A113 Amend Canon I.4.3 on Term of Office of the Audit Committee
Resolved, the House of Deputies concurring,
That the 80th General Convention amend Canon I.4.3 to read as follows.
<Amended text as it would appear if adopted and concurred. Scroll below the line of asterisks (******) to see the version showing all deleted and added text.>
Sec. 3. Upon joint nomination of the Chair and the Vice-Chair, the Executive Council shall elect an Audit Committee of the Council and the Domestic and Foreign Missionary Society. The Committee shall be composed of six members: one from the Executive Council committee with primary responsibility for financial matters; one from the Joint Standing Committee on Program, Budget, and Finance; and the remaining four from members of the Church-at-large having experience in general business and financial practices. The members shall serve a term beginning on January 1 following the regular meeting of the General Convention at which elected or immediately following their appointment, whichever comes later, and continuing through December 31 following the adjournment of the next regular meeting of the General Convention or until a successor is appointed, and may serve two consecutive terms, after which a full interval between regular meetings of the General Convention must elapse before being eligible for reelection. Annually the Audit Committee shall elect a Chair of the Committee from among its members. The Audit Committee shall regularly review the financial statements relating to all funds under the management or control of the Council and the Domestic and Foreign Missionary Society and shall report thereon at least annually to the Council.
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<Proposed amended resolution text showing exact changes being made:>
Sec. 3. Upon joint nomination of the Chair and the Vice-Chair, the Executive Council shall elect an Audit Committee of the Council and the Domestic and Foreign Missionary Society. The Committee shall be composed of six members: one from the Executive Council committee with primary responsibility for financial matters; one from the Joint Standing Committee on Program, Budget, and Finance; and the remaining four from members of the Church-at-large having experience in general business and financial practices. The members shall serve for a term of three years beginning on January 1 following the a regular meeting of the General Convention at which elected or immediately following their appointment, whichever comes later, and continue continuing through December 31 following the adjournment of the next regular meeting of the General Convention or until a successor is appointed, and may serve two consecutive terms, after which a full interval between regular meetings of the General Convention triennium must elapse before being eligible for reelection. Annually the Audit Committee shall elect a Chair of the Committee from among its members. The Audit Committee shall regularly review the financial statements relating to all funds under the management or control of the Council and the Domestic and Foreign Missionary Society and shall report thereon at least annually to the Council.
Explanation
Current Canon I.4.3 provides a three-year term of office for members of the Audit Committee of the Domestic and Foreign Missionary Society, and for their election by the Executive Council. The postponement of the 80th General Convention from 2021 to 2022 exposed a problem with terms of office fixed at a certain number of years rather than by intervals between regular meetings of the General Convention. The Commission found that tying the expiration of terms of office to the adjournment of a subsequent regular meeting of the General Convention – whenever it may in fact occur - would be a sounder way to structure them – and avoid questions and concerns about when a term of office expires in the event of the postponement of a regular meeting of the General Convention.