We had our first two legislative sessions. It always seems we start slow, as deputies old and new get used to using the online voting systems, parliamentary procedures, and the nature of working within such a large house, over 820 deputies were present for the sessions.

The 1st session was occupied by the organization of the house, with various appointments by the President of the House of Deputies (PHOD) required to get us going. President Julia Ayala Harris was in the chair, of course. She faces opposition for reelection, stay tuned for more on that.

The 2nd session began with several resolutions having been removed from the Consent Calendar, another area newer deputies must get accustomed to. By default, almost all resolutions from the House of Deputies are placed on the Consent Calendar, this calendar is to be available to the deputies 24 hours before the session which deals with them. All resolutions on that calendar are approved or rejected in one vote, and it is designed to speed up our processes by approving legislation which generally requires no debate. There are mechanisms for pulling resolutions off Consent so they become part of the Legislative Calendar and will be debated by the entire HoD. And of course, all resolutions we approve must be approved or amended by the House of Bishops, and if amended the resolution returns to our house to approve or reject in that form.

The bulk of the 2nd session was a presentation of multiple changes to our Rules of Order, which govern how we do our work in legislative session and committee meetings. Some of the proposed changes were not approved by the House, which will impact our work going forward. Some of the changes I supported, a couple I did not, so I was pleased with the outcomes.

Today (Monday) we begin with Morning Prayer in the worship space, followed by a joint session where the Bishops join us for a presentation on the budget. This afternoon we will have our third legislative session, and this one should have several resolutions the house will spend time deliberating.

You can always read resolutions on the virtual binder, http:://Vbinder.net Please note resolutions can change from their submitted form and simply having a resolution filed does not at all mean GC will approve it. Post questions in the comments and I will try to respond as soon as possible. Your prayers as always are appreciated.