Senators voted against a bill that would limit funds given to Student Government officials for meals and cell phone bills during Tuesday's meeting.
Members of the Student Alliance party authored the Student Government Fiscal Responsibility Act, that would have, if passed, put a cap on the money given to SG officials for cell phone usage and meal cards.
According to the bill, the Student Body president, vice president and treasurer each receive between $1,200 and $1,500 a year for cell phone usage and up to $3,000 for meal cards. All of this money comes from the SG budget.
This money, combined with money given to other SG officials, costs SG more than $16,000 per year. This number excludes salaries and travel costs, according to the bill.
In the bill, the Student Alliance party proposed giving the officials only $65 a month for their cell phone bills, and $500 a year toward their meal cards, which can be used at any Gator Dining location.
Jonathan Ossip, Senate leader for the Student Alliance party, said he doesn't want to see their compensations cut completely, nor is he against them receiving a salary, but he doesn't think so much money for SG officials should be taken from the Student Body when the funds could be used for something else.
Putting a cap on these reimbursements is an obvious solution, Ossip said.
"This could be going back to regular students, and that's what this bill is trying to do," he said.
Ben Meyers, who represents the Unite Party, said the money is given to these officials because they cannot have a part-time job while serving in SG.
He said these members of SG spend most of their time in the Reitz Union, so they typically eat there, and they spend a lot of time on the phone working with people such as the SG lobbyists in Tallahassee.
"These so-called perks are necessary to help them do their jobs," Meyers said. "We're lucky that we still even have leaders that are willing to serve."
