Confederation of Pennsylvanian States (1983: Doomsday)

History
The organization was founded in 2015, after the signing of the Treaty of Pottsville between Reading and Susquehanna. The treaty outlined various areas of cooperation, and collaboration in regards to foreign relations, regional security, the economy, and culture. As a result, the organization's focus is to work on common ground between the two nations, and improve the economic and geopolitical situation of the two nations.

After the provisional government of Lehigh was elected, the city-state requested to join. It was granted this on August 1st, and sent representatives on August 15th.

Goals of the Organization
The primary goals of the organization is to promote co-operation in several areas, namely:
 * Dialogue
 * Defense
 * Economics
 * Education
 * Foreign Relation
 * Integration

Dialogue
The Confederation of Pennsylvania promotes fair dialogue between member nations to prevent misunderstandings and conflict. It provides neutral grounds for parties to air grievances and discuss matters that need addressed in a timely matter.

Defense
The organization fosters cooperation in defense and security operations. Joint training missions between member states occur several times throughout the year to improve operational readiness and provide the opportunity for dialogue. Training includes counter raider tactics, search and rescue, counter terrorism, air interception, special operations, and other possible scenarios.

It also provides law enforcement the ability to learn new tactics from each other and improve the safety of the populations and well as increase border security.

Fort Indiantown Gap is the headquarters for joint military operations.

Economics
All tariffs and trade barriers have been eliminated to promote free trade and improve the economic state of both nations. Currently, there are plans to begin printing a currency that will be accepted as legal tender in all member nations. Business leaders and government officials meet to plan for future development. Allentown, Hazleton, Lebanon, Reading, and Bloomsburg have all been identified as communities to receive additional support to act as business hubs for the future. Funds are being allotted to redevelop Reading Regional Airport and Hazleton Regional Airport and bring them up to international standards as well as make them major entry points into each nation.

Montour Coal Plant, Susquehanna Steam Electric Station, and the Reading green energy grid are all being modernized and brought back online. Both nation's grids are being integrated into each others to ensure a stable flow of power to run industry, education, government facilities, and businesses.

Education
The organization is working with the United Communities to unify the education system and bring it up to standards to match the requirements in Canada and other nations that will be potential trade partners. This is to ensure that citizens have skills to bring the nations into the 21st century and boost the economies.

Member states are working to integrate both Reading and Susquehanna's lower and higher education systems to ensure compatibility between both countries. Penn State Berks and Bloomsburg University are the flagships and will serve as the core universities for the region.

Foreign Relations
Both Reading and Susquehanna operate embassies each other's capital cities. Reading operates a consulate in Hazleton, while Susquehanna operates one in Allentown. With Lehigh still being under supervision, government, legal, and military officials from both Reading and Susquehanna currently operate out of the former post office. This site acts as an unofficial embassy, while the city-state has officials who reside in both Reading and Susquehanna to serve as points of contact.

Integration
The organization is currently planning the salvage and reconstruction of damaged areas from counter raider operations, as well as Doomsday. The main cities that are the focus over the next two decades are Bethlehem, Nanticoke and Wilkes Barre.

Active Member States

 * Lehigh
 * Reading
 * Commonwealth of Susquehanna

Proposed Member States

 * Gettysburg
 * North Pennsylvania
 * State College

Possible Member States

 * Virginia - Controls South Western PA
 * New York Republic - Controls a few towns in northern Pennsylvania

Headquarters and Offices
The headquarters of the Confederation of Pennsylvanian States is located is Pottsville, Schuylkill County, Reading. Additional offices and branches are operated in Allentown, Bloomsburg, Hazleton, Jim Thorpe, Lebanon, Leighton, Reading, and Sunbury. No capital is recognized by the organization or the member states due to long term goals of reunification, discussions on an official capital will not begin until the confederation encompasses as much of the former Commonwealth of Pennsylvania as is possible.

Headquarters (Pottsville)
The primary headquarters of the organization are located in downtown Pottsville. The former Laurel Court Hi-Rise, abandoned since Doomsday, has been gutted and is being refurbished by Reading and Susquehanna to act as the long term headquarters. Currently, the organization utilizes office space in the Schuylkill County Courthouse, the former Pottsville Armory, and the former Schuylkill Trust Company Building. Plans are to complete renovations and have the organization move into the former high rise by mid 2020.

Allentown
While Allentown was devastated in the fighting between Reading and the Allentown Mob, the city has begun recovery and is seen as an opportunity for growth over the next five decades. The Confederation operates several offices, as well as a liaison office to coordinate the reconstruction of the city and repair of the damage caused by the decades of neglect and intense fighting that occurred within the limits. Temporary offices are located in the Allentown Center Square Building, until damages can be repaired in the former Hamilton Financial Center, which had just been completed and was weeks away from opening on Doomsday.

Bloomsburg
Bloomsburg, as the capital of the Commonwealth of Susquehanna, has three major Confederation offices, focused around the economy, education, and infrastructure. Temporary offices have shuffled in and out of the town, dealing with security, trade, and other issues as they have arisen. Presently, the Confederation rents office space near the Susquehanna Supreme Courthouse, however long term has them potentially moving into vacated space on the campus of Bloomsburg University.

Hazleton
Hazleton has an economic, educational, and infrastructure office located in the downtown of the city, near the main county and federal authorities. With Hazleton being the second largest city in the Confederation, the economic office is working to help stabilize the economy and improve the conditions for the local population. In addition, the transportation and infrastructure offices have begun a study to analyze if a rail system linking the major cities of the member states is feasible both economically and strategically. The offices are located in the Altamont Office Building on the main thoroughfare.

Jim Thorpe
With Lehigh recently gaining independence under supervision from Reading and Susquehanna, this mission has been turned over to the Confederation. Advisers and officials monitor and provide advice to the new government, as well as work to help stabilize the area with a small security force. In a similar fashion to Bloomsburg, economic, educational, and infrastructure officials are present to assist in the rebuilding of the borough and the nation. Offices are scattered around the downtown area, however there are no long term plans to try and consolidate them.

Lebanon
The office in Lebanon only consist of a handful of workers, primarily with the goal of negotiating for Gettsyburg to join the Confederation. Given this goal, the office is considered to be temporary, and would relocate to Gettysburg if the nation chooses to join the organization.

Lehighton
Two offices are based in Lehighton, one focused on reconstruction and the other on economic development and growth. Both share office space with the local and national government in the 101 South First Street building, a former apartment complex converted into office space since the community was liberated from raiders.

Reading
An economic office operates out of downtown Reading, working with Reading government officials to stabilize the Confederation's economic situation and improve trade between members. Other offices work in the city as well, mainly focusing on transportation, infrastructure, and education. Similarly to the economic office, they collaborate with the state leaders to improve the livelihood of the citizens.

Sunbury
In a similar fashion to the office in Lebanon, a small liaison office is operated from the Riverview Offices, primarily focused on negotiations with State College and North Pennsylvania regarding their joining the organization.

Government and Politics
The Confederation of Pennsylvanian States operates as a hybrid of supranational and intergovernmental leadership. Executive power is vested in the Pennsylvanian Commission, while the legislature is vested in the Confederation Council and the General Assembly. The Supreme Court is the Court of Justice, which is responsible for enforcing laws and regulations enacted by the organization.

Pennsylvanian Commission
The Pennsylvanian Commission is the executive branch of the Confederation of Pennsylvanian States. It is composed of the heads of states of the member nations (president of Leighton, governors of Reading and Susquehanna), with a rotating head between member nations every three years.

Pennsylvania Confederation Council
The Confederation Council is one of the two legislative bodies of the confederation, and is sometimes compared to the upper house of of a legislative body. It primarily serves as the source of bills and proposals, as well as foreign policy, and an avenue to resolve disputes between member states. The Council may only vote to suspend members upon the advise of both the Commission and the General Assembly.

The body has the power to both draft and veto legislation, as well as approve any amendments to legislation before moving to the Commission for approval or veto. Additionally, the Council may override a veto by the Commission with a 2/3rds majority, though this rises to 3/4th regarding suspending or removing a member from any branch of the organization (excluding the member's representatives).

Given the security apparatus of the Confederation, this body has the additional right to declare states of emergencies (these, however, may be ignored by the various parties), and request peacekeepers from the membership to deploy to the nation in question. It does not retain a right to declare war or keep a force of standing personnel for combat. Additionally, it may recommend sanctions and refer them to the General Assembly and Commission for review and approval or rejection.

Members are referred to as- Members of the Pennsylvania Council (MPC's), and serve for terms of four years. They are not elected by the people of the nations, but rather are appointed by their respective legislatures. Each nation receives five members to the Confederation Council, currently there are fifteen members.


 * Committees
 * Agriculture and Land Management (AgLaM)
 * Defense and Security
 * Economics and Employment
 * Education, Culture, and Youth (ECY)
 * Foreign Affairs
 * General Affairs
 * Justice and Domestic Affairs (JADA)
 * Transportation, Infrastructure, and Long Term Development (TILTeD)

Pennsylvania General Assembly
The General Assembly is the other legislative body of the Confederation of Pennsylvanian States. Given the direct manner of election, the members are more responsive to the general populations of the states. An unintended consequence has led to the General Assembly being used as a platform for debate between parties.

This group holds some less power than the Council, not being permitted to draft legislation on its own, however it may request bills be passed to the Council for approval. Upon receiving a bill from the Confederation Council, the General Assembly may propose amendments and return it to the Council for re-approval. It does hold the exclusive right to decide and approve a budget, agree upon shared taxation between members, draft resolutions, and certain matters of enforcing passed legislation by the organization in the member states. The General Assembly has the ability to refer a member to the Council for review, suspension, or expulsion if required.

It may decide whether the act will be forwarded through as a motion (used to launch a debate in any branch), a recommendation (non-binding declaration), a directive (a requirement for all member states to meet, however with no set deadline or means), and a regulation (a law that applies immediately to all member states).

The body has the powers to send election commissioners to member states, arrange for committees to focus on key issues, and question member parties that are suspected of violating the agreement. Any request for peacekeeping operations from the Council must be approved by the General Assembly.

Unlike the Confederation Council, the membership is elected by the citizens of each nation, with nations receiving membership proportional to the population. The total membership has been capped at 203 members (the former number of representatives in the Pennsylvania House of Representatives), though currently there are 79 members.


 * Committees
 * Agriculture and Land Management (AgLaM)
 * Budget
 * Defense and Security
 * Economics and Employment
 * Education, Culture, and Youth (ECY)
 * Foreign Affairs
 * General Affairs
 * Industrial Development (ID)
 * Justice and Domestic Affairs (JADA)
 * Public Health
 * Tourism
 * Trade
 * Transportation, Infrastructure, and Long Term Development (TILTeD)

Pennsylvanian Court of Justice
As the highest court, the Court of Justice serves to ensure all members follow both Confederation and United Communities policies, institutions, and laws. The courts serve as a means for nations to dispute issues diplomatically. Each nation receives three justices, with the longest serving judge receiving seniority.

Justices are appointed and confirmed by the legislatures of each state.

Political Groups
In the legislature of the Confederation, the political parties consist of groups, which may be a mix of various parties from each nation. For a group to be recognized, it must have a set ideology that all members and parties adhere to. If a group fails to abide by the rules, it may be dissolved by the Pennsylvanian Commission or the Court of Justice.

Political groups may not advertise during the elections, as the national parties are responsible in their respective nations.


 * Conservative Group: In eastern Pennsylvanian politics, the center right is occupied primarily by conservatives and a handful of classical liberals. The primary ideals and beliefs are espoused by American conservativism and republicanism, however there are a variety of ideologies. There are two main groups that fall within this definition; fiscal conservatives focus on limited government and regulation, laissez-faire economics, low personal and business tax rates, and free enterprise; while social conservatives mainly focus on the threats to more traditional social values. Virtually all conservatives in eastern Pennsylvania follow both ideologies. The group is primarily composed of each respective member's Republican Party. One independent joined the group to obtain seats on committees. The group supports long term total integration of the block potentially into a unified state, but for the time being has focused on a customs union and currency union, as well as shared security and defense.
 * Republican Party of Leighton- Confederation Council (2), General Assembly (None)
 * Republican Party of Reading- Confederation Council (3), General Assembly (22)
 * Republican Party of Susquehanna- Confederation Council (3), General Assembly (9)
 * Independent (Leighton)- Confederation Council (1), General Assembly (1)
 * Group of Liberals and Social Democrats: The center-left is filled by both social liberals and classical liberals, the latter of which have dominated the group since the foundation of the organization. both groups espouse ideals that are dominated by American liberalism, however social policies vary between social and classical liberals. Classical liberals support limited government and regulation, laissez-faire economic policies, low personal and business tax rates, and free enterprise, with belief in individualism and personal responsibility. Social liberals push for more government regulations and intervention, a mixed economy, higher taxes to support government programs, and social responsibility. The largest proportion of the group is composed of classical liberals, however a handful lean more towards social liberalism. All members of the group are members of their respective nations Democratic parties. The Susquehanna Progressive Party split off from the group in mid 2019 due to internal disagreements. The grouping supports more integration of the Confederation, with autonomy rights for each member state to ensure everyone has a say and is treated equitably. It is split on long term unification, and has focused on a customs union and regulating industries that impact all member states.
 * Democratic Party of Leighton- Confederation Council (1), General Assembly (None)
 * Democratic Party of Reading- Confederation Council (2), General Assembly (21)
 * Democratic Party of Susquehanna- Confederation Council (1), General Assembly (3)
 * Libertarian Group: Similar to more fiscal conservative vanguards in the Group of Liberals and Social Democrats, the Libertarian Group is a classical liberal grouping. It supports the same ideals, believing in laissez-fairs economics, minimal government intervention, low to no taxes, and individualism. The group is opposed to continued integration of the block and several support their home nations to leave the group. Nonetheless, it has worked in conjunction with other groups to reduce tariffs and looks to push a customs union and freedom of movement rights.
 * Libertarian Party of Leighton- None
 * Libertarian Party of Reading- Confederation Council (None), General Assembly (4)
 * Libertarian Party of Susquehanna- Confederation Council (1), General Assembly (2)
 * United America Group: The far right is dominated by unionists and paleoconservative who were unwilling to join the Conservative Group. It believes in traditional conservative values of economics and social behavior, however, in addition the group supports realigning the organization on Christian roots and supports measures to promote this. The group supports total integration of members into a new state and admission into the United States.
 * Unionist Party of Reading- Confederation Council (None), General Assembly (7)
 * Conservative Party of Susquehanna- Confederation Council (None), General Assembly (3)
 * Independents (Reading)- Confederation Council (None), General Assembly (1)
 * Progressive Alliance: The Progressive Alliance is a progressive grouping of center-left to far-left individuals. It supports progressive ideals
 * Progressive Party of Susquehanna- Confederation Council (None), General Assembly (2)
 * Independent: A handful of independents elected continue to choose to serve unaffiliated with any political group. These individuals support a variet of political ideologies, oftentimes supporting and clashing with several parties.
 * Independents (Leighton)- Confederation Council (1), General Assembly (None)
 * Independents (Reading)- Confederation Council (None), General Assembly (3)
 * Independents (Susquehanna)- Confederation Council (None), General Assembly (1)

Groups in the Legislature
Supranational Caucuses

Leighton Parties

Reading Parties

Susquehanna Parties

Demographics and Statistics
The overall population of the organization is around 376,000 people. The majority of the population is white, though Reading and Hazleton have visible minority populations.

Largest Cities
The capital of Susquehanna, Bloomsburg, has a population of 5,735 people (2015 Census), and the largest city and capital of Lehigh is Leighton, with approximately 1,748 people (2018 Census).

Airports
There are several major airports that have the potential to serve the region in the future. The largest is Reading Regional Airport, three miles outside Reading. It has two runways, and operates as a base for the Reading Air National Guard and Army National Guard, but there is no commercial service. Another major airport is Hazleton Regional Airport, in the Commonwealth of Susquehanna. Similar to Reading, it is a base for the Air National Guard, as well as the Wyoming County Security Forces.

Lehigh is served by a small airport just outside of Leighton. However, the city-state does not operate any aircraft, and the site is currently abandoned. During the occupation by raider forces, it was used as a training ground for the various gangs that were in the vicinity. Age and the weather has rendered the runway unusable, and the buildings are in various stages of decomposition. There are no plans to rebuild the airport as the cost outweighs the benefit.

Railways
Currently, Susquehanna and Reading are in the process of integrating their respective national railways into each others systems. The goal is to provide commuter rail service to Reading, Hazleton, Allentown, Pottsville, Bloomsburg, and Lebanon. There are no plans to connect the rail service to Lehigh, though these plans may change in the future as demand increases.

Roadways
Interstate 80 links Susquehanna to Reading, and offshoots that run through former Carbon County provides connection with Lehigh. Roadways in the city of Reading are generally paved, as is portions of roads in Hazleton and Bloomsburg. However, outside of these urban areas, brick, stone, and gravel are common. Many of the roads in Lehigh are made of rubble, and work crews are currently working to clear the debris and lay stone.