Student Senate Legislative Secretary: Shannon Booth (e-mail)
Senate enacts legislation to voice official opinions (Resolutions), change the way Student Government operates (Procedural Motions and Constitutional/Bylaw Amendments), or begin programming or projects to benefit the student body (Bills).When a piece of legislation is first brought before the Senate, it is referred to as its first "reading." After the author(s) have a chance to explain the purpose of the legislation, Senate usually debates briefly on it, voicing concerns and questions.
After its first reading, all legislation is sent to one of Senate's Standing Committees, where the committee members discuss and amend the legislation. When the legislation is ready, it returns to Senate for a second reading and a vote. Procedural Motions and Constitutional Amendments require three readings before they can be voted on.
What do the numbers mean?
You will notice a string of numbers for each motion. Believe it or not, they all mean something, and are designed to put each piece of legislation in perspective and make it easier to track. Let's pick an example.
5031-R-031505
The first number (5031) indicates the nature of the legislation and generally to which committee the legislation will go; in this case, the legislation falls under the scope of the Finance Committee. The other three numbers in the first set (5031) indicate that this was the thirty-first piece of legislation to come before Student Senate that year. The R indicates this piece of legislation is a Resolution. Finally, the second string of numbers (031505) indicates the date this legislation received its first reading in front of Senate: March 15, 2005.
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Leading digits 1 - Academic Affairs 2 - Administrative Affairs 3 - Housing/Residence Life 4 - SSIPS 5 - Finance 6 - Senate Executive Committee 7 - Miscellaneous 8 - Amendments |
Letters
R - Resolution N - Bill I - Amendment P - Procedural Motion |
Important Pieces of Legislation
Legislation/Agenda for Current Senate Meeting
Still in Committee
Minutes of Past Senate Meetings
2007-2008 Passed Legislation
2006-2007 Passed Legislation
2005-2006 Legislation
2004-2005 Passed Legislation
2004-2005 Failed and Other Legislation
2006-2007 Failed and Other Legislation
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