A bill is legislation amending or creating a by-law, statute, and/or legislation
establishing a course of action.
A bill will be legal and binding on the Association until modified or repealed
as prescribed in the Constitution and the Association By-laws.
A bill will require a two-thirds (2/3) vote, of the Senate present and voting,
to pass.
How to Write a Bill
Sponsored By: Anyone can sponsor a bill. Organizations, committees, directors,
cabinet, constituents, etc.
Submitted By: This should list the names of the persons who support the
legislation. Do NOT arbitrarily assign names, consult others to see if their names can
be used as a sponsor. Only Cabinet members and Senators can submit Bills.
WHEREAS clauses: These should support and/or state the reasoning behind the
desired action the bill will take. Use as many WHEREAS clauses needed to justify the
end result.
THEREFORE clauses: These should state the EXACT action to be taken if the bill
should pass. Do NOT leave anything to assumption. It is hard to make alterations to
bills once their passed, so don't leave anything out.
Constitutional Amendments
A bill stating desired amendments to the Association constitution must be submitted
to the Senate and read at two (2) consecutive meetings.
The bill must be approved by a two-thirds (2/3) vote of the Senate present and
voting.
Upon Senate approval, the amendment shall be submitted to the student body. Ten
percent (10%) of the student body must vote for the approval or rejection to be valid.
A majority vote is required for approval.
Approved constitutional changes must then be submitted to the University President
for his/her approval.
Tips
Be prepared!
Research the topic and know the facts about the subject.
Be prepared to answer any and all questions.
If you need any help writing a bill just ask someone! Better to ask now then to
wait until the bill is on the floor.
