S-4413.1
SUBSTITUTE SENATE BILL 5779
State of Washington 68th Legislature 2024 Regular Session
By Senate State Government & Elections (originally sponsored by
Senators J. Wilson, Frame, Braun, Valdez, Gildon, Lovick, Padden,
Fortunato, L. Wilson, Wagoner, Boehnke, Dozier, Keiser, McCune,
Mullet, Nobles, and Warnick)
READ FIRST TIME 01/29/24.
1 AN ACT Relating to the public records exemptions accountability
2 committee; and amending RCW 42.56.140.
3 BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF WASHINGTON:
4 Sec. 1. RCW 42.56.140 and 2007 c 198 s 2 are each amended to
5 read as follows:
6 (1)(a) The public records exemptions accountability committee is
7 created to review exemptions from public disclosure, with thirteen
8 members as provided in this subsection.
9 (i) The governor shall appoint two members, one of whom
10 represents the governor and one of whom represents local government.
11 (ii) The attorney general shall appoint two members, one of whom
12 represents the attorney general and one of whom represents a
13 statewide media association.
14 (iii) The state auditor shall appoint one member.
15 (iv) The president of the senate shall appoint one member from
16 each of the two largest caucuses of the senate.
17 (v) The speaker of the house of representatives shall appoint one
18 member from each of the two largest caucuses of the house of
19 representatives.
20 (vi) The governor shall appoint four members of the public, with
21 consideration given to diversity of viewpoint and geography.
p. 1 SSB 5779
 1 (b) The governor shall select the chair of the committee from
2 among its membership.
3 (c) Terms of the members shall be four years and shall be
4 staggered, beginning August 1, 2007.
5 (2) The purpose of the public records exemptions accountability
6 committee is to review public disclosure exemptions and provide
7 recommendations pursuant to subsection (7)(d) of this section. The
8 committee shall develop and publish criteria for review of public
9 exemptions.
10 (3) All meetings of the committee shall be open to the public.
11 (4) The committee must consider input from interested parties.
12 (5) The office of the attorney general and the office of
13 financial management shall provide staff support to the committee.
14 (6) Legislative members of the committee shall be reimbursed for
15 travel expenses in accordance with RCW 44.04.120. Nonlegislative
16 members, except those representing an employer or organization, are
17 entitled to be reimbursed for travel expenses in accordance with RCW
18 43.03.050 and 43.03.060.
19 (7)(a) Beginning August 1, 2007, the code reviser shall provide
20 the committee by August 1st of each year with a list of all public
21 disclosure exemptions in the Revised Code of Washington.
22 (b) The committee shall develop a schedule to accomplish a review
23 of each public disclosure exemption. The committee shall publish the
24 schedule and publish any revisions made to the schedule.
25 (c) The chair shall convene an initial meeting of the committee
26 by September 1, 2007. The committee shall meet at least ((once a
27 quarter)) four times a year and may hold additional meetings at the
28 call of the chair or by a majority vote of the members of the
29 committee.
30 (d) For each public disclosure exemption, the committee shall
31 provide a recommendation as to whether the exemption should be
32 continued without modification, modified, scheduled for sunset review
33 at a future date, or terminated. By November 15th of each year, the
34 committee shall transmit its recommendations to the governor, the
35 attorney general, and the appropriate committees of the house of
36 representatives and the senate.
37 (8) Members of the committee are subject to the provisions of
38 chapter 42.52 RCW.
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Statutes affected:
Original Bill: 42.56.140
Substitute Bill: 42.56.140