“I think the minute after it passed people realized that it was a bad bill.”
- Robert Grover, SA president

The University of Wisconsin – Milwaukee Student Association met the minimum quorum on Sunday, February 17, and unanimously voted down the controversial SA Sedition Act.

Vetoed by Student Association President Rob Grover, the senate voted on whether or not to override his decision. The Sedition Act was initially passed at the Feb. 10 meeting.

“I think the minute after it passed people realized that it was a bad bill,” said Grover. “It will take the Student Association in a direction that we don’t want to go.”

Requiring a 2/3’s majority roll call vote, the senate unanimously voted not to override the veto and the Sedition Act legislation was dissolved.

As the meeting continued, Grover, Speaker of the Senate Daniel Bahr, and the UWM Dean of Students all waived opened comments and reports were kept brief.

Next was the appointment of Speaker Bahr as the SA’s Independent Election Commissioner, or IEC.

In reference to previous SA election troubles, Grover said that if the SA can’t trust its elections, students will have a hard time trusting their student government. He cited a need for “well-structured” elections. Bahr then spoke on his nomination.

“All elections must be fair,” he said. “I look forward to a very fair and transparent process.”

Bahr was unanimously approved as the SA’s new IEC. Consequently, he resigned as speaker and an election to fill the vacated position took place. Tyler Draheim was the only nominee for the position and was appointed as the new speaker, taking Bahr’s position immediately after a vote.

In another appointment, Austin Gonzalez-Randolph was approved as a new At-Large Senator. The SA then moved on to its only item of new business, an Executive Accountability Act authored by Senator Allyson Wartick.

The bill seeks to crack down on attendance issues for those who hold a position in both the executive and legislation branches of the SA, and Wartick argued that those individuals “need to be held to a higher standard.”

The Accountability Act states that attendance demerits for senators who also serve as members of the executive branch will be assessed at one and a half times that of a regular senator. After a roll call vote, the legislation passed 10-4.

After the meeting Grover said he needs to read the bill a few more times, but will most likely sign the Accountability Act into law.

After various announcements about upcoming UWM events, the Senate adjourned its meeting, which last about a half an hour, at 7:13 p.m.

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