Daily News – A position we often take on the Editorial Page is that Washington has some of the strongest state laws in the nation protecting openness and transparency in government processes and decision-making and that those laws should be honored and, when necessary, vigorously protected.
The Washington Coalition for Open Government, a citizens lobby, fights this battle almost every day. With the WCOG’s permission, we’re going to dip into their files today for an example of why we feel this issue is important not just to us, but to everyone.
Last summer, the state Legislature was debating HB 1128, a public records bill that would have (among other provisions) made it possible for governments to sue persons or groups initiating records requests for harassment. As part of the project, a WCOG staff member named Alison Ross contacted heads of municipal governments to determine the extent of problems caused by records requests. Continue>>>
======