CERTIFICATION OF ENROLLMENT

SUBSTITUTE SENATE BILL 6367



61st Legislature
2010 Regular Session

Passed by the Senate February 15, 2010
  YEAS 46   NAYS 0


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President of the Senate
Passed by the House February 28, 2010
  YEAS 96   NAYS 0


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Speaker of the House of Representatives


CERTIFICATE

I, Thomas Hoemann, Secretary of the Senate of the State of Washington, do hereby certify that the attached is SUBSTITUTE SENATE BILL 6367 as passed by the Senate and the House of Representatives on the dates hereon set forth.


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Secretary
Approved 









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Governor of the State of Washington
FILED







Secretary of State
State of Washington


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SUBSTITUTE SENATE BILL 6367
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Passed Legislature - 2010 Regular Session
State of Washington61st Legislature2010 Regular Session

By Senate Government Operations & Elections (originally sponsored by Senators Hatfield, Regala, Fairley, Fraser, Kohl-Welles, and Roach)

READ FIRST TIME 02/01/10.   



     AN ACT Relating to responses to public records requests; amending RCW 42.56.520; and creating a new section.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF WASHINGTON:

NEW SECTION.  Sec. 1   The internet provides for instant access to public records at a significantly reduced cost to the agency and the public. Agencies are encouraged to make commonly requested records available on agency web sites. When an agency has made records available on its web site, members of the public with computer access should be encouraged to preserve taxpayer resources by accessing those records online.

Sec. 2   RCW 42.56.520 and 1995 c 397 s 15 are each amended to read as follows:
     Responses to requests for public records shall be made promptly by agencies, the office of the secretary of the senate, and the office of the chief clerk of the house of representatives. Within five business days of receiving a public record request, an agency, the office of the secretary of the senate, or the office of the chief clerk of the house of representatives must respond by either (1) providing the record; (2) providing an internet address and link on the agency's web site to the specific records requested, except that if the requester notifies the agency that he or she cannot access the records through the internet, then the agency must provide copies of the record or allow the requester to view copies using an agency computer; (3) acknowledging that the agency, the office of the secretary of the senate, or the office of the chief clerk of the house of representatives has received the request and providing a reasonable estimate of the time the agency, the office of the secretary of the senate, or the office of the chief clerk of the house of representatives will require to respond to the request; or (((3))) (4) denying the public record request. Additional time required to respond to a request may be based upon the need to clarify the intent of the request, to locate and assemble the information requested, to notify third persons or agencies affected by the request, or to determine whether any of the information requested is exempt and that a denial should be made as to all or part of the request. In acknowledging receipt of a public record request that is unclear, an agency, the office of the secretary of the senate, or the office of the chief clerk of the house of representatives may ask the requestor to clarify what information the requestor is seeking. If the requestor fails to clarify the request, the agency, the office of the secretary of the senate, or the office of the chief clerk of the house of representatives need not respond to it. Denials of requests must be accompanied by a written statement of the specific reasons therefor. Agencies, the office of the secretary of the senate, and the office of the chief clerk of the house of representatives shall establish mechanisms for the most prompt possible review of decisions denying inspection, and such review shall be deemed completed at the end of the second business day following the denial of inspection and shall constitute final agency action or final action by the office of the secretary of the senate or the office of the chief clerk of the house of representatives for the purposes of judicial review.

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