SENATE BILL REPORT

                  ESB 6651

              As Passed Senate, February 7, 1996

Title:  An act relating to storage of public records on compact discs.

Brief Description:  Allowing public record storage on compact disc.

Sponsors:  Senators Finkbeiner, Drew, Haugen, Swecker, Winsley, Johnson and Strannigan.

Reported By Senate Committee On:

Brief History:

Committee Activity:  Energy, Telecommunications & Utilities:  1/30/96, 1/31/96, 2/1/96 [DPA].

Passed Senate, 2/7/96, 49-0.

SENATE COMMITTEE ON ENERGY, TELECOMMUNICATIONS & UTILITIES

Majority Report:  Do pass as amended.

  Signed by Senators Sutherland, Chair; Loveland, Vice Chair; Finkbeiner and Hochstatter.

Staff:  Phil Moeller (786-7445)

Background:  State law requires different classifications of public records to be filed and stored.  These public records may be stored in a variety of different media, including, among others, paper, film, and machine-readable material.

Compact discs allow for the storage of a large amount of data in a comparatively small physical space.

Summary of Bill:  The allowed forms of public record storage are expanded to include compact discs.

Appropriation:  None.

Fiscal Note:  Not requested.

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

Testimony For:  This is a permissive bill clarifying that public records may be stored on compact discs.

Testimony Against:  The bill is unnecessary.  It can be handled through existing authority.

Testified:  Senator Finkbeiner, prime sponsor (pro); Jim Sweeney, CDCOM (pro); George Scott, State Archivist (con).