At the latest Government of the Student Body meeting, the Senate debated on an amendment that would remove the requirement for students to have the consent of the Senate to speak at meetings.

The bill was tabled indefinitely by the Senate and will return at a later date for discussion.

The majority of the senators did not favor the bill and believe the rule is necessary.

Sen. Richard Hartnett said the rule existed for a reason.

“I think it would be wrong to remove that we can’t object to a student who wants to speak,” Hartnett said. “[The rule] allows us the flexibly more towards ourselves and keep it to the business we are discussing. The point is that it’s our meeting. If we choose not to let someone speak, we can do that.”

Sen. Samuel Schulte said he thinks that any student who wants to speak here should not have to ask permission.

Sen. Ryan Starn said the senate chamber did not belong to the senators, but to the students.

“If [students] want to come in and talk, they should have the right to,” Starn said. “I won’t vote on anything that infringes on those rights.”

Sen. Erick Dietz said the Senate serves the students, but at the same time must serve as an efficient government function.

Sen. Abbie Lang pointed out that as citizens, they elect congressmen, representatives and so on.

“We can’t just walk in and speak freely in their meetings,” Lang said. “We need to trust them that they know what they’re doing.”

Sen. Louis Reicks pointed out that a student can speak unless the majority of the Senate voted them down.

“A majority of the senators would not turn a student’s vote down unless they are not being courteous to senators or other gallery members,” Reicks said. “This bill might hurt the efficiency of the senate.”

Speaker Gabe Walsh said instead of failing the bill, the Senate should amend the bill to better suit the meetings.

Before Senate meetings, the GSB allows gallery members to speak to the Senate on whatever issues they want to discuss. He proposed creating a period of time before each debate for students to voice their opinions on the bill in question. 

“If I was a gallery member, it would be a less frustrating time for me if I knew I had that time to get my two cents in,” Walsh said. “It’s a much more fair and effective system.”

The motion to table the bill indefinitely was passed unanimously.

GSB also passed a bill reforming the Public Relations Committee.

Lang, the current public relations chair, was in full support of the bill.

The bill passed after a vote on the floor.