Rules of Procedure of the Grand Council (GrGR) - Material Scope (GRGR)

1. The Rules of Procedure govern the functioning, organization, and powers of the Grand Council.

2. For proceedings in which the Grand Council issues orders or renders appeal decisions, the provisions for administrative procedures shall apply.

1. Parliamentary Immunity is governed by the Introductory Act to the Swiss Code of Criminal Procedure (EG StPO).

1. Members of the Grand Council must recuse themselves in the Grand Council and in committees if they, or a person especially close to them, have a direct personal interest in a matter that is not addressed to a general audience.

2. Persons considered especially close include spouses, registered partners, parents, or descendants, as well as, generally, other individuals living in the same household.

3. There is no ground for recusal in elections by the Grand Council or a committee.

4. In cases of doubt, the Grand Council or the committee shall make a final decision after hearing the person concerned and excluding them from the decision.

5. Members of the Council of States shall observe recusal in the Grand Council and in committees in the same manner.

1. The President manages the affairs of the Grand Council and its offices. In particular, he performs the following duties

a) He chairs the meetings of the Grand Council and the office.

b) He ensures the smooth running of the sessions and decides on the creation of photographs, film, and audio recordings.

c) He signs the documents issued by the Grand Council or the office together with the chancellor.

2. The President does not vote or participate in elections except in the case of tie decisions.

3. In the event of the President's incapacity, the members of the office serve as representatives according to their rank. If representation cannot be provided under this arrangement, a day president is elected.

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4. The President and Vice President of the Grand Council may not simultaneously serve as President of the Economic Commission, the Judicial Commission, or a preparatory committee.

1. The Office of the Great Council consists of the President, the Vice President, and three vote counters.

2. It has a quorum when at least three members are present.

3. The Office is particularly responsible for the following tasks

a) the regulation of external representation of the Great Council,

b) the accreditation of media reporters,

c) the management of business control,

d) budget planning and administration,

e) the examination of complaints and submissions to the Great Council.

1. The secretary records the minutes of the Grand Council and the office.

2. The administration provides a recorder for the preliminary advisory commissions.

3. Audio recordings are made of the Grand Council's proceedings. These recordings are made accessible to the public, subject to the reservation of confidential deliberations. The decision on deleting the recordings is made by the office.

4. The resolutions adopted by the Grand Council are published summarily by the Council's Chancellery in the "Appenzeller Volksfreund."

1. The Committee of State convenes the first meeting of a new term.

2. Until the election of the President, the meeting is presided over by the oldest member present of the Grand Council. Subsequently, the President conducts the election of the other members of the bureau.

1. The Grand Council is convened by the office for the first session of a new term of office.

2. The session is chaired by the outgoing president until the election of the new president.

1. Among the office members, the following hierarchy exists: President, Vice President, 1st Vote Counter, 2nd Vote Counter, 3rd Vote Counter.

2. The members of the office are elected for one year. Re-election is possible if one ascends in the hierarchy.

1. Convocation, Time, and Place of the Sessions of the Grand Council are governed by Art. 23 and Art. 24 of the Constitution.

2. The dates are set by the office after consultation with the State Commission.

1. The rules of procedure are established and published by the office upon the proposal of the professional commission.

1. The matters of the State Commission, which are forwarded to the office for treatment in the Grand Council, must be distributed to all members of the Grand Council and made available to the public.

2. Matters for which confidentiality is applicable, or for which the office requests confidentiality from the Grand Council, are made available to the public only within the guidelines set by the office. The office may entirely waive public disclosure.

3. The office decides on the establishment of a preparatory committee.

4. The invitation to meetings must be delivered to the members of the Grand Council and the State Commission along with the agenda and any supplementary documents at least 21 days before the meeting. The same applies to making them available for the public. In justified individual cases, documents may be submitted later.

1. Members of the Grand Council must notify the President in the event of any impediments.

1. The members of the Professional Commission participate in the sessions of the Great Council with a consultative voice and the right to submit proposals.

1. The council has a quorum when the majority of its members are present.

1. The members of the council are required to appear in appropriate attire.

1. The Council Office is responsible for protocol and usher services.

2. The written minutes are generally to be submitted to the Grand Council for approval at the next meeting.

1. The deliberation on the exclusion of the public is conducted in secret.

1. At the beginning of the deliberation, an entry debate usually takes place, in which the president of the competent committee, the other members of the committee, the members of the council, the head of the competent department, and the other members of the state commission are given the opportunity to speak in order.

2. Matters that have not been advised or prepared in a committee, and reports referred by the state commission, are explained by the head of the competent department. Subsequently, the other members of the state commission, then the president of the competent committee, the other members of the committee, and the other members of the council are given the opportunity to speak.

3. Entry is mandatory for initiatives, the budget, the state account, reports, and the determination of the Landsgemeinde Order.

1. If proceeding is decided upon or obligatory, detailed consideration follows.

2. The matter can be reviewed article by article, section by section, or as a whole.

3. A matter can be rejected during detailed consideration. The rejection must be accompanied by an assignment.

1. Proposed amendments for detailed deliberations should, if possible, be submitted in writing and fully formulated before the start of the meeting. The motion is formally considered as submitted if it is presented orally during the detailed deliberation.

2. The president may require a written formulation for motions presented orally.

1. Motions on procedural matters are considered those requesting the adjournment of a meeting or the postponement of a matter, motions concerning the manner of handling a matter, or the application of the rules of procedure.

2. Procedural motions shall be voted on immediately, if possible.

1. Prior to the final vote on a proposal, it may be requested to revisit an already settled agenda item of the proposal.

2. After the final vote, the Grand Council decides on a motion to reconsider upon a brief explanation by the applicant. Such a decision to reconsider requires a two-thirds majority of those present.

1. If the Constitution does not require a second reading, the Grand Council is free to subject a matter to one or more readings.

1. Every member of the Grand Council and its committees have the right to instruct the Cantonal Commission to submit a draft for an amendment or supplement to the Cantonal Constitution, for the enactment, amendment, or repeal of laws, ordinances, or Grand Council resolutions, or to examine a specific issue and report on it.

2. If the Cantonal Commission refuses to accept the mandate, it may be compelled to do so by a resolution of the Council.

3. Concerning matters that fall within the competence of grand council committees or the office, mandates may be issued to them through the same procedure.

1. Under the agenda item "Miscellaneous," any council member may request information about a matter concerning the canton.

2. The governing commission may respond to the request immediately or at a later meeting.

1. Before the vote, the President shall provide a brief overview of the submitted motions and present to the Council his proposals regarding the phrasing and the order of the questions during the vote.

2. Objections to these proposals from within the Council shall be addressed immediately.

1. If no further reading is conducted, a final vote must be taken following the detailed deliberations.

2. The result of the vote, by which a matter is referred to the Landsgemeinde, must be fully stated in the Landsgemeindemandate.

1. Unless the constitution or these regulations provide otherwise, a motion, proposal, or template is accepted if the majority of those voting are in favor.

2. Voting is conducted by open show of hands, unless the council decides on a secret ballot.

3. In cases of an obvious majority, the president may forgo the counting of votes unless a council member requests a count or the result is needed for the municipal assembly mandate.

4. In the event of a tie after two rounds of voting, the president casts the deciding vote, which does not require justification.

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1. Elections are conducted by an open show of hands, unless the council decides to hold a secret ballot.

2. A candidate is immediately elected if more than half of the voting members present have voted for them.

3. If more than two candidates stand for election, one or more candidates are eliminated from the election process per voting round until only two candidates remain.

4. In voting rounds with two or one candidate, the candidate who receives the majority of the votes cast is elected.

5. If there is a tie in votes twice consecutively, the decision is made by drawing lots conducted by the president.

1. Resignation from a commission elected by the Grand Council must be submitted to the President of the Grand Council by May 10 of the respective year of office.

2. If a member of the Economic Affairs Commission or a preparatory commission is additionally elected to another of such commissions, they may declare their resignation from the previous commission immediately after the election.

1. The Grand Council elects from among its members the State Economic Commission for a term of one year, consisting of one president and seven members.

a) * ...

b) * ...

2. The Commission reviews the business and accounting management of the cantonal administration. The Cantonal Bank and the Compensation Office are not subject to review.

3. The details regarding the duties and competencies of the State Economic Commission are regulated by ordinance.

1. The Grand Council elects from among its members a Judicial Commission each year, consisting of a president and two additional members.

2. The Judicial Commission conducts at least one meeting annually with the President of the Cantonal Court to exercise its supervisory duties. It reports to the Grand Council annually.

3. Further functions related to the courts may be assigned to the Judicial Commission through regulation.

**1. The Great Council elects from among its members annual standing preparatory committees, each consisting of a maximum of eight members:**

a) *Committee for Economic Affairs (WiKo)* for the matters pertaining to the Department of Finance, the Department of Economic Affairs, and the Department of Agriculture and Forestry;

b) *Committee for Social Affairs, Health, Education, and Training (SoKo)* for matters pertaining to the Department of Education and the Department of Health and Social Affairs;

c) *Committee for Public Works, Transportation, Energy, Spatial Planning, Environment (BauKo)* for matters pertaining to the Department of Construction and Environment;

d) *Committee for Law and Security (ReKo)* for matters pertaining to the Department of Justice, Police, and Military Affairs.

2. The Great Council, and in urgent cases also the office, may appoint ad hoc preparatory committees for individual cases.

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1. The office may assign matters to a preparatory commission.

2. For matters not assigned, the Grand Council may subsequently request a preliminary consultation, possibly suspending the deliberation.

3. Matters that do not pertain to a specific department or involve multiple departments may be assigned by the office to an existing preparatory commission at its own discretion.

4. The office may determine during an assignment that an additional commission participates and designate who will represent the matter in the Grand Council.

1. The commissions prepare the matters assigned to them for consideration. They may consult experts for this purpose.

2. Generally, the responsible representatives of the community commission participate in the meetings of the preparatory commissions in an advisory capacity.

1. Reelection to the State Economic Commission, the Judicial Commission, or advisory commissions is possible.

2. Departure from the Grand Council results in departure from the State Economic Commission, the Judicial Commission, or advisory commissions.

1. The Grand Council elects those cantonal commissions whose appointment is delegated to it by the legislation.

2. Re-elections are possible.

1. Supplementary elections are generally conducted at the next meeting.

2. In justified cases, deviations may be made, or a supplement may be omitted.

1. Deliberations in the office of the Grand Council, in the State Economic Commission, the Judicial Commission, and in the preliminary advisory commissions are confidential.

2. Subject to differing resolutions by the commission, after the conclusion of the deliberations on a matter, the resolutions adopted and the arguments may be discussed within the political associations for further political opinion formation. The authors of the opinions and the individual votes, as well as other matters that are confidential by nature, must not be disclosed.

3. The commission decides on the information to be released to the public.

4. Confidentiality in other cantonal commissions elected by the Grand Council is governed by the applicable law for them.

1. The commissions constitute themselves within the framework of the statutory provisions.

1. The Rules of Procedure shall enter into force upon adoption by the Grand Council at the Landsgemeinde of April 30, 1995.