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Information, Policy Analysis Division Web Site found that because less than a quorum of the Lake Elmo City Council was invoilved in the meetings and because the two-member delegation from (Lake Elmo did not have the power to bind the City,, the OML did not apply. Sovereign at 67. Again., the findings in Sovereign are not directly applicable to the Board in this case, Much as in the Minnesota Daily case cited above, the Sovereign case involves a committee acting on an ad hoc basis—not as a standing committee such as those under consideration here, The finding in Sovereign with respect to the quorum Issue its not applicable here. - a quorum of the standing committee is needed to transact the business of the committee. This case is more like that of St. Cloud Newspapers., Inc, v. District 742 Community Schools, 332 N.W.2d 1 (,Minn. 1983). There, the Court found that a meeting of the school board for the St. Cloud area school district to discuss long-range planning was a meeting for which notice had to be given,, in compliance with the oML. while the St. Cloud case is different from this one in. that all members of the St. Cloud school board participated in the rneetling,, it is, similar to this case in that the standing committees of' the Board receive Information that may influence later decisions of both the committee and the Board. The Court in St., Cloud held that when this type of Information Is to be received, the OVIL applies. St. Cloud at 6, In the case before the Commissioner, the standing committees are transacting the business of the Hospital District and its Board. By the express terms of the ]NIL, the standing committees must comply its requirements. The OML was enacted for the public benefit, and is liberally construed in favor of openness. .St. Cloud at 4-5,, Sovereign at 664, ,Minnesota Daily at 191. Therefore., the meetings of the standing committees must, be open. to the public unleiss, there is an express statutory provision that authorizes or requires that the meeting,, or a portion of a meeting, be closed . 41 #Pin'ibn IM w,ased on the. facts and Information provided, my opinion on the issue that 6 Ms. Workman raised is as followisil, The committees of the Cannon Falls Community Hospital Board are not in compliance with Minnesota Statutes, Chapter 13D,, when they meet In closed session. BadgeroZ Commissioner I Dated.* April 18, 2005 http://www.ip�ad.state.mn.us/opinions/2005/05014.h,tml 3/31/2007