January 26, 2004 60LCB#4 Referenda Oversight
Sponsored by: Laura
Reinsch Legislative
Council President
Authored by: Laura
Reinsch Legislative
Council President
Referenda
Oversight
Bill
History
In the financial review of UCSU, it was suggested
that there be a way to regulate referenda.
It is recognized that referenda have discretion over the use of their
fees per the Constitution of UCSU, and that the Constitution gives great
autonomy to referenda groups in regards to their student fee finds. It states in XIII.E. of the Constitution
that “organizations receiving referenda monies shall retain managerial control
over those monies, provided they are spent within the guidelines of the budget
and purpose statement presented to the Election Commissioner,” implying a
financial autonomy of referendum groups.
Also, the limits on the freezing of referendum group’s funds are very
limited in the same section of the Constitution.
It seems important,
however, that there be a record that the finance board can look over for the
purpose of making sure that referenda expenditures are going to the places
outlined in the referendum groups’ budgets.
For this purpose, the Finance Board should be allowed to act as a
reviewer of referendum group budgets.
It should be noted
that the spirit of this bill is not to regulate referenda beyond what is in the
Constitution, nor does it give Finance Board, or the Legislative Council, any
more authority over referenda accounts.
A budget of the referenda groups already exists in SOFO through the PeopleSoft system, so no extra costs will be incurred by the UCSU in order to carry out the actions enumerated within this bill.
Bill
Summary
This bill gives the
Finance Board the responsibility of looking over referenda groups’ budgets
every semester and the ability to recommend action to the Legislative Council
if a referenda group seems to be in violation of section XIII.E. of the UCSU
Constitution.
THEREFORE BE IT ENACTED by the Legislative Council of the University of
Colorado Student Union, THAT,
SECTION 1: The Finance Board
shall, one a semester, review the budgets of all the UCSU referenda groups by
looking at the PeopleSoft printout produced by the Students Organizations
Finance Office. They shall also have
the proposed budget and mission of each referenda group that was provided to
the election commissioner when the group ran the referenda in the UCSU
elections.
SECTION 2: During the review in
the spring semester, each referenda group will be at Finance Board to present
their budget and answer any questions.
SECTION 3: Referenda groups
will not be required, nor expected, during the other report, to be present at
Finance Board. However, if they wish to
be present at Finance Board, they may attend at their discretion.
SECTION 4: If, after reviewing
any of the referenda groups’ budgets, the finance board sees a problem in which
“referenda money is used in a manner that necessarily and inherently negatively
affects the well-being of the students of the University of Colorado at
Boulder…violates State law or university Policy, or…[is] spent obviously
outside of the referendum group’s referendum purpose statement,” (UCSU
Constitution XIII.E.) then they can ask that the Legislative Council create an
ad-hoc committee to investigate.
SECTION 5: It is preferred, if
an ad-hoc committee is created by the Legislative Council regarding a referenda
group, that they consult the chair of the Finance Board and the Director of
SOFO in order to gain an understanding of the problem and also have them sit on
the committee as ex-oficio, or non-voting, members.
SECTION 6: This bill takes
effect upon passage by the Legislative Council and upon obtaining the signature
of the Legislative Council President.
1-29-04 Passed 14-0-0
2-05-04 Passed 13-0-0