Z-684                 _______________________________________________

 

                                                   SENATE BILL NO. 5456

                        _______________________________________________

 

State of Washington                               51st Legislature                              1989 Regular Session

 

By Senators von Reichbauer, Moore and Johnson; by request of State Investment Board

 

 

Read first time 1/25/89 and referred to Committee on   Financial Institutions & Insurance.

 

 


AN ACT Relating to the state investment board; amending RCW 42.30.110; and reenacting and amending RCW 42.17.310.

 

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

 

        Sec. 1.  Section 2, chapter 107, Laws of 1987, section 1, chapter 337, Laws of 1987, section 16, chapter 370, Laws of 1987, section 1, chapter 404, Laws of 1987, section 10, chapter 411, Laws of 1987 and RCW 42.17.310 are each reenacted and amended to read as follows:

          (1) The following are exempt from public inspection and copying:

          (a) Personal information in any files maintained for students in public schools, patients or clients of public institutions or public health agencies, welfare recipients, prisoners, probationers, or parolees.

          (b) Personal information in files maintained for employees, appointees, or elected officials of any public agency to the extent that disclosure would violate their right to privacy.

          (c) Information required of any taxpayer in connection with the assessment or collection of any tax if the disclosure of the information to other persons would (i) be prohibited to such persons by RCW 82.32.330 or (ii) violate the taxpayer's right to privacy or result in unfair competitive disadvantage to the taxpayer.

          (d) Specific intelligence information and specific investigative records compiled by investigative, law enforcement, and penology agencies, and state agencies vested with the responsibility to discipline members of any profession, the nondisclosure of which is essential to effective law enforcement or for the protection of any person's right to privacy.

          (e) Information revealing the identity of persons who file complaints with investigative, law enforcement, or penology agencies, other than the public disclosure commission, if disclosure would endanger any person's life, physical safety, or property:  PROVIDED, That if at the time the complaint is filed the complainant indicates a desire for disclosure or nondisclosure, such desire shall govern:  PROVIDED, FURTHER, That all complaints filed with the public disclosure commission about any elected official or candidate for public office must be made in writing and signed by the complainant under oath.

          (f) Test questions, scoring keys, and other examination data used to administer a license, employment, or academic examination.

          (g) Except as provided by chapter 8.26 RCW, the contents of real estate appraisals, made for or by any agency relative to the acquisition or sale of property, until the project or prospective sale is abandoned or until such time as all of the property has been acquired or the property to which the sale appraisal relates is sold, but in no event shall disclosure be denied for more than three years after the appraisal.

          (h) Valuable formulae, designs, drawings, and research data obtained by any agency within five years of the request for disclosure when disclosure would produce private gain and public loss.

          (i) Preliminary drafts, notes, recommendations, and intra-agency memorandums in which opinions are expressed or policies formulated or recommended except that a specific record shall not be exempt when publicly cited by an agency in connection with any agency action.

          (j) Records which are relevant to a controversy to which an agency is a party but which records would not be available to another party under the rules of pretrial discovery for causes pending in the superior courts.

          (k) Records, maps, or other information identifying the location of archaeological sites in order to avoid the looting or depredation of such sites.

          (l) Any library record, the primary purpose of which is to maintain control of library materials, or to gain access to information, which discloses or could be used to disclose the identity of a library user.

          (m) Financial information supplied by or on behalf of a person, firm, or corporation for the purpose of qualifying to submit a bid or proposal for (a) a ferry system construction or repair contract as required by RCW 47.60.680 through 47.60.750 or (b) highway construction or improvement as required by RCW 47.28.070.

          (n) Railroad company contracts filed with the utilities and transportation commission under RCW 81.34.070, except that the summaries of the contracts are open to public inspection and copying as otherwise provided by this chapter.

          (o) Financial and commercial information and records supplied by private persons pertaining to export services provided pursuant to chapter 53.31 RCW.

          (p) Financial disclosures filed by private vocational schools under chapter 28C.10 RCW.

          (q) Records filed with the utilities and transportation commission or attorney general under RCW 80.04.095 that a court has determined are confidential under RCW 80.04.095.

          (r) Financial and commercial information and records supplied by businesses during application for loans or program services provided by chapters 43.31, 43.63A, and 43.168 RCW.

          (s) Membership lists or lists of members or owners of interests of units in timeshare projects, subdivisions, camping resorts, condominiums, land developments, or common-interest communities affiliated with such projects, regulated by the department of licensing, in the files or possession of the department.

          (t) ((Except as provided under section 2 of this 1987 act [1987 c 404 § 2],)) All applications for public employment, including the names of applicants, resumes, and other related materials submitted with respect to an applicant.

          (u) The residential addresses and residential telephone numbers of employees or volunteers of a public agency which are held by the agency in personnel records, employment or volunteer rosters, or mailing lists of employees or volunteers.

          (v) The residential addresses and residential telephone numbers of the customers of a public utility contained in the records or lists held by the public utility of which they are customers.

          (w) Information obtained by the board of pharmacy as provided in RCW 69.45.090.

          (x) Financial and commercial information supplied to the state investment board by any person when the information relates to the investment of public trust or retirement funds and when disclosure would result in loss to such funds or in private loss to the providers of this information.

          (2) Except for information described in subsection (1)(c)(i) of this section and confidential income data exempted from public inspection pursuant to RCW 84.40.020, the exemptions of this section are inapplicable to the extent that information, the disclosure of which would violate personal privacy or vital governmental interests, can be deleted from the specific records sought.  No exemption may be construed to permit the nondisclosure of statistical information not descriptive of any readily identifiable person or persons.

          (3) Inspection or copying of any specific records exempt under the provisions of this section may be permitted if the superior court in the county in which the record is maintained finds, after a hearing with notice thereof to every person in interest and the agency, that the exemption of such records is clearly unnecessary to protect any individual's right of privacy or any vital governmental function.

          (4) Agency responses refusing, in whole or in part, inspection of any public record shall include a statement of the specific exemption authorizing the withholding of the record (or part) and a brief explanation of how the exemption applies to the record withheld.

 

        Sec. 2.  Section 11, chapter 250, Laws of 1971 ex. sess. as last amended by section 3, chapter 389, Laws of 1987 and RCW 42.30.110 are each amended to read as follows:

          (1) Nothing contained in this chapter may be construed to prevent a governing body from holding an executive session during a regular or special meeting:

          (a) To consider matters affecting national security;

          (b) To consider the selection of a site or the acquisition of real estate by lease or purchase when public knowledge regarding such consideration would cause a likelihood of increased price;

          (c) To consider the minimum price at which real estate will be offered for sale or lease when public knowledge regarding such consideration would cause a likelihood of decreased price.  However, final action selling or leasing public property shall be taken in a meeting open to the public;

          (d) To review negotiations on the performance of publicly bid contracts when public knowledge regarding such consideration would cause a likelihood of increased costs;

          (e) To consider, in the case of an export trading company, financial and commercial information supplied by private persons to the export trading company;

          (f) To receive and evaluate complaints or charges brought against a public officer or employee.  However, upon the request of such officer or employee, a public hearing or a meeting open to the public shall be conducted upon such complaint or charge;

          (g) To evaluate the qualifications of an applicant for public employment or to review the performance of a public employee.  However, subject to RCW 42.30.140(4), discussion by a governing body of salaries, wages, and other conditions of employment to be generally applied within the agency shall occur in a meeting  open to the public, and when a governing body elects to take final action hiring, setting the salary of an individual employee or class of employees, or discharging or disciplining an employee, that action shall be taken in a meeting open to the public;

          (h) To evaluate the qualifications of a candidate for appointment to elective office.  However, any interview of such candidate and final action appointing a candidate to elective office shall be in a meeting open to the public;

          (i) To discuss with legal counsel representing the agency matters relating to agency enforcement actions, or to discuss with legal counsel representing the agency litigation or potential litigation to which the agency, the governing body, or a member acting in an official capacity is, or is likely to become, a party, when public knowledge regarding the discussion is likely to result in an adverse legal or financial consequence to the agency;

          (j) To consider, in the case of the state library commission or its advisory bodies, western library network prices, products, equipment, and services, when such discussion would be likely to adversely affect the network's ability to conduct business in a competitive economic climate.  However, final action on these matters shall be taken in a meeting open to the public;

          (k) To consider, in the case of the state investment board, financial and commercial information when the information relates to the investment of public trust or retirement funds; and when public knowledge regarding the discussion would result in loss to such funds or in private loss to the providers of this information.

          (2) Before convening in executive session, the presiding officer of a governing body shall publicly announce the purpose for excluding the public from the meeting place, and the time when the executive session will be concluded.  The executive session may be extended to a stated later time by announcement of the presiding officer.