Two weeks ago, Chairperson Nathan Atkison proposed a bill that would change how the Student Senate can override a presidential veto. On Wednesday evening, the 32-person Senate unanimously approved the bill, meaning it will move on to the student body’s approval next.
Currently, to override a presidential veto in SGA, the Senate needs a two-thirds majority of the total number of seats, regardless of if they are filled on a given night or not.
“The headcount of the Senate as of Oct. 5 was 45,” Atkison said at the Oct. 18 Senate meeting. “It would take unanimous consent to override a presidential veto at this point, and we struggle to maintain 45 people.”
Instead of requiring two-thirds of the whole Senate, the proposed amendment would make it so that only two-thirds of the present Senate is necessary. It would also exclude vacant seats.
“That (way) we can always have the ability to override presidential veto,” Atkison said.
At Wednesday night’s meeting, small wording in the bill’s language was changed but ultimately passed with little discussion or debate. The bill can be viewed in the evening’s Legislative Packet, page 61.
In the spring, students will vote in the general SGA election to decide if the changes proposed will go into effect.
Wednesday’s SGA meeting can be viewed in its entirety here.
