Title 12

SECTION 791.14

791.14 Regular procedure for closing meeting discussions or limiting the disclosure of information.

§ 791.14 Regular procedure for closing meeting discussions or limiting the disclosure of information.

(a) A decision to close any portion of a meeting and to withhold information about any portion of a meeting closed pursuant to § 791.12(a) will be taken only when a majority of the entire Board votes to take such action. In deciding whether to close a meeting or any portion of a meeting or to withhold information, the Board shall independently consider whether the public interest requires an open meeting. A separate vote of the Board will be taken and recorded for each portion of a meeting to be closed to public observation pursuant to § 791.12(a) or to withhold information from the public pursuant to § 791.12(a). A single vote may be taken and recorded with respect to a series of meetings, or any portions of meetings which are proposed to be closed to the public, or with respect to any information concerning the series of meetings, so long as each meeting in the series involves the same particular matters and is scheduled to be held no more than thirty days after the initial meeting in such series. No proxies shall be allowed.

(b) Any person whose interests may be directly affected by any portion of a meeting for any of the reasons stated in § 791.12(a) (5), (6) or (7) may request that the Board close such portion of the meeting. After receiving notice of a person's desire for any specified portion of a meeting to be closed, the Board, upon a request by one member, will decide by recorded vote whether to close the relevant portion or portions of the meeting. This procedure applies to requests received either prior or subsequent to the announcement of a decision to hold an open meeting.

(c) Within one day after any vote is taken pursuant to paragraph (a) or (b) of this section, the Board shall make publicly available a written copy of the vote taken indicating the vote of each Board member. Except to the extent that such information is withheld and exempt from disclosure, for each meeting or any portion of a meeting closed to the public, the Board shall make publicly available within one day after the required vote, a written explanation of its action, together with a list of all persons expected to attend the closed meeting and their affiliation. The list of persons to attend need not include the names of individual staff, but shall state the offices of the agency expected to participate in the meeting discussions.

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