On Feb. 25, the Student Government Association convened to discuss Senate Bill 11, “Implementation of an Infraction System.”

In the past, SGA has used an absence-policy, in which violations of SGA codes and procedures result in specific fractions of an absence for senators. S.B. 11, proposed by junior Mimi Valladarez and sophomore Zac Peal, seeks to implement an infraction system, where senators would accumulate infractions instead of absences. The bill would also increase the total allotted infractions to five.

According to the text of the amendments, “The infraction system will be based on attendance, dress code and submission of the reports.”

“If a senator is found not exhibiting the dress code, one-half infractions has been changed to one-fourth infractions,” the amendments said. “Failure to provide a report to senate committee or executive board when required will be reported as one-half infractions.”

After accumulating five infractions, the senator would have to submit to an accountability review by their executive superior, instead of the executive board. However, the executive board would still have to vote to uphold the superior’s decision.

Vice President of Intergovernmental Affairs and senior Christopher Duke proposed that the bill be postponed until after the upcoming SGA elections.

“The Peal/Valladarez bill makes some common-sense reforms,” Duke said. “However, some aspects are critically flawed – it dillutes standards, potentially protects its own members from being held accountable and changes the rules mid-stream.”

Additional reporting by Haleigh Svoboda.

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