FINAL BILL REPORT

HB 1479

C 156 L 11

Synopsis as Enacted

Brief Description: Revising the publication requirements of the statute law committee.

Sponsors: Representatives Goodman and Rodne; by request of Statute Law Committee.

House Committee on Judiciary

Senate Committee on Judiciary

Background:

The Statute Law Committee (SLC) is responsible for compiling and printing a number of publications, including the session laws, the Revised Code of Washington (RCW), the Washington Administrative Code (WAC), and the Washington State Register (Register). The SLC has an obligation to promote widespread access to its materials in both digital and print formats.

The session laws consist of all the bills that were enacted into law during the legislative session and initiatives adopted by the people in the preceding year. The RCW is the compilation of all permanent laws in force. The WAC is a codification of regulations of executive branch agencies, arranged by subject or agency.

The Register is a publication, published twice a month, that includes a variety of information relating to the activities of state government, such as notices of proposed rules, emergency and permanently adopted rules, and public meetings of state agencies.

The SLC distributes free copies of the session laws and the RCW to designated persons and entities. The SLC may publish the Register on the legislative or Code Reviser website, but must provide a paper copy of any issue of the Register upon request.

Summary:

Each member of the Legislature may receive one set of the RCW on digital media, as opposed to paper copies, without charge during his or her term of office. Current digital copies of the session laws, the RCW, the WAC, and the Register will be made available on the legislative or Code Reviser website without charge for permanent public access. The SLC will provide digital authentication for any publication in a digital format if such authentication does not interfere with public access.

The SLC may publish the official copy of the WAC and session laws in digital format, but the Code Reviser must provide paper copies upon request. The Code Reviser may charge a minimal fee to cover the cost of printing and mailing paper copies. The Code Reviser must provide a limited number of free paper copies of the WAC to libraries or institutions for access and archival purposes. Free digital or printed copies of the session laws may be provided to selected federal, state, and local agencies with special consideration given to institutions and libraries where internet access is limited or unavailable.

The Register may be purchased in print or digital form at a fixed price. Access to the Register, as required by state law, is satisfied when the Register or compilation is published on the legislative or Code Reviser website. The Register is no longer required to be made available, in printed form, to state elected officials, the Secretary of the Senate, the Chief Clerk of the House, county boards of law library trustees, and to the Olympia press corps library.

Votes on Final Passage: