Composition

1. The Deputation is a body of the Great Council (Art. 19 letter f GRG) and consists of the council members from the Bernese Jura and the French-speaking council members from the Biel-Seeland electoral district (Art. 31 para. 1 GRG).

1. The deputation represents the interests of the Bernese Jura and the French-speaking population of the Biel administrative district in the Grand Council on matters that particularly affect them (Art. 31 para. 2 GRG).

2. To this end, it has the right to request separate votes in the Grand Council pursuant to Article 31 paragraph 3 GRG.

The organs of the Deputation are the President, the Bureau, and the Auditors.

**1. The committee elects the president and the vice president for a one-year term. Immediate re-election for the same function is not permitted.**

2. The political groups represented in the committee with at least three members of the Grand Council take the presidency in rotation.

3. The core responsibilities of the president are

a) conducting the meetings,

b) representing the committee with or without the bureau,

c) ensuring compliance with these rules of procedure,

d) convening the members for meetings,

e) maintaining relations with the secretariat and the state chancellery.

4. The vice president acts as deputy or, in their absence, by a member of the bureau. This applies to all functions of the president.

**The Office**

The office comprises the two members of the presidium, the treasurer, as well as two vote counters.

The members of the office are elected by the deputation for a term of one year. They may be re-elected.

All political groups consisting of at least three members must be represented in the office.

The office's duties include assisting the presidium in the preparation of meetings, determining election and voting results, representing the deputation externally, and hiring the secretariat staff.

The committee shall elect two auditors immediately after the office elections, who must come from different political groups and may not simultaneously belong to the office.

The auditors shall review the accounts once a year and present their report before the annual elections.

1. The term of office generally lasts from June 1st until May 31st of the following year.

2. It concludes with the general renewal elections of the Grand Council.

3. After general renewal elections, the oldest member of the deputation temporarily assumes the presidency and chairing of meetings until the election of the bureau.

1. The deputation engages a person for the performance of secretarial tasks, such as taking minutes at meetings, sending invitations, and correspondence.

2. The person responsible for the secretariat reports to the President.

3. They receive a quarterly compensation, which is paid upon submission of an invoice and includes a fixed amount provided based on the recommendations of the Swiss Commercial Association (kfmv), travel expenses (CHF 0.60/km), and secretarial costs (materials, telephone, photocopies).

4. The quarterly invoice is approved by the President and forwarded to the Treasurer for payment.

5. The office decides on adjustments to the hourly rate.

1. Elections are held at the beginning of the session before the June session of the Grand Council.

2. Elections are conducted secretly. They may be conducted openly if the deputation unanimously decides this for each individual election.

3. The presiding President, in cooperation with the Secretariat, ensures that the election and voting documents are available at the beginning of the session.

4. The positions of President, Vice President, Treasurer, two vote counters, and two auditors are elected in succession.

1. Elected is the candidate who receives more than half of the valid votes (absolute majority).

2. Blank and invalid ballots are not considered in the calculation of the absolute majority.

3. If none of the candidates achieve the absolute majority in the first round of voting, a second round of voting is conducted.

4. In the second round of voting, an absolute majority is no longer required. Elected is the candidate who receives the most votes.

5. If no candidate receives the most votes, the candidate with the fewest votes is eliminated, and a third round of voting is held.

6. If no candidate is elected in the third round of voting, the procedure is suspended. The deputation sets the date for the next round of voting.

1. Voting shall be conducted openly.

1. Meetings are held in a designated room, excluding the public.

2. They are mandatory in the week before the start of the Grand Council session, typically on Tuesday evening. Additional meetings may be convened if necessary by the office, as well as upon the request of a political group or at least three members of the delegation.

1. French-speaking government members, the French-speaking Vice Secretary of State, the President of the Bernese Jura Council and the President of the Council for French-speaking Affairs of the bilingual district of Biel shall be invited to the meetings.

2. The office may, on its own initiative or upon request, invite persons whose opinions might be useful in connection with a matter being dealt with by the delegation.

3. Guests referred to in paragraph 1 shall participate in the discussions with an advisory vote.

4. Guests referred to in paragraph 2 shall not participate in the discussions.

1. Invitations to meetings, which specifically contain the agenda, shall be delivered in writing at least ten days prior to the meeting date.

2. If circumstances so require, and particularly during sessions of the Grand Council, meetings may nevertheless be convened on short notice and without written summons. It is then the responsibility of the President to take the necessary organizational measures and, if needed, ensure that any resolutions are documented in a memorandum, as well as to resort to the assistance of the State Chancellery if necessary.

**Article**

The deputation decides by a majority of the members present.

It is quorate if the majority of the members are present.

1. The Deputation's fund is primarily funded by the annual contribution it receives from the canton to cover its secretarial costs (Art. 90 Rules of Procedure in conjunction with Art. 131 Para. 1 Rules of Procedure).

1. The assets of the deputation serve to cover the expenses of the secretariat and costs associated with the execution of regular and extraordinary sessions, the remuneration of persons engaged as experts, as well as compensation pursuant to Article 18 paragraph 2.

**The President or Treasurer's Decision-Making Authority**

The President or Treasurer determines ongoing expenses, particularly those related to the secretariat operations, provided they do not exceed 1000 Swiss Francs. The Treasurer has the authority to make decisions on expenses up to an amount of 300 Swiss Francs independently. Expenses exceeding 1000 Swiss Francs are decided upon by the deputation following a proposal by the office.

1. The compensation of the members of the delegation and the office is governed by Article 124 et seq. of the Rules of Procedure.

2. The president or the treasurer is additionally compensated with 500 francs per term of office.

1. The deputation is bound by the joint signature of the president and a member of the office. The provisions regarding representation (Art. 4 Sec. 4) are reserved.

**It is the responsibility of the President or the person acting as their deputy to inform the public about the deliberations of the Committee. The Committee decides on a case-by-case basis regarding the dispatch of media releases.**

1. Otherwise, the Great Council legislation applies.

1. Previous regulations are repealed upon the entry into force of these Rules of Procedure.

1. This Rules of Procedure shall enter into force upon approval by the Deputation.