The General Convention is the governing body of the Episcopal Church. It meets as a bi-cameral legislature (the House of Deputies and the House of Bishops) every three years. Changes to the Constitution and Canons and other legislation is submitted to the General Convention in the form of resolutions. Resolutions may be submitted from four sources: Committees, Commissions, Agencies, and Boards (A resolutions), Bishops (B resolutions), Dioceses and Provinces (C resolutions), and Deputies (D resolutions). Resolutions submitted by Bishops require the support of at least two other bishops from different dioceses and resolutions submitted by deputies require the support of two other deputies.
After a resolution is submitted it is reviewed by the Secretariat of General Convention for form and content, legislative history, and to determine what effect it may have on the Constitution and Canons or the budget. The Committee on Constitution and Canons reviews it for any canonical implications and the Committee on Program, Budget, and Finance reviews it for any budgetary implications. Following this review the resolution is assigned to either the House of Deputies or the House of Bishops as the House of Initial Action.
The resolution is then assigned to a legislative committee for action. The committee holds public hearing on the legislation and then reports the resolution to the House. In its report the committee may recommend: adoption with or without amendment or substitution, rejection, referral to a committee, commission, agency, or board (often referred to as an interim body), or that the committee be discharged from further consideration of the resolution. The Committee on Dispatch of Business then assigns the resolution a place on the Daily Calendar for debate or the Consent Calendar for passage without debate. The House then votes. If the resolution is adopted or referred to an interim body it is sent to the other house for concurrence. If the resolution is rejected it dies. The House may discharge the committee from further consideration (which has the same effect as rejection) or refer it to another legislative committee which essentially reintroduces the resolution at the committee level.
An adopted (or referred) resolution is sent to the other house for concurrence. This house assigns the resolution to a legislative committee which recommends that the house: Concur with the legislation as passed by the House of Initial Action, concur with a referral to an interim body, adopt with a new amendment or substitution, or reject the resolution. The resolution is then placed on the legislative calendar for action. The house may vote to concur with the resolution as adopted by the House of Initial Action in which case it becomes an Act of General Convention. The house may reject the resolution which means it dies. The house may concur with the referral to an interim body. In that case a committee, commission, agency, or board may study the resolution and may propose legislation for the next General Convention. The house may also adopt the resolution with an amendment or substitution. In this instance the amended resolution or substitute is returned to the House of Initial Action for concurrence. It may then be assigned to a legislative committee to go through the process again or the houses may agree to send it to a conference committee to produce a resolution acceptable to both houses. Upon adoption by both houses it becomes an act of General Convention.