The Acts of Convention

Resolved, That the 78th General Convention recognize the continuing evolution of the roles of the Presiding Bishop and the President of the House of Deputies; and be it further

Resolved, That this General Convention recognize that the life and work of The Episcopal Church is in a time of substantial transition and that the structures of the Church continue to evolve; and be it further

Resolved, That this General Convention recognize there are increased demands on the time and energy of the President of the House of Deputies; and be it further

Resolved, That this General Convention recognize that the President of the House of Deputies, among other current responsibilities, serves as the Vice-President of the Domestic and Foreign Missionary Society, as the Vice-Chair of the Executive Council, and makes and participates in numerous appointments to positions in The Episcopal Church; and be it further

Resolved, That this General Convention recognize that at the present time, the House of Deputies is of the view that only persons who are retired or who have substantial economic resources are financially able to serve as President of the House of Deputies; and be it further

Resolved, That this General Convention recognize that the House of Deputies considers it important that the House of Deputies be able to choose a President without regard to the financial circumstances of the candidates for the President of the House of Deputies; and be it further

Resolved, That this General Convention recognize that the House of Deputies has affirmed that the desirability of compensation for the President of the House of Deputies is a fairness issue; and be it further

Resolved, That this General Convention determine that it is important for The Episcopal Church to explore fully and openly the issues of leadership, including compensation for the President of the House of Deputies; and be it further

Resolved, That this General Convention recognize that the House of Bishops understands and appreciates the cogency of, and fairness issues inherent in, the position of the House of Deputies; and be it further

Resolved, That this General Convention direct that the Presiding Bishop and the President of the House of Deputies jointly appoint a task force to consider these issues of leadership and compensation and that this task force report its recommendations to the 79th General Convention, including such canonical or other steps needed to implement the recommendations of the task force.

Resolved, That Title I, Canon 4, Sections 6-8, be stricken in their entirety and replaced to read as follows:

Sec. 6. (a) The Executive Council shall submit to the Joint Standing Committee on Program, Budget, and Finance the proposed Budget for The Episcopal Church for the ensuing budgetary period, which budgetary period shall be equal to the interval between regular meetings of the General Convention. The proposed Budget shall be submitted not less than four months before the ensuing General Convention is convened.

(b) Revenue to support the Budget for The Episcopal Church shall be generated primarily by a single assessment of the Dioceses of the Church based on a formula which the General Convention shall adopt as part of its Budget process. If in any year the total anticipated income for Budget support is less than the amount required to support the Budget approved by the General Convention, the canonical portion of the Budget for The Episcopal Church shall have funding priority over any other budget areas subject to any decreases necessary to maintain a balanced Budget.

(c) After the preparation of the Budget, the Treasurer shall, at least four months before the sessions of the General Convention, transmit to the Bishop of each Diocese and to the President of each Province a statement of the existing and the proposed assessment necessary to support the Budget for The Episcopal Church. The Joint Standing Committee on Program, Budget, and Finance shall also submit to the General Convention, with the Budget, a plan for the assessments of the respective Dioceses of the sum needed to execute the Budget.

(d) There shall be joint sessions of the two Houses for the presentation of the Budget for The Episcopal Church; and thereafter consideration shall be given and appropriate action taken thereon by the General Convention.

(e) Upon the adoption by the General Convention of a Budget for The Episcopal Church and the planned assessments for the budgetary period, the Council shall formally advise each Diocese of its share of the total assessments to support the Budget for The Episcopal Church.

(f) Full payment of the diocesan assessment shall be required of all Dioceses, effective January 1, 2019.

(g) Effective January 1, 2016 Council shall have the power to grant waivers from the full annual assessments of Dioceses within the limit established by the General Convention. Any diocese may appeal to Executive Council for a waiver of the assessment, in full or in part, on the basis of financial hardship, a stated plan for working toward full payment, or other reasons as agreed with the Executive Council. Effective January 1, 2019, failure to make full payment or to receive a waiver shall render the diocese ineligible to receive grants or loans from the Domestic and Foreign Missionary Society unless approved by Executive Council.

(h) The Council shall have the power to expend all sums of money covered by the Budget and estimated Budgets approved by the General Convention, subject to such restrictions as may be imposed by the General Convention, including but not limited to the priority declaration set forth in Section 6(c) of this Canon. It shall also have power to undertake such other work provided for in the Budget approved by the General Convention, or other work under the jurisdiction of the Council, the need for which may have arisen after the action of the General Convention, as in the judgment of the Council its income will warrant.

(i) In respect of the Budget for The Episcopal Church, the Executive Council shall have the power to consider and vote to make such adjustments therein, or additions thereto, as it shall deem to be necessary or expedient, and which, in its judgment, available funds and anticipated income will warrant subject to such restrictions as may be imposed by the General Convention. It shall also have power to approve other initiatives proposed by the Chair or otherwise considered by Council, in consultation with the Chair of the Joint Standing Committee on Program, Budget and Finance, between meetings of the General Convention, as in the judgment of the Council are prudent and which the Church revenues will be adequate to support.

(j) Each Diocese shall annually report to the Executive Council such financial and other information pertaining to the state of the Church in the Diocese as may be required in a form authorized by Executive Council.

(k) Each Diocese shall report annually to the Executive Council the name and address of each new congregation, and of each congregation closed or removed by reason of any of the following: dissolution of the congregation;

1. removal of the congregation to another Diocese due to cession or retrocession of geographic territory in which the congregation is located, pursuant to Articles V.6 or VI.2 of the Constitution;

2. removal of the congregation to a new physical location or address, identifying both the location or address from which the congregation has removed, and the successor location or address; and

3. merger of the congregation into one or more other congregations, in which case, the Diocese shall include in its report the names of all congregations involved in the merger, and the physical location and address at which the merged congregations shall be located.

Sec. 7 (a) Every Missionary Bishop or, in case of a vacancy, the Bishop in charge of the jurisdiction, receiving aid from the General Convention Budget, shall report at the close of each fiscal year to the Council, giving account of work performed, of money received from all sources and disbursed for all purposes, and of the state of the Church in the jurisdiction at the date of such report, all in such form as the Council may prescribe.

(b) The Ecclesiastical Authority of every Diocese receiving aid from the General Convention Budget shall report at the close of each fiscal year to the Council, giving account of the work in the diocese supported in whole or in part by that aid.

Sec. 8. The Council, as soon as practicable after the close of each fiscal year, shall cause to be prepared and publish a full report of the work of the Executive Council, the Domestic and Foreign Missionary Society, and the General Convention Office to the Church. Such report shall contain an itemized statement of all receipts and disbursements and a statement of all trust funds and other property of The Domestic and Foreign Missionary Society, and of all other trust funds and property in its possession or under its oversight responsibility. The report shall include a detailed schedule of the salaries paid to all officers and principal employees of the Domestic and Foreign Missionary Society and the Executive Council.