Washington’s legislators have absorbed a heavy barrage of criticism this year for numerous self-inflicted shortcomings, not the least of which was the failure to finish their job as scheduled and the inability to decide any meaningful plan on long-overdue transportation improvements.
Sunday, though, triggered the implementation of several new laws that positively impact the lives of ordinary Washingtonians. For example, your boss can no longer require you to “friend” him or her, or any company manager, on a social media account. It’s easy to see why this tactic would be attempted by a supervisor who has no concern about individual privacy rights: By friending someone on social media, the door is opened for review of private lives. Employers don’t belong there without invitation, and certainly not as a condition of employment.
This measure that took effect on Sunday passed 85-10 in the state House and 41-7 in the state Senate. The only Clark County legislator to oppose it was Rep. Liz Pike, R-Camas. We would feel even better about the new law if it didn’t contain one troubling provision. According to an Associated Press story, companies can request “content” of employee social-media sites during internal investigations, and that content could be opened if an employer suspects a worker may be leaking information. We recognize the definition of “social” in social media, but that door to society ought to be opened by the individual, not kicked open by the state government. We hope lawmakers correct this flaw next year.
Another new law enjoying its first week has a special impact in Clark County. Theaters are allowed to serve alcohol to patrons 21 and older after passing rigorous permitting and training requirements. This means the Kiggins Theatre on Main Street in Vancouver and the Liberty Theatre on Fourth Avenue in Camas have a better chance of staying in business because they can now compete with small pub-theaters in Portland that have been taking customers from this side of the river.
