FREE Act

Bill: 114-hr-5116
Sponsor: full_name: Rep. Olson, Pete [R-TX-22]
Introduced: 2016-04-28
Policy area: Commerce
Subjects: Administrative law and regulatory procedures

Federal Trade Commission (FTC)

Government information and archives

Public participation and lobbying
Latest action: action_date: 2016-04-29
text: Referred to the Subcommittee on Commerce, Manufacturing, and Trade.

Summaries:
action_date: 2016-04-28
action_desc: Introduced in House
text: <p><b>Freeing Responsible and Effective Exchanges Act or the FREE Act</b></p> <p>This bill amends the Federal Trade Commission Act to permit a bipartisan majority of Federal Trade Commission (FTC) commissioners to hold a nonpublic meeting to discuss official business if: (1) no votes or actions are taken, (2) each person at the meeting is an FTC commissioner or employee, and (3) an attorney from the FTC's Office of General Counsel is present.</p> <p>&quot;Bipartisan majority&quot; means a group of at least three commissioners that includes, for each political party of which any commissioner is a member, at least one commissioner who is a member of such political party and, if any commissioner has no political party affiliation, at least one unaffiliated commissioner.</p> <p>Within two business days after such a nonpublic meeting, the FTC must disclose on its website: (1) a list of persons who attended such meeting; and (2) a summary of discussed matters, except for matters that are classified or otherwise exempt from disclosure.</p>

tv_txt: I 114th CONGRESS 2d Session H. R. 5116 IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES April 28, 2016 Mr. Olson (for himself, Mr. Burgess , Mr. Lance , and Mr. Mullin ) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce A BILL To amend the Federal Trade Commission Act to permit a bipartisan majority of Commissioners to hold a meeting that is closed to the public to discuss official business.

1. Short title This Act may be cited as the Freeing Responsible and Effective Exchanges Act or the FREE Act . 2. Nonpublic collaborative discussions The Federal Trade Commission Act ( 15 U.S.C. 41 et seq. ) is amended by inserting after section 26 the following: 27. Nonpublic collaborative discussions (a) In general Notwithstanding section 552b of title 5, United States Code, a bipartisan majority of Commissioners may hold a meeting that is closed to the public to discuss official business if— (1) a vote or any other agency action is not taken at such meeting; (2) each person present at such meeting is a Commissioner or an employee of the Commission; and (3) an attorney from the Office of General Counsel of the Commission is present at such meeting. (b) Disclosure of nonpublic collaborative discussions Not later than 2 business days after the conclusion of a meeting held under subsection (a), the Commission shall publish on its Internet website a disclosure of such meeting, including— (1) a list of the persons who attended such meeting; and (2) a summary of the matters discussed at such meeting, except for such matters as the Commission determines may be withheld under section 552b(c) of title 5, United States Code. (c) Preservation of open meetings requirements for agency action Nothing in this section shall limit the applicability of section 552b of title 5, United States Code, with respect to a meeting of Commissioners other than that described in subsection (a). (d) Definitions In this section: (1) Agency action The term agency action has the meaning given such term in section 551 of title 5, United States Code. (2) Bipartisan majority The term bipartisan majority means, when used with respect to a group of Commissioners, that such group— (A) is a group of 3 or more Commissioners; and (B) includes, for each political party of which any Commissioner is a member, at least 1 Commissioner who is a member of such political party, and, if any Commissioner has no political party affiliation, at least one unaffiliated Commissioner. .