That's why the email below is so scary. The state is trying to hobble the PRA so much that it would effectively eliminate it. Government loves the idea. Newspapers and the press hate it. The People should hate it too because we'll be totally in the dark about how our government operates.
Unfortunately, this Bill has lots of bipartisan sponsorship. They are having hearings this afternoon in Olympia. If you can, send the sponsors an email, especially if you can do it before 1:30 pm today when the hearings start. Let them know that you are against any weakening of the PRA.
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Folks - below are the email addresses for all of the sponsors of a bill (HB1128) currently being considered by the state house that would, among other things, allow government to curtail the staff and support needed to answer public records requests; allow government to prioritize public records requests based on the size of the request or the number of times that the requestor has asked in the past 12 months. Additionally, a portion of the bill allows government (or the person to whom the request relates) to apply for an injunction to prevent the public records request from being satisfied.
As all of you know, the efforts of some of you to gather information from San Juan County has been crucial to determining where local government is failing to operate within the law and where activities and decisions are being made outside of the view of the public to the people's detriment. Finallly, curtailing our abillity to get information is anathema to the role of the public in a home rule charter county.
Please send an email to these legislators a.s.a.p. letting them know that their bill will allow local government to hide from scrutiny, to pick and chose PRA responses and will hurt the people's ability to insure transparency and fairness.
dean.takko@leg.wa.gov; jay.rodne@leg.wa.gov; appleton.sherry@leg.wa.gov; norm.johnson@leg.wa.gov;brad.klippert@leg.wa.gov; fitzgibbon.joe@leg.wa.gov; pat.sullivan@leg.wa.gov; tami.green@leg.wa.gov;judy.clibborn@leg.wa.gov; terry.nealey@leg.wa.gov; cindy.ryu@leg.wa.gov; maureen.walsh@leg.wa.gov;laurie.jinkins@leg.wa.gov; sharon.wylie@leg.wa.gov; luis.moscoso@leg.wa.gov; mike.sells@leg.wa.gov;jan.angel@leg.wa.gov; larry.seaquist@leg.wa.gov; sam.hunt@leg.wa.gov;l arry.springer@leg.wa.gov;maxwell.marcie@leg.wa.gov; riccelli.marcus@leg.wa.gov; morrell.dawn@leg.wa.gov;
Folks - below are the email addresses for all of the sponsors of a bill (HB1128) currently being considered by the state house that would, among other things, allow government to curtail the staff and support needed to answer public records requests; allow government to prioritize public records requests based on the size of the request or the number of times that the requestor has asked in the past 12 months. Additionally, a portion of the bill allows government (or the person to whom the request relates) to apply for an injunction to prevent the public records request from being satisfied.
As all of you know, the efforts of some of you to gather information from San Juan County has been crucial to determining where local government is failing to operate within the law and where activities and decisions are being made outside of the view of the public to the people's detriment. Finallly, curtailing our abillity to get information is anathema to the role of the public in a home rule charter county.
Please send an email to these legislators a.s.a.p. letting them know that their bill will allow local government to hide from scrutiny, to pick and chose PRA responses and will hurt the people's ability to insure transparency and fairness.
dean.takko@leg.wa.gov; jay.rodne@leg.wa.gov; appleton.sherry@leg.wa.gov; norm.johnson@leg.wa.gov;brad.klippert@leg.wa.gov; fitzgibbon.joe@leg.wa.gov; pat.sullivan@leg.wa.gov; tami.green@leg.wa.gov;judy.clibborn@leg.wa.gov; terry.nealey@leg.wa.gov; cindy.ryu@leg.wa.gov; maureen.walsh@leg.wa.gov;laurie.jinkins@leg.wa.gov; sharon.wylie@leg.wa.gov; luis.moscoso@leg.wa.gov; mike.sells@leg.wa.gov;jan.angel@leg.wa.gov; larry.seaquist@leg.wa.gov; sam.hunt@leg.wa.gov;l arry.springer@leg.wa.gov;maxwell.marcie@leg.wa.gov; riccelli.marcus@leg.wa.gov; morrell.dawn@leg.wa.gov;