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Permitted Interaction: Investigations •Less than a quorum •Scope of investigation defined at a meeting •Findings and recommendations presented at a 2nd meeting •Deliberation and decision-making at a 3rd meeting The second permitted interaction is a way for a board to do fact-finding on a particular issue and is one of the most frequently used by boards but should not be used to replace standing committees. It allows the board to set up a "permitted interaction group," commonly called a "PIG," consisting of less than a quorum of board members to investigate and report on a specific matter over the course of three meetings subject to the Sunshine Law. At the first meeting, the board must assign the members of the group and the scope of the investigation. As the PIG is not a sub-committee or standing committee,the PIG can then go out and do its work without having to follow the Sunshine Law's usual requirements for notice, public testimony, minutes, etc. The PIG can talk to anyone, except other board members,to do their investigation. Because they are not subject to the Sunshine Law's requirements as a subcommittee or standing committee would be, the PIG members can only talk to the board members appointed to the PIG, and not the others on the board, and there needs to be two more board meetings before action can be taken on the PIG's recommendations. Once the PIG has done its investigation and is ready to report to the board, then the board must hold a second meeting for the PIG to present its findings and recommendations to the full board. But the board cannot discuss or deliberate on the PIG's findings and recommendations yet. It is not until the board's third meeting, after the public has also had the opportunity to be informed of the PIG's findings and recommendations and can submit testimony on it, that the board can then discuss, deliberate, and decide on the PIG's findings and recommendations. 11