[Code of Federal Regulations]
[Title 7, Volume 11]
[Revised as of January 1, 2003]
From the U.S. Government Printing Office via GPO Access
[CITE: 7CFR1600.7]

[Page 9-10]
 
                          TITLE 7--AGRICULTURE
 
      CHAPTER XVI--RURAL TELEPHONE BANK, DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
 
PART 1600--GENERAL INFORMATION--Table of Contents
 
Sec. 1600.7  Procedures for closing a meeting to the public.

    (a) A majority of all Directors may vote to close a meeting or 
withhold information pertaining to that meeting. A separate vote shall 
be taken with respect to any action under Sec. 1600.6(a). A majority of 
the Board may act by taking a single vote 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, so long as each meeting in such series involves the same 
particular subject matter and is scheduled to be held no more than 
thirty days after the initial meeting in such series. The vote of each 
Director participating in such vote shall be recorded and no proxy shall 
be allowed.
    (b) Whenever any person whose interests may be directly affected by 
a portion of the Board's meeting requests that the Board close such 
portion to the public on the basis of exemptions in paragraph (a)(5), 
(a)(6), or (a)(7) of Sec. 1600.6, the Board, upon request of any one of 
its members, will vote whether or not to close such portion of the 
meeting. The vote of each Director participating in such vote shall be 
recorded and no proxy shall be allowed.

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    (c) Before every Board meeting closed on the basis of one or more of 
the exemptions in Sec. 1600.6(a), the Legal Counsel will publicly 
certify that, in Counsel's opinion, the meeting may be closed to the 
public and shall state each relevant exemption.
    (d) Within one business day after any vote taken pursuant to 
paragraph (a), (b), or (c) of this section, the Board will make publicly 
available a written copy of the vote, reflecting the vote of each Board 
member. Except to the extent that such information is exempt from 
disclosure, if a meeting or portion of a meeting is to be closed to the 
public, the Board will make publicly available within one business day 
after the required vote a full written explanation of its action, 
together with a list of all persons expected to attend the meeting and 
their affiliation.