Federal Government Not Honoring Its
Commitment To The Public
June 9, 2019
QUOTE- "The public will have an opportunity to present their views to the Working Group during the meeting's public comment session or by submitting their views in writing.
Comments should be pertinent to the meeting discussion. Persons who wish to provide in-person or written public comment should review instructions at https://www.hhs.gov/ash/advisory-committees/tickbornedisease/meetings/2019-6-4/index.html and respond by midnight Tuesday, May 28, 2019, ET."
[People with chronic illnesses are often unable, due to their illness, to travel by plane or by car. Several people from California and one from Texas (amongst others) were able to make the trip, at great expense to themselves, hoping they would be able to speak for 3 minutes. Many who were unable to travel were not given a voice. Since this is a topic that many are interested in and many depend on members to help them, the 30 minute limit should be extended to accomodate all who appear.]
QUOTE- "In-person comments will be limited to three minutes each to accommodate as many speakers as possible during the 30 minute session.
Written public comments will be accessible to the Working Group members and public on the Working Group web page prior to the meeting."
[Written comments were not posted or shared before the meeting. Five days later they still are not posted. No one knows if their comments will be heard and the TBDWG is not responding to emails or phone calls asking if/when/where the comments will be posted.]
Link Here
Moving The Meeting To A Less Public Venue
When officials do not want undue attention called to a matter, they have been known to move a meeting out of an official location and into somewhere more remote.
QUOTE- The meeting will be held at the Holiday Inn Washington-Capitol, 550 C Street SW, Washington, DC 20024.
Members of the public may also attend the meeting via webcast. Instructions for attending via webcast will be posted one week prior to the meeting at https://www.hhs.gov/ash/advisory-committees/tickbornedisease/meetings/2019-6-4/index.html."
Link Here