Title 47

SECTION 0.603

0.603 Bases for closing a meeting to the public.

§ 0.603 Bases for closing a meeting to the public.

Except where the agency finds that the public interest requires otherwise, an agency or advisory committee meeting may be closed to the public, and information pertaining to such meetings which would otherwise be disclosed to the public under § 0.605 may be withheld, if the agency determines that an open meeting or the disclosure of such information is likely to:

(a) Disclose matters that: (1) Are specifically authorized under criteria established by executive order to be kept secret in the interest of national defense or foreign policy, and (2) are in fact properly classified pursuant to such executive order (see § 0.457(a));

(b) Relate solely to the internal personnel rules and practices of an agency (see § 0.457(b));

(c) Disclose matters specifically exempted from disclosure, by statute (other than the Freedom of Information Act, 5 U.S.C. 552). Provided, That such statute (1) requires that the matters be withheld from the public in such a manner as to leave no discretion on the issue, or (2) establishes particular criteria for withholding or refers to particular types of matters to be withheld (see § 0.457(c));

(d) Disclose trade secrets and commercial or financial information obtained from a person and privileged or confidential (see § 0.457(d));

(e) Involve accusing any person of a crime or formally censuring any person;

(f) Disclose information of a personal nature where disclosure would constitute a clearly unwarranted invasion of personal privacy (see § 0.457(f));

(g) Disclose investigatory records compiled for law enforcement purposes, or information which if written would be contained in such records, but only to the extent that the production of such records or information would (1) interfere with enforcement proceedings, (2) deprive a person of a right to a fair trial or an impartial adjudication, (3) constitute an unwarranted invasion of personal privacy, (4) disclose the identity of a confidential source, and, in the case of a record compiled by a criminal law enforcement authority in the course of a criminal investigation, or by an agency conducting a lawful national security intelligence investigation, confidential information furnished only by the confidential source, (5) disclose investigative techniques and procedures, or (6) endanger the life or physical safety of law enforcement personnel;

(h) Disclose information contained in or related to examination, operating, or condition reports prepared by, on behalf of, or for the use of an agency responsible for the regulation or supervision of financial institutions;

(i) Disclose information the premature disclosure of which would be likely to significantly frustrate implementation of a proposed agency action, except where the agency has already disclosed to the public the content or nature of the disclosed action, or where the agency is required by law to make such disclosure on its own initiative prior to taking final agency action on such proposal; or

(j) Specifically concern the agency's issuance of a subpoena, or the agency's participation in a civil action or proceeding, an action in a foreign court or international tribunal, or an arbitration, or the initiation, conduct, or disposition by the agency of a particular case of formal agency adjudication pursuant to the procedures specified in 5 U.S.C. 554 or otherwise involving a determination on the record after opportunity for hearing.

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