A132 Amend Canon IV.14 Notice of Accords
In addition to minor revisions to improve the clarity of the canon, these revisions address certain flaws in the current structure for notices to be provided under the canon. Specifically, the Presiding Bishop and the President of the House of Deputies are responsible for hundreds of appointments of Bishops, Priests and lay persons to bodies of General Convention and affiliated organizations. They are each responsible, solely or jointly, for appointing Bishops, Priests, Deacons and lay persons to various bodies. The Secretary of the General Convention is responsible for many of the bodies of General Convention. Therefore, the Presiding Officers need to know the extent of any and all discipline, restrictions, and similar actions that has been taken under Title IV so that they can consider such information when making appointments. A Notice of an Accord or Order merely informs the recipient that there has been an outcome of a Title IV complaint or proceeding but does not give any information about what the outcome is. Therefore, it is necessary for the Presiding Officers and the person who tracks many of the General Convention bodies to have the detailed information about such actions. In 2015, Canon IV.14.12(a) was amended to add the President of the House of Deputies to the list of persons and offices who receive notices of Accords and Orders pertaining to Priests and Deacons. However, the parallel provision pertaining to Bishops was not amended at that time to provide notice to the President. The President of the House of Deputies does make appointments of Bishops to various bodies of the General Convention, either solely or jointly with the Presiding Bishop. Examples include the joint appointment of members of Executive Council to Executive Council committees pursuant to Executive Council Bylaws, joint nomination of Audit Committee members pursuant to Canon, and appointment of members of the President’s Council of Advice which currently includes a Bishop. Thus, the President needs to be aware of the status of all members of the Clergy and their eligibility to serve on bodies of the General Convention or whose terms end upon the imposition of an Accord or Order pursuant to Canon V.4.1. Similarly, Canon IV.14.12(b) is not parallel to Canon IV.14.12(a) on Priests and Deacons in that it does not provide for notice of Accords and Orders pertaining to Bishops to be provided to the Archives or to Executive Officer of the General Convention who is charged with overseeing the work of bodies created by General Convention. Notice to the Executive Officer, rather than to the Secretary of the House of Deputies, as the Secretary of the House of Deputies does not have a role in maintaining records relating to Bishops.
Explanation
In addition to minor revisions to improve the clarity of the canon, these revisions address certain flaws in the current structure for notices to be provided under the canon. Specifically, the Presiding Bishop and the President of the House of Deputies are responsible for hundreds of appointments of Bishops, Priests and lay persons to bodies of General Convention and affiliated organizations. They are each responsible, solely or jointly, for appointing Bishops, Priests, Deacons and lay persons to various bodies. The Secretary of the General Convention is responsible for many of the bodies of General Convention. Therefore, the Presiding Officers need to know the extent of any and all discipline, restrictions, and similar actions that has been taken under Title IV so that they can consider such information when making appointments. A Notice of an Accord or Order merely informs the recipient that there has been an outcome of a Title IV complaint or proceeding but does not give any information about what the outcome is. Therefore, it is necessary for the Presiding Officers and the person who tracks many of the General Convention bodies to have the detailed information about such actions. In 2015, Canon IV.14.12(a) was amended to add the President of the House of Deputies to the list of persons and offices who receive notices of Accords and Orders pertaining to Priests and Deacons. However, the parallel provision pertaining to Bishops was not amended at that time to provide notice to the President. The President of the House of Deputies does make appointments of Bishops to various bodies of the General Convention, either solely or jointly with the Presiding Bishop. Examples include the joint appointment of members of Executive Council to Executive Council committees pursuant to Executive Council Bylaws, joint nomination of Audit Committee members pursuant to Canon, and appointment of members of the President’s Council of Advice which currently includes a Bishop. Thus, the President needs to be aware of the status of all members of the Clergy and their eligibility to serve on bodies of the General Convention or whose terms end upon the imposition of an Accord or Order pursuant to Canon V.4.1. Similarly, Canon IV.14.12(b) is not parallel to Canon IV.14.12(a) on Priests and Deacons in that it does not provide for notice of Accords and Orders pertaining to Bishops to be provided to the Archives or to Executive Officer of the General Convention who is charged with overseeing the work of bodies created by General Convention. Notice to the Executive Officer, rather than to the Secretary of the House of Deputies, as the Secretary of the House of Deputies does not have a role in maintaining records relating to Bishops.