Subcommittees

Under the Review Committee Charter and subject to the Designated Federal Officer’s (DFO) approval, subcommittees may be formed for the purposes of compiling information or conducting research. However, such subcommittees must act only under the direction of the DFO and must report their recommendations to the full Committee for consideration. Subcommittees must not provide advice or work products directly to the DFO or the Department of the Interior. Subcommittees will meet as necessary to accomplish their assignments, subject to the approval of the DFO and the availability of resources.

Current Subcommittees

(updated June 8, 2023)

Subcommittee on the report to Congress
Established: October 19, 2018 (Meeting 63)
Current Members: Halealoha Ayau, Domonique deBeubien, Angela Garcia-Lewis, Timothy McKeown, Shelby Tisdale
Purpose: To draft reports for deliberation by the full Review Committee. Previously, this subcommittee was formed specifically for a particular report. In 2018, this subcommittee became a standing subcommittee to address any issues related to the Review Committee’s responsibility to report to Congress.
Recent Meetings: TBD

Federal Advisory Committee Management Regulations-Subcommittees

Title 41 Code of Federal Regulations Part 102-3

§102-3.25 – What definitions apply to this part?
“Subcommittee” means a group, generally not subject to the Act, that reports to an advisory committee and not directly to a Federal officer or agency, whether or not its members are drawn in whole or in part from the parent advisory committee.

§102-3.35 - What policies govern the use of subcommittees?
 (a) In general, the requirements of the Act and the policies of this Federal Advisory Committee Management part do not apply to subcommittees of advisory committees that report to a parent advisory committee and not directly to a Federal officer or agency. However, this section does not preclude an agency from applying any provision of the Act and this part to any subcommittee of an advisory committee in any particular instance.      
 (b) The creation and operation of subcommittees must be approved by the agency establishing the parent advisory committee.

§102-3.120 - What are the responsibilities and functions of a Designated Federal Officer (DFO)?     
 (a) Approve or call the meeting of the advisory committee or subcommittee;

§102-3.160 - What activities of an advisory committee are not subject to the notice and open meeting requirements of the Act?
The following activities of an advisory committee are excluded from the procedural requirements contained in this subpart:      
 (a)  Preparatory work. Meetings of two or more advisory committee or subcommittee members convened solely to gather information, conduct research, or analyze relevant issues and facts in preparation for a meeting of the advisory committee, or to draft position papers for deliberation by the advisory committee; and     
 (b)  Administrative work. Meetings of two or more advisory committee or subcommittee members convened solely to discuss administrative matters of the advisory committee or to receive administrative information from a Federal officer or agency.

Appendix A to Subpart D of Part 102-3 -- Key Points and Principles
1. Must all advisory committee and subcommittee meetings be open to the public?        
A. No. Advisory committee meetings may be closed when appropriate, in accordance with the exemption(s) for closure contained in the Government in the Sunshine Act, 5 U.S.C. 552b(c).
(i) Subcommittees that report to a parent advisory committee, and not directly to a Federal officer or agency, are not required to open their meetings to the public or comply with the procedures in the Act for announcing meetings.
(ii) However, agencies are cautioned to avoid excluding the public from attending any meeting where a subcommittee develops advice or recommendations that are not expected to be reviewed and considered by the parent advisory committee before being submitted to a Federal officer or agency. These exclusions may run counter to the provisions of the Act requiring contemporaneous access to the advisory committee deliberative process.