Student Government voted unanimously to passed its budget bill, dishing out $583,482 to 87 student organizations Tuesday night.
But, before the budget was approved, Orange and Blue Sens. Alden Gillespy and Jonathan Ossip presented an amendment giving $969 in funds that were not accounted for in the budget to Fearless, an anti-discrimination advocacy group.
The extra money was also used to provide additional funds for five other organizations: Heal the World, Hindu Student Union, the Intervarsity Christian Fellowship, Student Global Aids Campaign and VOX: Voices of Planned Parenthood.
The Senate chambers were unusually full Tuesday night when students stopped by to support two resolutions that were both passed, but not unanimously, later in the meeting.
A resolution is a piece of legislation that states the Senate's opinion but takes no action.
Skeet Surrency, a representative for the Save Our Schools Coalition, urged senators to vote in favor of the first resolution, which was authored by Orange and Blue Sen. Ben Cavataro.
The resolution proclaims support of the one-cent sales tax currently being debated in the State Legislature.
Surrency said the Florida Education Association and FSU President T.K. Weatherall both support the tax, which would raise money for education.
A second resolution, authored by Unite Party Sen. Gaby Alvarez, Unite Party Sen. Jannise Acosta and Progress Party Sen. Dave Schnieder, presented a resolution stating the Senate's disapproval of the administration's decision to cut the Multicultural Affairs Department and the Center for Leadership and Service.
The department and center house several volunteer, leadership, diversity-related and cultural student organizations including Florida Alternative Breaks, the Women's Leadership Council, the Office of LGBT Affairs, the Institute of Black Culture and La Casita.
"These two resolutions go in hand perfectly," Schnieder said earlier in the meeting.
"We don't want these cut to happen, but we don't have the funds to go forward," he said adding the one-penny sales tax would generate $3.6 billion in revenue over the next three years.
The resolutions did meet some opposition. Orange and Blue Sen. Sam Miorelli said it is more important to focus efforts on saving academic programs instead of crying every time a program is eliminated because of budget cuts.
"The sales tax increase would have no effect on the current round of budget cuts and might not even affect the next round," he said.
