The bill amends existing laws in Washington State to bolster the protection of student and employee information from public disclosure. It introduces new provisions that exempt various types of employment and licensing information from public inspection, including test questions, applications for public employment, and personal details such as residential addresses. Importantly, the bill adds protections for survivors of domestic violence, sexual assault, stalking, hate crimes, or harassment, allowing them to keep their personally identifying information confidential if they provide a sworn statement or proof of participation in an address confidentiality program. Additionally, it specifies that any documentation related to these protections is confidential and cannot be disclosed without the employee's consent, while clarifying that exemptions for personally identifying information do not apply to public records requests from the media.

Furthermore, the bill expands the list of educational information exempt from disclosure by including individual student responses to health youth surveys. It allows for the release of individual survey responses from state employees, vendors, or contractors, provided the data is deidentified, anonymized, or aggregated. The bill also mandates that agencies notify employees and unions when requests for information from personnel files are made, detailing the nature of the request and the employee's rights. A sunset provision is included, stating that the new section regarding survey responses will expire on June 1, 2028, while the section concerning educational records will take effect on the same date. Overall, these amendments aim to enhance privacy protections while still enabling the collection of valuable data for state governance and educational purposes.

Statutes affected:
Original bill: 42.56.250, 42.56.540