General Convention (VI): The Legislative Process
Episcopal News Service. May 12, 1988 [88095]
(The Rev. Canon) Charles W. Scott, Editor of General Convention Publications
NEW YORK CITY, (DPS, May 12) -- The most conspicuous activity of the General Convention that will meet in Detroit this summer will be legislation. The legislative process is a complicated one, involving the bishops and deputies not only on the floor but also in committee meetings and hearings before and after the legislative sessions each day, backed up by a large staff and corps of volunteers working behind the scenes.
Legislation originates in resolutions from four sources: the interim bodies, such as the Standing Liturgical Commission and Standing Commission on Ecumenical Relations, who report their activities in the Blue Book, the key pre-Convention publication; diocesan conventions, and individual bishops and deputies. These resolutions reflect the aspirations and convictions of Episcopalians and congregations throughout the Church, conveyed to the bishops and deputies who represent them in Convention. Also, open hearings are held by some committees in the early days of Convention so that any church member may express an opinion, especially on issues that may be controversial.
Resolutions are received by the Office of the General Convention and assigned to legislative committees by the presidents of the two Houses. Each House has about twenty-five committees, which deal with such matters as evangelism, education, ministry, and social and urban affairs. Each committee of one House has a cognate committee in the other House, and each committee is kept informed of its counterpart's agenda. If a resolution is assigned to a committee of the House of Deputies, a copy will be sent to the cognate committee of the House of Bishops for information, and vice versa.
The committees meet a number of times during the Convention, preparing reports on all legislation submitted to them. These reports, usually made by the committee chair, will recommend adoption, with or without amendment, of a resolution; rejection of the resolution, adoption of a substitute resolution, or the committee may move to be discharged from further consideration of a resolution, particularly if it closely parallels another resolution on the same subject.
Each resolution presented by the committee is subject to debate and amendment from the floor before a vote is taken. After the vote, the action of the House is conveyed to the other House by a written message. Monitoring these messages, which will run to several hundred in each direction before Convention adjourns, is one of the most demanding tasks facing the officers and staff of the Convention. Every action must be reported accurately so that the other House can take appropriate action in response.
When a message reaches the second House, it is sent to the cognate committee of that House, which prepares a report recommending concurrence, with or without amendment, or nonconcurrence with the action of the originating House. The committee makes its report to the full House, which then votes on the resolution, and its action is reported by message back to the originating House. If the action on a particular resolution is concurrence with amendment, the originating House must again consider the resolution and vote to concur before the resolution can become an action of the Convention.
Extra effort will be made in Detroit to ensure that not only the bishops and deputies but all interested persons are kept apprised of the status of legislation. A special booth will be maintained that will have current information on the actions of each House. A summary of the actions of the General Convention will be published within thirty days of adjournment so that all church members will be informed as soon as possible of important canonical changes and policies the Church has adopted on vital public issues. The complete and official record of the legislative process will appear some months later in the Journal of Convention.