Senatus consultum de Mutationibus Officii Auxilii Civilis Novae Romae (Nova Roma)

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Restructuring of the Civilian Aid Office

I. Established under the Senatus consultum de adiumento civibus nostris Sarmaticis, enacted on a.d. III Kal. Mar. Sex. Lucilio (II) A. Tullia (II) cos. (27 Feb, 2022), the Civilian Aid and Rescue Office of Nova Roma (Officium Auxilii Civilis Novae Romae) was created to support the citizens affected by the ongoing conflict in Provincia Sarmatia. This office has since fallen into disuse and the appointed praefectus has left the office.

II. A redevelopment of this office will provide a controlled and considered means to provide leniency to those Nova Roman citizens less fortunate but who still want to participate in central Nova Roman government and the civil service. As the Romans did, providing bread to the masses in Rome under the Cura Annonae ("care of the grain"), Nova Roma will also support its disadvantaged citizens. Due to the nature of our society, we cannot offer bread, but we can offer curated tax relief, allowing a greater diversity of citizens running for office.

III. With this senatus consultum, the senate hereby instructs the aediles to assume control of and to move the Officium Auxilii Civilis Novae Romae as a sub-department under the Officium Operum Publicorum. The new purpose of this office is to consider welfare and aid options for all citizens, under what conditions the support should be provided, and what that aid consists of.

IV. Using this senatus consultum as authority, the aediles are to pass the necessary edicta to appoint a new head of department (Rank II or Rank III official) and to consider a new name of this department (if they deem necessary).

V. Once the staff and office have been appointed and established respectively, the department is to work with the aediles to develop procedures and an application process for determining welfare and aid for Nova Roman citizens. This will take the form of a manual, terms of reference, or policy document and is to be sent to the censors to approve. The censors will approve the documented procedure and application process via an edict. Any subsequent updates to this document will also be approved by the censors. In all cases when the censors are absent, the consuls will approve this document via edict. Without this approved document, the office may not operate. If it is revoked by the appropriate magistrate for whatever reason, the office must cease operations. The procedures and regulations to be defined must meet the following conditions:

A. Part of the procedures for approving applications for aid or welfare to is to convene the panel of quaestores, chaired by one of the aedilis curulis. At least 75% of quaestores make a quorum, at least one quaestor in the quorum must be one of the quaestores aerarii. This panel will collectively approve or deny every application. An expedited approval process is also to be proposed, in addition to a regular approval process. The procedures are to document how this board is convened, where, and under what other rules that should be followed.

B. Through an application to the office, citizens should be able to request the following forms of tax relief:

i. A citizen who cannot pay all or part of the voluntary basic tax payment. An approved application would grant full assiduis status for the next applicable tax period.

ii. A citizen who wishes to pay the voluntary tax payment in instalments. An approved application would grant full assiduis status from payment of the first instalment, for the next applicable tax period. The procedures are to define a maximum payment period, not exceeding 12 months.

iii. A citizen who wishes to delay their voluntary tax payment by a given period of time. The procedures are to define a maximum payment delay period, not exceeding 12 months.

iv. It shall not be possible for a citizen to make an application if they are already considered late to pay tax. The procedures are to define a final cut-off date that applications must be submitted by in any given tax pay-period.

v. Procedures must define an eligibility standard as to who may apply for such tax relief provisions defined above. Applicants must be means-tested. Procedures should specify the thresholds for eligibility and requirements for evidence to support applications, such as tax returns, pay slips or bank statements. The procedures must define how this information is solicited, reviewed and managed. It will be mandatory to dispose of personal identifying information once an application has been sentenced.

C. Through an application to the office, citizens should also be able to request support to a program, run by this office, that seeks Nova Roman fiscal donors to pay taxes on behalf of a citizen. There is to be no additional incentive or award for fiscal donors.

D. The procedures are to stipulate annual approval limits (number and type of applications allowed to be approved). Each tax period, these standard limits can be adjusted specifically by the senate, by an edict from censors, or an edict by the consuls in their absence. This can be zero, effectively disabling tax relief financial aid options, but this returns to default limits upon the renewal of the new tax period.

E. Procedures must mandate the management of a publicly accessible record of application approvals and denials, to be hosted on the Nova Roman website. The log is to remove names and any other personal identifying information, but is to include dates of application, approvals, amounts (as required), conditions imposed and outcome of the deciding panel etc.

F. The office is to also consider applications based on its original remit; emergency funding for citizens in dire situations, such as, national or international conflict, citizens escaping domestic violence, or natural disasters. Procedures need to define under what circumstances citizens become eligible, maximum limits and process to initiate transfers. As this actually requires funding to leave the treasury, a quorm of the panel must vote 75% in favour of an application and it must be endorsed by a sitting censor (or a consul in the absence of the censors). The endorsement of a panel-approved application is subject to veto by appropriate magistrates.

VI. The new civilian aid office is to be established and the draft official procedures are to be submitted to the censors no later than Kal. Quint (1 July). This decree stipulates that the censors have only three nundinae to provide a response and corrections to the office, or approve the procedures via an edict.