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a broad, blanket exemption is thought to be still warranted, the 

 reasons should be carefully stated. One way to do that would be 

 to draft a specifically tailored exemption as an amendment to 

 § 208 itself. This would force a clear explanation and put the 

 issue in the proper perspective as a matter of overall public 

 policy. 



Restore Application of the Federal Advisory Committee 

 Act 



At the time the Act was amended to eliminate compliance with 



FACA, the only problem being addressed was the application of 



FACA to the advisory panels and to the scientific and statistical 



committees yet the actual amendment was so broad as to reach the 



councils themselves. Restoring FACA jurisdiction over the 



councils (but not the advisory panels and scientific and 



statistical committees) would allow them to function with renewed 



public credibility. 



New Criteria for Council Member Nominees 



Rather than address the conflicts problem on a case-by-case 

 basis as the recusal approach suggested above does, there are 

 other alternatives. One is to step back and address the overall 

 problem in advance before an individual conflict arises. This 

 could be done by requiring the screening of potential council 

 members for conflicts before they are nominated. Specifically, 

 the Act could be amended to require that nominees be 

 knowledgeable and experienced in the fishing industry but only so 



