GSB transparency bill vetoed by Knight

The+new+GSB+President+Jared+Knight+and+Vice+President+Katie+Brown+answer+questions+after+it+was+revealed+that+they+won+the+GSB+election+Thursday%2C+March+8%2C+2012+at+Carver+Hall.+The+Knight%2FBrown+ticket+gathered+1542+votes%2C+compared+to+the+1110+votes+obtained+by+opponents+Jake+Swanson+and+David+Bartholomew.%0A

Photo: Yue Wu/Iowa State Daily

The new GSB President Jared Knight and Vice President Katie Brown answer questions after it was revealed that they won the GSB election Thursday, March 8, 2012 at Carver Hall. The Knight/Brown ticket gathered 1542 votes, compared to the 1110 votes obtained by opponents Jake Swanson and David Bartholomew.

Charles O'Brien

Government of the Student Body President Jared Knight vetoed the “Making GSB Accountable and Transparent” bill. This veto was announced on Friday, Jan. 25. 

The bill, which passed 20-1-1 on Jan. 23, mandates and ensures the activities of all branches of GSB are made available to the public in documentary, audio or video form, and it ensures that all content on GSB’s website is current and up-to-date.

In an email sent out to GSB members, Knight stated the bill “is unacceptable in its current form for three reasons.” Those are: “unreasonable expectations,” “conflicting language” and “creating commitments we don’t intend to uphold.”

At the end of his email Knight stated, “We all have work to do in making GSB more transparent and accessible to students. However, we must be responsible for our own requirements. I cannot support the portions referenced above, and I encourage reformulation and resubmission.”

Speaker of the Senate Gage Kensler said Knight’s veto would be overturned at the GSB meeting on Wednesday, Jan. 30. It takes a two-thirds vote by seated senators to overturn a president’s veto.

“We didn’t have everybody there last Wednesday, but they would have voted for it,” said Kensler. “The bill was passed almost unanimously on Wednesday, too, without them.”