BILL REQ. #: H-2631.1
| State of Washington | 60th Legislature | 2007 Regular Session |
READ FIRST TIME 2/28/07.
AN ACT Relating to disclosure of attorney invoices; and creating a new section.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF WASHINGTON:
NEW SECTION. Sec. 1 It is the intent of the legislature to
clarify that no reasonable construction of chapter 42.56 RCW has ever
allowed attorney invoices to be withheld in their entirety by any
public entity in a request for documents under that chapter. It is
further the intent of the legislature that specific descriptions of
work performed be redacted only if they would reveal an attorney's
mental impressions, actual legal advice, theories, or opinions, or are
otherwise exempt under this act or other laws, with the burden upon the
public entity to justify each redaction and narrowly construe any
exception to full disclosure. The legislature intends to clarify that
the public's interest in open, accountable government includes an
accounting of any expenditure of public resources, including through
liability insurance, upon private legal counsel or private consultants.