Government bills12
- HE 19/2019 vpWithdrawn
Church Act reform and streamlining administration
The legislation governing the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Finland will be comprehensively overhauled and the church's administration will be streamlined. The reform will enable electronic decision-making, among other things, and increase parishioners' opportunities to have an influence.
7 Sep 2022 · no votes - HE 108/2022 vpPassed with amendments
Reforming church administration and decision-making
The legislation governing the Evangelical Lutheran Church will be reformed and the church's internal administration will be streamlined. The independent decision-making powers of parishes will be increased and the maintenance of membership registers will be transferred to regional central registers.
17 Mar 2023 · passed without a vote - HE 93/2019 vpWithdrawn
Correcting the Church Act bill
The earlier proposal for a new Church Act is corrected and supplemented in accordance with a proposal from the General Synod. The corrections concern family leave for officeholders, employer liability for damages, and appeal procedures.
30 Jun 2022 · no votes - HE 243/2020 vpPassed
Enabling remote meetings for Church bodies
Bodies of the Church and parishes will be able to hold their official meetings electronically using remote connections. Persons attending meetings remotely will be officially considered present when decisions are made.
26 Feb 2021 · passed without a vote - HE 113/2018 vpPassed
Church digital services and data protection
Online services of the Evangelical Lutheran Church and parishes will be made accessible to everyone. At the same time, the rules governing the processing of personal data in the Church will be updated to comply with the new data protection legislation.
11 Mar 2019 · passed without a vote - HE 1/2018 vpPassed
Tightening parish election disqualification rules
A person standing as a candidate in parish elections, or a close relation of theirs, will no longer be able to serve on an electoral board. At the same time, data protection regarding the electoral roll will be improved.
23 Mar 2018 · passed without a vote - HE 174/2017 vpPassed
Harmonising terms of church officeholders
Provisions governing church officeholders will be amended to align with general employment and civil service law. Hiring the long-term unemployed on fixed-term contracts will become easier, and overlapping consultation procedures in redundancies will be eliminated.
1 Mar 2018 · passed without a vote - HE 26/2017 vpPassed
Reforming the election of church leaders
In the election of the Archbishop, votes cast by other dioceses will be given greater weight than before. At the same time, elections for rural deans will be discontinued in favour of direct appointment by the diocesan chapter.
29 May 2017 · passed without a vote - HE 160/2016 vpPassed
Raising church officials' retirement age
The retirement age for officeholders in the Evangelical Lutheran Church will be raised from 68 to 70 years. In addition, the right of appeal for unorganised officeholders will be clarified, and penalty interest will be extended to pay claims arising from an official employment relationship.
2 Dec 2016 · passed without a vote - HE 47/2016 vpPassed
Reforming Church personnel and employee rights
Church employers will no longer be required to maintain a statutory service register for their staff. In addition, church officeholders will gain the right to paid leave to seek employment in redundancy situations and clearer leave entitlements for holding municipal positions of trust.
12 May 2016 · passed without a vote - HE 75/2015 vpPassed
Reforming church central administration and funding
The central administration of the Evangelical Lutheran Church will be streamlined and the division of responsibilities between its bodies clarified. At the same time, criteria will be added to the act for distributing state funding to parishes for carrying out societal duties.
21 Dec 2015 · passed without a vote - HE 63/2015 vpPassed
Reforming Church membership registers and administration
Data protection and official responsibilities for the Church's joint membership register will be clarified. At the same time, provisions on ecclesiastical appeals and preparedness for exceptional circumstances will be updated.
11 Dec 2015 · passed without a vote