JHU SGAThe 114th Session

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S-B.114.09.08.26-1 | The Accountability Act

Bill / Bylaws and constitutional amendment · 114th session · dated September 8, 2026 · updated November 3, 2026

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Senate
of the
Student Government Association
of
The Johns Hopkins University
{ S. Bill. 114.09.08.2026-1 }
A Bill to Amend The Bylaws of the Senate And the SGA Constitution
The Accountability Act
Introduced by: Vice President of the Senate Shreemann Patel
Sponsored by: President of the Senate Jazzlyn Fernandez and
Chair of Academic Affairs Isaac Zhang
Presented for First Reading this 8th day of September in the year 2026

SECTION 1. TITLE.

This Act may be referred to as the Accountability Act.

SECTION 2. DEFINITIONS.

  1. SGA — The term “SGA” shall refer to the Student Government Association of The Johns Hopkins University.
  2. JHU, Hopkins - The terms “JHU” and “Hopkins” shall refer to the Johns Hopkins University.
  3. Define any other terms as necessary.

SECTION 3. FINDINGS AND PURPOSES.

  1. FINDINGS: Whereas
    1. Senators are able to go multiple terms without working on any initiatives without public knowledge of their activities;
    2. Absences are currently counted as one large sum of all absences across GBMs and committee meetings;
    3. Attendance procedures are overly flexible;
    4. Cabinet members are required to attend meetings that aren’t always directly relevant to them;
    5. The Constitution and Bylaws duplicate attendance procedures.
  2. PURPOSES: Therefore, this act aims to:
    1. Increase public awareness of Senator initiatives and activities.
    2. Allow for more flexibility and accountability of attendance policies for Senators and Cabinet members.

SECTION 4. AMENDMENTS

SENATE BYLAWS
CURRENT LANGUAGEPROPOSED LANGUAGE
4.3.1.1.3 The agenda will contain a section titled “Initiative Updates’ that will require 3 senators to speak for one minute each about their personal/committee initiative updates.4.3.1.1.3.1 The speakers will go in an order that is pre-determined for the term by the President of the Senate and the Secretary. This order will be determined before the third meeting of each term, and will be amended as necessary to reflect new members, or removed members.4.3.1.1.3.2 If a Senator will not be there, they should send a ~75 word update to the President of the Senate to be displayed in lieu of their speaking time. If they have nothing to report and inform the President of the Senate of this, there are no consequences. However, if they fail to report anything it will be considered an unexcused absence.=====4.3.3.2 ABSENCES4.3.3.2.1 Every member of SGA shall be permitted a total of 4 excused absences per academic semester (where the meetings that occur at the end of Spring are counted in the Fall semester of SGA), with an additional 2 excused absences for every additional committee beyond 1 committee that the member of SGA serves on.4.3.3.2.1.1 If a member of SGA reaches half of the maximum number of excused absences, they will be informed of their attendance status by the Student Body Secretary.4.3.3.2.1.2 If a member of SGA exceeds the maximum number of excused absences, they will be thanked for their service and summarily dismissed from SGA.4.3.3.2.1.3 Senators who have 2 unexcused absences shall be subject to a required meeting with the Executive Board and the Advisor.4.3.3.2.1.4 Senators who have 4 unexcused absences shall be thanked for their service and summarily dismissed from SGA per the Constitution.4.3.3.1.2 Attendance at another SGA event beyond the required Senate and Committee meetings can be required by the President of the Senate and Student Body President.4.3.3.1.2.1 This requirement can be overturned by a two-thirds vote of the Senate.4.3.3.1.2.2 In such cases, legitimate, previously held time conflicts shall be accommodated with an excused absence.4.3.3.1.3 Any Presiding Officer or Chair is not allowed to excuse an absence after 1 week has passed since the meeting occurred.=====4.3.3.1.2 Attendance at Senate General Body Meetings, Executive Cabinet meetings, and advisor meetings is mandatory for the Student Body President, Student Body Vice President, Student Body Secretary, Student Body Treasurer, Director of Communications, and Student Body Chair of Programming.====4.1.1.5 Senators may be considered in bad standing if they do not fulfill the aforementioned guidelines and subsequently may be subject to an impeachment hearing under Article IX of the Constitution.====4.1.2.4 Initiatives born in committees must be documented and presented to a GBM by the author/Senators working on the initiative, and those initiatives must have proposed action items and deadlines.4.1.2.4.1 Each action item must have a deadline by which the action item must be completed, with the only exception being that of sickness or physical inability to do so.4.1.2.4.2 If feedback from any party isn’t given to an action item before its deadline, the Senator holds the right to continue forward with their action item, without waiting for the feedback.4.1.2.4.3 The Senator(s) in charge of the initiative will present updates of their legislation at every GBM following each deadline of their proposed action items. Once an action item is completed, the Senator(s) may strike through, but not remove, the action item on the piece of legislature.4.1.2.4.4 The author/Senator(s) must provide an update about their initiative’s action items at the GBM following the action item deadline.4.1.2.4.5 The Senate holds the right to ask about updates to an initiative each week if the Senator(s) heading the initiative fails to present an update about their action items after the proposed deadline.4.3.1.1.3 The agenda will contain a section titled “Initiative Updates’ that will require 3 senators to speak for one minute each about their personal/committee initiative updates.4.3.1.1.3.1 The speakers will go in an order that is pre-determined for the term by the President of the Senate and the Secretary. This order will be determined before the third meeting of each term, and will be amended as necessary to reflect new members, or removed members. 4.3.1.1.3.2 If a Senator will not be there, they should send a ~75 word update to the President of the Senate to be displayed in lieu of their speaking time. If they have nothing to report and inform the President of the Senate of this, there are no consequences. The fact they have nothing to report will be announced in lieu of their speaking time or 75-word report if absent. However, if they fail to report anything it will be considered an unexcused absence. ====4.3.3.2 ABSENCES4.3.3.2.1 Committee Absences and GBM Absences shall be counted separately. Any non-GBM meetings or other obligations expected of SGA members shall fall under Committee Absences. 4.3.3.2.21 Every member of SGA shall be permitted a total of 4 3 excused GBM absences per academic semester (where the meetings that occur at the end of Spring are counted in the Fall semester of SGA). 4.3.3.2.3 Every member of SGA shall be permitted with an additional 2 3 excused committee absences for every additional committee beyond 1 committee that the member of SGA serves on. These are counted as a total number and are not separated on a “per committee” basis. For example, a member on two committees may miss 6 meetings of one committee and none of the other, or 3 of each, etc. 4.3.3.2.1.1 If a member of SGA reaches half two-thirds (⅔) of the maximum number of excused absences for either category, they will be informed of their attendance status by the Student Body Secretary. 4.3.3.2.1.2 If a member of SGA exceeds the maximum number of excused absences, they will be thanked for their service and summarily dismissed from SGA. for either category, they will be subject to an impeachment hearing under Article VII of the Constitution. If acquitted during impeachment, the member is entitled to 1 additional excused absence in the category for which they met the maximum. If the individual exceeds these absences, they will be thanked for their services and dismissed. 4.3.3.2.1.3 Unexcused absences shall be counted across categories. Meaning, the total unexcused absences in both GBM and Committee absences shall be summed to determine total unexcused absences. 4.3.3.2.1.3.1. Senators who have 3 unexcused absences, counting both GBM and Committee absences together, shall be subject to a required meeting with the Executive Board and the Advisor. 4.3.3.2.1.3.3 Senators who have 4 unexcused absences shall be thanked for their service and summarily dismissed from SGA per the Constitution. 4.3.3.1.2 Attendance at another SGA event beyond the required Senate and Committee meetings can be required by the President of the Senate and Student Body President, and absences from these events will count under Committee absences. 4.3.3.1.2.1 This requirement can be overturned by a two-thirds vote of the Senate.4.3.3.1.2.2 In such cases, legitimate, previously held time conflicts shall be accommodated without marking any absences. with an excused absence. 4.3.3.1.2.2. These previous conflicts must be communicated to the Secretary within a week of a required activity. If the activity is in less than a week, it will still be accommodated without marking any absences provided a retroactive excuse is provided within 1 week following the event. 4.3.3.1.2.2.2. If conflicts are not communicated in advance for activities taking place more than 1 week after announcement of required attendance, the absence is unexcused. 4.3.3.1.2.2.3. If members have a newly acquired conflict after announcement of the event, excused or unexcused determination may be decided by the Secretary. 4.3.3.1.3 Any Presiding Officer, or Chair, or the Secretary is not allowed to excuse an absence after 1 week has passed since the meeting or additional required activity occurred unless otherwise permitted by the Bylaws.4.3.3.1.4. Arriving late to, or leaving early from, a meeting can be considered excused or unexcused at the discretion of the Presiding Officer. These may be counted as partial absences, or not recorded as absences at all depending on the length of or reason for missed meeting time. If the latter individual believes they were treated unfairly in allocation or reasoning, they may appeal to the President of the Senate, Student Body Secretary, or the Vice President of the Senate.4.3.3.1.5. Absences, late arrivals, or early departures may only be counted in multiples of 0.5. ====4.3.3.1.2 Attendance at Senate General Body Meetings, Executive Cabinet meetings, and advisor meetings is mandatory for the Student Body President, Student Body Vice President, Student Body Secretary, Student Body Treasurer, Director of Communications, and Student Body Chair of Programming. Attendance at Senate GBMs for the Student Body Treasurer, Director of Communications, or Chair of Programming may be marked optional on a case-by-case basis upon agreement of the Student Body President, Student Body Vice President, and the President of the Senate. ====4.1.1.5 Senators may be considered in bad standing if they do not fulfill the aforementioned guidelines and subsequently may be subject to an impeachment hearing under Article VIII IX of the Constitution. ====4.1.2.4 Initiatives born in committees must be documented and presented to a GBM by the author/Senators working on the initiative, and those initiatives must have proposed action items and deadlines. 4.1.2.4.1 Each action item must have a deadline by which the action item must be completed, with the only exception being that of sickness or physical inability to do so. 4.1.2.4.2 If feedback from any party isn’t given to an action item before its deadline, the Senator holds the right to continue forward with their action item, without waiting for the feedback. 4.1.2.4.3 The Senator(s) in charge of the initiative will present updates of their legislation at every GBM following each deadline of their proposed action items. Once an action item is completed, the Senator(s) may strike through, but not remove, the action item on the piece of legislature.4.1.2.4.4 The author/Senator(s) must provide an update about their initiative’s action items at the GBM following the action item deadline. 4.1.2.4.5 The Senate holds the right to ask about updates to an initiative each week if the Senator(s) heading the initiative fails to present an update about their action items after the proposed deadline. 4.1.2.4.6 The names of all Senators involved in initiatives or legislation, as well as a brief summary of initiatives or legislation they are or were involved in should be published on the SGA website and shared in a press release at the end of each term, prior to the next elections season. The names of Senators without involvement in any initiatives or legislation will be similarly published for public awareness of Senator activities.
SGA CONSTITUTION
CURRENT LANGUAGEPROPOSED LANGUAGE
ARTICLE IVSectionFour: AttendanceAttendance at Senate and Committee meetings is required of senators, and excused absences shall be granted at the discretion of the chair of the meeting for extenuating circumstances.If the member misses a total of 4 unexcused meetings per semester, they are automatically removed from the SGA.Attendance at another SGA event beyond the required Senate and Committee meetings can be required by the President of the Senate, but this requirement can be overturned by a ⅔ vote of the Senate. Further, in such cases, legitimate, previously held time conflicts shall be accommodated with an excused absence.ARTICLE IVSectionFour: AttendanceAttendance at Senate and Committee meetings is required of senators, and excused absences shall be granted at the discretion of the chair of the meeting for extenuating circumstances.If the member misses a total of 4 unexcused meetings per semester, they are automatically removed from the SGA.Attendance at another SGA event beyond the required Senate and Committee meetings can be required by the President of the Senate, but this requirement can be overturned by a ⅔ vote of the Senate. Further, in such cases, legitimate, previously held time conflicts shall be accommodated with an excused absence. Specific attendance policies, including but not limited to, maximum number of and categories absences will be prescribed by the procedure established in the Senate Bylaws.

SECTION 5. FUTURE REVISION AUTHORITY

Under the authority delegated to the Internal Affairs Committee under Article IX of the JHU SGA Constitution, the Internal Affairs Committee reserves the right to update or revise wording in the Constitution, Bylaws, or Senate Procedural Rules to match the new attendance system and policy, so long as it is within the scope outlined in this bill. The Internal Affairs Committee need not pass a bill to make such changes, however, they must present an update of changes made to the Senate. The Senate reserves the right to overturn changes made by the Internal Affairs Committee by a simple majority vote. In this case, the Internal Affairs Committee will revise their proposed wording changes and present it as an official bill to amend the JHU Constitution or Senate Bylaws.

SECTION 6. ACTION ITEMS.

  1. To be done by Secretary Honora Muratori before 09/31/2026:
    1. Amend Bylaws and Constitution Appropriately
    2. Modify attendance tracker to reflect different categories

The Amendment is hereby ADOPTED/LOST by a vote of X to X with X abstentions.

Upon passage, we have hereunto set our hands and caused the seal of the Senate to be affixed to this bill indicating the Senate’s assent and thus officially designated the bill’s adoption as law.

Signatures of Enactment:

__________________________________ Jason Yu Student Body President of the Johns Hopkins SGA
__________________________________ Sumire Sumi Student Body Vice President of the Johns Hopkins SGA
__________________________________ Jazzlyn Fernandez President of the Senate of the Johns Hopkins SGA
__________________________________ Honora Muratori Student Body Secretary of the Johns Hopkins SGA
__________________________________ Amy Xu Student Body Treasurer of the Johns Hopkins SGA
__________________________________ Grace Guan Student Body Chair of Programming for the Johns Hopkins SGA

Signatures of Ceremony:

__________________________________ Shreemann Patel, Vice President of the Senate
__________________________________ NAME, POSITION
__________________________________ NAME, POSITION
__________________________________ NAME, POSITION