Plenary Meetings of the General Assembly

1. Manual of the General Assembly

What is the Manual of the General Assembly?

• Standing Rules of the General Assembly – how the General Assembly orders itself
  
• Open Meeting Policy – meetings are open to the public with few exceptions
  
• Guidelines for Preparation of Minutes of Agencies
  
• Guidelines for Reviewing Synod Records – a task of the Assembly Committee on Mid Councils
  
• Guidelines for Presbyterians During Times of Disagreement – principles for everyone
  
• Forming Social Policy – how the PC(USA) speaks to itself and the world
  
• Guiding Principles: Presbyteries’ Cooperative Committee on Examinations for Candidates
  
• Interreligious Stance for the PC(USA)
  
• Standards for Review of General Assembly Permanent, Advocacy, and Advisory Committees and Commissions
  
• Standards for Review of General Assembly Agencies
  
• Standards of Ethics for Commissioners and Advisory Delegates to the General Assembly
  
• Cultural Proficiency Standards
  
• Child/Youth/Vulnerable Adult Protection Policy and Its Procedures
  
• Organization for Mission – how the PC(USA) is structured
  

2. The 225th General Assembly Convenes

On Saturday, June 18, the 225th General Assembly (2022) will open with online worship.

2.1. Hybrid Meeting Day

When the 225th General Assembly (2022) convenes on June 18 under the leadership of the Co-Moderators of the 224th General Assembly (2020), commissioners and advisory delegates from 5 committees will be present in at the Presbyterian Center in Louisville, while others will participate from home. 

2.2. Advisory Delegates

While advisory delegates – Ecumenical (EADs), Missionary (MADs), Theological Student (TSADs), and Young Adults (YAADs) are full members of their assigned assembly committees, in plenary meetings advisory delegates have voice but not vote, and are not eligible to make motions. [B.2]

In plenary, advisory delegates are polled on most motions before commissioners vote so that commissioners have the benefit of their advice in their own decision-making.

2.3. Special Requirements

Special Requirements for the 225th General Assembly (2022) Plenary 1

Robert’s Rules of Order, Newly Revised, the parliamentary authority for councils of the PC(USA) established in the Book of Order [G-3.0105], requires that electronic meetings be authorized in the rules of the body. In order to fulfill that requirement, the members of the first set of assembly committees meeting in Louisville on Saturday, June 18, will constitute a quorum of the assembly to vote on one motion to authorize electronic meetings. Only commissioners present in Louisville will vote, but all commissioners and advisory delegates – whether in Louisville or at home – will be able to seek recognition to speak to the motion through the parliamentary toolbox.

The motion for this authorization specifies that it applies only to this General Assembly. An item of business [IOB] that would allow meeting electronically in the future will be considered later in the assembly.

2.4. After Electronic Meetings are Authorized

Assuming the in-person quorum of the General Assembly authorizes meeting electronically, all commissioners will be able to vote on all subsequent plenary meeting motions. 

Other motions to be considered on the opening day of the General Assembly will include

including the Stated Clerk of the General Assembly and the Co-Moderators of the 224th GA (2020), as well as presentations to prepare commissioners and advisory delegates to understand the background of some of the decisions to be made later in the assembly.

2.5. Proposed Docket

2.6. Election of the [Co-]Moderators

3. Juneteenth

June 19 is the newest federal holiday, Juneteenth. 

Participants in the assembly will join observances, including hybrid worship at 11:00 a.m. Eastern with Stated Clerk J. Herbert Nelson, II, preaching.

4. Committees

From June 20 through July 3, committees are arriving, departing, and meeting. 

There are no plenary meetings during this time.

5. Online Plenary

There will be no business conducted on July 3rd or 4th. 

The General Assembly will come back together in online plenary on July 5th.

Each day begins with worship.

5.1. Bills and Overtures

The Assembly Committee on Bills and Overtures will recommend the order in which assembly committees report to the GA in plenary. Except for routine matters such as approval of minutes, no committee recommendation becomes an action of the assembly until the whole assembly votes.

You will become accustomed to hearing from the leaders of the Assembly Committee on Bills and Overtures, who will make brief reports at the beginning of each plenary meeting and will occasionally report at other times to recommend adjustments in the docket or limitations on speeches.

Bills and Overtures also reviews the minutes and considers any protests that may be considered. [F.1.e]

5.2. Consent Agenda

Except for actions requesting constitutional change, all decisions made by assembly committees by a 3/4 or better vote are placed on the assembly plenary consent agenda to be considered as the first order of plenary business following committee meetings. The purpose of the consent agenda is to dispense quickly with items of business [IOBs] expected not to be controversial, in order to save precious time for IOBs that require more debate.

Any commissioner can remove any IOB from the consent agenda for discussion. When the consent agenda comes up in the docket, time will be allowed for commissioners to remove items; note the IOB name and number and it will be removed, to be placed on the docket for consideration in a later plenary business meeting. [F.5.b] In order to exercise your right to remove an IOB, of course, you will need to review the reports of all the committees prior to Plenary 4 on July 5. 

Anyone requesting removal of an IOB from the consent agenda is expected to seek recognition to discuss it during the committee report in which the IOB is considered.

5.3. General Assembly Nominating Committee

Most of the business to be considered by the GA in plenary consists of recommendations from the 16 committees meeting from June 20 through July 2.

Elections are an exception. The report of the General Assembly Nominating Committee (GANC) comes directly to the whole GA. 

Commissioners may challenge a particular nominee from the GANC by submitting a “Nomination by Commissioner” form – available through a link in the GANC report once it is submitted 30 days prior to the assembly and posted in the PLEN section of PC-Biz. The deadline to make such a nomination from the floor is 11:00 a.m. Eastern on Monday, June 20.  [F.6.c]

All unchallenged nominees are considered elected through the consent agenda.

Any challenges will be considered individually later in the assembly.

5.4. Committee Reports

The Bills and Overtures Committee will recommend docket order for the reports of assembly committees, which will be presented by the committee leadership. 

Within a committee report, the committee leadership will determine the order in which IOBs are considered, along with which resource persons (if any) will be called upon to give background to the Assembly.

When the assembly votes on an IOB, that action is taken on the committee’s recommendation. That means, for example, that if the committee is recommending an overture be disapproved, a “yes” vote indicates opposition to the overture. 

5.5. Minority Reports

Sometimes members of a committee whose position on an issue does not prevail in committee will wish to submit a minority report to the assembly. A minority report must set aside the recommendation approved by the committee – in parliamentary terms, it is a substitute motion– and the proposal must have been presented during the deliberations of the committee. [E.7.h, F.3] 

Here’s the process used to consider a minority report: 

• The committee leader moves the recommendation of the committee.
  
• A signer of the minority report moves its report as a substitute motion.
  
• Perfection of the committee report (the main motion) – any amendments are made until the motion is in final form.
  
• Perfection of the minority report (the substitute motion).
  
• "Shall the substitute become the main motion?” 
  
• Debate on the merits of both motions, with no further amendments in order.
  
• Vote on the question “Shall the substitute become the main motion?” Those in favor of the main motion vote no.
  
• If the motion prevails, the substitute becomes the main motion, and the original main motion disappears. 
  

Once it is decided whether the substitute becomes the main motion, another vote is taken to approve or disapprove the motion that remains.

5.6. Clarifications

Business can move rapidly, but you have the right to ask the moderator to explain the effect of the proposal so that everyone is clear before the vote is taken. The moderator will make every effort to ensure that no one gets lost or overlooked.

5.7. Protests

If you vote against a motion which prevails, you may file a written protest with the Committee on Bills and Overtures; it will be included in the Minutes if the Committee decides it is decorous and respectful. [F.1.3] The protest forms are available in PC-Biz under the Resources tab.