S-4233               _______________________________________________

                                                   SENATE BILL NO. 6655

                        _______________________________________________

State of Washington                              50th Legislature                              1988 Regular Session

By Senators Pullen and Talmadge

Read first time 1/29/88 and referred to Committee on Law & Justice.

AN ACT Relating to records retention; and creating a new chapter in Title 40 RCW.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF WASHINGTON:

NEW SECTION. Sec. 1.     Unless the context clearly requires otherwise, the definitions in this section apply throughout this chapter.

          "Records" means letters, words, sounds, or numbers, or their equivalent, set down by handwriting, typewriting, printing, photostating, photographing, magnetic impulse, mechanical or electronic recording, or other form of data compilation.  Unless otherwise specified in the law, reproductions are records for purposes of this chapter.

          "Reproduction" means any counterpart produced by the same impression as the original or from the same matrix, or by means of photography, including enlargements and miniatures, or by mechanical or electronic rerecording, or by chemical reproduction, or by any equivalent technique which accurately reproduces the original.

NEW SECTION. Sec. 2.     Records required to be created or kept by the laws of this state may be destroyed after three years from the time of creation, unless the law establishes a specific records retention period or a specific procedure to be followed prior to destruction.

NEW SECTION. Sec. 3.     Retention of reproductions produced under the laws of this state constitute compliance with any laws of this state requiring that records be created or kept.

NEW SECTION. Sec. 4.     State law may specify that records be kept longer than three years if the longer period is necessary to satisfy specific statutory requirements or to meet other substantial need.

NEW SECTION. Sec. 5.     This chapter shall apply to records prepared by private individuals, partnerships, corporations, or any other association, whether carried on for profit or not, and to any government entity operating under the laws of this state.

NEW SECTION. Sec. 6.     This chapter shall apply to all records created before and after the effective date of this act.

NEW SECTION. Sec. 7.     Sections 1 through 6 of this act shall constitute a new chapter in Title 40 RCW.