Government Bill 37, a bill intended to reform the Student Government

election process, underwent a heated debate in the Student Senate Wednesday

night.

While some senators agreed reform was necessary, the bill called for a

complete scratch of campaign spending limits.

As the rule is written now, there are strict spending limits for all

campaigns. Several SG officials, including Student Body President Jay

Dawkins, argued for some level of changes. But the debate was about whether

the changes should go as far as eliminating spending limits.

According to Senior Class President Adam Compton, the current policy has too

many loopholes and problems. Compton said there is no honesty at all in any

campaigns.

“I don’t know of a single campaign, except for [Student Senate President]

Greg Doucette, that has not gone over that limit,” Compton said during the

debate.

Because of the lack of honesty in recent campaigns, Compton supported

eliminating the spending limits for campaigns. He said it renew trust from

the student body and improve the campaign process.

Most senators however, were opposed to this notion. Student Senate President

Pro Tempore Kelli Rogers used the example of people speeding in their cars.

“Everybody drives over the speed limit. But just because no one follows the

law, does that mean we get rid of speed limits altogether?” Rogers asked.

Student Sen. Thomas Lamm also countered Compton’s statement.

“It’s foolish to believe [eliminating spending limits] is going to make us

morally better,” he said.

In the end, the majority of the senate was opposed to the bill as it stood,

so amendments began to be made.

In total, six amendments to the bill were proposed. The amendments mainly

focused on putting a spending limit back in place, but with an increased

limit. But when the amendments began to be debated, they were just as

contested.

After more than an hour of heated debate, the senate had only gotten through

two of the proposed six amendments.

At that point, Rogers spoke up motioning for an end in the debate and a vote

on whether or not the bill should be sent back to the committee.

Even that vote was contested, but the Senate voted 22-18 to send the bill

back to the committee.

Compton said even though he supported the original bill, with all of the

debate he thought the decision was best.

“With the way it was written, it should have been [sent back,]” Compton

said. “The bill wasn’t written for that.”