (the only exception being March to September 2010). By early 2017, William's activity levels in Parliament had dropped due to his university attendance causing time constraints, and a plan by his family to rent out the property of which Zephyria was comprised while they moved to another house resulted in the decision being made to dissolve the Town. Paragraphs 2 and 3 of the Act returned the territory of the Town back to the United Kingdom, but kept the three former residents of Zephyria as non-residential subjects of the Empire, retaining all their titles and offices (William's title of landed nobility was retained as a peerage). William did not himself have time to vote on the Act before it was passed, but the provisions concerning Zephyria had been approved by him in earlier discussions with the imperial government.
Thanasia had been founded in May 2013, and was represented by Countess Eritoshi until her retirement from politics in June 2016. Her younger sister, Lady Strawberry was elected Representative in her place, but after a year it was acknowledged that much of the initial enthusiasm of being part of the Empire which had been present four years ago at Thanasia's creation had gone. Another, separate issue raised by Emperor Jonathan I was that Thanasia held Town status despite only having a population of two, meaning that it had the same voting power in Parliament as Towns with several times that population. Paragraphs 5 and 6 of the Act returned Thanasia to the United Kingdom and stripped its population of their Austenasian nationality, titles and offices, but in an exception permitted Lady Strawberry to retain her title Baroness of Thanasia as a peerage. Paragraph 7 of the Act also removed Austenasian nationality from two non-residential subjects, who had gained said status only through their connection with Thanasia and one of whom had since lost all contact with the imperial government. Lady Strawberry voted in support of the Act.
Porthbokon had been founded in June 2014, and was represented by Lady Evren Filgert, Duchess of Dumnonia. Filgert dropped out of contact with the imperial government in late 2015, and no success was had in numerous attempts to contact her. Paragraph 7 of the Act retuned Porthbokon to the United Kingdom and stripped its population of their Austenasian nationality, titles and offices.
Two other minor provisions were contained in the Act. Paragraph 8 set up a system for the removal and/or succession of Margraves and Margravines, and Paragraph 9 gave the Monarch permission to grant non-residential subjectship to Augustae, Caesars, and members of the Imperial Family.