61st Grand Assembly

* **ERS ( 206 )**
* **GRN ( 87 )**
* **MOD ( 58 )**
* **MNBI ( 20 )**
* **BPP ( 17 )**
* **CPC ( 2 )**
* **NDP ( 257 )**
* **UfS ( 68 )**
* **MORP ( 17 )**
* **PLP ( 9 )**

The 61st Grand Assembly is the current meeting of the legislative branch of the Federal Republic of Phoenexium. It convened on March 25th, 2023 and is expected to end on March 28th, 2023. It coincides with the second term of Gíack Batalie as Consul and the first term of Feliçita Bohn as President.

In the 2023 Elections, the Free Patriotic Party won the largest number of seats and, by tradition, was expected to form a government. However, the coalition the FPP had assembled before the election was over forty seats short of constituting a majority in the Grand Assembly (733 seats won; 779 needed for a majority). As such, the FPP had to negotiate a deal with the Moderate Party in return for a confidence-and-supply agreement. In conjunction with votes from their right-wing coalition partners and the Moderates, Josio Falaça was voted in as Speaker of the Assembly in a 791-766 vote.

## Major Events

* March 25, 2023, all members of the Grand Assembly are inaugurated, starting with the Consul, and with the President present.
* April 12, 2023, Josio Falaça is elected Speaker of the Assembly after a two and a half weeks of negotiations with the right-wing coalition and the Moderate Party.
* May 9, 2023, the Infrastructure Revitalization Act is approved by a 808-749 vote, with the majority of votes in favor coming from the Opposition and gaining a majority as the Moderate party decides to allow its members to vote independently on this act.
* May 12, 2023, President Feliçita Bohn vetoes the Infrastructure Revitalization Act, citing that the act failed to consider the needs/desires of the right-wing governing coalition and urging the Moderate Party caucus to vote against in a second vote.
* May 22, 2023, a second vote to override the veto on the Infrastructure Revitalization Act is held. The vote fails 765-13-779. Consul Gíack Batalie enters talks with the governing coalition and the Moderate Party to pass a new version of the bill.
* June 1, 2023, a federal ban on conversion therapy is passed 984-573, entitled the Protect Our Diverse Youth Act. The act also takes steps to expand protections against other forms of abuse against immigrant children and saw decent support from both the right, left, and center.
* June 24, 2023, a new version of the Infrastructure Revitalization Act is voted upon. It passes 1216-341. The new version includes provisions for increased seaport and airport security.
* September 15, 2023, Janic Smith (RA-11) of the FPP resigns to become president of the Prestigious Viripoli University.
* October 5, 2023, Josio Falaça is removed as Speaker in a 774-70-712 vote after the BPP announces its leaving the governing coalition after the FPP leadership did not approve bringing up BPP-proposed amendments to the Bernolian Bill of Rights Act that would have given a special degree of autonomy to Bernolia. This coincided with the October 3rd removal of Kevin McCarthy as Speaker in the USA.
* October 15, 2023, Consul Gíack Battle issues a writ of approval for the current opposition to form a government, also inviting the Moderates, Éls Rémpubliçís, Bernolian People's party, and the CPC into a new government.
* October 20, 2023, Antonjo Billangiric is elected Speaker in a 783-500-261-12 vote. A LIB-ERS-GRN-MOD-MNBI-BPP-CPC government is formed with the support of 8 independents and 2 FPP members.
* November 11, 2023, Gíack Battle meets with leaders of the right-wing FPP and ERS to discuss the possibility of creating a second chamber of the Legislature- a task that would require 75% support in Congress to make the necessary changes to the language of the Constitution. Having a second chamber by re-creating the Senate is an incredibly popular idea amongst not only conservative leaders, but also the populous as a whole, with 2022 polls showing that 56% of the country would "broadly" or "strongly" consider a second chamber to be a good step for Phoenexite Democracy. Only 23% responded negatively to a bicameral system.
* December 1, 2023, assemblyman Sésar Lepans (AL-3) of the FPP introduces the bill to amend and edit the constitution to create a second chamber of Congress. The agreed upon Senate would have limited power, only able to deny bills by voting against them in higher margins than in the GA. The Senate would allot its seats semi-proportionally by basing its apportionment algorithm off the state with the lowest population. Only states would get seats, with the minimum number being 2, and under current circumstances, the largest state by population would get 7. This is intended to empower smaller states by giving them more representation in Congress, a welcome change to the right-wing of Phoenexite politics.