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IEC debate over switching from quarterly to six meetings in 2026 ends with split vote and unclear final status
Summary
The Intervention Evaluation Committee discussed and voted on a proposed 2026 meeting schedule to increase IEC meetings from quarterly to six times a year. Roll‑call voting produced conflicting tallies in the record and the committee left the schedule unresolved for further consideration.
The Intervention Evaluation Committee (IEC) met Aug. 26 to consider a staff proposal to increase the IEC meeting schedule in 2026 from four to six meetings to reduce participant delays and accommodate additional IECs and members.
Staff said the proposed schedule would hold six meetings—one every other month—so committees could process participants more quickly and reduce cancellations that force participants to wait months for review. “When we have an IEC that cancels because of quorum issues, we then have a large number of participants that will need to be found another home and cannot wait another 3 months,” staff said.
Committee members raised practical concerns about member availability and the risk of repeated absences triggering resignation requests from their employers. Members also sought clarification about Bagley‑Keene open‑meeting requirements for an in‑person quorum; staff said at least a majority of members (three members) plus one staff person must be present at the in‑person location to meet the law.
A motion to adopt the proposed 2026 IEC schedule was moved by Laura Thomas and seconded by Dr. Osazuwa Omedy. The roll‑call vote was inconsistent in the meeting record: at one point the clerk announced a 3–1 result that the motion carried; later the clerk announced “With 2 yeses and 2 nos, the motion does not carry.” After further discussion the committee did not record a final, clarified adoption on the public record and moved into closed session.
Why it matters: increasing the number of meetings is intended to reduce lags that affect participants’ livelihoods and to accommodate new IEC recruitment, but members warned that more meetings could increase scheduling burdens for volunteers and risk quorum problems if members routinely miss meetings.
Ending: Staff said the schedule can be revisited at a future meeting and offered to work with committee members individually to address scheduling conflicts.
