In his address to senate last week, Associated Students Inc. President James Ahumada introduced a resolution that would form a lobby corps to represent Long Beach State on local, state and federal levels.
“This is something ASI has been thinking about and wanting since I was a freshman,” Ahumada said.
The Proposed Bylaw Amendment for Lobby Corps— sponsored by Vice President Lucy Nguyen— would consist of seven voting members: the ASI chief of staff, three senators, the secretary of system-wide affairs and two students-at-large appointed by the ASI president.
“This format would allow any interested student to participate in student advocacy, and two non-AS Government students to serve as committee chairs,” Ahumada said in an e-mail to the Daily 49er.
Non-voting members would include the ASI executive director, the university’s government relations representative and the ASI President.
The main purpose of the lobby group would be to “track and recommend pertinent legislation concerning the students to the ASI Senate” as well as organizing and coordinating lobby visits, both statewide and local.
Additional duties of the Lobby Corps would include reporting the actions of the California State Student Association (CSSA) to the Senate, coordinating state and federal voter registration drives on campus, coordinating higher education campaigns on campus and establishing a training program to prepare student advocates for lobby visits.
The ASI chief of staff would act as the senior policymaking advisor, and the secretary for system-wide affairs would act as the “secretary responsible for representing the interest of the Associated Students to, but not limited to California State Student Association, the California State University system and State legislatures.”
The resolution is scheduled for first reading the next ASI meeting, Wednesday at 3:30 p.m. in the ASI Senate Chambers.
“I am excited to see discussion on this change, as it will bring long-term sustainability to our role as student advocates,” Ahumada said.
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