Licensing

The Law

Those portions of meetings of committees or boards of public hospitals where strategic and long-range business plans or trade secrets are discussed.

Commentary
This exception applies to certain topics discussed by public hospital boards and committees. The legislature may have thought that in these limited instances, the policies favoring open meetings were outweighed by considerations such as the hospital’s ability to compete with private health care providers.

Example 67:
The governing board of a county hospital leased to a private corporation meets to discuss its employee drug abuse policies. Unless otherwise excepted by the Act, the discussion must be held in open session because the matters discussed do not involve the board’s strategic or long- range business plans or trade secrets.