At their final meeting of the quarter, the Associated Students Legislative Council maintained a busy schedule passing three bills and one resolution, and tabling another two bills.

Leggies passed a bill that would eliminate a few members from the Isla Vista Tenants Union, an organization that strives to educate I.V. residents about their rights and responsibilities. Council members also passed a bill to restructure the A.S. Office of the Student Advocate and a bill that calls for updates to the Education Opportunity Program financial guidelines. Meanwhile, they also tabled a bill that would amend A.S. Legislative Council Replacement Procedures and a bill that would create a KCSB liaison.

The council also passed a resolution supporting the de-prioritization of possessing marijuana as a crime.

Several members spoke in favor of the resolution, citing the recent passage of Measure P during the Nov. 7 election. Measure P was a ballot measure that made marijuana possession a low priority crime in the city of Santa Barbara.

Daniel Komins, representative for the UCSB chapter of the National Organization for the Reformation of Marijuana Laws, said current research shows that marijuana has medical value and in fact, is “safer than potatoes.”

“More people are abusing [marijuana] because it is illegal,” Komins, who acted as a proxy at the meeting, said.

On-Campus Rep. Jaclyn Feldstein said making marijuana a low priority for law enforcement would turn the Isla Vista Foot Patrol’s focus onto more serious issues.

“So many more important crimes are happening in I.V.,” Feldstein said. “It’s a good message to the I.V. Foot Patrol.”

The resolution passed with 18 in favor and 4 abstaining.

Initially, a bill combining the Isla Vista Tenants Union was tabled, but later Off-Campus Rep. Deirdre Mathis motioned to reconsider the bill in order to pass it.

Mathis said there have not been enough members during the quarter to maintain quorum during the organization’s meetings. She said the bill would help to establish quorum by removing a few of the organization’s members.

The bill passed with consent.

In regards to the council’s internal workings, the council tabled a bill that would amend the Legislative Council’s procedures for replacing members in the event of a resignation or removal.

According to the bill, “the standing procedure for establishment lacks a comprehensive temporal organization,” and there did “not exist a clearly outline[d] process for a timely and scheduled correspondence and eventual reception of runner-up Legislative Council candidates to assume the spoken vacated position.”

“It’s also to allow A.S. staff to make some of those calls and to de-politicize the entire situation,” Internal Vice President Felix Hu said.

The bill was tabled until the first meeting of next year in order for members to review the bill’s literature.

The council also underwent some internal personnel changes as Alex Van Wagner was sworn in as an Off-Campus Representative.

After the meeting, Hu said Van Wagner ran for the position during Spring Quarter 2006 and received enough votes to be considered as a runner-up if the position opened.

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