Associated Student Body Vice President Morgan Gregory and the Governmental Operations Committee are in the process of writing a bill that will give elected officials an additional month in office.
Gregory said the bill is meant to maximize the time senators have during their term. She also said that by pushing the spring elections back, the inauguration for newly elected officers will be pushed back as well.
“Pushing back inauguration will eliminate the need for such a drastic transition and filling of open seats in the spring,” Gregory said. “(Pushing back inauguration will) condense the overall transition time between inauguration and Senate elections to maximize valuable time in the senate, which will also add to the quality of work done by senators because they won’t be so rushed to cram everything they want to do into such a short period of time.”
Gregory said the change would require both a bill to change the code and an amendment to the constitution. If the bill passes, students will then have to vote on the change.
The student vote would be taken by clicking “yes” when a student selects candidates on www.myolemiss.edu for spring elections. This will signify that students are aware that these candidates will be in office for an additional month.
If passed, the change will go into effect in spring 2015, giving the officers elected in spring 2014 an additional month in office.
Gregory said the draft of the bill is not yet complete. She hopes the bill will be a way to improve the efficiency and process of the ASB Senate.
“My hopes are that this, in addition to the recently passed bill amending and improving the way open seats are filled, will set the future legislative branch up for a term much easier to be utilized, resulting in a better campus and a more respected ASB,” she said.
