FINAL BILL REPORT

SB 6522

C 142 L 14

Synopsis as Enacted

Brief Description: Restricting the use of personal information gathered during the claims resolution structured settlement agreement process.

Sponsors: Senators Holmquist Newbry and Conway.

Senate Committee on Commerce & Labor

House Committee on Labor & Workforce Development

Background: The Public Records Act (PRA) requires that all state and local government agencies make all public records available for public inspection and copying unless they fall within certain statutory exemptions. The provisions requiring public records disclosure must be interpreted liberally, and the exemptions narrowly, in order to effectuate a general policy favoring disclosure.

Workers who, in the course of employment, are injured or disabled from an occupational disease are entitled to benefits. Depending on the disability, workers are entitled to medical, temporary time-loss, and vocational rehabilitation benefits, as well as benefits for permanent disabilities. Certain injured workers can resolve their industrial insurance claims through claims resolution structured settlement agreements. During a settlement negotiation, information that is shared with the Department of Labor and Industries or the employer is not subject to public disclosure. An injured worker may share information about retirement benefits, spousal income, motivations for settlement, and unrelated medical conditions. However, when the agreement and any associated information in the claim file is submitted to the Board of Industrial Insurance Appeals (BIIA) for approval, the information loses its confidentiality and becomes subject to public disclosure.

Summary: All information related to individual settlement agreements submitted to the BIIA is exempt from public disclosure.

Information gathered during the settlement agreement process is a considered statement made in the course of compromise negotiations and is inadmissible in any future litigation. This would include forms filled out by the parties and testimony during a settlement conference before the BIIA.

Votes on Final Passage: