NFOIC state affiliate Washington Coalition for Open Government‘s presented Speaker of the House Frank Chopp with its highest award Tuesday evening. The Ballard Thompson Award is given to the state legislator who demonstrated the most “outstanding dedication to the cause of open government” the previous legislative session.
The Olympian newspaper explains why:
Here in Olympia, the heart of Washington state’s government, laws are made. Programs are created or scrapped. Billions of tax dollars are spent. Politicians come and go.
To find out how all of this works, and how it affects you, you need an open window to government. For more than 40 years, the state Public Records Act has been that window, allowing anyone to see what’s really going on in state and local government just by asking.
Are campaign promises kept? Who benefits from tax breaks? Is crime rising or falling? Which schools are most successful? Why? No matter whom you are or why you want to know, the Public Records Act requires “promptly” granting your records request so that you can find out information when it matters. Continue>>>
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