§ 147.5 General procedure for closing meetings. ( a ) The Commission shall determine that a meeting or portion of a meeting will be closed to public observation pursuant to § 147.3(b) only upon the majority vote of all Commissioners. The vote of each Commissioner shall be recorded, and the use of proxies shall be prohibited.
( b ) A separate vote of Commissioners shall be taken with respect to each meeting a portion or portions of which are proposed to be closed to the public pursuant to § 147.3(b), or with respect to any information which is proposed to be withheld under § 147.3(b).
( c ) A single vote of Commissioners may be taken with respect to a series of meetings, a portion or portions of which are proposed to be closed to the public, or with respect to any information concerning such series of meetings, when each meeting in such series involves the same particular matters and is scheduled to be held no more than thirty days after the initial meeting in such series.
( d ) Whenever any person whose interests may be directly affected by a portion of a meeting requests in writing to the Commission that the Commission close such portion to the public for any of the reasons set forth in § 147.3(b) (5), (6) or (7), the Commission, upon the request of any Commissioner, shall vote by recorded vote whether to close that portion of the meeting.
( e ) Whenever any Commission employee whose appointment, employment or dismissal is to be the subject of a meeting or portion of meeting closed to the public pursuant to § 147.3(b) requests in writing to the Commission that the Commission open that meeting or portion of meeting, the Commission shall open that meeting or portion of meeting to the public.
( f ) Within one day of any vote taken pursuant to paragraphs (b), (c) or (d) of this section, the Commission shall make publicly available a written copy of that vote reflecting the vote of each Commissioner on the question. If the Commission determines by a vote taken pursuant to paragraphs (b), (c) or (d) of this section that a portion of a meeting is to be closed to the public, the Commission shall, within one day of such vote, make publicly available a full written explanation of its action closing the portion of the meeting together with a list of all persons expected to attend the meeting and their affiliations, except to the extent that such information is exempt from disclosure under the provisions of § 147.3(b).
( g ) Before any meeting or portion of a meeting may be closed pursuant to § 147.3(b), the Commission's General Counsel shall publicly certify that, in his or her opinion, the meeting or portion of meeting may be closed to the public, and shall state each relevant exemptive provision.
( h ) Written copies of votes to close meetings and written explanations of Commission actions closing portions of meetings to the public required to be made publicly available by paragraph (f) of this section shall be available for public inspection in the offices of Office of the Secretariat at the Commission's Washington, DC headquarters.
( i ) A copy of the certification of the Commission's General Counsel required by paragraph (g) of this section, together with a statement from the presiding officer at any meeting closed, in whole or in part, pursuant to § 147.3(b), setting forth the time and place of the meeting, and the persons present, shall be retained by the Commission and, except to the extent that such information is exempt from disclosure under the provisions of § 147.3(b), shall be available for public inspection in the Office of the Secretariat at the Commission's Washington, DC headquarters.
[42 FR 13704, Mar. 11, 1977, as amended at 45 FR 26955, Apr. 22, 1980; 60 FR 49336, Sept. 25, 1995; 89 FR 71819, Sept. 4, 2024]