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House of Deputies of The Episcopal Church
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General Convention

Every three years, the General Convention of the Episcopal Church meets to consider the legislative business of the church. The General Convention, which includes the House of Bishops and the House of Deputies, is the primary governing and legislative body of the church. Between conventions, the General Convention continues to work through its committees, commissions, agencies and boards. The Executive Council of the Episcopal Church carries out the programs and policies adopted by General Convention.

From President Jennings: The Dignity of Safe and Legal Reproductive Health Care

I was a 21-year-old college junior in 1973 when Roe v. Wade became law. Coming of age with access to safe and legal reproductive health care, including birth control and abortion, shaped my life and the lives of many women of my generation. Our ability to plan our families made it possible for us to…
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Support During General Convention: A Message from President Jennings

Dear Deputies and Alternate Deputies, News travels fast, and you may already know that I have tested positive for COVID-19. Several other members of Executive Council have tested positive as well, and so far we are all experiencing only mild symptoms. It is also possible that you’ve read that the Executive Council, at its recently…
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Legislative Hearings Begin: A Letter from President Jennings

Dear Deputies and Alternate Deputies: In November 2020, when the Presiding Bishop and I announced that General Convention would be postponed by a year due to the COVID-19 pandemic, we wrote: “To make best use of the adaptive moment now facing us, we will appoint both deputy and bishop legislative committees in 2021, charging them…
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Electing the Next President and Vice President of the House of Deputies

Dear Deputies and Alternate Deputies: At the 80th General Convention, the House of Deputies will elect a new president and vice president. The canons specify that no person shall serve more than three consecutive terms as president or vice president, and since Vice President Byron Rushing and I are both now serving our third terms…
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House of Deputies Legislative Committee Process for the 80th General Convention

The COVID-19 pandemic has raised challenges across our church and beyond. In the House of Deputies, these have included  the postponement of the General Convention and a shorter timeframe for legislative sessions at the 80th General Convention. In light of these challenges, the President of the House of Deputies and the Presiding Bishop have announced…
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Members of the Joint Nominating Committee for the Election of the Presiding Bishop Elected

Congratulations to Deputies Thomas Alexander of Arkansas, Lydia Kelsey Bucklin of Northern Michigan and Rose H. Sconiers of Western New York; alternate deputies Thomas Diaz and Antonio Gallardo of Los Angeles; and also to Maureen-Elizabeth Hagen of Oregon, Deborah Harmon Hines of Western Massachusetts, Deborah M. Jackson of Florida, Steven Nishibayashi of Los Angeles, Mary…
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House of Deputies Legislative Committees Appointed

More than 483 deputies will serve on House of Deputies legislative committees at the 80th General Convention, House of Deputies President Gay Clark Jennings has announced. The triennial meeting, originally planned for 2021, is now scheduled to take place in Baltimore from July 7-14, 2022. For the first time, legislative committees will convene online beginning in November…
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From President Jennings: Legislative Committee Rosters Available Online/De La Presidenta Jennings: La Lista de Comités Legislativos Disponibles en Línea

Dear Deputies and Alternate Deputies: In February, Presiding Bishop Curry and I announced the list of legislative committees that will serve at the 80th General Convention next summer in Baltimore, and in early March, I asked all of you to complete a survey expressing your legislative committee preferences. In the last several months, I have…
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From the Presiding Officers: Online Election for the Joint Nominating Committee for the Election of the Presiding Bishop/Las elecciones en línea para el Comité Conjunto de Nominaciones para la Elección del Obispo Primado

Dear Bishops and Deputies: A week from today—Tuesday, June 8—we will begin the online election for the Joint Nominating Committee for the Election of the Presiding Bishop. This way of electing leaders will be an experiment—one of many we have undertaken during the COVID-19 pandemic—and we ask all deputies and bishops to participate so we…
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Parliamentarian Bryan Krislock Introduces the 80th General Convention Schedule

The draft schedule for the 80th General Convention is now online. In a new video, House of Deputies Parliamentarian Bryan Krislock, a member of the Joint Standing Committee on Planning and Arrangements, explains some of the schedule’s new features that are designed to make the work of deputies and bishops more effective. Watch the video…
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GC80 Legislative Committees Survey Now Available

Dear Deputies: In preparation for the 80th General Convention in July 2022, I am beginning the process of appointing deputies to legislative committees. The Presiding Bishop and I wrote to bishops and deputies about our plans for legislative committees on February 23; you can read that letter on the House of Deputies website. The survey to indicate…
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From the Presiding Officers: 80th General Convention Legislative Committees Announced

Dear Bishops and Deputies: When we wrote to you in November announcing that General Convention would be postponed until July 7-14, 2022, we committed to appointing deputy and bishop legislative committees early and charging them to begin their work virtually in advance of our gathering in Baltimore. Today we are taking the next step in that process….
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