UNCA Student Government Association Website

Legislative Procedure

Legislative Procedure in printable document form

Legislative Procedure in printable html form

Legislative Procedure

1. The first step is for a Senate Committee, individual Senator, or independent party to develop an idea for a bill.

2. The idea is then turned into a written draft by filling out the proper draft form provided by the Legislative Chair.

3. The draft is then presented before the committee for a vote. The draft must pass by a 2/3 vote with a quorum of the committee members present.

If the bill is initiated by an individual Senator, independent of committee, then this step is omitted.

IF the bill is initiated by an independent party then that party must find a Senator or Committee to sponsor their bill.

IF the bill is an appointment then this step is omitted. In the case of a Senate Appointment in which the nominees come from the floor, the spaces for the names are left blank.

4. The draft is then given to the Legislative Chair who checks to make sure that it is in the proper legislative format. The Chair also checks for any mistakes in grammar or punctuation. The Chair may not alter the draft in any other way but may recommend changes.

5. When all the corrections are made, the Legislative Chair initials the draft showing approval.

6. The draft is then passed onto the Rules Committee Chair who checks to make sure that the draft is not in conflict with the Student Government Association Constitution or the University Judicial Code. IF it does not conflict, the Chair initials the draft showing approval. If the draft does conflict, then Chair sends it back to the committee or individual Senator to begin the legislative process all over.

7. Upon approval by the Rules Committee Chair, the draft is returned to the Legislative Chair who assigns all appropriate numbers and marks the date the he or she initially received the draft in the space marked "Date Conceived." At this point the draft becomes a bill.

8. The Legislative Chair then has the Vice President assign a date for the bill to be presented before the Student Senate.

9. The Legislative Chair then passes the bill to the Computer Committee Chair who inputs the bill into the computer files and produces a printed copy on official Student Government Association letterhead. (Note: If the bill is an appointment by the President or Vice President then it must be printed on their respective letterheads.)

10. The bill is then sent to the Legislative Chair who proofs the document for accuracy and then reproduces copes of the bill to distribute at the Student Senate meeting. (Note: The Legislative Chair also has the option of reproducing the bill in a General View Format, such as an overhead projector transparency).

11. The bill is then introduced to the Student Senate, by the person whose name is marked on the bill as the submitter. If the submitter is a committee then the chair of the committee introduces the bill. In the case of an Appointment, the President, Vice President, or Legislative Committee Chair introduces the bill, depending on the appointment. The bill is then read to the Student Senate. The Senate may ask for clarification of a section of the bill but may not debate or vote on the bill.

12. One week later the bill is then read again to the Senate by the Submitter. The bill is then automatically on the floor without a motion and goes out for discussion, amendment, and vote.

13. IF the bill fails then the Legislative Chair shall mark "Failed" in the space marked "Date Approved" and the Vice President shall also mark "Failed" above the space for his or here signature and sign the bill. The failure is then marked in the same fashion by the Computer Committee Chair in the computer files.

If the bill passes then the following is done.

14. The Legislative and Rules Committee Chairs along with the Vice President sign and date the bill.

15. The bill is then taken within two school days to the President by the Legislative Chair.

16. If the President signs and dates the bill then the Legislative Chair embosses the Official SGA Seal over the President's signature and the bill becomes law.

If the President does nothing within ten school days then the Legislative Chair marks "Automatic Passage" and the date in the space for the President's signature and embosses the area with the Official SGA Seal. AT this point the bill becomes law.

17. The Vice-President assigns the next Student Senate meetings date to the bill.

A new copy of the bill is generated by the Computer Committee Chair with the only alteration being the marking of the letter "B" after the numbers assigned by the Legislative Chair. This indicates that this is the second and final time that the bill has been presented to the Senate.

The bill is then passed to the Legislative Chair who proofs it and reproduces copies for the Student Senate meeting.

18. The bill is then again read to the Student Senate by the submitter and discussion and a vote immediately follows.

19. If the bill fails then the Legislative Chair shall mark "Failed" in the space marked "Date Approved" and the Vice President shall also mark "Failed" above the space for his or her signature and sign the bill. The failure is then marked in the same fashion by the Computer Committee Chair in the computer files.

If the bill passes, then the Legislative and Rules Committee Chairs, along with the Vice President, sign and date the bill.

20. The Legislative Chair then marks "Senatorial Enactment" and the date in the space for the President's name and then embosses over the area with the Official SGA seal. At this time the bill becomes law.

21. At the point of enactment, The Legislative Chair shall send copies of the bill to the following:

The President of the Student Body
The Vice President of the Student Body
Any other appropriate persons

22. A final copy of the bill, passed or failed, shall immediately be placed on file in the Legislative Library of the Student Government Association and the University Library.