The ASUNM Steering and Rules Committee passed amendments that would more clearly define the penalty for illegally stuffing advertisements in a publication and clarify rules regarding conflicts of interest in court cases during its Wednesday meeting.
The bills, which were among 11 passed during the meeting, will go before the full Senate Wednesday.
Bill 17B, if passed by the Senate, would add to a campaign regulation that outlines fines levied on slates - groups of candidates that run together - that violate the rules by failing to report the cost of advertising. Associated Students of UNM Lawbook Article XI stipulates that slates must report the actual cost of any advertising, regardless of whether candidates paid for it. That cost is figured in when the Election Commission checks to make sure the slate did not exceed the $100 campaign finance limit.
Added to the rule, which previously included radio, television ads and newspaper advertisements, was the sentence, "or an insertion of an ad in any other publications promoting a campaign."
Discussion regarding the bill drew a few chuckles from senators in the committee who ran on the Connection slate last semester. In the wake of that election, which nine of the slate's 10 candidates won, the group was fined for removing copies of the Daily Lobo awaiting delivery, inserting slate advertisements and then distributing the newspapers to racks around campus.
Part of the fine was based on the actual cost of printing and inserting the advertisements.
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"It's clearly defining that if someone were to stuff the Lobo again, they would be fined this rate," said Sen. Jennifer Onuska, who is chairwoman of the Steering and Rules committee.
Bill 13 B amending Lawbook Article III, which outlines causes for disqualification of a court justice, also was heavily debated. As written buy Sen. Paul Campbell, the bill would have switched the word "spouse" to "significant other" in a clause limiting justices from participating in a court case that might present a conflict of interest.
Cabrera moved to change the bill to "spouse/domestic partner" to make the Lawbook rule concurrent with University policy and verbiage. Though several argued that the new vocabulary was still confusing - leaving open to interpretation the definition of boyfriend or girlfriend - the bill eventually passed as amended.
Other bills passed during the meeting clarified rules about the allowable duties and responsibilities of interim appointees who have not yet been approved by the Senate. The bills allow an interim appointee to begin working but must observe all ASUNM rules.
