FINAL BILL REPORT

HB 1537

C 229 L 19

Synopsis as Enacted

Brief Description: Concerning sunshine committee recommendations.

Sponsors: Representatives Springer and Van Werven.

House Committee on State Government & Tribal Relations

Senate Committee on State Government, Tribal Relations & Elections

Background:

The Public Records Act (PRA) generally requires state and local agencies to make many government records available to the public upon request. There are, however, over 500 statutory exemptions for certain records or information contained in records. The Office of the Code Reviser is required to annually compile a list of all public disclosure exemptions in Washington statutes.

Washington created a Public Records Exemption Accountability Committee, known as the Sunshine Committee, in 2007 to review these exemptions from public disclosure and provide recommendations as to whether exemptions should be continued, modified, or terminated. The Sunshine Committee consists of 13 members appointed to staggered four-year terms:

• one member representing the Governor, appointed by the Governor;

• one member representing local government, appointed by the Governor;

• one member representing the Attorney General, appointed by the Attorney General;

• one member representing a statewide media association, appointed by the Attorney General;

• four legislators—one from each of the two largest caucuses in each house of the Legislature, appointed by the Speaker of the House of Representatives and the President of the Senate; and

• four members of the public, appointed by the Governor.

The Sunshine Committee meets in public and considers input from interested parties. By November 15 of each year, it provides a report to the Legislature with its annual recommendations.

In its 2017 report, the Sunshine Committee recommended an amendment to the PRA exemption for applications for public employment, which exempts from disclosure the names of applicants, resumes, and other application materials. The Sunshine Committee also recommended eliminating the exemption for membership lists of timeshares and condominiums in the possession of the Department of Licensing (DOL) because the DOL does not actively collect those lists.

Summary:

Employment applications for vacancies in elective office are no longer exempt from disclosure under the PRA.

The exemption from public disclosure for membership lists of timeshares and condominiums in the possession of the DOL is removed.

Votes on Final Passage: