HOUSE BILL REPORT

                  HB 2595

             As Reported By House Committee on:

                Trade & Economic Development

Title:  An act relating to public disclosure of business, financial, and commercial information and records for the community economic revitalization board's program services.

Brief Description:  Concerning access to public records.

Sponsor(s):  Representatives Sheldon, Bowman, Rasmussen, Forner, Silver, H. Sommers, Paris, Brough, Hochstatter, Chandler, D. Sommers, Wynne, P. Johnson and Winsley; by request of Dept. of Trade and Economic Development.

Brief History:

  Reported by House Committee on:

Trade & Economic Development, February 6, 1992, DP.

HOUSE COMMITTEE ON

TRADE & ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT

Majority Report: Do pass.  Signed by 11 members:  Representatives Cantwell, Chair; Sheldon, Vice Chair; Forner, Ranking Minority Member; Betrozoff, Assistant Ranking Minority Member; Ferguson; Kremen; Ludwig; Moyer; Rasmussen; Riley; and Roland.

Staff:  Melissa Pailthorp  (786-7118).

Background:  The Public Records Act exempts from public inspection and copying financial and commercial information supplied by businesses when applying for certain loans or programs.  The exemption specifically includes the Development Loan Fund (DLF), the Washington Economic Development Finance Authority (WEDFA), and any program contained in the statutes for the Department of Trade and Economic Development or the Department of Community Development.

The exemption does not specifically include the Community Economic Revitalization Board (CERB) Program.

Summary of Bill:  The Community Economic Revitalization Board is added to the list of programs for which applications are exempt from public inspection and copying under the Public Records Act.

Fiscal Note:  Not requested.

Effective Date:  Ninety days after adjournment of session in which bill is passed.

Testimony For:  Community Economic Revitalization Board Project applicants need assurance that the proprietary information they provide is confidential, and that the credit information CERB uses to make informed decisions will not be available to the applicant's competitors.  These are safeguards already afforded to applicants of other programs.

Testimony Against:  None.

Witnesses:  Donna Batch, Department of Trade and Economic Development (Pro); and Robert Cowen, Community Economic Revitalization Board. (Pro).