 "Photo: Hannah Carroll / THE DAILY GAMECOCK")
Two bills that would change Student Government’s nomination process to its executive cabinet were discussed on Wednesday night, but it’s not definite whether either will make it into the body’s codes.
Legislation from Sen. Matt Ungar that would require Student Body President Meredith Ross to appoint her entire cabinet within three weeks of her inauguration was approved by the body in a 23-2 vote, but Ross is likely to veto the bill.
Another bill proposed by Ungar that would require the entire Student Senate to vote on every nomination to the president’s executive cabinet, even if a Senate committee votes unfavorably on a nominee, was tabled in a 14-12 vote by the body.
But Ungar, along with Sen. Ben Bullock, are working on revisions and hope to bring the bill up for debate again in the upcoming weeks.
The legislation forcing the Student Body President to fill the cabinet within weeks didn’t bring contentious debate in the Senate, but Ross devoted much of her report to explaining her opposition.
“It doesn’t behoove any president to leave positions open in a cabinet,” Ross, a fourth-year political science student, said. “It could leave the president nominating someone he or she didn’t feel was qualified to meet the requirement.”
In her report prior to the vote, Ross all but guaranteed a veto.
But an amendment by Sen. Ben Bullock that would give Senate power to grant time extensions when deemed necessary by the body led her to say she wasn’t sure whether or not she’d use her veto power for the first time.
Senators could overturn Ross’s veto with a two-thirds vote, but Ross isn’t sure they would.
“If I vetoed a bill, there’s not telling how senators would vote after a measure like that was taken,” she said. “I think it sends a pretty strong message.”
The legislation that would require a Senate vote on every cabinet nominee brought more heated conversation.
Currently, a Senate committee can deny a nomination after interviewing the person. If the committee reports unfavorably, there is no vote of the full senate, and the application is dead.
“This legislation would have given every senator a chance to ask questions of a nominee,” Sen. Matt Ungar, the bill’s sponsor, said.
But multiple senators, including Sen. Andrew Graczyk, said the bill serves no purpose.
“The reason we have the committees is so we don’t bring everything to the floor of the Senate,” the third-year physics student said. “We run the risk of canceling out the entire need of having the committee.”
Last month, Morgan Henley, an applicant for the position of Secretary of Environmental Affairs, was denied a place in Student Government by the Committee of Environmental Affairs.
Henley’s nomination has been shrouded in controversy. Initially, the Powers and Responsibility committee interviewed Henley and found her unqualified for the position.
Senate leadership then realized it had mangled the process, and the nomination was sent to the Environmental Affairs committee for consideration. Henley was once again voted down.
“She was definitely qualified for the position,” Ross said. “I’m still unclear as to why she was voted down.”
During the weeks of the application process, Henley began work with various environmental groups and met with different leaders on campus, Ross said. Ross has now given Henley an unpaid staff position in the executive branch and praised her for her ongoing projects.
Sen. Kate Allison, the chairwoman of the Environmental Affairs, wasn’t at Wednesday’s meeting and could not be reached for comment by The Daily Gamecock.
Henley said the interview went well, but she thinks the Senate “wanted their own person.” An application from current Sen. Liz Elliott for the position has been received by Ross, but it’s not clear whether or not Elliott will actually become the next secretary.
SENATE QUICK HITS
All four bills for debate during Wednesday night’s Senate session were brought by Sen. Matt Ungar, leading Ungar to chastise other Senators for not being more involved.
“I’ve been up here four times, and that’s uncalled for,” Ungar said. “I want every Senator to find something they’re passionate about and make a change.”
Ungar’s two other bills were passed unanimously by the body. The first re-allocated money in Student Government’s budget, which is fairly common for the body during the year. His second piece of legislation asked the University to improve the quality of intersections on campus, saying student safety could be drastically improved.
