1409.5—Closure of meetings.
(a) Procedure for closing a majority of the meetings.
(1)
A majority of the meetings of the Board will be closed to the public pursuant to exemptions 4, 8, (9)(i) and 10 of § 1409.4(a) of this part. These meetings will include deliberations such as those relating to the levels of price support for various agricultural commodities, the allocation of quantities of commodities for export programs, and the interest rates for commodity loans and farm storage facility loans. Board meetings will be closed pursuant to exemptions 4, 8, (9)(i) and 10 when at least five Directors vote at the beginning of such meeting, or portion thereof, to close the exempt portion or portions of the meeting. A copy of the vote, reflecting the vote of each Director on the question, will be made available to the public. The Board will, except to the extent that such information is exempt from disclosure under the exemptions in § 1409.4(a) of this part, provide the public with public announcement of the time, place, and subject matter of the meeting and of each portion thereof, at the earliest practicable time.
(2)
The provisions of paragraph (b) of this section and § 1409.6, except § 1409.6(e), of this part will not apply to any meeting or portion thereof to which paragraph (a) of this section applies.
(b) Procedure for closing other meetings.
(1)
A separate vote of the entire membership of the Board will be taken with respect to each Board meeting a portion or portions of which are proposed to be closed to the public or any information which is proposed to be withheld from the public on the basis of one or more of the exemptions in § 1409.4(a) of this part. The vote of each Director will be recorded and no proxy shall be allowed.
(2)
A portion or portions of a meeting may be closed on the basis of one or more of the exemptions in § 1409.4(a) of this part only when at least five Directors vote to take such action.
(3)
A single vote of the entire membership of the Board 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 the withholding of any information concerning such series of meetings, on the basis of one or more of the exemptions in § 1409.4(a) of this part. Each meeting in such series must involve the same particular matters and must be 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 will be recorded and no proxy vote shall be allowed.
(4)
Whenever any person whose interests may be directly affected by a portion of a Board's meeting requests that the Board close such portion to the public on the basis of exemptions (5), (6), or (7) of § 1409.4(a) of this part, the Board, upon the 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 will be recorded and no proxy shall be allowed.
(c) General counsel's certification.
Before every Board meeting closed on the basis of one or more of the exemptions in § 1409.4(a) of this part, the General Counsel will publicly certify that, in his opinion, the meeting may be closed to the public and shall state each relevant exemption.