It seemed like the Missouri Students Association budget would be passed without a hitch, but its third reading brought about its first amendment.

The only amendment to the 2013 MSA budget was made Wednesday night, and it was the third and final time the student government passed the $1,664,361 budget. The amendment came about after the decision was made to discontinue paying the MSA Senate committee chairs.

Senate Speaker Jake Sloan proposed the amendment but said the decision to stop paying chairs was out of his hands. The chairs were paid for weekly office hours, up to six a week at minimum wage.

“(Human Resources) decided they can no longer fund committee chairs in that way,” he said. “Since our Senate committee chairs are the only ones in MSA who do get paid in this way, (it’s unfair to other MSA chairs). That’s one reason. They’re discontinuing due to changes in policy.”

Sloan said some committee chairs already haven’t been claiming their wages this year, the amendment was met with little opposition when presented to the Senate. The move will save $7,938.

“(His) proposing within Senate to not pay people in Senate, I think (that) is something admirable,” MSA Vice President Helena Kooi said. “He could have faced a lot of opposition with that, and he really didn’t which I think is a good reflection of Senate and what they stand for.”

Kooi was a major player in drafting the budget.

Sloan’s amendment also condensed two Senate clerk positions into one. Currently, two clerks have worked six hours per week each. Next year, one clerk will work nine hours a week, saving MSA $750. This decision was made because there is no longer 12 hours of work for clerks, since MSA will no longer print Senate agendas, Sloan said.

Combined, the amendment freed $8,688, $3,000 of which will stay in Senate’s budget, while the rest will be added to MSA’s Contingency and Reserve fund.

Sloan said he plans to use the money to bring back a retention program that would reward senators with perfect attendance with a free jacket. The money does not have to be used toward the retention program, though.

“If there’s another project that were to come up that senators feel passionately about, we’ll (use the money for) that (instead),” Sloan said.

Sloan said there has also been talk of using the money to fund a food pantry.

Kooi said the amendment caught her off-guard, but she didn’t have an issue with the change.

“I support him restructuring (the Senate’s budget) based on what he thinks the money can best be spent for,” she said. “If he thinks the jacket retention program will be the best way to do that, (that’s fine). That money had already been budgeted for Senate expenses, so I support anything he wants to do with just Senate’s money.”

Kooi said she will present the budget to the Committee on Student Organizations, Governments and Activities. If approved, the budget will then be sent to Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs Cathy Scroggs.