Instead of following the procedures described in §§1206.4 through 1206.8 of this part, and in §§1206.11 and 1206.12, the Board may expedite the closing of its meetings under the following conditions by using the following procedures:

(a) Finding.

(1) Most regular Board business consists of reviewing initial decisions in cases adjudicated after an opportunity for a hearing has been provided. Based on a review of this circumstance, the legislative history of the Civil Service Reform Act of 1978 (Pub. L. 95-454), the Government in the Sunshine Act (5 U.S.C. 552b), and the Board's regulations at 5 CFR part 1201, the Board finds that a majority of its meetings may properly be closed to the public under 5 U.S.C. 552b(c)(10) and 552b(d)(4).

(2) Absent a compelling public interest to the contrary, meetings or portions of meetings that can be expected to be closed under these procedures include meetings held to consider the following: Petitions for review or cases that have been or may be reopened under 5 CFR 1201.114 through 1201.117; proposals to take action against administrative law judges under 5 CFR 1201.131 through 1201.136; and actions brought by the Special Counsel under 5 CFR 1201.129.

(b) Announcement. The Board will announce publicly, at the earliest practicable time, the time, place, and subject matter of meetings or portions of meetings that are closed under this provision.

(c) Procedure for closing meetings under this section. At the beginning of a meeting or portion of a meeting that is to be closed under this section, the Board may, by recorded vote of two of its members, decide to close the meeting or a portion of it to public observation. The Board may take this action, however, only after it receives a certification by the General Counsel under §1206.6(b) of this part.

(d) Record Availability. When the Board has closed a meeting or portion of a meeting under this paragraph, it will make the following available as soon as practicable:

(1) A written record reflecting the vote of each participating member of the Board with respect to closing the meeting; and

(2) The General Counsel certification under §1206.6(b).