FINAL BILL REPORT

                          E2SSB 6426

                           C 40 L 94

                      SYNOPSIS AS ENACTED

Brief Description:  Providing public electronic access to government information.

SPONSORS: Senate Committee on Ways & Means (originally sponsored by Senators Sutherland, Ludwig, Talmadge, Quigley, Vognild, Williams, Owen, McCaslin, Amondson, Hochstatter, West, Erwin, Bauer, Pelz, A. Smith, Hargrove, Skratek and Oke)

SENATE COMMITTEE ON GOVERNMENT OPERATIONS

SENATE COMMITTEE ON WAYS & MEANS

HOUSE COMMITTEE ON STATE GOVERNMENT

HOUSE COMMITTEE ON APPROPRIATIONS

BACKGROUND:

Broad public acceptance of computers and computer-related technology can provide increased citizen participation in government by giving citizens electronic access to publicly available government documents.

SUMMARY:

The Public Disclosure Commission shall design a program for public electronic access to public legislative documents by January 1, 1995. 

The public information access policy task force is created.  It is composed of representatives from various state agencies, commissions, local governments and representatives of the general public, the state House and Senate and optionally, the state judicial branch.

The task force is to identify specific means of encouraging and establishing widespread, public, electronic access to the public records held by state and local government.  Its study does not include providing the type of services beyond such access that would be provided by a vendor for commercial purposes, such as through a geographic information system.

The task force must report to the Legislature and the Governor its initial recommendations by December 1, 1994, and its final recommendations by December 1, 1995.  The task force shall cease to exist on June 30, 1996.

VOTES ON FINAL PASSAGE:

Senate    42   3

House     97   0    (House amended)

Senate    46   1    (Senate concurred)

EFFECTIVE:March 21, 1994