Resolutions shall be one method of the Graduate Student Senate to communicate its message internally and externally.
10.02 Resolutions (in General)
A resolution shall be placed on the agenda by posting it for public inspection no later than 5:00 p.m. the day preceding a Graduate Student Senate meeting for consideration at that meeting.
No amendment to the resolution other than for grammatical or technical reasons shall be allowed after 5:00 p.m. the day preceding a Graduate Student Senate meeting. If an amendment has been made after 5:00 p.m., the resolution shall be out of order. An amendment other than for grammatical or technical reasons shall be made at the meeting after the resolution has been read into the record.
A resolution may require the Senate or a subdivision of the Senate to take a certain action, recommend to another entity an action, declare the opinion of the Senate, amend the R&P in accordance with Chapter 16 or the Constitution in accordance with section 1.02, appoint Senators or others, adopt a committee report, or other purpose.
Any resolution for the body can be proposed as a first reading which will be a reading of the resolution that will not be allowed to be voted on during the meeting in which it is read. A first reading must be indicated by the primary sponsor when the resolution is submitted for consideration to the agenda or can be voted into the first reading status as voted on by the body at large.
To move a resolution to a first reading request from the floor would require a 2/3 vote.
10.03 Resolutions, Sponsors
A resolution shall be sponsored by at least two voting members. The voting member whose name is listed first shall be considered the primary sponsor.
In the case that the President is a primary sponsor of a resolution, the resolution shall not be considered until the President names a new, temporary Presiding Officer who is not a primary sponsor.
A resolution may be amended at any time by the primary sponsor without vote, before the Senate has voted on the resolution, including during discussion.
A voting member may add or remove their sponsorship of a resolution at any time prior to the final vote on the resolution.
In the case that the primary sponsor withdraws their name, the effect shall be the same as if the primary sponsor withdrew the resolution.
There shall be no limit on how many voting members may sponsor a resolution. If at any time after the resolution has been placed on the agenda for consideration there are no sponsors other than the primary sponsor, the effect on the resolution is the same as if it were withdrawn from consideration.
In the event of multiple co-sponsors, only the primary and first three co-sponsors shall be allotted time to speak regarding the resolution before debate, consistent with 10.06(a).
In accordance with 10.04(a), the primary sponsor of a resolution shall send the resolution and an accompanying letter of explanation to all individuals and units identified in the resolved clause of the resolution. It shall be the prerogative of the primary sponsor to send or not send the documents to additional individuals and units not named in the resolution.
It shall be the primary sponsor’s duty to report any updates or results stemming from the resolution.
10.04 Resolutions, Form
A resolution shall be formatted in accordance with the requirements outlined in Appendix B.
10.05 Resolution, Adoption
A resolution shall be adopted upon concurrence of a majority of voting members, except in the case that the Graduate Student Senate Constitution or these R&P require a different number.
10.06 Resolutions, Debate
At the time at which debate on a resolution is scheduled, the Presiding Officer shall order the resolution’s letter of explanation to be read into the record. A call to read the unabridged resolution into the record can be made during the consideration of the resolution by the motion of a voting member and concurrence of voting members in attendance;
Afterward, the primary sponsor and first three co-sponsors shall be recognized and have no more than three minutes each to address the Senate. A sponsor may yield any portion of their allotted time to another individual for the purposes of introducing the resolution.
The Presiding Officer shall allow twenty minutes for debate following initial statements of the first three sponsors.
Voting members may be recognized for up to 2 minutes at a time during the debate period, and will be recognized according to an official stack.
The Presiding Officer shall designate an individual to administer the stack.
The stack should be made visible to all members during the meeting on the projector screen.
The method used to administer stack should prioritize individuals who have not been previously recognized during debate on an individual resolution.
Members should signal that they wish to join the stack by raising their name card.
In the event that a member is unable to obtain the attention of the stack administrator in a timely fashion, they should verbally request to join the stack.
Requests for direct responses should be directed to the Presiding Officer. It is at the discretion of the Presiding Officer as to whether the direct response will be allowed. Direct responses will be limited to 30 seconds.
During debate of the resolution, a member can move to amend the language of the resolution. This motion requires a second, and is debatable.
The sponsor of the amendment shall have no more than four minutes, during which the debate clock shall be stopped, to address Graduate Student Senate and yield to voting members for the purpose of answering questions.
After the balance of time for discussion of the amendment has expired, the President shall ask for a motion to vote on the amendment. A majority is required to adopt the amended resolution for further debate.
If the motion fails the debate clock will be resumed and discussion of the original resolution will be continued.
If the amended resolution is accepted, the debate clock will be resumed with no additional time allotted.
Sponsors of the original resolution along with the member who suggested the amendment will be recognized as sponsors of the amended resolution.
Debate may be closed at any time with the concurrence of two-thirds of voting members in attendance.
After the balance of time for debate has expired, the Presiding Officer shall entertain a motion to add a single extension to debate, table the resolution, or vote for the adoption of the resolution.
10.07 Debate for First Readings Resolutions
In regard to debate on first reading, the Presiding Officer will allow for ten minutes of discussion on a resolution under the first reading indication. There can be no extension of this ten-minute time limit.
If at the end of the debate the body determines that the resolution is ready to be voted upon, any member can motion for a vote on the resolution and would require a 2/3 vote to approve the motion from the general body.
The reading cannot be interrupted unless the primary sponsor allows for the interruption
No vote can be taken on a resolution indicated as being a first reading
Any resolution can be put under the first reading clause if the sponsor so chooses when submitting the resolution
10.08 Appointment Resolutions
All appointments proposed at a general body meeting may be presented in a single resolution with separate clauses for each appointment.
