Rules of Procedure of the Government Council (GRR) - Presidency (GRR)

1. The President shall preside over the meetings of the Government Council, manage the written correspondence of the collegiate body, and supervise the State Chancellery.

2. If the President is unable to perform their duties, the Vice President shall assume their responsibilities, followed by the longest-serving member of the Government Council.

1. The executive council decides on the distribution and structuring of the departments, as well as on the deputization among its members. No member shall have the department they previously led removed against their will.

2. The distribution of the departments and the regulation of the deputizations are recorded in Appendix 1.

1. If a member must recuse themselves for personal reasons, they shall leave the meeting. In other cases, they remain present but do not participate in the discussion or voting.

2. When the Government Council decides on complaints, the member of the Government Council who signed the contested decision shall recuse themselves. They may express their opinion on the matter beforehand.

3. Compliance with recusal must be recorded in the resolution.

1. Members shall notify the committee in advance of absences lasting several weeks.

2. Not all members may be abroad at the same time.

1. The departments and the state chancellery submit their proposals to the council formulated as resolutions of the executive council.

2. The proposals with the documents are to be submitted to the state chancellery.

3. The state chancellery may issue directives and declare electronic templates as binding.

1. Urgent resolutions may be adopted upon the order of the President through circulation or in virtual meetings and must be documented in writing.

2. Such resolutions are valid if at least three members approve the motion.

1. Correspondence from Third Parties and Submissions from the Departments and the State Chancellery to the Government Council are to be submitted electronically by the Departments or the State Chancellery.

1. Legislative Decrees of the Executive Council, Messages to the People and to the Great Council, as well as Missives, are signed by the President and the State Secretary. Other decisions of the Executive Council are signed solely by the State Secretary.

2. Interested parties receive copies of the original protocol.

1. The department heads and the state secretary shall inform the government council early and regularly about special matters and occurrences of significant importance within their area of responsibility.

2. The government council may assume leadership in such matters and occurrences even against the will of the responsible department head or state secretary.

1. In appeal proceedings before the Government Council, the State Chancellery conducts the instruction. If the State Chancellery has already acted on a matter, the instruction is carried out by the Presidential Department or, exceptionally, by another department.

2. Until the decision of the Government Council, the State Chancellery or the instructing department exercises the powers vested in the Government Council according to the Administrative Procedure Act.

3. If a dispute is resolved by settlement, withdrawal, acknowledgment, or becomes moot, the matter is recorded in the minutes as concluded.

1. Members are obligated to attend meetings.

2. In case of inability to attend, the President must be notified in advance.

3. In the event of inability due to health reasons, virtual participation is also possible.

1. The sessions are attended by the State Secretary with an advisory vote and the Head of the Information Service. The State Secretary has the right to submit motions concerning matters of the State Chancellery and legal issues.

2. Employees and experts from outside the administration may be invited to the sessions in consultation with the President.

1. The council ordinarily convenes for a meeting every Tuesday.

2. The president calls the meeting.

1. In urgent cases or for the handling of special business, the President shall convene extraordinary sessions.

2. Participation in such sessions is also possible virtually.

1. Under the leadership of the President, the council conducts its business as follows

1. Minutes of the last meeting

2. * Motions

3. * Correspondences

2. At the end, the President initiates a survey among the members. This serves to orient the council on matters of general interest and to prepare future decisions.

1. The motions are adopted unchanged or with amendments, put into further circulation, or rejected.

2. If the council rejects a motion, it may issue instructions on how it is to be revised.

1. The correspondences are forwarded to a department or the state chancellery for processing or filing.

1. For the oral response to parliamentary motions, the responsible department or the state chancellery submits a written draft. The government council establishes the key points of the response in a binding manner.

1. Each member is obliged to vote.

2. If there are multiple opposing motions, the board allows an open vote on them. It also votes itself. In the event of a tie, this vote is decisive.

3. Members may record dissenting opinions in the minutes.

1. The government council informs about its decisions and discussions according to the principles of the constitution.

2. The deliberations of the government council are not public.

1. The State Secretary directs the State Chancellery.

2. He or she keeps the minutes of the government council meetings and addresses legal issues for the government council.

3. He or she leads the Conference of Secretaries-General.

1. The State Secretary shall be represented in governmental affairs by the Head of the Information Service or the Head of the Legal Service of the State Chancellery.

1. The State Chancellery is the general administrative office of the Executive Council.

1a. It ensures the conduct of official business.

2. It is responsible for informing the public in accordance with the directives of the Executive Council.

3. In federal and cantonal referenda as well as in district elections, the State Chancellery acts as the cantonal electoral office.

3a. It certifies signatures of Thurgau notaries and issues apostilles.

4. The Executive Council may assign additional tasks to the State Chancellery.

1. The departments prepare the business of the government council and independently carry out the tasks assigned to them by law, regulation, or special delegation.

1. The Executive Council regulates the organization of the departments and the State Chancellery into offices and institutions and decides on the competencies.