Auditor’s public disclosure report, possible tool for revising state law, draws praise & skepticism
Every year, state lawmakers propose revisions to the state Public Records Act, a law passed by initiative in 1972 and amended many times since.
Every year, open-records advocates battle those proposed revisions, with varying degrees of success.
In 2017, the eternal struggle will play out again during the legislative session, but revision-minded lawmakers will have a new weapon to wield: a survey by the Washington state auditor measuring the costs and effects of records requests on state and local governments.
The survey, completed in August and discussed in September by a legislative subcommittee, has raised eyebrows and drawn praise as well as criticism. Backers of proposed revisions to the records law say it demonstrates the growing burden and expense of responding to large-scale requests in the digital age. Critics question the report’s methodology and cite information gaps that create misleading impressions.
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