[Code of Federal Regulations]
[Title 16, Volume 2]
[Revised as of January 1, 2004]
From the U.S. Government Printing Office via GPO Access
[CITE: 16CFR1012.7]

[Page 26-27]
 
                     TITLE 16--COMMERCIAL PRACTICES
 
             CHAPTER II--CONSUMER PRODUCT SAFETY COMMISSION
 
PART 1012--MEETINGS POLICY--MEETINGS BETWEEN AGENCY PERSONNEL AND OUTSIDE 
PARTIES--Table of Contents
 
Sec.  1012.7  Telephone conversations.

    (a) Telephone conversations present special problems regarding 
Agency meetings. The Commission recognizes that persons outside the 
Agency have a

[[Page 27]]

legitimate right to receive information and to present their views 
regarding Agency activities. The Commission also recognizes that such 
persons may not have the financial means to travel to meet with Agency 
employees. However, because telephone conversations, by their very 
nature, are not susceptible to public attendance, or participation, 
Agency employees must take care to ensure that telephone conversations 
are not utilized to circumvent the provisions of this part.
    (b) Two basic rules apply to telephone conversations:
    (1) Any Agency employee holding a telephone conversation in which 
substantial interest matters are discussed with an outside party must 
prepare a telephone call summary of the conversation. The summary must 
meet the requirements of Sec.  1012.5(b), and must be submitted to the 
Office of the Secretary within twenty (20) calendar days of the 
conversation. The Office of the Secretary shall maintain file of 
telephone call summaries in chronological order which shall be available 
to the public to the extent permitted by law.
    (2) All Agency employees must exercise sound judgment in discussing 
substsantial interest matters during a telephone conversation. In the 
exercise of such discretion Agency employees should not hesitate to 
terminate a telephone conversation and insist that the matters being 
discussed be postponed until an Agency meeting with appropriate advance 
public notice may be scheduled, or, if the outside party is financially 
or otherwise unable to meet with the Agency employee, until the matter 
is presented to the Agency in writing.