Article
I: Branches of Government and Their Functions
Section 1: Branches
The branches of the Government are the Executive Branch, the Legislative Branch, and the Judicial Branch.
Section 2: Functions
1. The functions of the Executive Branch are: to provide the leadership needed to gain and secure student rights and privileges; to coordinate the activities of the branches of the Government; and to represent the Government whenever necessary.
2. The function of the Legislative Branch is to enact laws governing the student body.
3. The function of the Judicial Branch is to try all cases in which a law of the Government or conduct of a student is involved.
Article II: The Executive Branch
Section 1: The President--Election
and Qualifications
1. The Executive Power shall be vested in a President of the Student Body. He shall hold his office for one year and until a new President is elected and installed.
2. Nominations for President shall be made by petition. The petition must be signed by not less than ten percent of the voting student body endorsing the petitioner for the office. A person may sign only one Presidential petition. The petitions must be presented to the Election officer. The Election Officer shall hold a secret ballot election according to the law. The winner shall be determined by a majority of the votes cast by the student body. In case no candidate receives a majority of the votes at the election, a run-off election shall be held the following day. In the run-off election, the two candidates having the highest number of votes in the first election shall compete.
3. To qualify as a candidate for the office of President, a student must be a full-time student of at least third-year standing.
Section 2: Approval of Legislation
The President shall have the power to approve or veto any legislation which comes to him for his signature.
Section 3: Powers and Duties of
the President
The President shall have the following powers and duties:
1. To preside over all joint sessions of the House of Representatives and Senate and over all sessions of the House of Representatives but he shall have no vote in either instance;
2. By written proclamation directed to the members thereof stating the date, place, and time of the session and the business to be transacted therein, to call the House of Representatives and the Senate, or either of them, into session;
3. With or without the sponsorship of a member, to introduce Bills, Resolutions, and Constitutional Amendments in the House of Representatives, and, when introducing such legislation without the sponsorship of a member, to enjoy the rights accorded to a member to speak in favor of the bill and otherwise to participate in debate on the bill. If the President chooses to speak in favor of any legislation introduced by him, he shall notify the Vice President before debate begins on that legislation and the Vice President shall preside over all debate concerning the legislation in favor of which the President chooses to speak;
4. To testify on any matter on which any Committee of the House of Representatives shall receive testimony;
5. To summon the Student Body into Assembly for any governmental purpose or other reason pertaining to student rights, liberties, or welfare. He shall summon an Assembly of the Student Body when requested to do so by the Director or by Petition signed by at least one fourth of the Full Time Students. The President shall preside over all such assemblies, which shall be subject to reasonable regulation by Program Staff relating to time, manner and place. Nothing in this paragraph shall detract from the authority of the Director of the GPGC or of Program faculty and staff to assemble the student body for any purpose and to conduct any such assembly as they see fit;
6. To serve as the official representative of the Student Body at all functions where such a representative is called for or appropriate and to present student grievances and requests to the Program Administration when called upon to do so by Resolution of the House of Representatives, the Senate, or both of them, or by an Assembly of the Student Body;
7. To exercise all other powers and duties assigned to him by law.
Section 4: The Vice
President--Election and Qualifications
1. The Vice President shall hold his office for one year and until a new Vice-President is elected and installed.
2. Nominations for the office of Vice President shall be made by Petition. The petition must be signed by not less than ten percent of the voting student body endorsing the petitioner for the office. A person may sign only one Vice Presidential petition. The petitions must be presented to the Election Officer. The Election Officer shall hold a secret ballot election according to the law. The winner shall be determined by a majority of the votes at the election. A run-off shall be held the following day. In the run-off election, the two candidates having received the highest number of votes in the first election shall compete.
3. To qualify as a candidate for the office of Vice President, a student must be a full-time student of at least second year standing.
Section 5: Powers and Duties of
the Vice President
The Vice-President shall have the following powers and duties:
1. To act in place of the President should the President be absent from a Joint Session of the House of Representatives and the Senate or a Session of the House of Representatives;
2. To serve as Acting President or to succeed to the Office of President as provided elsewhere in this Constitution;
3. By written proclamation
directed to the members thereof stating the date, place, and time of the
session and the business to be transacted therein, to call the Senate into
session
4. To attend and preside over
all sessions of the Senate, but he shall have no vote in that body except in the case of a tie;
5. To act as Parliamentarian
of the House of Representatives, providing advice on parliamentary procedures
when called upon to do so by the President or by Member of the House, but not
ruling on parliamentary disputes unless he shall be presiding over the House;
6. To vote
in the case of a tie in the Senate;
7. To exercise all other powers and duties assigned to him by law.
Section 6: The Secretary--Election and Qualifications
1. The Secretary shall hold his office for one year and until a new Secretary is elected and installed.
2. Nominations for the office of Secretary shall be made by petition. The petition must be signed by not less than ten percent of the voting student body endorsing the petitioner for office. A person may sign only one secretarial petition. These petitions must be presented to the Election Officer. The Election Officer shall hold a secret ballot election according to the law. The winner shall be determined by a majority of the votes cast by the student body. In case no candidate receives a majority of the votes cast at the election, a run-off election shall be held the following day. In the run-off election, the two candidates having received the highest number of votes in the first election shall compete.
3. Any full time student may qualify for the Office of Secretary.
Section 7: Powers and Duties of
the Secretary
1. To take and keep the minutes of the House of Representatives and of joint sessions of the House of Representatives and the Senate;
2. To keep and maintain copies of all records and official documents of the Government, save and except those of the Judicial Branch, including without limitation, Bills, Acts, Presidential Orders and Proclamations, and the Roster of Governmental Officers;
3. No later than the end of the Session, to turn over all Minutes, Records, and other papers and documents relating to the Government in his possession to the Student Government Advisor to be archived in the GPGC office;
4. To exercise all other powers and duties assigned to him by law.
Section 8: Executive Succession
1. The Vice President shall serve as Acting President, exercising the powers and duties of the President, under the following circumstances:
a. If physical illness or similar temporary disability should preclude the President from exercising the powers and duties of his office, he shall notify the Vice President of this fact in writing, in which case the Vice President shall serve as Acting President until the President shall notify the Vice President in writing that he is able to resume his office. Should the President be unable to transmit either or both of the required notices, the Director of the GPGC shall do so;
b. If the President is suspended from office by operation of law, the Vice President shall serve as Acting President for the duration of the suspension;
c. If the Director of the GPGC shall notify the Vice President in writing that the President has been suspended from participation in the Program, the Vice President shall serve as Acting President for the duration of that suspension.
2. The Vice President shall succeed to the office of President, and shall serve out the remainder of the President's term in that office under the following circumstances:
a. If the President resigns, as provided by law;
b. If the Director of the GPGC shall certify to the Vice President that the President has been expelled from participation in the Program for the remainder of the session or that the President for any reason is no longer a member of the Student Body;
c. If the President is removed from office under the provisions of Article VI of this Constitution.
3. Should the Vice President succeed to the office of President, he shall call a special election to fill the office of Vice President to be held no later than the third school day after he takes office.
4. Should the Offices of President and Vice President both become contemporaneously vacant, the Director shall call a special election to fill those offices as soon as practicable. Until the new President and Vice President are elected and installed, the Speaker of the House shall serve as Acting President. Upon installation, a President elected under this section shall call a special election to fill any vacancies created in the Government by the election to the offices of President or Vice President of persons holding other offices.
5. The Legislature shall provide by law for the disability of the Secretary and for the occurrence of a vacancy in that office. Although it may so provide at any time, it need not do so until such disability or vacancy actually occurs.
Section 9: Election Officer
An Election Officer shall be appointed by the Director of the Governor's Program for Gifted Children on the first day of each school session. To qualify as Election Officer, he must be a full-time student and must not run for any office in the pertinent election. The Election Officer shall call and hold a General Election of officers and other members of the Government on the fifth school day of each session.
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