A.
No Memorial, Petition, or Address shall come before this House unless presented by a Bishop who is a member of this House, or some other Bishop present.
B.
Nothing other than Reports and other documents printed for the use and by the order of the House, except the private correspondence of its members, shall be distributed in the House without having first been entrusted to the Secretary, and submitted to the approval of the Bishop presiding.
C.
All Resolutions shall be reduced to writing, and no motion shall be considered as before the House until seconded. In all cases where a Resolution seeks to amend a Canon or an entire Title of Canons, the form of Resolution submitted shall set out the enactment in the form prescribed by Canon V.1.4, shall include with a dash overstrike on each letter any words which are deleted by the amendment and shall underline any words which are added by the amendment; Provided that if the amendment of an entire Title is to be covered by one enactment under Canon V.1.4, the deleted text and the underlining of the next text need not be included but the proponent shall make adequate written explanation of the changes. All resolutions of Bishops shall be proposed by one Bishop and be endorsed by not less than two additional Bishops, all three being from different dioceses. Individual Bishops shall be limited to proposing not more than three resolutions.
D.
a. Reports of Committees shall be in writing, and shall be received in due course. Reports recommending or requiring any action or expression of opinion by the House shall be accompanied by specific Resolutions.
b. Legislative Committee Reports
1. Each Legislative Committee must take final action on every Resolution and othermatter referred to it for action to recommend that the House takes one of thefollowing actions:
i. adopt as proposed;
ii. adopt as amended by the Committee; all amendments made by a Committee will apply automatically to the Resolution and the matter before the House when the Resolution is considered will be the Resolution as amended by the Committee;
iii. adopt a substitute Resolution:
a. A substitute Resolution must be on the same subject as the Resolution referred to the Legislative Committee for action.
b. A substitute Resolution may only cover one Resolution referred to the Legislative Committee for action.
c. If the House declines to adopt a substitute, the original Resolution will be automatically referred back to the Committee for additional consideration.
iv. adopt a consolidated substitute Resolution:
a. A consolidated substitute Resolution must be on the same subject as the Resolutions referred to the Legislative Committee for action.
b. Its report on the final action on that Resolution must identify all the other Resolutions the substitute is intended to cover.
c. A vote by the Legislative Committee to recommend adoption of a consolidated substitute Resolution will be an automatic recommendation to take no further action on all other Resolutions the consolidated substitute Resolution is intended to cover.
d. If the House declines to adopt a consolidated substitute Resolution, the original Resolutions will be automatically referred back to the Committee for additional consideration.
v. reject;
vi. refer to a specified Standing Commission, General Convention Task Force, Executive Council or other body of the Church for study, action, or to make recommendations on the subject to the next General Convention;
vii. take no further action because:
a. the matter has already been dealt with by action of the House of Bishops at this meeting of General Convention;
b. the matter is covered by a Resolution of a prior General Convention;
c. for other reasons.
viii. If the Resolution or matter has been acted on by the House of Deputies:
a. concur with the action of the House of Deputies;
b. concur as proposed to be amended by the House of Bishops Legislative Committee;
c. concur with substitute as proposed by the House of Bishops Legislative Committee;
d. not concur and take a different action;
e. not concur.
2. Minority Report
i. If there is a minority position on a final action on a Resolution or other matter and the minority requests to make a minority report to the House, the Chair will include the minority report in the Legislative Committee’s report on the final action on the Resolution or other matter.
ii. A minority position consists of at least one-quarter (1/4) of the members of the Legislative Committee present and voting on the Resolution, Memorial, or other matter.
c. Each report shall be dated, signed by the Chair or Secretary of the Committee, and transmitted to the office of the Secretary of the House, who shall endorse thereon the date of receipt thereof. If there is a minority position in the Committee and a minority spokesperson requests a minority position report, the Chair shall include the same in the report.
Any resolution which involves an amendment to the Constitution or Canons shall be referred to the appropriate Legislative or Special Committee for action and simultaneously to the Committee on Constitution or the Committee on Canons, as the case may be, and such Committee shall make certain that the Resolution is in proper constitutional or canonical form, achieves consistency and clarity in the Constitution or Canons, and includes all amendments necessary to effect the proposed change, and shall promptly communicate its recommendations to the Legislative or Special Committee. In such case the Committee shall neither concern itself with, nor report on, the substance of the matter referred to it, but whenever requested to do so by the Presiding Officer of the House, the Committee shall in its report to the House make recommendations as to substance.
E. Reports of Committees appointed to sit during the recess, if not acted upon at once, shall, when presented, be made the Order of the Day for a time fixed. Printed Committee Reports which have been delivered to, and circulated among, the members of the House of Bishops, in advance of the making of such Reports upon the floor of the House, shall be presented by title and the Chair or Committee member presenting said Report shall be allowed five minutes for summarizing the same, which time may be extended only by a two-thirds vote of those present and voting.
F. All Resolutions which are to be communicated to the House of Deputies, unless they contain information of action incomplete in this House, or be temporarily withheld by order of this House at the time of their passage, shall be transmitted to the House of Deputies as soon as conveniently may be, under the direction of the Bishop presiding.
G. Committees from the House of Deputies shall be admitted immediately. Messages from the House of Deputies shall be handed by the Secretary of this House to the Bishop Presiding, to be laid before the House as early as may be convenient. However, consideration of such Message shall be subject to a motion for the appointment of a Committee of Conference as hereinafter provided in these Rules. All such Messages communicating any legislative action on the part of the House of Deputies shall, without debate, be referred to the proper Committee, unless, without debate, the House shall decide to consider such Messages without such reference. When the consideration of such Message shall have been begun, it shall continue to be the Order of the Day until final action thereon.
The final action of this House upon any Message from the House of Deputies shall be by vote upon the question “Shall this House concur in the action of the House of Deputies as communicated in their Message No._____?” Messages requiring no action by the House may be received by Title.
H. If, during the consideration by this House of any action taken by the House of Deputies, a motion is made stating the position of this House and requesting a Committee of Conference, such motion shall have precedence and be put to a vote without debate, and if passed by a majority of the members of this House then present, a Committee of Conference shall be appointed. A Committee of Conference shall also be in order, with or without motion, (1) in cases where the House of Deputies has concurred, with amendments, in action taken by this House, or (2) in cases where this House has concurred, with amendments, in action taken by the House of Deputies. When a Committee of Conference has been appointed, final action upon the matter under consideration shall be deferred until the Committee of Conference shall have reported to this House; Provided, such report shall be made no later than the next business day or within one hour after the convening of the last meeting of this House in Convention assembled, whichever event shall first occur. Further, the Chair of any Standing or other Committee shall have full authority, either alone or with members of the Committee, to confer with the Chair of the cognate Committee of the House of Deputies.
I. Two Bishops may be appointed by the Bishop Presiding to act with the Secretary in preparing daily reports of the action of this House, and furnishing them, at their discretion, to the public press.
J. The Committee on Privilege and Courtesy may recommend the courtesy of seat and voice to (1) any Bishop of a Church in the Anglican Communion who has been nominated by a Bishop of this House whose jurisdiction has entered into a formal companion diocese relationship approved by the Executive Council of this Church or (2) any Bishop who is a guest of the Presiding Bishop upon the nomination of the Presiding Bishop. The Committee on Privilege and Courtesy must receive nominations for the courtesy of seat and voice thirty days prior to the stated or called meeting of the House at which such courtesy is to be granted. The nominations for the courtesy of seat and voice shall be circulated in writing to the members of the House before the nominations shall be presented to the House. Bishops granted the courtesy of seat and voice shall be assigned a seat and shall have such seat and voice only for meeting of the House at which such courtesy was granted. Bishops granted courtesy of seat and voice shall at all times be entitled to be present except when the House is in Executive Session. At such a call, the Secretary shall ask the guests to leave the House.
K. There shall be a Council of Advice, composed of Bishops who are the Presidents or Vice-Presidents of each Province, which will act as advisory council to the Presiding Bishop between meetings of the House of Bishops. The Committee shall elect its own officers.
L. The Committee on the Bishop’s Pastoral shall be composed of persons eminently qualified for the task, and empowered to enlist additional assistance, with the consent of the Presiding Bishop, as may seem wise. The Committee shall make a Report at each Session of the House.
M. Elections of Bishops and Membership in the House
1. When it is proposed to give consent to the consecration or confirmation of a Bishop-elect, or of a Bishop adjutor-elect, or of a Bishop-elect Suffragan, it shall be competent for any six voting members of the House to call for a vote by ballot.
2. The Secretary shall prepare a ballot for each election listing alphabetically the names of all persons nominated. On each ballot, each voting member shall vote for the number of nominees to be or remaining to be elected, and any ballot with votes less than or in excess thereof shall be void. The nominees receiving the largest number of votes shall be deemed elected, provided that votes equal to or in excess of a majority of the ballots cast on any ballot shall be required for election.
3. Any Bishop of a Church in the Anglican Communion who is in exile from a Diocese, or is without membership in a House of Bishops because the Diocese is temporarily in an extra- provincial status, and who is resident in any jurisdiction in this Church, or any other Bishop of a Church in the Anglican Communion who has resigned his or her position in that Church, who has made his or her primary residence in any jurisdiction in this Church may be admitted to this House as a collegial member. Such membership may be extended to such a Bishop by a two- thirds vote of those present and voting on each Bishop, taken by secret ballot if requested by at least six members of the House, considered by the members of the House present at any regularly called meeting, and shall continue until such time as the collegial member removes from the jurisdiction of this Church, or until such time as it is withdrawn by a like vote. Such collegial member shall be assigned a seat, and have a voice, in this House. No vote shall be accorded such collegial member, in keeping with the Constitution of this Church.
The Committee on Privilege and Courtesy must receive, one month in advance of any meeting of this House, nominations for collegial membership in this House, said nomination to be made only by the Bishop in whose jurisdiction the proposed collegial member resides. The nominations for collegial membership shall be circulated in writing to the members of the House before the nominations shall be presented to the House.
Any Bishop of an extra-provincial Diocese which originated in the Church or any Bishop of this Church who removed from the jurisdiction of this Church to the jurisdiction of a Church in the Anglican Communion may be continued in relationship to this House as an honorary member. Thirty days prior to each stated or called meeting of the House such honorary members shall give written notice of their intention to be present to the Presiding Bishop. Seat and voice shall then be accorded such honorary members, upon the nomination to the House by the Bishop presiding. No vote shall be accorded the honorary member.
Bishops admitted to honorary and collegial seats in the House shall at all times be entitled to be present except when the House is in Executive Session. At such a call, the Secretary shall ask the guests to leave the House.
4. Any Bishop of this Church who resigns a position for reasons other than those specified in Article I.2 of the Constitution, but whose resignation is not for reasons related to the Bishop’s moral character, may, on motion and by a majority vote, be accorded non-voting membership in the House. Until further contrary action by the House, any such non-voting member shall have the right to seat and voice at all meetings, the right to serve on committees, and all other rights of membership except that of voting on any matter.
N. Debate and Decorum
1. Members in discussion shall address the Chair, and shall confine themselves to the Question in debate. No member shall speak more than twice in the same debate without leave of the House. At the conclusion of any speech, the Bishop presiding, alone, or any member of the House, may call for a vote, without debate, on a proposal for a recess of conference to define and clarify the issues of the debate and the way in which the House is working. If the proposal of a member is supported by at least four other members, it is to be put to a vote. If passed by a two-thirds vote of those present and voting, members of the House will form small groups for a ten-minute conference, at the end of which debate will resume with any speakers who had already been recognized at the time of the motion for conference.
2. Officers of the House of Bishops, when addressing the House in debate, shall in all cases do so from the floor of the House.
3. When a division is called for, every voting member present shall be counted. When, in such procedure, the vote of the Bishop presiding produces a tie, the motion shall be considered as lost.
4. On any question before the House the ayes and nays may be required by any six voting members, and shall in such cases be entered on the Journal.
5. When a Question is under consideration, the following motions shall have precedence in the order listed: to lay upon the table, to postpone to a time certain, to commit or to refer, to substitute another motion dealing with the same Question, to amend, or to postpone indefinitely; Provided, that, in consideration of a message from the House of Deputies, the provisions of Rules V. G and H shall apply, and a motion made thereunder for a Committee of Conference shall have precedence; and Provided, further, that a proposal for a Recess of Conference shall always be in order, under the conditions set forth in 1. Rule V.N.1.
6. On motion duly put and carried, the House may resolve itself into a Committee of the Whole, at which no records shall be made of its action. On separate motion duly put and carried, those present at such sessions may be limited to members of the House.
7. On motion duly put and carried, the House may go into Executive Session, at which only members of the House shall be present. The Chair of the Committee on Dispatch of Business shall act as clerk and make a record of all motions adopted.
8. All questions of order shall be decided by the Chair without debate, but appeal may be taken from such decision. The decision of the Chair shall stand unless overruled by a two-thirds vote of those present and voting. On such appeal, no member shall speak more than once without express leave of the House.
9. Amendments shall be considered in the order in which they are moved. When a proposed amendment is under consideration, a motion to amend the same may be made. No after-amendment to such second amendment shall be in order, but a substitute for the whole matter may be received. No proposition on a subject differing from the one under consideration shall be received under color of a substitute.
10. A Question being once determined shall stand as the judgment of the House, and shall not be again drawn into debate during the same session of the House, except with the consent of a two-thirds vote of those present and voting. A motion to reconsider can be made only on the day the vote was taken, or on the next succeeding legislative day, and must be made and seconded by those who voted with the majority.
11.
a. Except by a two-thirds vote of those present and voting, no new business shall be introduced for the consideration of the House after the second day of the Session. All matters originating in this House requiring concurrent action by both houses shall be considered before the last legislative day except for Resolutions of Privilege and Courtesy.
b. No resolution proposing amendments to the Constitution or Canons of this Church may be presented in the House of Bishops for an initial vote on the last legislative day of General Convention; Provided, however, that any such resolution previously considered and voted upon by this House may be considered on the last legislative day in order to consider changes to the resolution approved by the House of Deputies.
12. Except by a two-thirds vote of those present and voting, no member of the House may introduce a Resolution at a special meeting unless the Resolution has been circulated thirty days in advance to the members. This rule shall not be construed in any way to prevent a Committee of the House from introducing Resolutions at special meetings.
O. Rules of Order
1. These rules shall be in force in subsequent Sessions of this House unless otherwise ordered.
2. Additions and amendments to, or suspension or repeal of these rules shall require a two-thirds vote of those present and voting.
3. Except when in conflict with the Constitution or Canons, or any Rule herein contained, the latest edition of Robert’s Rules of Order shall govern the interpretation of these rules, and the parliamentary procedures to be followed in this House.