Reading Room Document

Authority of the Three Mile Island Commission to Close Meetings Discussing Its Issuance of Subpoenas

The document discusses the legislation granting the President's Commission on the Accident at Three Mile Island the power to issue subpoenas and the ability to close its meetings under certain circumstances. The conclusion reached is that the Commission's meetings dealing with its issuance of subpoenas may be closed on the basis of exemption (10) of the Government in the Sunshine Act, 5 U.S.C. § 552b(c)(10). The document presents questions regarding the applicability of the Sunshine Act exemptions, the difficulty with utilizing exemption (10), and the clarification of the Commission's status, as well as the interpretation of the term "agency" in the context of other exemptions.

May 21, 1979