News Brief — ASUI Senate

After an almost two-hour meeting, the ASUI Senate left with more bills failed than passed. The senate failed a bill which would have eliminated senator pay.

The bill, which received a single vote from Sen. Jessie Smith, was created with the intention of saving the senate money. Smith argued the jobs and responsibilities of most senators do not warrant a stipend.

“As nice as it is to receive a little extra money, I can’t help but feel that I’m taking advantage of the students every single time I take a paycheck,” Smith said. “I think it’s an absurd argument to say you’re privileged if you want to steal money from the students when a lot of times they don’t even know who we are.”

Sen. Nicole Skinner said if the senate thought of their pay as stealing from students, then the same logic could be applied to University of Idaho departments that rely on student fees. Sk

inner also said the senate did not have a plan for the money, meaning it would go back into the general fund and not be used by ASUI.

After the vote, Jordan Johnson, ASUI chief of staff, said both the author and the sponsor failed the bill, something she hasn’t seen in 10 years.

The senate also failed a bill that would move pro tempore elections from the first meeting of the new senate to before the previous senate, allowing for a better transition period.

Spear said the senate shouldn’t allow senators who are leaving to choose the pro tempore for the next senate.

The senate did pass a bill allowing committees to meet only when there is legislature to discuss, rather than once a week.

Kali Nelson can be reached at [email protected] or on Twitter @kalinelson6

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