Source: https://www.scribd.com/document/47743517/CREW-v-Leavitt-HHS-Et-Al-Re-Head-Start-7-1-08-Leavitt-Motion-for-Summary-Judgment
Timestamp: 2019-08-20 08:15:43
Document Index: 37712790

Matched Legal Cases: ['art: 7', '§ 3', '§ 552', '§ 9836', '§ 552', '§ 9', '§ 9', '§\n9', '§ 9', '§ 9', '§ 9', '§ 9', 'art: 7']

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Case 1:08-cv-00576-ESH Document 6 Filed 07/01/2008 Page 1 of 27
IN WASHINGTON, )
Plaintiff, ) CV-08-0576 (ESH)
MICHAEL LEAVITT, SECRETARY, DEPARTMENT )
OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES, and )
DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN )
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Dated: July 1, 2008 Respectfully submitted,
AMY WEISER GREGORY G. KATSAS
Office of the General Counsel Acting Assistant Attorney General
Human Services JEFFREY A. TAYLOR
Civil Division, Rm. 7318
Telephone: (202) 514-4775
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FACTUAL BACKGROUND. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
I. The Head Start Program.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
II. The March 2008 Performance Standards Meetings. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
III. This Litigation. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
LEGAL BACKGROUND. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
I. The Federal Advisory Committee Act. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
II. Summary Judgment Standard. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
ARGUMENT.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
FACA DOES NOT APPLY TO THE MARCH 2008 PERFORMANCE
STANDARDS MEETINGS BECAUSE THE PARTICIPANTS ACTED AS
INDIVIDUALS, SHARED ONLY THEIR INDIVIDUAL OPINIONS,
TOOK NO ACTION AS A GROUP, AND THUS DID NOT FUNCTION
AS A COMMITTEE. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
CONCLUSION. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
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962 F. Supp. 141 (D.D.C. 1996). ............................................................................................... 14
477 U.S. 242 (1986)............................................................................................................. 10, 11
Association of American Physicians and Surgeons, Inc. v. Clinton,
997 F.2d 898 (D.C. Cir. 1993). ................................................................................. passim
174 F.3d 239, 245 (D.C. Cir. 1999) . ........................................................................................... 9
477 U.S. 317 (1986)............................................................................................................... 9, 10
610 F.2d 824 (D.C. Cir. 1979). .................................................................................................. 10
869 F. Supp. 984 (D.D.C. 1994). ............................................................................................... 14
917 F. Supp. 34 (D.D.C. 1996). ........................................................................................... 14, 15
475 U.S. 574 (1986)................................................................................................................... 11
806 F. Supp. 275 (D.D.C. 1992). ............................................................................................... 15
637 F. Supp. 116 (D.D.C. 1986). ......................................................................................... 14, 15
491 U.S. 440 (1989)..................................................................................................................... 9
357 F. Supp. 2d 1266 (W.D. Wash. 2004)................................................................................. 15
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FACA, 5 U.S.C. App.. .......................................................................................................... passim
5 U.S.C. § 3..................................................................................................................................... 9
5 U.S.C. § 552b.............................................................................................................................. 9
42 U.S.C. § 9836a.. ............................................................................................................... passim
5 U.S.C. § 552.......................................................................................................................... 9, 10
Fed. R. Civ. P. 56(c). ............................................................................................................ passim
H.R. Rep. No. 1017, 92d Cong., 2d Sess. (1972). ................................................................. 15, 16
118 Cong. Rec. 30,272 (1972). .................................................................................................... 16
118 Cong. Rec. 30,276 (1972). .................................................................................................... 16
118 Cong. Rec. 16,299 (1972) . ................................................................................................... 16
118 Cong. Rec. 30,280 (1972). .................................................................................................... 16
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these areas and their applications to tribal areas. Id.1
The meetings will be referred to herein as “the March 2008 performance standard
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In developing any modifications to standards required under
consult with experts in the fields of
education, child health care, family
services (including linguistically and
culturally appropriate services to
non-English speaking children and
their families), administration, and
financial management, and with
persons with experience in the
operation of Head Start programs . . .
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agencies and grantees. Id. at ¶ 20. These modifications will eventually be published as a notice
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which the agency provides . . . additional information about the early March 2008 meeting, only
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or utilized by one or more agencies, in the interest of obtaining advice or recommendations for . .
. one or more agencies or officers of the Federal Government, . . .” within the meaning of FACA.
committees having legislative jurisdiction over the agency. Id. at § 9(c).2 Every “advisory
The charter must contain such information as “the committee’s official designation,” id.
at § 9(c)(A), the period of time necessary for the committee to carry out its purposes,” id. at §
9(c)(C), “a description of the duties for which the committee is responsible, and, if such duties
are not solely advisory, a specification of the authority for such functions,” id. at § 9(c)(F), “the
estimated annual operating costs in dollars and man-years for such committee,” id. at § 9(c)(G),
“the estimated number and frequency of committee meetings,” id. § 9(c)(H), and “the
committee’s termination date, if less than two years from the date of the committee’s
establishment.” Id. at § 9(c)(I).
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TOOK NO ACTION AS A GROUP, AND THUS DID NOT FUNCTION AS
subgroup thereof . . . established or utilized by one or more agencies . . . in the interest of
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obtaining advice or recommendations for . . . one or more agencies or officers of the Federal
When we examine a particular group or committee to determine whether FACA
applies, we must bear in mind that a range of variations exist in terms of the
purpose, structure, and personnel of the group. Perhaps it is best characterized as
a continuum. At one end one can visualize a formal group of a limited number of
private citizens who are brought together to give publicized advice as a group.
That model would seem covered by the statute regardless of other fortuities such
as whether the members are called ‘consultants.’ At the other end of the
from what is only a collection of individuals who do not significantly interact with
each other. That model, we think, does not trigger FACA.
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In developing any modifications to standards required under paragraph (1), the
Secretary shall-
consult with experts in the fields of child development, early
childhood education, child health care, family services (including
linguistically and culturally appropriate services to non-English
speaking children and their families), administration, and financial
management, and with persons with experience in the operation of
Head Start programs . . . .
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where record indicated that “industry group has neither a fixed membership . . . . the so-called
purpose other than to represent the broad interests of their members . . . . the ‘industry group’
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undue or pernicious influence was being exercised on OHS staff during these meetings.3 The
As a 1972 House Report warned,
[o]ne of the great dangers in this unregulated use of advisory committees is that
special interest groups may use their membership on such bodies to promote their
private concerns. Testimony received at hearings before the Legal and Monetary
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Affairs Subcommittee pointed out the danger of allowing special interest groups
to exercise undue influence upon the Government through the dominance of
advisory committees which deal with matters in which they have vested interests.
H.R. Rep. No. 1017, 92d Cong., 2d Sess. (1972), U.S. Code Cong. & Admin. News 1972, pp.
3491, 3496. A Senate staff report submitted for the record by Senator Percy states that,
[v]iewed in its worst light, the federal advisory committee can be a convenient
nesting place for special interests seeking to change and preserve a federal policy
for their own ends. Such committees stacked with giants in their respective fields
can overwhelm a federal decision maker, or at least make him wary of upsetting
118 Cong. Rec. 30,276 (1972). See 118 Cong. Rec. 16,299 (1972) (remarks of Rep. Fascell); 118
Cong. Rec. 30,272 (1972) (remarks of Sen. Metcalf); 118 Cong. Rec. 30,280 (1972) (remarks of
Sen. Roth).
For experts attending the March 2008 performance standard meetings, OHS agreed to
pay for their travel costs (if they resided more than 50 miles outside of downtown Washington
in the conference. See St. of Mat. Facts, ¶ 14.
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