The Iowa State Student Government passed a bill that will streamline the process of seating senators between the elections. The bill was passed unanimously by the Senate. 

The intent of the bill is to make the confirmation process easier and more efficient for the Senate and the student up for the spot. The goal is to increase student engagement and participation in student government. 

Senators referred to the bill as “a standard for the worst-case scenario.” Prior to the bill, in a situation where there is not a council in place to fill the vacant seat, the seat would have to be left empty. 

Two positions were added to the Budget for the 2023 Financial Year. In a narrow 11-9 decision, a bill passed adding a Rules Clerk and a Clerk of the Court to the payroll. These positions will help improve the efficiency and quality time of minutes. Their primary role is to record minutes of the meetings, which is a requirement of the student government. 

The Student Government also passed a bill that established and adopted operating rules. The bill was passed by a 19-0 decision. The bill incorporates the procedures of the Legislative Branch and puts it into general law for the entirety of the Student Government. 

Multiple confirmations were made to different committees by the Senate, and one student was confirmed as a senator. All confirmations were made unanimously. 

• Mansi Mhaskar, freshmen in computer science, was confirmed as a College of Liberal Arts and Sciences senator

• Madeline Becker, sophomore in economics, was confirmed to the Public Relations Committee

• Jamie Hoss, senior in communication studies, was confirmed to the Public Relations Committee

• José Carlos García, senior in computer engineering, was confirmed to the Student Initiatives Committee 

• Max Kueller, junior in software engineering, was confirmed to the Student Initiatives Committee

• Alex Finaldi, senior in political science, was confirmed to the Diversity and Inclusion Committee

The meeting began with a presentation by Director of Diversity and Inclusion Alyannah Buhman regarding travel difficulties for international students. She described a project that would help assist students with this issue. 

While the school isn’t able to pay for their entire travel plans, the project listed some ways in which they could help out such as luggage and the taxi fare to Des Moines. 

The Ski and Snowboarding Club received funding for their Regional Tournament in Marquette, Michigan. The tournament is on Saturday, so the Senate waived first reading and passed the bill tonight.  

The Student Government Senate meets at 6 p.m. Wednesdays in the Campanile Room at the Memorial Union.