This past Friday marked the second round of budget hearings and deliberations in Student Government along with committee meetings taking place the rest of the afternoon.

The budget deliberations that took place earlier that day set the annual budget for the 2019-2020 fiscal year at a total of $4,476,140. This is only a slight decrease from last year’s grand total of $4,614,262. The budget will be officially voted on by the general Senate next Friday, Feb. 8.

After budget deliberations, the Government Oversight committee had their meeting where they discussed the upcoming election season. Elections Commissioner Lawrence Dutton was also a part of the meeting to help explain and go over his role during elections and what to expect for upcoming debates and meetings.

Next, the Constitution & Statutes committee met and discussed future Senate training ideas on how to get the Senators more involved and aware of their responsibilities and duties. Ideas included lunch sessions before general meetings to create a better sense of community and engagement between the senators.

In the Budget & Allocations committee, they approved various travel and special requests, including a trip for the American Choral Directors, UNF Equestrian Club & Team, and the National Society of Black Engineers.

The next meeting for the Senate will be this upcoming Friday, Feb. 8. Before then, there will be a Budget Public Forum on Feb. 6 in the Senate Chambers from 5 to 7 p.m. for everyone to come out and share their perspective on the budget before it is confirmed.

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