ARTICLE VII: LEGISLATIVE PRECEDENCE AND JUDICIAL VACANCIES
Legislative Order of Precedence
Section 1:
a. Wherein the senate president is absent from a senate session, the senate pro-tempore shall preside in his/her absence.
b. Wherein the senate pro-tempore is unavailable or unwilling to perform his/her roles as chair of the senate in the circumstances described in section 1, subsection (a) above the most senior chair of the standing committees shall preside.
c. Wherein the chairs of the standing committees shall have coordinate seniority in the senate, the chair of the rules and administration, internal affairs, appropriations, academic affairs and student services shall preside over the senate in such precedence of order as mentioned.
d. A standing committee head shall take control of the floor of the chambers, on being requested to do so, and on confirmation of compliance by relevant senate leaders and such delegated official from the office of the student government association President in absentia or attendance.
e. In the occasion that a committee head duly appointed to preside over the senate decline to do so, the order of precedence rule without prejudice to sub-section 2(b) above shall prevail.
f. No officer of the senate shall at any occasion preside over the affairs of the floor.
g. No leader of the senate, including the senate president shall preside when he/she is on the agenda of the senate for discussion, vote or censure.
h. Wherein subsection 1(g) above takes effect; this order of precedence rule shall prevail in determining who presides over the senate.
i. The student government association President may not preside over senate meetings or sessions, regardless of nature, type or circumstances.
j. Wherein this order of precedence breaks down, the senate shall elect among itself, a senator to preside over the duration of the meeting at the pleasure of the senators.
Judicial Vacancies
Section 2:
a. Whereas the senate properly constituted and sitting in quorum shall decide that the judicial branch is unable to perform its duty due to any existing vacancies the senate shall be empowered to set up a panel of senators to execute such functions as may be required of the judicial branch.
b. Such panel shall be called a panel of inquiry and shall have the powers of summon, investigate and reach conclusion o such specific matters the senate might direct it to act on, upon request by one or more parties affected by such.
c. Any decision taken by the panel of inquiry shall be deemed to have judicial weight.
d. Such panels of inquiry shall have no less than 5 members, and not more than 7 members and a secretary appointed among the crop of subsisting senate officers.
e. The secretary of the panel of inquiry shall not have voting powers.
f. The head of the panel of inquiry must be at least a ranking member of a senate standing committee.
g. The panel shall be able to sit if one less than a majority of its members are in attendance, but shall be able to implement a vote or make a decision only if a majority quorum exists.
h. The senate shall be empowered to fix the life, composition and powers of a panel of inquiry by a bill properly passed and enacted by the senate.
i. The senate shall be empowered to grant observer status to no more than two executive board members, such observers shall be able to participate in panel of inquiry sittings or meetings, but shall not be able to cast a vote.
j. No member of the panel may be removed unless such persons serve out the life of their appointment or voluntarily resign.
k. A member of the panel may voluntarily recuse him/herself from committee duties if he/she feels compromised by one of the parties by virtue of a reasonable pre-existing condition.
l. In the occasion of voluntary recursion or resignation, the senate shall be empowered to add on a new member to serve out such partially fulfilled term on the panel of inquiry.
GENERAL PROVISION
Section 3:
a. Coordinate seniority shall mean a situation exists where two senators have spent an equal period in the senate continuously.
