The Government of the Student Body is launching the new semester tonight with legislation to update its current impeachment bylaws. The boundaries of the GSB Supreme Court are also the subject of new legislation.

Tony Luken, LAS, said the current impeachment bylaws are outdated, poorly worded and violate the fundamental rights of senators.

The current bylaws dictate that plaintiffs who are senators cannot deliberate or vote during the impeachment trial, he said.

In the proposed impeachment bylaws, plaintiffs who are senators can vote.

However, they may be prohibited from deliberation because they have already argued their case.

“The impeachment bylaws are something no one likes to think about, but the current ones are extremely outdated,” said Speaker of the Senate Andrew Kothenbeutel, TRA.

Impeachment isn’t something that is fun to do, Luken said, but if the time comes, there must be a legal and concise procedure to deal with such situations.

The proposed bylaws clear up a lot of confusion, he said.

“The procedure is very vague as it is now,” Luken said.

Several senators also are proposing a bill that would redefine the boundaries of the GSB Supreme Court.

Currently, the GSB Constitution gives the Supreme Court the power to issue a ruling, regardless of whether a case has been filed.

This gives the Supreme Court an “unchecked power,” Kothenbeutel said.

It permits justices to file a case whenever they feel another branch of the government has done something wrong, he said.

The other branches of the government do not have this power, Kothenbeutel said.

The new bill would allow the Supreme Court to determine the constitutionality of actions only if there is a case at hand to adjudicate, Luken said.

The GSB Senate will meet at 7 tonight in the Campanile Room of the Memorial Union. The following issues will be discussed:

Special Orders

A senate order to seat Michael Banasiak as Director of Government Relations. By Luken, Kothenbeutel and others.

A senate order to seat Amanda Hulstein as an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court. By Luken, Kothenbeutel, and others.

A senate order to seat Karl Shoemaker as an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court. By Luken, Kothenbeutel and others.

New Business

A senate bill to recognize the name change of ISU4 to Cy46 and approve the funds for the renamed organization. By Leege, Stallmann and others.

A senate bill to remove and replace the current impeachment bylaws with an updated version of Chapter 14. By Luken and Kothenbeutel.

A senate bill that would recognize a revised version of the Off-Campus Government. By Weaver, Kothenbeutel and others.

A senate bill to remove the $10 filing fee that student organizations currently are required to pay to support the costs of the allocation process. By Luken, Kothenbeutel and others.

A senate order that would require anyone who wishes to vote for a specialty seat to register three weeks prior to the general election instead of six.

A senate order that would require a case to be filed with the Supreme Court before the branch can make a ruling.