The Imperial Defense Recruitment Bill was the legal measure designed to move away from total dependence on clone troopers, who had been utilized by the Galactic Republic. This shift involved both voluntary enlistment and mandatory service of soldiers from the broader population, as the Kaminoan cloning initiative was deemed economically unsustainable given the perceived lack of a major threat to the galaxy. Unbeknownst to the Senate, Admiral Edmon Rampart had already initiated recruitment of new troops, with their numbers growing significantly after the decommissioning of the Kaminoan cloning facilities. During the decisive voting session, it was revealed that Rampart had misused funds to support the project and had orchestrated the attack on Kamino himself. Just as it appeared the bill would be shelved again, Emperor Palpatine made an appearance, voicing his support for the bill and proclaiming the dawn of the Imperial stormtrooper era. With the Emperor's backing, the Senate approved the legislation.
Having previously been turned down, the bill was brought up for another vote; however, resistance from Senators Riyo Chuchi, Bail Organa, and Tynnra Pamlo, coupled with the Emperor's absence during the initial discussions, led to the vote's postponement. The bill also garnered support from the Commerce Guild and the InterGalactic Banking Clan. Although the initial draft lacked provisions for the living arrangements and pensions of decommissioned troopers, Rampart eventually incorporated these into the final version, but later confided to Grand Vizier Mas Amedda that he had no intention of actually providing benefits to the retired clones.
During the final voting session, the revelation from Halle Burtoni, the former senator representing Kamino, that Rampart had diverted Imperial funds earmarked for the cloning program to support a newly conscripted military further jeopardized the bill. Chuchi demanded an investigation into the missing funds. Following the further disclosure that Rampart was responsible for the destruction of Kamino's cloning facilities, Grand Vizier Mas Amedda ordered Rampart's arrest and removal from the Senate floor. Palpatine then addressed the Senate, expressing his belief that Rampart's treachery highlighted the clones' shortcomings and their tendency to blindly follow orders. With the Emperor asserting that a new army would resolve the issue, the Senate was manipulated into ultimately approving the bill.
In the wake of the Clone Wars and the establishment of the Galactic Empire, the Galactic Republic's wartime Army, consisting of millions of Kaminoan-produced clone troopers, found itself without a clear purpose, as the Confederacy of Independent Systems had been eliminated, thereby removing any substantial threat to the galaxy. Specialized units, such as the Purge Troopers and Clone Force 99, were assessed for their ability to continue operations against specific threats, while the remainder of the army was tasked with maintaining peace and conducting cleanup efforts, including the retrieval of Count Dooku's war chest from his Castle Serenno. However, Grand Moff Wilhuff Tarkin and Emperor Sheev Palpatine harbored doubts about the clones' long-term reliability and considered the cloning project financially unsustainable. Consequently, Admiral Edmon Rampart initiated a clandestine project, known as War-Mantle, to recruit former Republic Commandos for training a new type of trooper for the Empire.
These new soldiers, designated TK stormtroopers, were equipped with experimental armor and trained at an Imperial Base on Daro. While the Imperial Defense Recruitment Bill would formally establish a military composed of civilian recruits, this project was already secretly underway during the bill's debates. Without the Senate's awareness, these recruited troops had begun to replace clones in certain deployments, including those to Desix, Thabeska, and Raada, even before the bill was passed.
The Imperial Defense Recruitment Bill put forward the formal shift of the Imperial Military from a force exclusively composed of clone personnel to one based on recruitment and conscription, drawing from the citizens of the Empire. This process involved the gradual decommissioning of older clone troopers and their replacement with soldiers who were not clones. Despite the initial absence of provisions for the living arrangements and pensions of decommissioned troopers, Rampart eventually incorporated them into the final version of the bill, as suggested by Senator Riyo Chuchi, who represented the clones. However, Rampart later confessed to Grand Vizier Mas Amedda that he had no real intention of providing pensions for the retired clones.
The bill was rejected on three separate occasions before it finally reached a vote on the Imperial Senate floor. During the hearings, Senators Bail Organa representing Alderaan, Tynnra Pamlo of Taris, and Riyo Chuchi representing Pantora voiced their strong objections to the proposed law. Pamlo and Organa argued that with the Clone Wars concluded, there was no need to discuss a new army and that more urgent matters required attention. Chuchi, on the other hand, believed it was unjust to consider replacing the troopers without giving them a voice in the matter or offering financial and social support following their decommissioning. Due to this opposition, the vote was postponed.
During the voting session, Senator Chuchi presented Halle Burtoni, the former Senator of Kamino, before the Senate, where she testified regarding Rampart's mismanagement of Imperial funds. Senator Organa also presented new evidence, in the form of Rampart's Venator-class Star Destroyer's command log, which demonstrated Rampart's direct involvement in the destruction of Tipoca City. These revelations caused an uproar against the Admiral and threatened the bill's passage; however, Emperor Palpatine's appearance and speech ultimately led to its approval.
After its introduction to the Imperial Senate, the bill received enthusiastic backing from two corporate senators: the Commerce Guild representative and Senator Gani Riduli of the InterGalactic Banking Clan. Grand Vizier Mas Amedda also supported the bill, at least in private. Emperor Palpatine, however, was absent during the initial debate sessions.
The exposure of Rampart's unauthorized use of Imperial funds intended for the Kaminoan cloning facilities and his role in the destruction of Tipoca City during the voting session resulted in his arrest on Emperor Palpatine's orders. Immediately thereafter, Palpatine delivered a speech before the Senate, expressing his regret for Rampart's treasonous actions and reminding the Senate that he had not acted alone; the clones under his command had blindly obeyed his orders, despite knowing them to be wrong. He suggested that, while misguided, Rampart's bill was correct in its intent and that a new conscript army would prevent the repetition of past mistakes. Following his speech, the Senate overwhelmingly voted in favor of the bill, leading to its passage.
Leading up to the mission to Desix, two clone stormtroopers discussed the bill being up for another vote and expressed their hope that it would fail for their own benefit. When Senator Riyo Chuchi visited 79's, a cantina located on Coruscant that catered to clones, the clone stormtrooper patrons voiced their strong disapproval of the bill. One trooper expressed his eagerness to continue his military service and wished to be deployed to combat insurgent groups that were forming in the Mid and Outer Rims. Other clones conveyed that the very concept of retirement was unthinkable and something they had never been trained to consider.
During the final voting session, Chuchi presented Halle Burtoni, the former Senator of Kamino, before the Senate to provide testimony regarding Rampart's misappropriation of funds from the Senate Defense Committee. Bail Organa also presented the command log before the Senate, substantiating their objections to the bill and their conviction regarding Rampart's culpability in the destruction of Tipoca City. With all evidence pointing against him, Mas Amedda ordered Rampart's arrest and forcible removal from the floor.
Emperor Palpatine, however, addressed the floor and used Rampart's actions to rally support for the bill, ultimately passing it himself by leveraging his supreme authority over the Senate, thereby eliminating another significant vestige of the Republic and declaring the beginning of the era of the Imperial Stormtrooper.
At some point following the bill's approval, Captain Bragg escorted a group of three clones out of the Imperial Inspectorate HQ on Coruscant, stating that the Empire thanked them for their years of service and wished them well in their retirement. When one trooper sarcastically remarked that it was a forced retirement and inquired about what the clones were supposed to do now, Bragg suggested that they direct their questions and concerns to the Imperial Information Bureau.
During the Imperial summit on Eriadu, Dr. Royce Hemlock mentioned that, as more clones were gradually decommissioned from the Imperial Military, they could become potential candidates for his series of experiments at the Tantiss Base on Mount Tantiss. When questioned about whether the clones would have a choice in their participation, Hemlock asserted that they were Imperial property and could simply be compelled to participate.