They didn't use parchment in 2243, but these laws were just as important.
The Five Acts replaced the official constitution of the Earth Federation under the rule of Chairman Arthur Clarke. These five pieces of emergency legislation were enacted on October 31st, 2243. They were never repealed and stayed in force until the fall of the Federation in August 2264.
Although they were often referred as a single document, the five acts were:
1) All production facilities are to be converted to military control to establish the Federation on a full war footing.
2) Severe rationing of all civilian materials would be administered by the Ministry of Commerce.
3) To prevent a damburst of vital information, transmissions via the Galactic Net and freedom of the Press are to be severely restricted by the Ministry of Public Information.
4) To prevent misusage of these powers, all major appropriations of materiel, whether it be people, resources, or private property, must be approved by the Chairman’s Office.
5) There will be a universal draft of all citizens, awakened and unawakened, between the ages of 16 and 32. This would be enforced by a enlarged Tech Infantry Special Service, better known as the Raptors, who are trained in this sort of detail.
Although the first four acts passed without debate, it was the final declaration that the Senate challenged. The chairman was called before the Senate to justify this drastic action. Clarke stated that “our government, indeed our very way of life, is on the verge of devastation. We must use all our resources, including human resources, to win this war and preserve the Federation.”
Deliberation continued long into the All Hallows’ Eve night until an agreement was reached between the chairman and the senate leadership. The draft would be allowed, as long as “unsuitable” or “handicapped” people were diverted to production work, and if a “senate investigation office” could be established to investigate and prevent any abuses of the Five Acts. The measures were finally approved by the Senate in thunderous applause. The chairman stated that “we have taken the first steps towards victory. With the people, the government, and the military united as one, we’ll finally be able to restore our nation.” Much like the earlier draft of awakened citizenry, the new draft did contain exemptions for qualified students to defer their enlistment until they completed high school or college, with the proviso that students with this educational advantage be diverted into special basic training programs to groom them for early promotion to non-commissioned or commissioned officers. While the earlier draft applied only to the Tech Infantry, the new draft conscripted unawakened citizens into the Light Infantry or Earth Fleet, both of which had previously been all-volunteer forces.