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In the bill XML, higher-level headings like Parts are not merely titles; they are XML tags which effectively ‘wrap’ (i.e. completely enclose) the provisions which are under that heading. For example, if a Bill contains two Parts, and Part 2 contains sections 4-6, then in the XML of that Bill sections 4-6 are all contained within an XML tag representing Part 2. If an amendment were to remove an existing heading, such as Part 2 insert a new Part after section 5 (that is, mid-way through Part 2), a slightly complex transformation would be required to wrap or unwrap the provisions under that heading in the XML, so that they are instead enclosed by Part 12. |
We plan to improve handling of these types of amendments in future. Not all amendments of this type will fail, but when using auto-apply on these amendments it is best to proceed with caution.
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However, amendments in this form sometimes fail to auto-apply. Removing the extra closing quotation mark before applying the amendment will resolve the problem and allow auto-apply to function correctly.
Applying a 'leave out and insert' amendment to the last words in a quoted structure sometimes results in the new words being placed after the quoted structure
If an amendment substitutes words at the end of a Quoted Structure, the new words are sometimes placed in the ‘Following text’ element after the Quoted Structure, as in the screenshot below:
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This is a known bug which we intend to fix in an upcoming support release.
Amendments which leave out words to the end of a line conflict with other amendments to that line
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When one amendment leaves out the end of a section, sub-section, Schedule paragraph or sub-paragraph, and another amendment inserts words in a new provision immediately after that one, the two amendments may be deemed to be overlapping and the latter amendment will not auto-apply. Refinements to conflict-detection should help to resolve this problem in a future Lawmaker release.
Amendments which
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replace lines containing structure with simple text
Where an amendment leave out multiple lines of structured text (for example, paragraphs (a) and (b) in a subsection) and inserts a new simple line of text, auto-apply may produce unexpected results. The screenshots below show an example of this.
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Currently, applying and accepting this amendment will result in the newly inserted text disappearing. We intend to fix this problem in a future Lawmaker release.
“Accept all” producing unexpected changes
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After editing the copied amendment, you can attempt to apply it.
Planned refinements to auto-apply
User Interface improvements
In the Editor, allow users to accept applied amendments one-by-one
Show more amendment information in the ‘Inline amendment’ and ‘Review’ panes in the Editor (for example, add a way of quickly viewing the amendment text)
Give users the option to fix or edit amendments which failed to auto-apply
Add more document checks to amendment lists to assist with drafting amendments and therefore increase the number of correctly structured amendments
Give users the option of generating a report when auto-applying amendments; the report would show which amendments were successfully applied, which failed and why, alongside amendment numbers, Dnums, target location, and other metadata
Functional improvements
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Handle more complex amendments which span several XML levels
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Implement auto-application of amendments to tables
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Implement auto-application of Move and Divide instructions
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Improve auto-application of amendments which begin before a Quoted Structure and end part-way through it
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Improve handling of “leave out line” amendments
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