by Heather R. Gabel
Daily Lobo Columnist
I can't believe we are now 25 percent done with the 2002 fall semester; it has gone faster than I ever could have imagined.
This is the fifth column you have read about ASUNM and I hope that you feel that you are beginning to understand what the Associated Students of UNM student government is and how it helps the students of the University of New Mexico. I am going to take the opportunity today to give you an overview of the ASUNM legislative branch.
The ASUNM legislative branch is led by the vice president (myself) and composed of 20 senators, the senate secretary and the vice presidential aide. The senators are elected by the student body to serve one-year terms through an election held during both the spring and fall semesters. Approximately 10 senators are replaced or reelected each semester.
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The ASUNM legislative branch has three senate committees. Each senator is required to serve on one of these committees and is appointed to this committee by the ASUNM vice president. These committees are the Finance Committee, Presidential Appointments Committee and the Steering and Rules Committee.
The Finance Committee is currently comprised of seven senators, including Finance Chairman Tim Serna. They are currently in the middle of the fall budget process where they will be allocating funds to student groups and presenting the budget to the full Senate on Oct. 16, at 6 p.m. in the Kiva Auditorium.
The Finance Committee is also in charge of hearing budget revisions, reviewing legislation that deals with finances (such as the student fee increase last year) and reviewing appropriation bills. An appropriation bill allocates money to student organizations that are chartered through the Student Activities Office for trips (seminars, workshops, conferences, etc.), unexpected expenses or one-time capital outlays (equipment with a life expectancy of over two to three years) as deemed appropriate by the Finance Committee.
If your chartered student organization would like to receive funding through an appropriation, you may pick up an appropriation request form from the ASUNM office in the Student Services Center, Room 262. You will need to complete the form and return it to the ASUNM office by noon the Friday before a committee meeting.
Your group will then need to attend the following committee meeting to present the appropriation in person. The committee will submit its recommendation of the appropriation bill to the Senate at the following full senate meeting. The committee meetings are held every other Wednesday night, alternating with the Senate. You can view the schedule of dates and times of our full senate and committee meetings on our Web page at www.unm.edu/~asunm.
If you would like to see what the Finance Committee meetings are like, feel free to attend the next meeting this Wednesday, Sept. 18, at 6 p.m. in the Kiva.
The Presidential Appointments Committee (PAC) is currently comprised of five senators, including Chairwoman Nicole Griego. It is responsible for interviewing interim appointments made by the ASUNM president and giving recommendations to the ASUNM Senate. In accordance with the ASUNM lawbook, all presidential appointments remain interim until their confirmation from the full senate as a method of checks and balances. If you are interested in observing any of these interviews, please attend the next PAC meeting this Wednesday at 6 p.m. in the SRC Commons, Room 112.
The Steering and Rules Committee investigates all legislation not allocating ASUNM government funds. This committee is currently comprised of seven senators, including Chairwoman Lisa Marie Gomez. This legislation includes bills and resolutions. Bills are written to amend or delete existing laws or create new laws in order to ensure that ASUNM's constitution and lawbook are concurrent with actual practice. Legislation may also be necessary to clarify meaning or rectify a current problem. A resolution expresses the feelings or desires of the senate on a particular subject on which the senate does not wish to legislate or cannot take legislative action. A senate resolution is limited to the term of the session of the senate in which it was passed (so it's only good for the current semester).
A senate resolution may become a joint resolution if it is agreed to and signed by the ASUNM president at which time it shall become an expression or intention of the entire ASUNM government. A joint resolution is limited to the term of the ASUNM president who signed it (so it lasts the entire academic year). All legislation must have a sponsoring senator before it can be sent to the Steering and Rules Committee for review. Once the Steering and Rules Committee reviews the legislation and makes any changes it feels necessary, it is sent to the senate with its recommendations.
If it is passed through full senate, it is sent to the president, who can sign or veto the bill. The senate can override a presidential veto with a two-thirds vote. If you would like to see what legislation the Steering and Rules Committee is working on you can attend the committee meeting this Wednesday, at 6 p.m. upstairs in the Student Services Center. I hope that this column has helped explain how the ASUNM legislative branch fits into ASUNM as a whole and I invite you to join us at our next full senate meeting on Wednesday, Sept. 25, at 6 p.m. in the Kiva to watch the ASUNM legislative branch in action.
