Voters approved the Public Disclosure Act by initiative in 1972. At the time, the act included only 10 exemptions from disclosure. Today, there are at least 300 exemptions (provided by Legislative staff).

Attorney General Rob McKenna requested a bill during the 2007 Legislative session to establish a Blue-Ribbon Committee to review all exemptions to the Public Disclosure Act on an annual basis. State Bill 5435 became law on July 22, 2007 creating the Public Records Exemptions Accountability Committee. The "Sunshine Committee" will make recommendations to repeal or amend exemptions to the Public Records Act.

The Sunshine Committee meetings provide the opportunity for public testimony regarding exemptions currently being considered by the committee. If you are unable to give your testimony in person, but would like to offer comment on an exemption, you may do so online, or you may print out the comment form and mail it. Comments submitted online or mailed must be received two business days prior to the next scheduled meeting to be included in the written information provided to the committee.

The committee will be chaired by Thomas Carr, Seattle city attorney.

CONTACT THE SUNSHINE COMMITTEE

** December 9, 2008 meeting cancelled **

Next Meeting:

What: Sunshine Committee
When: January 2009
Time:  TBA 
Where:TBA

Members of the Committee include:

Thomas Carr, Seattle city attorney (Chair)
Senator Adam Kline
Senator Pam Roach
Representative Jay Rodne
Representative Lynn Kessler
Timothy D. Ford, Assistant Attorney General
Rowland Thompson, Allied Daily Newspapers of Washington
Ken Bunting, Associate Publisher of the Seattle Post-Intelligencer
Frank Garred
Roselyn Marcus, Office of Financial Management
Patience Rogge, Friends of Fort Worden
Ramsey Ramerman, Foster Pepper PLLC
Candy Jackson, N.A.T.I.V.E. Project

Full Committee roster

Additional information:

Sunshine Committee bylaws

The Code Reviser's Office has provided lists of public disclosure exemptions contained in the Revised Code of Washington. The information was provided in response to the directive in Section 2(7)(a), chapter 198, Laws of 2007 (Substitute Senate Bill No. 5435). Below are summaries of the lists. Appendices 2a through 5b that do not contain public disclosure exemptions have been crossed out.

Cover letter
Appendix 1 -- A copy of the comparative table from the Table of Disposition of Former RCW Sections, found in Volume O of the Revised Code of
Washington, showing sections in chapter 42.17 RCW that were recodified in chapter 42.56 RCW, including specific exemptions from public disclosure
that were contained in former RCW 42.17.310
Appendix 2a -- A list compiled by searching the RCW for references to any section in chapter 42.56 RCW
Appendix 2b -- A display of the context of each response to the query conducted in compiling the list in Appendix 2a
Appendix 3a -- A list compiled by searching the RCW for the word "not" within 8 words of "inspection or copying" and within 8 words of "public
inspection," without any reference to sections in chapter 42.56 RCW
Appendix 3b -- A display of the context of each response to the query conducted in compiling the list in Appendix 3a
Appendix 4a -- A list compiled by searching the RCW for the word "exempt" and its derivatives within 5 words of "disclosure" and its derivatives, without
any reference to sections in chapter 42.56 RCW
Appendix 4b -- A display of the context of each response to the query conducted in compiling the list in Appendix 4a
Appendix 5a -- A list compiled by searching the RCW for the phrase "not subject to" within 5 words of "disclosure," without any reference to sections
in chapter 42.56 RCW
Appendix 5b -- A display of the context of each response to the query conducted in compiling the list in Appendix 5a
Appendix 6a -- A list compiled by searching the RCW for the words "privilege," "confidential," "private," or "privacy"
Appendix 6b -- A display of the context of each response to the query conducted in compiling the list in Appendix 6a

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