Washington Public Records Act
From Sunshine Review
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The Washington Public Records Act is a series of laws designed to guarantee that the public has access to public records of government bodies at all levels in Washington.
The Washington Open Public Meetings Act legislates the methods by which public meetings are conducted.
Washington's transparency report card
A 2008 study, BGA - Alper Integrity Index, conducted by the Better Government Association and sponsored by Alper Services, ranked Washington #4 in the nation with an overall percentage of 62.10%. [1]
A 2007 study, Graded state responsiveness to FOI requests, conducted by BGA and the NFOIC, gave Washington 56 points out of a possible 100, a letter grade of "F", and a ranking of 16 out of the 50 states.[2]
A 2002 study, Freedom of Information in the USA, conducted by IRE and BGA, ranked Washington's law as the 8th best in the country, giving it a letter grade of "C+".[3]
Public Records
"The people of this state do not yield their sovereignty to the agencies that serve them. The people, in delegating authority, do not give their public servants the right to decide what is good for the people to know and what is not good for them to know. The people insist on remaining informed so that they may maintain control over the instruments that they have created."[4]
Open Meetings
"The legislature finds and declares that all public commissions, boards, councils, committees, subcommittees, departments, divisions, offices, and all other public agencies of this state and subdivisions thereof exist to aid in the conduct of the people's business. It is the intent of this chapter that their actions be taken openly and that their deliberations be conducted openly.
The people of this state do not yield their sovereignty to the agencies which serve them. The people, in delegating authority, do not give their public servants the right to decide what is good for the people to know and what is not good for them to know. The people insist on remaining informed so that they may retain control over the instruments they have created."[5]
See Also
External Links
- Revised Code of Washington public records act
- Revised Code of Washington open meetings act
- Open Government Guide to Washington
- Washington on WikiFOIA
- Washington Attorney General open records ombudsman
References
- ↑ Integrity Index available for download here
- ↑ Graded state responsiveness to FOI requests, 2007
- ↑ Freedom of Information in the USA, 2002
- ↑ Revised Code of Washington 42.56.030
- ↑ Revised Code of Washington 42.30.010
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