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2 <br /> Confidential information and records. Closed sessions are permitted to prevent disclosure _ <br /> of information that is confidential or privileged under state or federal law or to consider <br /> information that is not subject to the public records law. This provision will permit closed <br /> sessions to consider a variety of matters: medical information about patients in public hospitals <br /> and other public health care facilities, and patients in mental health and other area authority <br /> facilities; financial information about hospital and other health care facility patients; information <br /> about the competitive activities of public hospitals; information about individual public school <br /> students; information about recipients of public assistance; and information about proposed <br /> contracts involving electric power generation and transmission. <br /> Honorary degrees, prizes, and other honors. Closed sessions continue to be permitted to <br /> consider award of various honors. This provision is mostly useful to university public bodies.. <br /> Attorney-client consultations. Closed sessions are permitted for communications between <br /> the public body and its attorney that are within the attorney-client privilege. This authorization <br /> permits communications both from the public body to the attorney and from the attorney to the <br /> public body. It does not, however, allow closed sessions simply because the attorney is present in <br /> the meeting room, <br /> Claims and litigation. Closed sessions continue to be permitted to consider the handling or <br /> settlement of claims, litigation, or administrative proceedings. The law also continues to require <br /> that any settlement discussed in closed session be entered into the minutes of the public body once <br /> the settlement is finalized. <br /> Economic development. Closed sessions continue to be permitted to discuss the location <br /> and expansion of businesses. <br /> Real property acquisition. Closed sessions are permitted to discuss and establish the <br /> public body's negotiating position as to price and other terms of a contract to acquire real <br /> property. The law has permitted executive sessions, in addition, to select a site for acquisition, <br /> but there is no comparable language to that in the law as amended. <br /> Employment contracts. Closed sessions are permitted to discuss and establish the <br /> compensation and other terms of employment contracts to be entered into by the public body. <br /> This has also been possible under the existing law. <br /> Personnel. Closed sessions continue to be permitted to discuss individual public officers <br /> and employees. The Senate version of the bill had required that the hiring process for certain <br /> persons, including city and county managers and school superintendents, be conducted in open <br /> session, but that provision was not acceptable to the House and is not in the enacted law. The <br /> principal differences between the new provision and the existing law are that it will no longer be <br /> possible for a public body, in closed session, to discuss the performance of its own members, nor <br /> will it be possible for one public body to discuss in closed session appointments to another public <br /> body. <br />