regulations, authorizations, and directives.

§ 272.3 Meetings.

(a) Place and frequency. The Committee meets in Washington, D.C., at least four times each year and oftener if deemed necessary. Meetings are held upon the call of the Chairman of the Board or at the request of any three members of the Committee. Notices of calls by the Chairman of the Board to other members are given by the Secretary of the Committee in writing or by telegram. Requests of any three members for the calling of a meeting shall state the time therefor and shall be filed in writing or by telegram with the Secretary who shall forthwith notify all members of the Committee in writing or by telegram. When the Secretary has sent notices to all members of the Committee that a meeting has been requested by three members and of the time therefor, a meeting is deemed to have been called. If, in the judgment of the Chairman, circumstances require that a meeting be called at such short notice that one or more members cannot be present in Washington, such members may participate in the meeting by telephone conference arrangements.

(b) Alternates. Whenever any member of the Committee representing Federal Reserve banks shall find that he will be unable to attend a meeting of the Committee, he shall promptly notify his alternate and the Secretary of the Committee in writing or by telegram, and upon receipt of such notice the alternate shall advise the Secretary whether he will attend such meeting.

(c) Quorum. Seven members (including alternates present and acting in the absence of members) constitute a quorum for the transaction of business; but less than a quorum may adjourn from time to time until a quorum is in attendance.

(d) Attendance at meetings. Attendance at Committee meetings is restricted to members and alternate members of the Committee, the Presidents of Federal Reserve Banks who are not at the time members or alternates, staff officers of the Committee, the Managers, and such other advisers

as the Committee may invite from time to time.

(e) Meeting agendas. The Secretary, in consultation with the Chairman, prepares an agenda of matters to be discussed at each meeting and the Secretary transmits the agenda to the members of the Committee within a reasonable time in advance of such meeting. In general, the agendas include approval of minutes of actions; reports by the Managers on open market operations since the previous meeting, and ratification by the Committee of such operations; reports by Economists on, and Committee discussion of, the economic and financial situation and outlook; Committee discussion of monetary policy and action with respect thereto; and such other matters as may be considered necessary.

[38 FR 2754, Jan. 30, 1973, as amended at 44 FR 52823, Sept. 11, 1979]

§ 272.4 Committee actions.

(a) Actions at meetings. Actions are taken at meetings of the Committee except as described below.

(b) Actions between meetings. Special circumstances may make it desirable in the public interest for Committee members to consider an action to modify an outstanding Committee authorization or directive at a time when it is not feasible to call a meeting. Whenever, in the judgment of the Chairman, such circumstances have arisen, the relevant information and recommendations for action are transmitted to the members by the Secretary, and the members communicate their votes to the Secretary. If the action is approved by a majority of the members, advice to that effect is promptly given by the Secretary to the members of the Committee and to the Reserve bank selected to execute transactions for the System Open Market Account. All communications of recommended actions and votes under this paragraph shall be in writing or by telegram; provided that, in exceptional cases when that is not feasible, such communications may be made orally, either in person or by telephone, and the Secretary shall cause a written record to be made

without delay. An action taken between meetings has the force and effect of an action at a meeting: Provided, however, That if a meeting is held before the execution of any operations pursuant to the action, the action is null and void unless it is ratified and confirmed by the Committee at such meeting.

(c) Delegations of authority. In special circumstances, the Committee may delegate authority to take an action, subject to such instructions or guidelines as the Committee deems proper. Such delegations of authority may be made to the Chairman; to a subcommittee consisting of the Chairman and the Vice Chairman of the Committee and the Vice Chairman of the Board (or in the absence of the Chairman or of the Vice Chairman of the Board the members of the Board designated by the Chairman as alternates, and in the absence of the Vice Chairman of the Committee his alternate); or to any other member or members of the Committee. An action taken pursuant to such a delegation of authority has the force and effect of an action taken by the Committee.

(d) Effective date. Committee action ordinarily is made effective as of the time it is taken because the nature of the subject matter and the action taken is such that the public interest and the proper discharge of the Committee's responsibilities so require. Occasionally, however, the Committee may specify that an action is to be effective at some different time.

§ 272.5 Notice and public procedure.

There ordinarily is no published notice of proposed action by the Committee or public procedure thereon, as described in section 553 of title 5 of the United States Code, because such notice and procedure are impracticable, unnecessary, or contrary to the public interest.

PART 281-STATEMENTS OF POLICY

Sec.

281.1 Purchase of Treasury bills.

281.2 Policy regarding the Government in the Sunshine Act.

§ 281.1 Purchase of Treasury bills.

The Federal Open Market Committee of the Federal Reserve System has directed the Federal Reserve Banks to terminate the policy of buying all Treasury bills offered to them at a fixed rate of % per cent per annum and to terminate the repurchase option privilege on Treasury bills. The new policy will apply to bills issued on or after July 10, 1947. Existing policy will continue to apply to bills issued prior to that date.

(Sec. 12A, 48 Stat. 168, as amended; 12 U.S.C. 263)

[12 FR 4543, July 10, 1947]

§ 281.2 Policy regarding the Government in the Sunshine Act.

1

On September 13, 1976, there was enacted into law the Government in the Sunshine Act, Pub. L. No. 94-409, 90 Stat. 1241 (“Sunshine Act"), established for the purpose of providing the public with the "fullest practicable information regarding the decisionmaking processes of the Federal Government ** * while protecting the rights of individuals and the ability of the Government to carry out its responsibilities." The Sunshine Act applies only to those Federal agencies that are defined in section 552(e) of Title 5 of the United States Code and "headed by a collegial body composed of two or more individual members, a majority of whom are appointed to such position by the President with the advice and consent of the Senate, and any subdivision thereof authorized to act on behalf of the agency."" The Federal Open Market Committee ("FOMC") is a separate and independent statutory body within the Federal Reserve System. In no respect is it an agent or "subdivision" of the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System ("Board of Governors"). It was originally established by the Banking Act of 1933 and restructured in its present form by the Banking Act of 1935 and subsequent legislation in 1942 (generally see 12 U.S.C. 263(a)). The FOMC's membership is composed of the seven members of the Board of Governors and five representatives of the Federal Reserve Banks who are selected annually in accordance with the procedures set forth in Section 12A of the Federal Reserve Act, 12 U.S.C. 263(a). Members of the Board of Governors serve in an ex officio capacity on the FOMC by

'Government in the Sunshine Act, Pub. L. 94-409, sec. 2, 90 Stat. 1241 (1976).

2 Government in the Sunshine Act, Pub. L. 94-409, sec. 3(a), 90 Stat. 1241 (1976).

reason of their appointment as Members of the Board of Governors, not as a result of an appointment "to such position" (the FOMC) by the President. Representatives of the Reserve Banks serve on the FOMC not as a result of an appointment "to such position" by the President, but rather by virtue of their positions with the Reserve Banks and their selection pursuant to Section 12A of the Federal Reserve Act. It is clear therefore that the FOMC does not fall within the scope of an "agency" or "subdivision" as defined in the Sunshine Act and consequently is not subject to the provisions of that Act.

As explained below, the Act would not require the FOMC to hold its meetings in open session even if the FOMC were covered by the Act. However, despite the conclusion reached that the Sunshine Act does not apply to the FOMC, the FOMC has determined that its procedures and timing of public disclosure already are conducted in accordance with the spirit of the Sunshine Act, as that Act would apply to deliberations of the nature engaged in by the FOMC.

In the foregoing regard, the FOMC has noted that while the Act calls generally for open meetings of multi-member Federal agencies, 10 specific exemptions from the open meeting requirement are provided to assure the ability of the Government to carry out its responsibilities. Among the exemptions provided is that which authorizes any agency operating under the Act to conduct closed meetings where the subject of a meeting involves information "the premature disclosure of which would-in the case of an agency which regulates currencies, securities, commodities, or financial institutions, be likely to lead to significant financial speculation in currencies, securities, or commodities." 3

As to meetings closed under such exemption, the Act requires the maintenance of either a transcript, electronic recording or minutes and sets forth specified, detailed requirements as to the contents and timing of

"Government in the Sunshine Act, Pub. L. 94-409, sec. 3(a), 90 Stat. 1242 (1976).

disclosure of certain portions or all of such minutes. The Act permits the withholding from the public of the minutes where disclosure would be likely to produce adverse consequences of the nature described in the relevant exemptions.

The FOMC has reviewed the agenda of its monthly meetings for the past three years and has determined that all such meetings could have been closed pursuant to the exemption dealing with finanical speculation or other exemptions set forth in the Sunshine Act. The FOMC has further determined that virtually all of its substantive deliberations could have been preserved pursuant to the Act's minutes requirements and that such minutes could similarly have been protected against premature disclosure under the provisions of the Act.

The FOMC's deliberations are currently reported by means of a document entitled "Record of Policy Actions" which is released to the public approximately one month after the meeting to which it relates. The Record of Policy Actions complies with the Act's minutes requirements in that it contains a full and accurate report of all matters of policy discussed and views presented, clearly sets forth all policy actions taken by the FOMC and the reasons therefor, and includes the votes by individual members on each policy action. The timing of release of the Record of Policy Actions is fully consistent with the Act's provisions assuring against premature release of any item of discussion in an agency's minutes that contains information of a sensitive financial nature. In fact, by releasing the comprehensive Record of Policy Actions to the public approximately a month after each meeting, the FOMC exceeds the publication requirements that would be mandated by the letter of the Sunshine Act.

Recognizing the Congressional purpose underlying the enactment of the Sunshine Act, the FOMC has determined to continue its current practice and timing of public disclosures in the conviction that its operations thus conducted are consistent with the intent and spirit of the Sunshine Act.

(Pub. L. 94-409, 90 Stat. 1241-1242) [42 FR 13300, Mar. 10, 1977]