ASUNM voted Thursday to punish senators who don't show up to meetings.
The Associated Students of UNM voted unanimously to issue demerits to senators who skip meetings or leave early.
After three demerits, senators will lose their speaking privileges for one meeting, and if they continue to neglect their duties, they will lose their positions, according to the bill.
President Ashley Fate said establishing a check-and-balance system that forces senators to be accountable for their positions is important. Senators elected to represent the student body should be present at every meeting, she said.
"I think, when votes are cast and these senators receive their seats, that they have an obligation to be at the meetings, to stand up and vocalize what the students want and the needs of the students," she said. "It's hard to do that if you're not actually physically filling the seat and if you haven't filled out proxy vote."
Senator Alex Riebli said this is an issue the Senate has needed to address for some time. Riebli, who will take over the vice presidency next year, said he intends to ensure that senators respect the responsibilities of their elected positions.
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"There have been a lot of senators during my two semesters that have definitely dropped the ball, and I'd like to see them be held accountable, because there are a lot of people that want their spots - as you can tell by the 28 people that ran for Senate spots this semester," he said.
Departing Vice President Matt Barnes said it will be up to Riebli to enforce the demerits.
Barnes said senators who feel that they have been issued demerits unfairly can contest them.
"What happens is the vice president will announce the senator, the number of demerits and the reason for each demerit and the loss of privileges to be placed," he said. "The senator will then have one minute to make a statement."
Barnes said senators who disagree with their demerits can request the Senate to vote on it. The demerit can be overturned by a two-thirds vote of the Senate by hidden ballot, he said.
Fate said senators can only be exempt from demerits if they can justify their need to miss a meeting.
"We understand that life happens, and if you have to miss a meeting due to mitigating circumstances, it's OK as long as it's not habitual," she said. "What we're trying to do is deter people from getting into a habit of missing meetings - of not representing the students when they need to be."
