Senate agenda boasts few changes

Many of the bills that were on the Student Government Association senate’s agenda for last week will be discussed again at 7:30 p.m.  in the M.D. Anderson Library’s Rockwell Pavilion, but there is no new legislation being introduced according to the senate order of business.

The fair pricing bill, the grade replacement bill and the student-teacher stipend have been on the agenda since the beginning of the semester, and an earlier form of the GENDA bill was passed last semester before being sent back to the SGA by the Board of Regents.

“The main reason (for the delay) is just politics,” said Michael McHugh, author of the GENDA and Good Samaritan policy. “These bills are going to become law; there’s no doubt in my mind. They just want to make sure they have widespread political support.”

McHugh said there will be no more action on the new GENDA bill. The SGA is dropping the bill in its current form and intends to push the original resolution, which would protect faculty and staff as well as students, through the proper channels.

The SGA will attempt to bypass the Board of Regents on the old GENDA issue, as it is no longer considered a “major policy change.”

Also on the agenda, the Medical Amnesty Protocol, or Good Samaritan bill, will grant students academic amnesty if they call for help from medical or law enforcement officials, although they will still be required to “undergo counseling or psychological services.”

“Students need to be rewarded for doing the right thing. After all, this is a public health issue,” McHugh said.

At the meeting, the senate will discuss the resolution to provide student teachers with stipends, a bill implementing the Good Samaritan Act, the grade replacement bill and the University Testing Services fair pricing bill.

At the time of this writing, the GENDA bill had not yet been removed from the agenda.