D022 Create a Task Force on the Legislative Process
Resolved, the House of ________________ concurring,
That the 81st General Convention authorize a Task Force on the General Convention Legislative Process to assess the Rules of Order, and whose mandate includes but is not limited to (1) assessing the changes to the legislative process first introduced at the 80th General Convention, particularly the process of pre-Convention online legislative committee meetings and hearings; (2) review the technology used for legislative committees, determining the best technology for maximum participation by all members of both Houses; (3) making recommendations to the Joint Standing Committee on Planning and Arrangements and the General Convention Office for the legislative process for the 82nd General Convention; (4) proposing amendments to the Rules of Order for the House of Bishops and / or the House of Deputies, and / or the Joint Rules for the House of Bishops and House of Deputies to further refine the legislative process in light of the findings of the Task Force; (5) develop a plan for continual review of the Rules of Order for the House of Bishops and / or the House of Deputies, and / or the Joint Rules for the House of Bishops and House of Deputies by a diverse committee; and (6) developing a plan for training deputies on the Rules of Order; and be it further
Resolved, That the membership of this Task Force include up to four bishops, four clergy, and four lay persons, each of whom shall have served as bishop or deputy at least one prior General Convention; at least nine members shall have served at least three prior General Conventions; at least six members shall have served on a legislative committee at the 80th and/or 81st General Conventions, and at least six members shall have served on a legislative committee prior to the 80th General Convention; at least three members shall have chaired a legislative committee; and at least one member shall have served on the Dispatch of Business Committee; and be it further
Resolved, That the Executive Officer of the General Convention appoint a member of the staff of the General Convention Office to serve as consultant to the task force; and be it further
Resolved, That the task force begin its work no later than December 1, 2024, and submit a report to the 82nd General Convention; and be it further
Resolved, That the task force consult widely with bishops and deputies, including former deputies; and be it further
Resolved, That the General Convention request $40,000 be allocated for the implementation of this resolution.
Explanation
Online legislative committee meetings and hearings for the 80th General Convention were introduced of necessity during the COVID pandemic. At that convention, the House of Deputies amended its Rules of Order to permit electronic meetings, including meetings prior to the General Convention (Resolution 2022-A138). Soon after the 80th General Convention, a decision was made to utilize the process of online legislative committee meetings for the 81st General Convention.
Deputies to the 80th General Convention were invited to complete a survey about their experience of the electronic meeting format and other changes to the legislative process. However, results of that survey were not widely circulated.
After the 80th General Convention, the President of the House of Deputies appointed a small Special Committee on the Rules of Order of the House of Deputies. The committee proposed that all committee work be completed prior to arriving at the General Convention, going beyond the stated intent of Resolution 2022-A138 that legislative committees could begin taking action prior to General Convention. The special committee’s report acknowledged some of the challenges of online committee meetings, including pre-Convention workload for deputies and bishops, as well as time-zone differences, and technology concerns, but it did not make any recommendations to mitigate those concerns. The committee did not report any consultation with the House of Bishops, even though House of Bishops legislative committees are integral to the legislative process.
This resolution calls for a task force of deputies and bishops to work together to assess the advantages and challenges of pre-convention committee meetings and hearings, as well as other aspects of the legislative process, and to make recommendations to refine the legislative process.