Medical amnesty was brought to the ASUI Senate’s attention Wednesday night.
ASUI Lobbyist Clayton King gave a report about work being done to repeal the sunset clause that would end medical amnesty next year. If the sunset clause is repealed, medical amnesty will remain a permeant addition to Idaho statutes, King said.
The Idaho State Legislature is also moving forward on the Center for Agriculture Food and Environment, a $45 million project centered around research, King said.
“Putting us on one of the largest research facilities on the planet,” King said. “Other states are talking about it, other countries are talking about it.”
It will be based in Magic Valley and cover nearly 14,000 acres. The money for this project will come from the university and the state legislature — each group will contribute about $15 million, King said. The university is still looking to obtain another $5 million from the state legislature, which would allow the building process to begin as early as 2020, King said.
The senate voted to move the ASUI Dance Marathon philanthropy to the spring, from its usual time in the fall. The main reason behind the change was to allow administration more time to gain experience, Sen. Jacob Lockhart said. It also allows for more time to raise money by holding it after the new year budget has been set, he said.
Next week, the senate will discuss several new bills, which include topics such as adding virtual living reports to senate duties and eliminating the pledge from the ASUI agenda. Two resolutions will be discussed — one which will urge the university to continue using Obama era guidance’s as it pertains to Title IX, and another in support of allowing transgender students to use their identified names on student accounts, transcripts and diplomas.
Vice President Catherine Yenne said the resolution urging the university to continue using Obama era Title IX guidelines is a response to Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos’ new plan, which changed the amount of evidence necessary to prove sexual assault.
Kali Nelson can be reached at [email protected]