2SHB 1758 -
By Senators Hargrove, Brandland
ADOPTED 04/11/2005
On page 1, after line 2 of the amendment, insert the following:
"NEW SECTION. Sec. 1 It is and has been the intent of the
legislature that information regarding sex offenders be shared between
state agencies and with local law enforcement, and that public
disclosure of sex offender information that is accurate, relevant, and
necessary to protect the public be managed by and controlled through
the community notification statute, RCW 4.24.550. The legislature
finds that law enforcement has been, and continues to be, the most
reliable means of ensuring that the information released protects the
public, protects the confidentiality of victims, protects ongoing
criminal investigations, and complies with the confidentiality
provisions of other federal and state laws. The legislature further
finds that the criminal records privacy act and other statutes
reference RCW 4.24.550 as the disclosure provision for sex offender
information.
The legislature finds that to accomplish its penological duties,
the department of corrections must receive and use protected
information to appropriately confine, supervise, treat, and assess the
risk of offenders. To further this intent, the legislature has
authorized the end of sentence review committee to access and consider
information that otherwise may be confidential for the specific reason
of determining if the offender should be referred for civil commitment
as a sexually violent predator under chapter 71.09 RCW. The
legislature further finds that it is appropriate for the department to
share information, beyond what is publicly disclosable, with law
enforcement agencies for the appropriate supervision of offenders in
the community or for the investigation of criminal acts. The
legislature does not intend that law enforcement bulletins or notes,
comments, and assessments of the end of sentence review committee to
assess the risk, or plan the transition of sex offenders to the
community, be available for public inspection through public disclosure
due to the risk that providing the information in such a manner would
pose to the state's community notification program and the risk that
the information would unnecessarily traumatize the victims of the
offenders' previous offenses."
On page 2, after line 17 of the amendment, insert the following:
"Sec. 3 RCW 42.17.310 and 2003 1st sp.s. c 26 s 926, 2003 c 277
s 3, and 2003 c 124 s 1 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, or welfare recipients.
(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 84.08.210, 82.32.330, 84.40.020, or 84.40.340 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 are witnesses
to or victims of crime or 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. If at the time a complaint is filed the
complainant, victim or witness indicates a desire for disclosure or
nondisclosure, such desire shall govern. However, 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, computer source code or
object code, 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 (i) a ferry system construction or repair contract as
required by RCW 47.60.680 through 47.60.750 or (ii) highway
construction or improvement as required by RCW 47.28.070.
(n) Railroad company contracts filed prior to July 28, 1991, 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 43.163 RCW and chapter 53.31 RCW, and by persons pertaining to
export projects pursuant to RCW 43.23.035.
(p) Financial disclosures filed by private vocational schools under
chapters 28B.85 and 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 or individuals during application for loans or program
services provided by chapters 43.163, 43.160, 43.330, and 43.168 RCW,
or during application for economic development loans or program
services provided by any local agency.
(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) 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 or residential telephone numbers of
employees or volunteers of a public agency which are held by any public
agency in personnel records, public employment related records, or
volunteer rosters, or are included in any mailing list of employees or
volunteers of any public agency.
(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, except that
this information may be released to the division of child support or
the agency or firm providing child support enforcement for another
state under Title IV-D of the federal social security act, for the
establishment, enforcement, or modification of a support order.
(w)(i) The federal social security number of individuals governed
under chapter 18.130 RCW maintained in the files of the department of
health, except this exemption does not apply to requests made directly
to the department from federal, state, and local agencies of
government, and national and state licensing, credentialing,
investigatory, disciplinary, and examination organizations; (ii) the
current residential address and current residential telephone number of
a health care provider governed under chapter 18.130 RCW maintained in
the files of the department, if the provider requests that this
information be withheld from public inspection and copying, and
provides to the department an accurate alternate or business address
and business telephone number. On or after January 1, 1995, the
current residential address and residential telephone number of a
health care provider governed under RCW 18.130.040 maintained in the
files of the department shall automatically be withheld from public
inspection and copying unless the provider specifically requests the
information be released, and except as provided for under RCW
42.17.260(9).
(x) Information obtained by the board of pharmacy as provided in
RCW 69.45.090.
(y) Information obtained by the board of pharmacy or the department
of health and its representatives as provided in RCW 69.41.044,
69.41.280, and 18.64.420.
(z) Financial information, business plans, examination reports, and
any information produced or obtained in evaluating or examining a
business and industrial development corporation organized or seeking
certification under chapter 31.24 RCW.
(aa) 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.
(bb) Financial and valuable trade information under RCW 51.36.120.
(cc) Client records maintained by an agency that is a domestic
violence program as defined in RCW 70.123.020 or 70.123.075 or a rape
crisis center as defined in RCW 70.125.030.
(dd) Information that identifies a person who, while an agency
employee: (i) Seeks advice, under an informal process established by
the employing agency, in order to ascertain his or her rights in
connection with a possible unfair practice under chapter 49.60 RCW
against the person; and (ii) requests his or her identity or any
identifying information not be disclosed.
(ee) Investigative records compiled by an employing agency
conducting a current investigation of a possible unfair practice under
chapter 49.60 RCW or of a possible violation of other federal, state,
or local laws prohibiting discrimination in employment.
(ff) Business related information protected from public inspection
and copying under RCW 15.86.110.
(gg) Financial, commercial, operations, and technical and research
information and data submitted to or obtained by the clean Washington
center in applications for, or delivery of, program services under
chapter 70.95H RCW.
(hh) Information and documents created specifically for, and
collected and maintained by a quality improvement committee pursuant to
RCW 43.70.510 or 70.41.200, or by a peer review committee under RCW
4.24.250, regardless of which agency is in possession of the
information and documents.
(ii) Personal information in files maintained in a data base
created under RCW 43.07.360.
(jj) Financial and commercial information requested by the public
stadium authority from any person or organization that leases or uses
the stadium and exhibition center as defined in RCW 36.102.010.
(kk) Names of individuals residing in emergency or transitional
housing that are furnished to the department of revenue or a county
assessor in order to substantiate a claim for property tax exemption
under RCW 84.36.043.
(ll) The names, residential addresses, residential telephone
numbers, and other individually identifiable records held by an agency
in relation to a vanpool, carpool, or other ride-sharing program or
service. However, these records may be disclosed to other persons who
apply for ride-matching services and who need that information in order
to identify potential riders or drivers with whom to share rides.
(mm) The personally identifying information of current or former
participants or applicants in a paratransit or other transit service
operated for the benefit of persons with disabilities or elderly
persons.
(nn) The personally identifying information of persons who acquire
and use transit passes and other fare payment media including, but not
limited to, stored value smart cards and magnetic strip cards, except
that an agency may disclose this information to a person, employer,
educational institution, or other entity that is responsible, in whole
or in part, for payment of the cost of acquiring or using a transit
pass or other fare payment media, or to the news media when reporting
on public transportation or public safety. This information may also
be disclosed at the agency's discretion to governmental agencies or
groups concerned with public transportation or public safety.
(oo) Proprietary financial and commercial information that the
submitting entity, with review by the department of health,
specifically identifies at the time it is submitted and that is
provided to or obtained by the department of health in connection with
an application for, or the supervision of, an antitrust exemption
sought by the submitting entity under RCW 43.72.310. If a request for
such information is received, the submitting entity must be notified of
the request. Within ten business days of receipt of the notice, the
submitting entity shall provide a written statement of the continuing
need for confidentiality, which shall be provided to the requester.
Upon receipt of such notice, the department of health shall continue to
treat information designated under this section as exempt from
disclosure. If the requester initiates an action to compel disclosure
under this chapter, the submitting entity must be joined as a party to
demonstrate the continuing need for confidentiality.
(pp) Records maintained by the board of industrial insurance
appeals that are related to appeals of crime victims' compensation
claims filed with the board under RCW 7.68.110.
(qq) Financial and commercial information supplied by or on behalf
of a person, firm, corporation, or entity under chapter 28B.95 RCW
relating to the purchase or sale of tuition units and contracts for the
purchase of multiple tuition units.
(rr) Any records of investigative reports prepared by any state,
county, municipal, or other law enforcement agency pertaining to sex
offenses contained in chapter 9A.44 RCW or sexually violent offenses as
defined in RCW 71.09.020, which have been transferred to the Washington
association of sheriffs and police chiefs for permanent electronic
retention and retrieval pursuant to RCW 40.14.070(2)(b).
(ss) Credit card numbers, debit card numbers, electronic check
numbers, card expiration dates, or bank or other financial account
numbers, except when disclosure is expressly required by or governed by
other law.
(tt) Financial information, including but not limited to account
numbers and values, and other identification numbers supplied by or on
behalf of a person, firm, corporation, limited liability company,
partnership, or other entity related to an application for a liquor
license, gambling license, or lottery retail license.
(uu) Records maintained by the employment security department and
subject to chapter 50.13 RCW if provided to another individual or
organization for operational, research, or evaluation purposes.
(vv) Individually identifiable information received by the work
force training and education coordinating board for research or
evaluation purposes.
(ww) Those portions of records assembled, prepared, or maintained
to prevent, mitigate, or respond to criminal terrorist acts, which are
acts that significantly disrupt the conduct of government or of the
general civilian population of the state or the United States and that
manifest an extreme indifference to human life, the public disclosure
of which would have a substantial likelihood of threatening public
safety, consisting of:
(i) Specific and unique vulnerability assessments or specific and
unique response or deployment plans, including compiled underlying data
collected in preparation of or essential to the assessments, or to the
response or deployment plans; and
(ii) Records not subject to public disclosure under federal law
that are shared by federal or international agencies, and information
prepared from national security briefings provided to state or local
government officials related to domestic preparedness for acts of
terrorism.
(xx) Commercial fishing catch data from logbooks required to be
provided to the department of fish and wildlife under RCW 77.12.047,
when the data identifies specific catch location, timing, or
methodology and the release of which would result in unfair competitive
disadvantage to the commercial fisher providing the catch data.
However, this information may be released to government agencies
concerned with the management of fish and wildlife resources.
(yy) Sensitive wildlife data obtained by the department of fish and
wildlife. However, sensitive wildlife data may be released to
government agencies concerned with the management of fish and wildlife
resources. Sensitive wildlife data includes:
(i) The nesting sites or specific locations of endangered species
designated under RCW 77.12.020, or threatened or sensitive species
classified by rule of the department of fish and wildlife;
(ii) Radio frequencies used in, or locational data generated by,
telemetry studies; or
(iii) Other location data that could compromise the viability of a
specific fish or wildlife population, and where at least one of the
following criteria are met:
(A) The species has a known commercial or black market value;
(B) There is a history of malicious take of that species; or
(C) There is a known demand to visit, take, or disturb, and the
species behavior or ecology renders it especially vulnerable or the
species has an extremely limited distribution and concentration.
(zz) The personally identifying information of persons who acquire
recreational licenses under RCW 77.32.010 or commercial licenses under
chapter 77.65 or 77.70 RCW, except name, address of contact used by the
department, and type of license, endorsement, or tag. However, the
department of fish and wildlife may disclose personally identifying
information to:
(i) Government agencies concerned with the management of fish and
wildlife resources;
(ii) The department of social and health services, child support
division, and to the department of licensing in order to implement RCW
77.32.014 and 46.20.291; and
(iii) Law enforcement agencies for the purpose of firearm
possession enforcement under RCW 9.41.040.
(aaa)(i) Discharge papers of a veteran of the armed forces of the
United States filed at the office of the county auditor before July 1,
2002, that have not been commingled with other recorded documents.
These records will be available only to the veteran, the veteran's next
of kin, a deceased veteran's properly appointed personal representative
or executor, a person holding that veteran's general power of attorney,
or to anyone else designated in writing by that veteran to receive the
records.
(ii) Discharge papers of a veteran of the armed forces of the
United States filed at the office of the county auditor before July 1,
2002, that have been commingled with other records, if the veteran has
recorded a "request for exemption from public disclosure of discharge
papers" with the county auditor. If such a request has been recorded,
these records may be released only to the veteran filing the papers,
the veteran's next of kin, a deceased veteran's properly appointed
personal representative or executor, a person holding the veteran's
general power of attorney, or anyone else designated in writing by the
veteran to receive the records.
(iii) Discharge papers of a veteran filed at the office of the
county auditor after June 30, 2002, are not public records, but will be
available only to the veteran, the veteran's next of kin, a deceased
veteran's properly appointed personal representative or executor, a
person holding the veteran's general power of attorney, or anyone else
designated in writing by the veteran to receive the records.
(iv) For the purposes of this subsection (1)(aaa), next of kin of
deceased veterans have the same rights to full access to the record.
Next of kin are the veteran's widow or widower who has not remarried,
son, daughter, father, mother, brother, and sister.
(bbb) Those portions of records containing specific and unique
vulnerability assessments or specific and unique emergency and escape
response plans at a city, county, or state adult or juvenile
correctional facility, the public disclosure of which would have a
substantial likelihood of threatening the security of a city, county,
or state adult or juvenile correctional facility or any individual's
safety.
(ccc) Information compiled by school districts or schools in the
development of their comprehensive safe school plans pursuant to RCW
28A.320.125, to the extent that they identify specific vulnerabilities
of school districts and each individual school.
(ddd) Information regarding the infrastructure and security of
computer and telecommunications networks, consisting of security
passwords, security access codes and programs, access codes for secure
software applications, security and service recovery plans, security
risk assessments, and security test results to the extent that they
identify specific system vulnerabilities.
(eee) Information obtained and exempted or withheld from public
inspection by the health care authority under RCW 41.05.026, whether
retained by the authority, transferred to another state purchased
health care program by the authority, or transferred by the authority
to a technical review committee created to facilitate the development,
acquisition, or implementation of state purchased health care under
chapter 41.05 RCW.
(fff) Proprietary data, trade secrets, or other information that
relates to: (i) A vendor's unique methods of conducting business; (ii)
data unique to the product or services of the vendor; or (iii)
determining prices or rates to be charged for services, submitted by
any vendor to the department of social and health services for purposes
of the development, acquisition, or implementation of state purchased
health care as defined in RCW 41.05.011.
(ggg) Proprietary information deemed confidential for the purposes
of section 923, chapter 26, Laws of 2003 1st sp. sess.
(hhh) Records or documents obtained, maintained, or used by an
agency with jurisdiction over the release of sex offenders for the
purpose of fulfilling the responsibility of the end of sentence review
committee, and the requirements under RCW 72.09.345, 71.09.025, and
9.95.420 are disclosable only under the community notification
provisions of RCW 4.24.550.
(iii) Law enforcement bulletins created by the end of sentence
review committee or a correctional authority to be provided to law
enforcement agencies for the purpose of meeting the requirements of RCW
4.24.550.
(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. 4 RCW 42.17.310 and 2003 c 277 s 3 and 2003 c 124 s 1 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, or welfare recipients.
(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 84.08.210, 82.32.330, 84.40.020, or 84.40.340 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 are witnesses
to or victims of crime or 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. If at the time a complaint is filed the
complainant, victim or witness indicates a desire for disclosure or
nondisclosure, such desire shall govern. However, 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, computer source code or
object code, 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 (i) a ferry system construction or repair contract as
required by RCW 47.60.680 through 47.60.750 or (ii) highway
construction or improvement as required by RCW 47.28.070.
(n) Railroad company contracts filed prior to July 28, 1991, 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 43.163 RCW and chapter 53.31 RCW, and by persons pertaining to
export projects pursuant to RCW 43.23.035.
(p) Financial disclosures filed by private vocational schools under
chapters 28B.85 and 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 or individuals during application for loans or program
services provided by chapters 43.163, 43.160, 43.330, and 43.168 RCW,
or during application for economic development loans or program
services provided by any local agency.
(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) 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 or residential telephone numbers of
employees or volunteers of a public agency which are held by any public
agency in personnel records, public employment related records, or
volunteer rosters, or are included in any mailing list of employees or
volunteers of any public agency.
(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, except that
this information may be released to the division of child support or
the agency or firm providing child support enforcement for another
state under Title IV-D of the federal social security act, for the
establishment, enforcement, or modification of a support order.
(w)(i) The federal social security number of individuals governed
under chapter 18.130 RCW maintained in the files of the department of
health, except this exemption does not apply to requests made directly
to the department from federal, state, and local agencies of
government, and national and state licensing, credentialing,
investigatory, disciplinary, and examination organizations; (ii) the
current residential address and current residential telephone number of
a health care provider governed under chapter 18.130 RCW maintained in
the files of the department, if the provider requests that this
information be withheld from public inspection and copying, and
provides to the department an accurate alternate or business address
and business telephone number. On or after January 1, 1995, the
current residential address and residential telephone number of a
health care provider governed under RCW 18.130.040 maintained in the
files of the department shall automatically be withheld from public
inspection and copying unless the provider specifically requests the
information be released, and except as provided for under RCW
42.17.260(9).
(x) Information obtained by the board of pharmacy as provided in
RCW 69.45.090.
(y) Information obtained by the board of pharmacy or the department
of health and its representatives as provided in RCW 69.41.044,
69.41.280, and 18.64.420.
(z) Financial information, business plans, examination reports, and
any information produced or obtained in evaluating or examining a
business and industrial development corporation organized or seeking
certification under chapter 31.24 RCW.
(aa) 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.
(bb) Financial and valuable trade information under RCW 51.36.120.
(cc) Client records maintained by an agency that is a domestic
violence program as defined in RCW 70.123.020 or 70.123.075 or a rape
crisis center as defined in RCW 70.125.030.
(dd) Information that identifies a person who, while an agency
employee: (i) Seeks advice, under an informal process established by
the employing agency, in order to ascertain his or her rights in
connection with a possible unfair practice under chapter 49.60 RCW
against the person; and (ii) requests his or her identity or any
identifying information not be disclosed.
(ee) Investigative records compiled by an employing agency
conducting a current investigation of a possible unfair practice under
chapter 49.60 RCW or of a possible violation of other federal, state,
or local laws prohibiting discrimination in employment.
(ff) Business related information protected from public inspection
and copying under RCW 15.86.110.
(gg) Financial, commercial, operations, and technical and research
information and data submitted to or obtained by the clean Washington
center in applications for, or delivery of, program services under
chapter 70.95H RCW.
(hh) Information and documents created specifically for, and
collected and maintained by a quality improvement committee pursuant to
RCW 43.70.510 or 70.41.200, or by a peer review committee under RCW
4.24.250, regardless of which agency is in possession of the
information and documents.
(ii) Personal information in files maintained in a data base
created under RCW 43.07.360.
(jj) Financial and commercial information requested by the public
stadium authority from any person or organization that leases or uses
the stadium and exhibition center as defined in RCW 36.102.010.
(kk) Names of individuals residing in emergency or transitional
housing that are furnished to the department of revenue or a county
assessor in order to substantiate a claim for property tax exemption
under RCW 84.36.043.
(ll) The names, residential addresses, residential telephone
numbers, and other individually identifiable records held by an agency
in relation to a vanpool, carpool, or other ride-sharing program or
service. However, these records may be disclosed to other persons who
apply for ride-matching services and who need that information in order
to identify potential riders or drivers with whom to share rides.
(mm) The personally identifying information of current or former
participants or applicants in a paratransit or other transit service
operated for the benefit of persons with disabilities or elderly
persons.
(nn) The personally identifying information of persons who acquire
and use transit passes and other fare payment media including, but not
limited to, stored value smart cards and magnetic strip cards, except
that an agency may disclose this information to a person, employer,
educational institution, or other entity that is responsible, in whole
or in part, for payment of the cost of acquiring or using a transit
pass or other fare payment media, or to the news media when reporting
on public transportation or public safety. This information may also
be disclosed at the agency's discretion to governmental agencies or
groups concerned with public transportation or public safety.
(oo) Proprietary financial and commercial information that the
submitting entity, with review by the department of health,
specifically identifies at the time it is submitted and that is
provided to or obtained by the department of health in connection with
an application for, or the supervision of, an antitrust exemption
sought by the submitting entity under RCW 43.72.310. If a request for
such information is received, the submitting entity must be notified of
the request. Within ten business days of receipt of the notice, the
submitting entity shall provide a written statement of the continuing
need for confidentiality, which shall be provided to the requester.
Upon receipt of such notice, the department of health shall continue to
treat information designated under this section as exempt from
disclosure. If the requester initiates an action to compel disclosure
under this chapter, the submitting entity must be joined as a party to
demonstrate the continuing need for confidentiality.
(pp) Records maintained by the board of industrial insurance
appeals that are related to appeals of crime victims' compensation
claims filed with the board under RCW 7.68.110.
(qq) Financial and commercial information supplied by or on behalf
of a person, firm, corporation, or entity under chapter 28B.95 RCW
relating to the purchase or sale of tuition units and contracts for the
purchase of multiple tuition units.
(rr) Any records of investigative reports prepared by any state,
county, municipal, or other law enforcement agency pertaining to sex
offenses contained in chapter 9A.44 RCW or sexually violent offenses as
defined in RCW 71.09.020, which have been transferred to the Washington
association of sheriffs and police chiefs for permanent electronic
retention and retrieval pursuant to RCW 40.14.070(2)(b).
(ss) Credit card numbers, debit card numbers, electronic check
numbers, card expiration dates, or bank or other financial account
numbers, except when disclosure is expressly required by or governed by
other law.
(tt) Financial information, including but not limited to account
numbers and values, and other identification numbers supplied by or on
behalf of a person, firm, corporation, limited liability company,
partnership, or other entity related to an application for a liquor
license, gambling license, or lottery retail license.
(uu) Records maintained by the employment security department and
subject to chapter 50.13 RCW if provided to another individual or
organization for operational, research, or evaluation purposes.
(vv) Individually identifiable information received by the work
force training and education coordinating board for research or
evaluation purposes.
(ww) Those portions of records assembled, prepared, or maintained
to prevent, mitigate, or respond to criminal terrorist acts, which are
acts that significantly disrupt the conduct of government or of the
general civilian population of the state or the United States and that
manifest an extreme indifference to human life, the public disclosure
of which would have a substantial likelihood of threatening public
safety, consisting of:
(i) Specific and unique vulnerability assessments or specific and
unique response or deployment plans, including compiled underlying data
collected in preparation of or essential to the assessments, or to the
response or deployment plans; and
(ii) Records not subject to public disclosure under federal law
that are shared by federal or international agencies, and information
prepared from national security briefings provided to state or local
government officials related to domestic preparedness for acts of
terrorism.
(xx) Commercial fishing catch data from logbooks required to be
provided to the department of fish and wildlife under RCW 77.12.047,
when the data identifies specific catch location, timing, or
methodology and the release of which would result in unfair competitive
disadvantage to the commercial fisher providing the catch data.
However, this information may be released to government agencies
concerned with the management of fish and wildlife resources.
(yy) Sensitive wildlife data obtained by the department of fish and
wildlife. However, sensitive wildlife data may be released to
government agencies concerned with the management of fish and wildlife
resources. Sensitive wildlife data includes:
(i) The nesting sites or specific locations of endangered species
designated under RCW 77.12.020, or threatened or sensitive species
classified by rule of the department of fish and wildlife;
(ii) Radio frequencies used in, or locational data generated by,
telemetry studies; or
(iii) Other location data that could compromise the viability of a
specific fish or wildlife population, and where at least one of the
following criteria are met:
(A) The species has a known commercial or black market value;
(B) There is a history of malicious take of that species; or
(C) There is a known demand to visit, take, or disturb, and the
species behavior or ecology renders it especially vulnerable or the
species has an extremely limited distribution and concentration.
(zz) The personally identifying information of persons who acquire
recreational licenses under RCW 77.32.010 or commercial licenses under
chapter 77.65 or 77.70 RCW, except name, address of contact used by the
department, and type of license, endorsement, or tag. However, the
department of fish and wildlife may disclose personally identifying
information to:
(i) Government agencies concerned with the management of fish and
wildlife resources;
(ii) The department of social and health services, child support
division, and to the department of licensing in order to implement RCW
77.32.014 and 46.20.291; and
(iii) Law enforcement agencies for the purpose of firearm
possession enforcement under RCW 9.41.040.
(aaa)(i) Discharge papers of a veteran of the armed forces of the
United States filed at the office of the county auditor before July 1,
2002, that have not been commingled with other recorded documents.
These records will be available only to the veteran, the veteran's next
of kin, a deceased veteran's properly appointed personal representative
or executor, a person holding that veteran's general power of attorney,
or to anyone else designated in writing by that veteran to receive the
records.
(ii) Discharge papers of a veteran of the armed forces of the
United States filed at the office of the county auditor before July 1,
2002, that have been commingled with other records, if the veteran has
recorded a "request for exemption from public disclosure of discharge
papers" with the county auditor. If such a request has been recorded,
these records may be released only to the veteran filing the papers,
the veteran's next of kin, a deceased veteran's properly appointed
personal representative or executor, a person holding the veteran's
general power of attorney, or anyone else designated in writing by the
veteran to receive the records.
(iii) Discharge papers of a veteran filed at the office of the
county auditor after June 30, 2002, are not public records, but will be
available only to the veteran, the veteran's next of kin, a deceased
veteran's properly appointed personal representative or executor, a
person holding the veteran's general power of attorney, or anyone else
designated in writing by the veteran to receive the records.
(iv) For the purposes of this subsection (1)(aaa), next of kin of
deceased veterans have the same rights to full access to the record.
Next of kin are the veteran's widow or widower who has not remarried,
son, daughter, father, mother, brother, and sister.
(bbb) Those portions of records containing specific and unique
vulnerability assessments or specific and unique emergency and escape
response plans at a city, county, or state adult or juvenile
correctional facility, the public disclosure of which would have a
substantial likelihood of threatening the security of a city, county,
or state adult or juvenile correctional facility or any individual's
safety.
(ccc) Information compiled by school districts or schools in the
development of their comprehensive safe school plans pursuant to RCW
28A.320.125, to the extent that they identify specific vulnerabilities
of school districts and each individual school.
(ddd) Information regarding the infrastructure and security of
computer and telecommunications networks, consisting of security
passwords, security access codes and programs, access codes for secure
software applications, security and service recovery plans, security
risk assessments, and security test results to the extent that they
identify specific system vulnerabilities.
(eee) Information obtained and exempted or withheld from public
inspection by the health care authority under RCW 41.05.026, whether
retained by the authority, transferred to another state purchased
health care program by the authority, or transferred by the authority
to a technical review committee created to facilitate the development,
acquisition, or implementation of state purchased health care under
chapter 41.05 RCW.
(fff) Proprietary data, trade secrets, or other information that
relates to: (i) A vendor's unique methods of conducting business; (ii)
data unique to the product or services of the vendor; or (iii)
determining prices or rates to be charged for services, submitted by
any vendor to the department of social and health services for purposes
of the development, acquisition, or implementation of state purchased
health care as defined in RCW 41.05.011.
(ggg) Records or documents obtained, maintained, or used by an
agency with jurisdiction over the release of sex offenders for the
purpose of fulfilling the responsibility of the end of sentence review
committee, and the requirements under RCW 72.09.345, 71.09.025, and
9.95.420 are disclosable only under the community notification
provisions of RCW 4.24.550.
(hhh) Law enforcement bulletins created by the end of sentence
review committee or a correctional authority to be provided to law
enforcement agencies for the purpose of meeting the requirements of RCW
4.24.550.
(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."
Renumber the remaining sections consecutively and correct any internal references accordingly.
On page 4, after line 22 of the amendment, insert the following:
"Sec. 6 RCW 72.09.345 and 1997 c 364 s 4 are each amended to read
as follows:
(1) In addition to any other information required to be released
under this chapter, the department is authorized, pursuant to RCW
4.24.550, to release relevant information that is necessary to protect
the public concerning offenders convicted of sex offenses.
(2) In order for public agencies to have the information necessary
to notify the public as authorized in RCW 4.24.550, the secretary shall
establish and administer an end-of-sentence review committee for the
purposes of assigning risk levels, reviewing available release plans,
and making appropriate referrals for sex offenders. The committee
shall assess, on a case-by-case basis, the public risk posed by sex
offenders who are: (a) Preparing for their release from confinement
for sex offenses committed on or after July 1, 1984; and (b) accepted
from another state under a reciprocal agreement under the interstate
compact authorized in chapter 72.74 RCW.
(3) Notwithstanding any other provision of law, the committee shall
have access to all relevant records and information in the possession
of public agencies relating to the offenders under review, including
police reports; prosecutors' statements of probable cause; presentence
investigations and reports; complete judgments and sentences; current
classification referrals; criminal history summaries; violation and
disciplinary reports; all psychological evaluations and psychiatric
hospital reports; sex offender treatment program reports; and juvenile
records. Records and information obtained under this subsection shall
not be disclosed outside the committee unless otherwise authorized by
law.
(4) The committee shall review each sex offender under its
authority before the offender's release from confinement or start of
the offender's term of community placement or community custody in
order to: (a) Classify the offender into a risk level for the purposes
of public notification under RCW 4.24.550; (b) where available, review
the offender's proposed release plan in accordance with the
requirements of RCW 72.09.340; and (c) make appropriate referrals.
(5) The committee shall classify as risk level I those sex
offenders whose risk assessments indicate a low risk of reoffense
within the community at large. The committee shall classify as risk
level II those offenders whose risk assessments indicate a moderate
risk of reoffense within the community at large. The committee shall
classify as risk level III those offenders whose risk assessments
indicate a high risk of reoffense within the community at large.
(6) The committee shall issue to appropriate law enforcement
agencies((, for their use in making public notifications under RCW
4.24.550, narrative notices regarding the pending release of sex
offenders from the department's facilities. The narrative notices)) a
law enforcement bulletin. The law enforcement bulletin shall, at a
minimum, ((describe the)) provide a narrative description, identity,
and criminal history behavior of the offender and shall include the
((department's)) committee's risk level classification for the
offender((. For sex offenders classified as either risk level II or
III, the narrative notices shall also include)) and the reasons
underlying the classification. Law enforcement bulletins are not a
public record under RCW 42.17.310. Law enforcement bulletins are
subject to inspection upon request but not available for copying.
(7) The committee shall provide the law enforcement agency a
narrative notice for their use in making public notifications under RCW
4.24.550 regarding the offenders in subsection (6) of this section.
The narrative notice must describe the identity of the offender, the
general relationship between the offender and the victim or victims,
and the criminal history of the offender. The notices must include the
committee's risk level classification for the offender and the reasons
underlying the classification. These notices are a public record.
NEW SECTION. Sec. 7 Section 3 of this act expires June 30, 2005.
NEW SECTION. Sec. 8 (1) Sections 1, 3, and 6 of this act are
necessary for the immediate preservation of the public peace, health,
or safety, or support of the state government and its existing public
institutions, and take effect immediately.
(2) Section 4 of this act is necessary for the immediate
preservation of the public peace, health, or safety, or support of the
state government and its existing public institutions, and takes effect
June 30, 2005."
2SHB 1758 -
By Senators Hargrove, Brandland
ADOPTED 04/11/2005
On page 4, line 24 of the title amendment, after "insert;" strike the remainder of the title amendment and insert "amending RCW 42.17.270, 42.17.348, 42.17.340, and 72.09.345; reenacting and amending RCW 42.17.300, 42.17.310, and 42.17.310; adding a new section to chapter 42.17 RCW; creating a new section; providing an effective date; providing an expiration date; and declaring an emergency."
EFFECT: Records or documents obtained, prepared, or maintained by an agency with jurisdiction over the release of sex offenders for the purpose of fulfilling the responsibility of the end of sentence review committee regarding sex offender assessment, risk level classification, and referral for civil commitment is exempt from public disclosure under chapter 42.17 RCW. The end of sentence review committee must prepare two documents. The present law enforcement bulletin is not a public document, and while it may be inspected upon request, it may not be copied. The second document is a narrative notice for use in community notification and is a public document. In addition to the identity of the offender, the general relationship between the offender and the victim(s), and the offender's criminal history, it must contain the end of sentence review committee's risk level classification and the reasons underlying that classification.