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Student Government Association Constitution and Statutes Workshop: Title Four

The Florida State University. Student Government Association Constitution and Statutes Workshop: Title Four. Bobby Seifter President Pro Tempore 60 th Student Senate. Last updated April 2008. Title Four of the Student Body Statutes The Legislative.

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Student Government Association Constitution and Statutes Workshop: Title Four

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  1. The Florida State University Student Government Association Constitution and Statutes Workshop: Title Four Bobby Seifter President Pro Tempore 60th Student Senate Last updated April 2008

  2. Title Four of the Student Body StatutesThe Legislative • There shall be three Senate Sessions throughout the year: the Spring, Summer and Fall sessions. Each starts and ends on the first and last day of their respective semesters. Only during the Summer Session may a Senator take a leave of absence longer than one week. • There is a Senate President and Senate President Pro-Tempore that are elected by majority of the Senate in the Fall Session, or whenever necessary. Their specific duties are outlined in the Senate’s Rules of Procedure. There is also a Senate Program Assistant and Parliamentarian that aide the Senate in a capacity set by the Rules of Procedure. • There are six standing Senate committees which have a Chair and Vice Chair. No Senator may serve on more than one standing committee excluding the Rules and Calendar committee which consists of the Chairs of all committees. Senators also have the opportunity to serve on the Sweepings and Central Reserves committees, which re-allocates funds that were originally distributed to organizations but never spent. • All Senate meetings must meet quorum, which is defined as a majority of members being present.

  3. Title Four of the Student Body StatutesThe Legislative • Legislation • A Resolution is formal way of expressing the Senate’s opinion on a subject matter. Except for changes in it’s Rules of Procedure, Resolutions are usually non-binding and are used to make recommendations or show Senate support. No Resolutions shall be written for the purpose of commending an organization or cause except for extreme cases. • A Bill is a proposal that deals with the distribution of funds or the amendment of the Student Body Statutes. Bill’s are binding once signed by the President and Vice President of Student Affairs. • All pieces of legislation must have a primary sponsor, usually the person that has written and worked extensively on the legislation. • Once submitted to the Senate Program Assistant, the legislation becomes property of the Senate. • An Omnibus Bill is a bill that amends two or more Titles of the Statutes and must be passed by a 2/3 vote of Senate. Sweepings and Central Reserves do not fall under this category. • Constitutional Amendments must first be passed by the Senate and then be placed on the ballot at the next SGA Election and voted on by the Student Body .

  4. Title Four of the Student Body StatutesThe Legislative • Procedure for Approval of Bills • After passing through the Senate, a copy of the bill must be given to the President and Attorney General to be ratified. The bill is then considered property of the Executive Branch. • The President has five days to sign veto legislation passed by the Senate. If the President does not agree with all or a portion of the bill, the bill can be sent back to the Senate to be voted on again. The veto can be overturned with a 2/3 vote of the Senate. If the vetoed bill is amended, then it is automatically considered new legislation and will be sent back to the President if passed by majority vote. • After being approved by the President and Attorney General, the bill must then be signed by the Vice President of Student Affairs, who also has the power to veto legislation. • All FSU Students have the right to request copies of Resolutions, Bills or Constitutional Amendments. • Term of Office • All Senators serve from the time they are inaugurated until the time that the successors to their Senate Seat are inaugurated or until they resign or are impeached, whichever comes first.

  5. Title Four of the Student Body StatutesThe Legislative • Impeachment • The Senate has the power to impeach both elected and appointed SGA officials who do not follow the ordinances outlined in statutes, the constitution, rules of procedure or federal and state law. • The Senate Judiciary Committee is responsible for initiating impeachment charges. Impeachment shall require a majority vote of the Judiciary Committee followed by a 2/3 vote of the full Senate. Before a formal hearing, the accused officer must be informed of their offenses and brought before the Judiciary Committee and Senate to present their defense. • Once Impeachment charges pass through the Senate, the Senate President shall present the Articles of Impeachment to the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court. A member of the Judiciary Committee will present the Senates defense for impeachment and the impeached officer will only be removed by a majority vote of the Supreme Court. • Investigative Rights of the Senate • In cases where the Senate wishes to be more informed on a specific subject matter or examine any impropriety, they have the right to initiate an Investigative Committee with a majority vote of the Senate. Traditionally, the Judiciary Committee is the Investigative Committee, but the Senate President has the power to appoint any Senator to the Investigative Committee. • Senate in the Sunshine • All proceedings of the Senate including time and place of meetings, minutes, legislation on first reading, official actions and votes, etc. shall be made public on a forum such as the SGA website.

  6. Title Four of the Student Body StatutesThe Legislative • Senate Committees • Senators will be placed on one of the five standing committees (Budget, Judiciary, Internal Affairs, Student Affairs and Finance) by the Senate President based on each Senators committee preference. Senators may only be switched from the committee by the Senate President. At no time shall any committee fall below 5 members. • The chairman of each committee will sit on the sixth standing committee, the Rules and Calendar committee, which is chaired by the Senate Pro Tempore. • The Budget • The Senate has the power to distribute Activity and Service fees through the Budget Committee. Each recipient of monies must submit a budget request. Deliberations are held with various organizations to decide how much money will be distributed to each organization. Examples of the organizations funded are the Union, Campus Recreation, The SGA Offices, the Agencies, the Bureaus, Affiliated Projects, and Funding Boards.

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