In its last meeting of the quarter, the Associated Students Legislative Council discussed honoraria, allocated funding to three groups and passed one bill.

During its meeting, the council approved a bill regarding the A.S. publication, The Bottom Line, adding honoraria — a stipend collected from A.S.’s budget — for its editorial board and modifying the publication’s title from Campus Point — the name previously in the A.S. Legal Code. Council members also doled out money to two groups from A.S. Finance Board’s Fall Quarter unallocated funds and additionally provided money from its Katrina Relief Account and honoraria fund to pay for book donations to children in New Orleans, La.

Last year’s council, which established The Bottom Line, did not pass a bill concerning changes to the publication. Thus, without a bill approved for the 2007-08 year, members of The Bottom Line’s editorial board would not receive honoraria for this year. The proposed honoraria for the editorial board is a quarterly $500 for the managing editor, $250 for senior copy editor, $150 for copy editors, $600 for senior layout editor, $400 for layout editors, $450 for photography editor and $350 for promotion and distribution manager.

In addition, the bill removed some duties previously outlined for Campus Point, such as its requirement for at least 50 percent of its coverage to concern A.S. topics, such as Legislative Council and Finance Board.

A.S. External Vice President of Statewide Affairs Christine Byon said she was in favor of this removal, as she hopes the newsletter will become independent of A.S.

“I feel it’s more appropriate that The Bottom Line stays as autonomous as possible,” Byon said. “It’ll seem kind of like propaganda if we’re really meddling in a lot of what The Bottom Line does. They’re already a legitimate newspaper of their own.”

In addition, the council heard two requests for funding that were not presented at this week’s final A.S. Finance Board meeting. The council allocated $250 to the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws for its Marijuana Information Session. The Educational Opportunities Program also requested and received $638.42 to provide free Kaplan graduate school test materials for students.

“We didn’t get a chance to talk to Finance Board during their last meeting,” EOP counselor Stephen Jones said. “However, it’s a time sensitive matter.”

The council also distributed $5,900.23 to the Black Studies 193WW seminar’s Big Chief and Big Queen Book Project, which will provide book donations to schools in New Orleans. The council doled out the remainder of its Katrina Relief Account — $3,291.96 — as well as $2,608.27 from its honoraria fund for the project.

Meanwhile, Internal Vice President Matt Jackson noted future plans for the council next quarter, which includes a detailed examination of its honoraria policies. Currently, the council has $26,191.73 in its budget left over for honoraria distribution.