The path
Most business reaches the floor as a resolution or proposal. The default path and its deadlines (Rule 16), counting back from the start of Annual Conference:
- 120 days — resolutions and proposals are due to the office of the Assistant to the Bishop.
- 105 days — the Uniting Table must have acted on every resolution forwarded to it; the Finance Committee / Chancellor may suggest changes to the author.
- 90 days — any amended final draft is due.
- 30 days — the compiled Pre-Conference Report is published to all members.
Each item is marked For Conference Action or For Information Only.
Agency vs. non-agency (new this year)
A recent amendment distinguishes who is submitting:
- Conference agencies — the Uniting Table, the four Vision Teams, and the Administrative Agencies — may submit directly, without a required Uniting Table recommendation (they may still ask for one).
- Everyone else — individuals, local churches, districts — is forwarded to the Uniting Table for recommendation, which now must act on every item by the 105-day deadline, calling a special (even electronic) meeting if needed.
Late and floor business
Items missing the deadline may still be heard under conditions (Rule 17): turned in at least 60 days out with the bishop finding good cause, reviewed appropriately, and printed in an addendum. Otherwise a two-thirds suspension of the rules is required, and motions from the floor must be submitted in writing to the chair and secretary when made.