1.The General Assembly, desiring to revise and update arrangements for the appointment and remit of the Assembly Business Committee, enact and ordain as follows:
A. THE COMMITTEE
- The Membership. The General Assembly appoint a Business Committee of Assembly, comprising the Principal Clerk, the Assistant Clerks and the Clerks of all the home Presbyteries. The Committee shall meet at a convenient point before 21st April annually to examine all papers in the hands of the Principal Clerk due to come before the Assembly. The Committee may meet at other times a required.
- Convener. The Committee shall appoint its own Convener annually at its April meeting. The Committee will be clerked by a member of the Assembly Clerks’ Office.
- Lord High Commissioner. The Principal Clerk shall be responsible for introducing the Lord High Commissioner to the Receiving Party and to the Moderator.
- Report. The Committee shall present its Report to the Assembly at the first Session. The Report shall incorporate a Report from the Clerks’ Office and shall be bound with all the other Reports to be distributed in advance of the Assembly.
- Amendments. It will be competent to bring amendments to the recommendations of the Committee’s report without prior notice.
B.ASSEMBLY PAPERS & DOCUMENTS
1.Reports of Boards and Committees. The Business Committee will examine the reports of Boards and Committees regarding (1) the form of each report; and (2) the content of each report to ensure that the content is consistent with current Acts of Assembly and General Assembly Standing Orders.
1.1.Consultation. Discrepancies regarding any of the above will be discussed with the relevant Board or Committee to allow final adjustments before Assembly papers are issued to Commissioners.
2.Petitions. The Business Committee will take up consideration of all Petitions addressed to the General Assembly.
2.1.Examination. The Committee will examine the Petitions regarding form and content as in Paragraph 1 above. The Committee will report on the examination to the General Assembly.
2.1.1.Consultation. Discrepancies regarding any of the above will be discussed with the relevant parties to allow final adjustments before Assembly papers are issued to Commissioners.
2.2.Routine Petitions. The Business Committee shall designate as routine those Petitions they consider ought to be in this category, and they shall recommend accordingly to the Assembly in their Report. The final decision on whether a Petition is to be treated as routine lies with the General Assembly.
2.3.Other Petitions. The Business Committee will consider all other Petitions, such as Petitions calling for a review of the decisions of a lower Court of the Church, and Petitions regarding matters relating to the general ministry of the Church and shall allocate a suitable time in the Assembly Programme for the Petition to be considered by the Assembly.
3.Overtures, References, Appeals. The Business Committee will examine all Overtures, References and Appeals regarding form, content, compliance, and consistency with Standing Orders and Acts of Assembly. The Committee will report on the examination to the General Assembly.
3.1. Consultation. Discrepancies regarding any of the above will be discussed with the relevant parties to allow final adjustments before Assembly papers are issued to Commissioners.
4. Assembly Programme. The Committee will prepare a draft General Assembly programme based on the reports, petitions, etc., submitted for the Assembly’s consideration. The Committee will take cognisance of (1) the substance of each report, petition, etc., and the expected time allocation for each item, and (2) items which may need to be taken up by the Assembly in private, when finalising the programme.
5.Assembly Documents. The Committee will keep General Assembly documents under review.
5.1.Standing Orders. The Committee will revise the General Assembly Standing Orders annually, including changes authorised by the previous General Assembly, and will report on changes to the Assembly for approval.
5.2.Miscellaneous. Miscellaneous documents such as Conflict of Interest Policy, and Guidelines for Commissioners will be kept under review and issued to Commissioners annually.
C. EXAMINATION OF RECORDS
1.Inspection of Records. The General Assembly instruct the Business Committee to carry out the annual inspection of Presbytery records and the records of Boards and Committees. This will be done in time to be included in the report of the April meeting.
2. General Assembly Report. The Committee will report on the examination of records to the General Assembly with recommendations regarding the final attestation of each record based on results of the examination.
2.1.General Comments. The Committee may also make observations and recommendations regarding form and content of records and about the general presentation of documents.
2.2.Examination Failure. In the case of records which have failed the examination, and are not recommended to be attested, the Committee will explain the reasons for the failure and recommend appropriate action.
D.AMENDMENTS & ADDENDA
The Committee will take up consideration of amendments and addenda to the Proposed Deliverance of Boards and Committees as follows:
1.Submission. The deadline for the submission of all amendments and addenda will be fixed by the General Assembly.
1.1.Discretionary Powers. The Committee will have discretionary powers to admit an amendment/addendum beyond the deadline in exceptional circumstances only.
1.2. Right of Review. When the Committee decides not to admit an amendment/addendum beyond the deadline, the proposer has the right to request that the General Assembly suspend Standing Orders to permit the admission of the amendment/addenda when the report to which the amendment/addendum refers to is taken up in the Assembly programme.
2.Committee Meeting. The Assembly Business Committee will meet at a convenient time prior to the opening of the General Assembly to prepare a report on amendments/addenda.
2.1.Triaging. The submitted amendments and addenda will be triaged by the Assembly Business Committee. The Committee will report on the triaging process at appropriate and relevant stages in the General Assembly programme.
2.2.Clarification. The Committee will discuss the amendment/addendum with the proposer and the Chairman/Convener of the relevant Board/Committee seeking clarification as required.
2.3.Consultation. The Committee will consult with the Chair/Convener of the relevant Board/Committee to enquire whether the submission is acceptable to the Board/Committee or not.
2.4.Adjustments. Adjustments to the text of the amendment/addendum for the sake of clarity, and for the purpose of seeking agreement between the proposer and Chair/Convener, may be made at this stage.
2.5.Conclusion. The Committee will take all the above into consideration before making a final recommendation.
3.Reporting. The Business Committee will give a brief report on the triaging process with recommendations for the Assembly prior to each report being taken up by the Assembly.
3.1.Submissions Accepted. The Business Committee Report will include a reference to amendments/addenda that have been accepted by the Board or Committee, seeking the Assembly’s approval of this decision.
3.2.Submissions not Accepted. The Report will include a reference to amendments/addenda that have been passed by the Committee for consideration by the General Assembly. but have not been accepted by the Board or Committee.
3.3.Submissions Rejected. The Business Committee Report will include a reference to amendments/addenda that have failed the triaging process and therefore excluded from Assembly business.
3.4.Right of Appeal. All parties and Commissioners will have the right to call for a review of the decision when the relevant section of the Business Committee’s Triaging Report comes before the Assembly.
E.REPEALS
1.The General Assembly repeal Act 1, Class 2, 2015 – Act appointing the Assembly Business Committee.