Republic military enhancement bill

During the pan-galactic Clone Wars between the Galactic Republic and the Confederacy of Independent Systems, the Senate of the Republic was presented with a bill by Senator Halle Burtoni that called for an increase in military production. The bill was drafted in 21 BBY, when, after almost a year of open warfare, the Grand Army of the Republic was facing serious issues of troop depletion and the Separatist Droid Army was steadily gaining ground. Around that time, the Senate began to debate the necessity of troop surges that could supplement the already-deployed armed forces and the Jedi Generals in the field. Although the advocates for military enhancement gained considerable traction early in the discussion, uncertainty over the Republic's fiscal integrity generated concern among many senators who felt that the price of troop production would be prohibitively costly. In response, Senator Gume Saam of Tibrin introduced a bill that called for the deregulation of the banking industry so that the Republic might secure lines of credit to fund future troop surges. After a devastating Confederate terror attack on the Republic capital of Coruscant, the deregulation measure was passed and a budding peace initiative was shot down.

These two developments allowed for Burtoni to introduce her legislation, which specifically called for the creation and training of five million new clone troopers from her constituent world of Kamino. To fund the army expansion, the bill took advantage of Senator Saam's successful legislation by opening a new loan through the InterGalactic Banking Clan—the galaxy's premier financial institution. Although Burtoni's proposal was widely supported by her colleagues, several senators, including Bail Prestor Organa of Alderaan and Padmé Amidala of Naboo, opposed it on grounds both fiscal and pacifistic. Their opposition became even more impassioned when they learned that the InterGalactic Banking Clan's loan would carry with it a twenty-five percent interest rate, repayment of which would easily bankrupt the Republic and cease all public service spending.

Organa and Amidala lobbied their fellow representatives for support, but found little. To ensure their failure, the Sith Lord Darth Tyranus hired bounty hunters Robonino and Chata Hyoki to threaten and batter Republic senators who might vote against Burtoni's measure. Although the tactic was widely successful, many in the Senate respected the opinion of Senator Organa, and so the Alderaanian planned to make a final address to the congress before the final vote commenced. However, on the day of the vote, Organa was severely injured in an assassination attempt, forcing Amidala to make the speech in his place. The Naboo senator's plea was well-received, as it focused heavily on the tangible cost the bill would have on families within the Republic. Despite this, the bill was approved, prompting Amidala and her coalition to quickly draft a piece of counter-legislation that would nullify Burtoni's success.

Text and facts from the “Republic military enhancement bill/Legends” article on Wookieepedia, licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0. Modified for this site.