Government in the Sunshine Act, 2006

摘要

In the early 1970s, partially in response to the Watergate scandal, Congress enacted the Government in the Sunshine Act along with other anti-secrecy legislation. Congress intended the Sunshine Act to open the government's deliberation processes to public scrutiny. The Act applies to agencies 'headed by a collegial body composed of two or more individual members and any subdivision thereof authorized to act on behalf of the agency,' and covers some 50 Federal agencies, including the National Science Board. The Act requires that 'every portion of every meeting of an agency shall be open to public observation' with ten narrow exemptions for discussions of material that are likely to disclose: (1) National Defense and foreign policy; (2) Internal personnel rules and practices; (3) Statutory exemptions; (4) Proprietary information; (5) Accusation of crime or formal censure; (6) Personal privacy; (7) Investigatory records; (8) Financial institution reports; (9)(A) Financial speculation and stability; (9)(B) Frustration of proposed agency action; and (10) Issuance of subpoena, participation in civil action or proceeding, or formal agency adjudication.