On Friday, the Boca Raton House of Representatives tabled two bills regarding transparency for a second time after failing to meet the minimum number of representatives required to conduct official business.
The bills, the Transparency and Records Integrity Bill (BRHB 2026-27) and the House of Representatives Press Secretary Bill (BHRB 2026-31), aimed to improve transparency by standardizing how meeting minutes and records are shared with the student body.
With only 14 representatives present and 16 absent, the House failed to reach a quorum, the minimum number of representatives required to conduct official business.
According to Student Government legislation, quorum for both the student House and Senate is defined as “50% plus one 1 representative of the total membership, with the number rounded up.” This ensures a majority of senators are present to conduct official business and vote.
Transparency and Records Integrity Bill
The House tabled the Transparency and Records Integrity Bill for the first time on Feb. 20.
According to previous reporting from the University Press, a previous version of the bill was tabled by representatives with a 16-7 vote. When bills are tabled, they go to Rules and Policies to ensure that all legislation aligns with governing statutes. They are then passed by the Committee and sent back to the House for another vote.
The Transparency and Records Integrity Bill, authored by Rep. Christian Walden, would have updated House statutes to require clearer procedures for publishing meeting notices, agendas, and minutes.
The bill would require draft meeting minutes to be posted within 72 hours after each House meeting and finalized minutes to be uploaded after approval. Statutes currently do not specify a timeframe for when the minutes must be posted, only that meeting minutes are approved at the next meeting.
State laws state that “Agendas should be available at least 7 days before meetings, and minutes must be promptly recorded.” Previous reporting from the University Press found that for two semesters, the House didn’t post agendas or minutes, in violation of Florida’s Sunshine Law.
Walden wrote the Bill after meeting with Assistant Director of Student Media Wesley Wright due to concerns about Sunshine law violations.
“It was brought to my attention that the House has broken a lot of Sunshine and other requirements. After receiving that advice from the assistant director, I decided to offer this bill,” said Walden.
Boca House Secretary Enrique Toro-Mendez, who oversees the Boca House minutes, commented on the Transparency and Records Integrity Bill. He stated that the bill would “overload the duties of the secretary,” and encouraged the House to vote against it.
Toro-Mendez believes the Transparency and Records Integrity Bill imposes too many responsibilities on one position that aren’t feasible to fulfill in that role.
The House Press Secretary Bill
The House Press Secretary Bill, authored by Rep. Nicholas Ostheimer, Rep. Benjamin Lehtola, Boca Raton Campus Treasurer Nicholas Silano, Press Secretary Bree Ferraro, and Rep. Walden, aims to improve transparency and communication between Student Government and the student body. Representatives originally tabled the bill on March 6.
Under the bill, the Press Secretary would be responsible for working directly with student media outlets, including the University Press, to share meeting agendas, explain legislation, and issue updates on House activity.
The bill would establish guidelines for appointing the press secretary and outline responsibilities, including issuing press releases, coordinating with the media, and helping ensure consistent access to information about student government decisions.
Toro-Mendez investigation
Later in the meeting, Silano spoke about an investigation requested by a Representative of his committee during his Treasurer Report.
“There was an official submission sent to me by a member of the House requesting that I investigate members of the House Administrative Cabinet for the hours that they are submitting, to see if there’s any misuse of A&S [Activity and Service] fees and student dollars.. to see if people are actually working the jobs they’re taking hours for,” said Silano.
Silano mentions the two cabinet members that the House Representative emailed to investigate: House Secretary Toro-Mendez and GAC Marketing Director Julia Sole.
Silano said the investigation into Toro-Mendez’s role is focused on whether he fulfilled the specific responsibilities outlined in Student Government statutes, including posting meeting minutes, publishing agendas on time, and carrying out duties tied to his position. He emphasized that the evaluation should be based on measurable requirements, such as timely uploads and compliance with outlined responsibilities, rather than unclear or subjective standards.
Toro-Menedez asked Silano to name the representative who submitted the reports. Since Silano named those whom they were asked to investigate, Silano initially refused to do so.
After multiple requests from the House to Silano for the name of the representative who reported the investigation, Rep. Walden stated that he was the representative in question.
In an interview with the University Press, Walden explained why he submitted the investigation.
“I submitted the request… I want to look at the facts to see what’s happening, and then we will move from there,” said Walden.
Toro-Mendez stated to University Press after the meeting that the investigation was launched by someone who “is completely unaware of the numerous responsibilities and consequences” associated with his position.
Toro-Mendez continues, “Any allegation that I have been misusing or misallocating my working hours and therefore misutilizing student dollars is completely false. Despite these attempts, I remain steadfast in my commitment to the student body and continue to represent them effectively as a member of the House administrative cabinet.”
Election for Campus-Based Budget Appropriations Committee chair
Later in the House meeting, representatives voted for Rep. Walden as the new chair of the Campus-Based Budget Appropriations Committee (CBAC). The role would make Rep. Walden the vice chair of the Ways and Means Committee, which is responsible for House minutes.
Multiple House Representatives stated that Walden would be well-suited for this position. Rep. Ben Lehtola stated, “He is great at his job. He produces a ton of bills to this chamber, good stuff that we pass. He has a great attendance record.”
With no opposition, the House named House Rep. Walden the CBAC chair.
As the House moved to voting on the agenda, including the House Press Secretary Bill and the Transparency and Records Integrity Bill. The House was amended to quorum since the House spent 10 minutes calling House Representatives on their phones to vote on Bills.
The bills will now go to Rules and Policies for review and, when approved, will be moved to the Committee. When the Committee approves them, they will then be sent back to the House to be put on the agenda for voting at the next House meeting. It is unclear whether the next meeting will be held on March 27 or April 3.
Emily Ives is the Political Reporter for the University Press. Email her at [email protected] for more information on this and other stories.
