HOUSE BILL REPORT

                  HB 2127

                       As Passed House

                      January 16, 1998

Title:  An act relating to requiring state agencies to make available paper copies of information electronically disseminated to the public.

Brief Description:  Requiring state agencies to make available paper copies of information electronically disseminated to the public.

Sponsors:  By House Committee on Government Administration (originally sponsored by  Representatives Reams, Romero, Cairnes, Regala, Lantz, Ogden and Costa).

Brief History:

Committee Activity:

Government Administration:  3/4/97 [DP].

Floor Activity:

Passed House:  3/12/97, 96‑0;

Passed House:  1/16/98, 93-0.

HOUSE COMMITTEE ON GOVERNMENT ADMINISTRATION

Majority Report:  Do pass.  Signed by 13 members:  Representatives D. Schmidt, Chairman; D. Sommers, Vice Chairman; Scott, Ranking Minority Member; Gardner, Assistant Ranking Minority Member; Doumit; Dunn; Dunshee; Murray; Reams; Smith; L. Thomas; Wensman and Wolfe.

Staff:  Bronwyn Mauldin (786-7093).

Background:  Each state agency must publish and make available to the public for inspection and copying its substantive rules, organizational descriptions, interpretive and policy statements, and other specific information about the agency and its practices.  Each state agency must also make available all public records that are not explicitly exempted.  Agencies may not charge fees to the public for inspecting, locating, or making the documents available.  An agency may charge a fee for copying a record, or for making equipment available for members of the public to copy records.  The fee may not exceed the cost of copying.

Last year legislation was enacted requiring state agencies to plan for and implement processes for making information available electronically.  Agencies must prioritize what information will be made available based on what the public wants and needs most.

AState agency@ includes every state office, department, division, bureau, board, commission, or other state agency.

Summary of Bill:  Each state agency must make available to the public a paper copy of any information that the agency disseminates electronically, upon request.

Appropriation:  None.

Fiscal Note:  Requested March 4, 1997.

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

Testimony For:  This bill is needed because many individuals and most small businesses are not on-line, and therefore do not have access to information that is only available electronically.  Even those who are on-line may not have access to the technology necessary to use or read some documents.

Testimony Against:  None.

Testified:  Representative Reams, prime sponsor; Sherry Bockwinkel, CLEAN; Jim King, citizen; Gary Smith, Independent Business Association; and Carolyn Logue, National Federation of Independent Businesses.