FEDERAL PRISON INDUSTRIES, INC. (FPI) -- LOCATION OF HEARINGS REGARDING NEW PRODUCTS AND/OR SIGNIFICANT EXPANSIONS At its most recent meeting in February, 1997, the Board of Directors of Federal Prison Industries, Inc. (FPI) considered the question of where to schedule future hearings at which commenters would have the opportunity to present comments directly to the Board on proposals by FPI to produce new products or significantly expand production of existing products. Since the implementation of the statute which established a notice and comment period for such proposals in 1990 (18 U.S.C. 4122), there has been no formal policy for the location for such hearings. The practice has been that hearings were normally held in conjunction with regularly scheduled meetings of the Board of Directors. The result was that the majority of these hearings were held in Washington, D.C., but on occasion hearings were held in the vicinity of the various prisons around the country at which the Board was holding a regularly scheduled board meeting. The Board, at its February meeting, considered the general question of the future sites for such hearings. The Board has determined that, in order to accommodate the largest number of commenters, and to assure access by the Board to the fullest array of comments and opinions concerning such proposals by FPI, as a general rule, future hearings will be held in Washington, D.C. The Board reserves the right, however, to determine that a hearing should be held in a location other than Washington, D.C., to accommodate special circumstances, provided that sufficient notice is given to the public.

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