UNF Student Government Senate meets to discuss and revise several different bills

Samantha Addy, Student Government Reporter

On Friday, June 28, the UNF Student Government Senate met to discuss several different bills, including the two previously-passed bills (SB-19SA-3396 and SB-19SA-3398) that allowed for the installation of additional security measures and replacement projectors for the Senate Chambers, two new bills that addressed the changes suggested by SG President Aloszka’s Ad Hoc Committee, and one bill that revised portions of Title V. 

In terms of SB-19SA-3396 and SB-19SA-3398, the cost that was reported to and passed by the Senate was inaccurate. The original price quoted was for the hardware only and did not cover any electrical work, which once identified, added significantly to the cost. As a result, SB-19SA-3396 and SB-19SA-3398 were rescinded by the Senate; new iterations of these bills will be presented during the Fall term of this year.

President Aloszka announced during his report that an additional $60,000 would be added to the Counseling Center’s budget, allowing them to hire two new counselors, one of which will be housed on campus and more readily available to students; Aloszka also stated that $100,000 was being put toward mental health on campus and that $150,000 was being put toward crisis management.

SB-19SB-3407, Reformation of Title VI for Elections Engagement, and SB-19SB-3408, Reformation of the Elections Policies and Procedures for Elections Engagement, were introduced to the Senate for the first read; the first bill aims to address issues within the Elections Code. Through this bill, the Senate seeks to modernize Title VI and increase student body engagement in Student Government election while maintaining balance within the existing democratic system; the second bill aims to modernized portions of the Elections Policies and Procedures in an attempt to increase engagement in future election cycles. Both bills were forward for review to the Government Oversight Committee. 

Finally, SB-19SA-3406, Revision of Title V, addresses several grammatical issues; it also clarifies the jurisdiction of the Judicial Branch, the process of forwarding Judicial complaints, and ensured consistency with the constitution. During discussion, it was amended to comply with Title VIII. Afterwards, it was passed unanimously at 12-0-0 and the amendments will be made effective as of July 1 of this year.

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