OLYMPIA — A task force created after Washington lawmakers attempted to exempt themselves from the state’s Public Records Act says the Legislature should be more transparent about its workings.
The group, which includes lawmakers and news media representatives, approved several guidelines for how the Legislature should handle the issue of public records. Members agreed that disputes about whether specific records are public should be handled by an independent body, but they could not reach consensus about the extent to which documents reflecting lawmakers’ deliberative process should be blocked from disclosure.
News organizations led by The Associated Press sued the Legislature for failing to release emails, schedules and reports of sexual harassment. After a judge ruled that the Public Records Act does apply to lawmakers’ offices, legislators hastily tried to change the law early this year, prompting public outrage and a veto from Gov. Jay Inslee.
