SENATE BILL REPORT
SSB 5132



As Passed Senate, March 11, 2005

Title: An act relating to the release of personal information.

Brief Description: Protecting personal information of public employees and home care workers.

Sponsors: Senate Committee on Government Operations & Elections (originally sponsored by Senators Carrell, Schmidt, Benson, Swecker, Honeyford, Delvin, Schoesler, Roach, Mulliken and Benton).

Brief History:

Committee Activity: Government Operations & Elections: 2/10/05, 2/24/05 [DPS].

Passed Senate: 3/11/05, 47-0.


SENATE COMMITTEE ON GOVERNMENT OPERATIONS & ELECTIONS

Majority Report: That Substitute Senate Bill No. 5132 be substituted therefor, and the substitute bill do pass.Signed by Senators Kastama, Chair; Berkey, Vice Chair; Roach, Ranking Minority Member; Benton, Fairley, Haugen, Kline, Mulliken and Pridemore.

Staff: Cindy Fazio (786-7405)

Background: Many specific pieces of information are exempt from public inspection and copying. Some examples are:

Summary of Bill: Additional personal information about employees and volunteers of a public agency, and individual home care workers, as defined in RCW 74.39A.240, are exempt. Exemptions include:

Appropriation: None.

Fiscal Note: Not requested.

Committee/Commission/Task Force Created: No.

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

Testimony For: With the ease of communication of a large amount of information over the internet, we need to find ways to protect personal information so that vulnerable people are not subject to its misuse. Law enforcement community members are subject to threats to themselves and their families. They need protection of their personal information. Open government is very valuable to our society but there are some types of information, such as personal information, that the public does not need to have. This legislation is an addition to current protections. Perhaps continuing to include specific examples is not the best way to address the problem. Creating lists always creates the potential for things to be left out, then more legislation is needed. Under this legislation, media will be barred from obtaining next of kin information on accident victims and general interest family information about public officials.

Testimony Against: None.

Who Testified: Ronald Thompson, Allied Daily Newspaper. PRO: Dennis Eagle, Washington Federation of State Employees; Don Hall, Washington State Parks and Recreation; Aaron Cole, Department of Corrections; Bill Jarmon, Deputy Chief, Department of Fish and Wildlife.