United States of Quentin Department of State
| United States of Quentin Department of State | |||||
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| Motto: "Preserving Peace and Unity Between States" | |||||
| Type: United States of Quentin Executive Department | |||||
| Information | |||||
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| Headquarters | Chip Rodriguez Executive Building Mechanicsburg, GA | ||||
| Employees | Around 106,740 (2016) | ||||
| Budget | Ð3.7 billion ($37.68 billion) | ||||
| Executives | Secretary of State Commissioners Directors | ||||
| Website | cupboard.gov.nwd/dos[1] | ||||
| History | |||||
| Founded | January 1st, 1835 | ||||
| Current Powers Granted | January 1st, 1863 | ||||
The United States of Quentin Department of State (QUEDOS), commonly referred to in the United States of Quentin as the Department of State, is a Quentinian federal executive department tasked with enforcing federal laws and policies in the states, and possibly even suing the states if they do not comply. The Department of State, though it has not done so in a while, can also change the territory and jurisdictions of states and territories, as well as create new ones if new land is acquired, and settle disputes between the states. The last time the Department of State did this was in 1895, when Long Beach Island was accepted as a state, and the Kumar Area's territory was restricted to the mainland.
The Department of State is headed by the Secretary of State, a Cupboard-level employee who is appointed by the President of the USQ, with an approval needed from the House of Bureaucrats. The current Secretary of State, Bright Laneolkx, was appointed by President Clint Toll in January of 2022, and the appointment was approved by the Bureaucrats in February. The Secretary of State is currently third in the line of succession, meaning that if the President, GTNEC, and Secretary of Foreign Affairs all are unfit to serve, the Secretary of State will take over as President.
The Quentinian Department of State is headquartered in Mechanicsburg, the nation's capital, at the Chip Rodriguez Executive Building, just 4 buildings down from 777 Cupboard Place at 773 Cupboard Place. Most of the workers and day-to-day operations are handled at the building, and though the Secretary of State lives at 777 Cupboard Place, he spends most of the day at 773.
Contents
History
The idea of executive departments that would all belong to a Cupboard was first imagined and ordered for in the Constitution of the United States of Quentin. In Article III, Section IV, the Constitution calls for different departments that would assist the President in carrying out the law, each with different Secretaries that would advise the President on their respective issues. Though it laid the foundation quite thoroughly, the document did not actually specify as to what the departments should be, or who should create them. One year after the ratification of the document, the House of Bureaucrats decided to take the addition into their own hands, and signed legislation to created the Department of State, along with the Department of Foreign Affairs and the Department of Professions and Labor.
Later that year, as the legislation called for, the President of the USQ George Firedawn appointed the first Secretary of State, Felicity Jones to the position on December 20th, 1835. Jones set up the department and hired workers, and headquartered the department at 773 Cupboard Place, as well as made the first territory adaptations, when she created the Fayet Territory from land gained in the Early Punctin War. Years later, in 1845, Jones created the first new state, Tantallegara, from the territory. While she did establish these territories, Jones did not set the precedent of suing the states for the federal government.
After Jones retired from the position in 1854, Chip Rodriguez took over. Historians largely view Rodriguez as the greatest Secretary of State of all time, mainly because of his establishment of the Punctin Territory and eventually the Kahoot Area, Chip Area, and the Multi-Logan State, as well as the Lankanata Territory. Rodriguez also established the precedent of bringing a lawsuit against states that did not follow federal law, first in Department of State vs. Snowland, then in Department of State vs. House of Bureaucrats. Rodriguez also got approval for the present-day headquarters, the Chip Rodriguez Executive Building, to be built at 773 Cupboard Place.
Powers and Responsibilities
The powers and responsibilities of the Department of State have been established by the Supreme Council of the United States of Quentin over the department's history. These powers and responsibilities include the responsibility to enforce federal law in the states with lawsuits, the power to reorganize state and territorial boundaries, as well as create new ones, and settle any disputes that may arise between the states, possibly referring the issue to another source of power like the Supreme Council. The power of enforcing federal law in the states, sometimes with lawsuits if the state does not comply, was originally introduced with the House of Bureaucrat's creation of the department in 1835. The House stated that the department should, "deal with and enforce complaints and/or issues with federal law in the states." This quote was also what established the department's power to settle disputes between states, and was advanced
The first instance of the department actually acting on this power, however, was in 1859 when Secretary Rodriguez contacted the Governor of Snowland and told him a new bill the state had passed on immigration, the Traditional Snowland Immigration Law, was illegal as it interfered and contradicted the 1844 Federal Law on Immigration, passed by Congress. When Governor Lauren Bueller refused, and signed the law, Rodriguez took the case to the Supreme Council in Department of State vs. Snowland. The case was settled in favor of the Department, and after Department of State vs. House of Bureaucrats in 1863 the power was officially granted to the department.
The power of establishing territories and states, as well as adjusting their boundaries, was established with the authority of Secretary Felicity Jones. In 1838, territory was acquired from Punctinaturalland in the Southern Maxx-Von Zig Deal, and the government was inactive on its management. So Jones, after getting approval from GTNEC Max Wagner because she felt he should have authority over the territory for which he negotiated, created the Fayet Territory in 1839 and set the precedent for territory and state creation and adjustment.
Organization
The Department of State is, as the Constitution of the United States of Quentin specifies, a federal executive department, meaning it is under the supervision and direct command of the President of the USQ, who is currently Kyle Lovestington. As such, the officers and activities of the department can be controlled by the President, though much of the time the department operates independently, merely getting directives and briefing the President. The department is organized into three bureaus, each with an executive commissioner at its head. In the Bureau of Interstate Conflicts there are three executive offices, which operate underneath the bureau. These are headed by executive directors.
Bureaus
The Department of State is organized into three different bureaus, which each have different staffs and handle parts of the department's responsibilities and powers. Listed below are the three executive bureaus in the Department of State, along with their directive, date founded, commissioner, and any offices that are underneath the bureau. Note that the Secretary of State has complete authority over these bureaus, and usually is the head and lead of any investigation or action taken.
Bureau of Territorial Resources and Adjustment
Main article: Bureau of Territorial Resources and Adjustment
Founded in 1845, the Bureau of Territorial Resources and Adjustment examines certain resources in all of the nation's states, and checks in with officials to see if they require any resources, or have a surplus of any resources. They then determine if any action is necessary to fix this, such as territorial changes, or even create a new territory or state. Finally, the bureau handles requests from the Office of Territorial Interstate Conflicts on changes in territory and the creation of new territories and states. The commissioner of the bureau is currently Bob Raylespakker.
Office of Territorial Resources
Main article: Office of Territorial Resources
Founded in 1845 with the creation of the bureau it operates underneath of, the Office of Territorial Resources is an executive office devoted to evaluating the resources of each state or territory, and determining whether or not a territorial change is needed. The powers of the Office of Territorial Resources have been used only once. In 1919, the office proposed a change in the territory of the Chip Area to include numerous lands north of its current borders, including the city of Pikesburg, as a result of the shifting culture near the border. However, there was strong resistance from both Desertinians and Chippers, and the Office of Territorial Adjustment denied the motion the same year. Despite recent attempts to remove the office, and combine it with the Office of Territorial Adjustment, the office has remained. The current Director is Jerald McGuire.
Office of Territorial Adjustment
Main article: Office of Territorial Adjustment
The Office of Territorial Adjustment was founded in 1845, along with its sister office and its parent bureau. The executive office's purpose is to handle requests from the Office of Territorial Resources, Bureau of State Federal Law Compliance, or the Bureau of Interstate Conflicts on whether borders need to be changed because of resource changes, federal-state disputes, state-state disputes, or general welfare disputes. It also has the authority within the bureau to send requests to Congress, the President, and the Supreme Council requesting to promote a territory to a state, providing the territory votes for statehood and meets all requirements laid out by Marketington v. Department of State. The current Director of the Office of Territorial Adjustment is Glenn Rebokk
Bureau of Interstate Conflicts
Main article: Bureau of Interstate Conflicts
Founded in 1841, the Bureau of Interstate Conflicts handles conflicts between states. They can either attempt to solve the issue themselves, or refer the states to a higher power, such as the Supreme Council, or Congress. The bureau has three offices operating underneath it, each dealing with a specific conflict, however if the issue does not deal with one of those categories, it's dealt with by the main bureau. The bureau's commissioner is currently Edith Stark.
Office of Migratory Interstate Conflicts
Main article: Office of Migratory Interstate Conflicts
Founded in 1904, after drug issues between the Desert Area and Chip Area, this executive office operates under the Bureau of Interstate Conflicts, and deals with migratory conflicts between the states, including things coming across the border that may be illegal, or an excess of people. The office's Director is currently Prathum Varrishi.
Office of Territorial Interstate Conflicts
Main article: Office of Territorial Interstate Conflicts
Founded in 1841, this office handles territorial disputes between states, and can notify the Office of Territorial Adjustment or the Secretary of State if they believe the best solution would be a territorial change. The current Director of the office is Elizabeth Mirrens.
Office of Legislative Interstate Conflicts
Main article: Office of Legislative Interstate Conflicts
Office of Legislative Interstate Conflicts: Founded in 1841, this office handles legislative disputes between states, including if one state believes the legislation of another is disruptive, or they believe it to be negatively affecting their state. The office can then demand a repeal to the legislation if they agree with the disputing state, or bring it to the Supreme Council, as well as recommend punishment to the Secretary if the disputing state is being unreasonable. The current Director of the office is Tarantimmy Renner.
Bureau of State Federal Law Compliance
Main article: Bureau of State Federal Law Compliance
Founded in 1863, the Bureau of State Federal Law Compliance is the largest and most active bureau in the Department, enforcing federal law including the Constitution, Supreme Council verdicts, legislation passed by Congress, and executive orders, among others. This bureau can intervene in three situations as stated by its charter: if a state does not follow federal law on a specific subject, and does not take steps to implement the law in the state in four months, if the state passes a law in its legislature or on a local level that contradicts the federal law, and if any legislation or messages are passed, either ordering or encouraging the populous to not follow the law. In these cases, the bureau would send an official message to the governor and legislature of the state, ordering them to either take action on the federal law, repeal the contradictory state law, or retract the public announcement as well as warn them of the consequences if they do not comply. If this is ignored, and no action is taken, or the law or announcement is not repealed in a repealed in a reasonable amount of time, then a lawsuit can be taken up at the Supreme Council.
In most cases, the state will drop the issue when the warning comes, if not after the lawsuit, however in one incident called the Tantallegara Immigration Dispute in 1894, Tantallegara took the lawsuit, and still refused to repeal their contradictory law. Eventually the Department of State threatened to disband Tantallegara altogether, and give the federal government control of the state, which made Tantallegara back down and preserved the power of the Department of State. The commissioner of the bureau is currently Neal Fagyoe.
Officials
The head official of the Department of State is the Secretary of State. The Secretary of State has total everyday control over all operations, and though he or she defers everyday tasks to the commissioners and staff, they handle most major issues themselves. As such, the secretary has access to all the powers of the department, including levying a lawsuit against states, changing borders, etc, although the secretary does have total control, as they must comply with the wishes of the President, advising and reporting on progress to the Cupboard. If not, the President may choose at any time to fire the secretary, and replace them with someone else.
In the Department of State, the commissioner of a certain bureau handles the day-to-day and routine operations of that specific bureau. The commissioner is underneath of the Secretary of State, and usually the commissioner steps aside if a serious issue occurs. For example, the commissioner of the Bureau of Territorial Resources and Adjustment would handle the routine check-ins with the states, and make sure everything is running smoothly. However if an issue occurred, for example if the Grassland Area needed new water territory and the commissioner believed the request was reasonable, the secretary of state would step in, and either approve or disapprove the request. As such, the commissioner does not have the power to exercise severe measures, only the secretary does. Merely the commissioner directs routine operations, and does not regularly make big decisions.
Underneath the Bureau of Interstate Conflicts and Bureau of Territorial Resources and Adjustment, executive offices. These offices are headed by directors, with each director running operations that deal with their office. In the case of a bureau having offices, like in those two bureaus, the commissioner acts more like a task manager, directing the directors what to do in their different topic areas.
