WCOG Announces 2011 Legislative Priorities

At its December meeting, the Board of Directors of Washington Coalition for Open Government established the Coalition’s priorities for legislative action during the 2011 legislative session, which starts on Monday, January 10. These priorities include:

• Establish model rules or safe-harbor provisions
• Create low-cost alternatives for resolution of Public Records Act (PRA) and Open Public Meetings Act (OPMA) disputes
• Exempt recordings and minutes of executive sessions from disclosure under the PRA
• Require training for every elected or appointed official and government employee
• Expand access to legislative and court administrative records
• Restore the original intent of the Attorney-Client Communications Exemption
• Improve preservation and access to electronic records
• Require agencies to scan paper records into electronic form if requested
• Prevent arbitrators or judges from ordering destruction of public records
• Preserve the Sunshine Committee

The full text of the recommendations is available on the Coalition web site at:

http://www.washingtoncog.org/pdfs/Legislative-Priorities-2011.pdf

These priorities are just a portion of the Coalition’s full legislative agenda, which may be viewed in its entirety at:

http://www.washingtoncog.org/pdfs/Legislative-Agenda.pdf

These priorities have been delivered by email to all 147 members of the state legislature, Governor Gregoire, the Attorney General, the Secretary of State, and the State Auditor. Sponsors are being sought for those bills that have not already been introduced. The Coalition will work with committee chairs to schedule hearings on the bills, provide testimony, and work to improve legislation and build support throughout the legislative process.

Coalition members will be informed of the progress of bills implementing these legislative priorities, and of all other legislation impacting on open government, in periodic legislative update emails throughout the session.

January 15, 2011
Washington State Open Government Conference

Citizen activists, government officials -- and anyone interested in transparent, accountable government in Washington state -- should attend the 2nd Annual Washington State Open Government Conference, Saturday, January 15 from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Mercer Island Community Center.

Keynote speaker at the gathering is Ken Bunting, Executive Director of the National Freedom of Information Coalition. Bunting is a familiar face in the Puget Sound region. He is former assistant publisher of the Seattle Post-Intelligencer and a founding member of the Washington Coalition for Open Government, which is sponsoring the gathering. Bunting was named Executive Director of NFOIC, the national clearinghouse for efforts to ensure that all government entities follow open government laws, earlier this year.

Luncheon speaker is Tim Ford, who serves as Deputy Attorney General for Government Accountability. Ford is an expert on Washington's open meetings and open records laws and often informally mediates disputes between government agencies and citizens on records and meetings issues.

The bulk of the day-long conference is devoted to "breakout" sessions with in-depth explorations of open government issues led by experts in the field, including attorneys Ramsey Ramerman, Michele Earle-Hubbard, Greg Overstreet and William Crittenden. Each session will explore how citizens can exercise their rights to monitor government and discuss ways government can do its work with greater transparency.

Cost of the all-day program is $25 for WCOG members, students and seniors and $50 for non-members. The registration fee includes lunch and resource materials.

After January 7, 2011 registration will increase to $35 for members and $60 for non-members.

The program has been approved for 2 hours of credit of Continuing Legal Education.

Questions about the conference can be directed to the WCOG office at info@washingtoncog.org or by phone to 206-782-0393. More details can also be found at the WCOG website at:
http://washingtoncog.org/opengovconf.html

To register online, go to:
http://www.washingtoncog.org/opengovconf.php

Join WCOG at the 2011 Public Records and Open Public Meetings Laws Forums

“It is our government, use it or lose it!”

“Expected and received comprehensive overview of practices and challenges. Most useful aspect of the program was the qualified, authoritative paragons on the panel! Carry on.”

"I learned good stuff! It was a surprise, stimulating."

“I came because I wanted info and update on status of law and current needs, and I got it.”

These are a few of the comments audience members shared about WCOG forums held around Washington in 2010. As part of its mission to promote open government principles, WCOG has staged a series of free, public forums designed to educate citizens of their rights under our state’s public records and open public meetings laws and to remind government officials at all levels of their obligations under these laws.

The 2010 forums featured moderated presentations by panels of knowledgeable speakers and Q & A sessions with audience participation. They were held in Kirkland, Everett, Edmonds, Mercer Island, Kennewick, and Olympia. Each forum had support from local print media and a local branch of the League of Women Voters (LWV). The Kirkland Reporter, the Herald of Everett, The Seattle Times, the Tri-City Herald, and the Olympian all gave the programs news coverage, editorial support and carried guest editorials written by the professional journalists who serve on the WCOG board, as well as carrying display advertisements for the events, amounting to substantial in-kind contributions. The LWV chapters of Snohomish County, Greater Seattle, Benton/Franklin Counties, and Thurston County assisted by inviting local government officials to attend the forums. Microsoft Corporation and the law firm Stokes Lawrence lent financial support for the Kirkland and Edmonds events respectively. The City of Everett co-sponsored the forum held there.

Panelists for the series included: State Attorney General Rob McKenna, State Archivist Jerry Handfield, Assistant State Attorney General Tim Ford, State Records Officer Russell Wood, Elections Director Katie Blinn, Assistant Everett City Attorney Ramsey Ramerman, Greg Overstreet of Allied Law Group, Key Awardee Ira Appelman, and State Representative Susan Fagan. WCOG board members who participated included: President Toby Nixon, State Auditor Brian Sonntag, and House Majority Leader Lynn Kessler.

Neal Pattison of the Herald of Everett, Bob Drewel, executive director of the Puget Sound Regional Council, Carrie Wood, editor of the Kirkland Reporter, former State Senator Jim Horn, former State Representative Tom Moak, and Tacoma News Tribune publisher David Zeeck served as moderators. Help with sign-ins was provided by David Seago, Sam Pace and Mike Reitz of the WCOG board and executive director Elly Snow. Attendance averaged 50 people per forum.

Plans for the first forum of 2011, to be held at the Cowlitz Regional Conference Center in Longview from 6:00 to 8:00 PM on Wednesday, February 23 are underway.

WCOG Announces Creation of New Legislators Award

The Washington Coalition for Open Government, a non-partisan, statewide group dedicated to fostering government transparency in the Evergreen State, has announced a new award designed to recognize Washington legislators who support those aims.

At a breakfast gathering December 10 in the State Capitol, WCOG President Toby Nixon (himself a former state representative) said the watchdog group will, beginning in 2011, bestow an award annually to a legislator or legislators "who has demonstrated outstanding dedication to the cause of open government."

The new honor has been dubbed the "Ballard-Thompson Award" in honor of two former legislators long noted for their commitment to the principles of open government.

Clyde Ballard retired from the Washington Legislature in 2002 after a 20-year career representing the 12th District in north-central Washington that saw the Republican lawmaker rise to the post of House Speaker. Alan Thompson is a retired newspaper publisher and legislator who served the 18th District of southwest Washington for 21 years in both the House and Senate from 1965 to 1986. He served the ensuring seven years as Chief Clerk of the Washington House of Representatives.

Tracey Warner, editorial page editor of The Wenatchee World, Ballard's hometown newspaper, said it best in a recent editorial: "Both men, among the founders of the Coalition for Open Government in 2002, were constant and stalwart defenders of the public's right to know, to have access to the records guaranteed them by law, to ensure public business is conducted in public. It was often a struggle against persistent efforts to erode those rights. Ballard — as his constituents we are proud of this — quietly stood firm time and time again. So too did Thompson. They were consistent in their principles, as all should be."

Thompson, who was owner and publisher of weekly newspapers in Cathlamet, Winlock and Castle Rock, addressed the December 10 gathering and recalled how his work as a journalist sparked his passion for openness and transparency that marked his legislative career. Ballard spoke to the gathering via a videotaped message prepared in advance. He described his journey from the poor son of migrant farm workers, to success as a small businessman selling medical supplies in the Wenatchee Valley, and on to state politics and eventually House speaker.

“Transparent and accountable government is not a partisan issue,” said Nixon. “During their time in the legislature, Clyde Ballard and Alan Thompson, a Republican and a Democrat, demonstrated that again and again, promoting openness in the lawmaking process and defending the people’s right to access public records and meetings. We hope that today’s legislators will follow their examples and be likewise committed to defending the people’s right to know what their government is doing, so that it actually becomes difficult for the Coalition to choose among many worthy nominees to receive this award.”

Benefits of becoming a WCOG member

Washington State was once the national leader in open government with our model Public Disclosure Act and Open Public Meetings Act guaranteeing public access to government records, meetings and the origins of campaign contributions. Those rights - your rights - have eroded. The Public Disclosure Act (now known as the Public Records Act) has had over 300 exemptions piled onto it, allowing agencies and officials to hide decisions and records that used to require public disclosure. The Washington Coalition for Open Government (WCOG) is working to restore Washington State to its leadership role in open government and ensure, through legislative and legal efforts, that Washington government remains accountable to the citizens it serves.
 
By joining WCOG, you not only obtain access to our members only email service, but you will also be helping to fund our legislative efforts, forums that train citizen activists and educate elected officials about their open government responsibilities, and interventions in critical court cases. 

Please join today by going to www.washingtoncog.org and clicking on "Join WCOG." We are truly a broad public interest organization. Our officers come from many political parties, from news media to elected officials to taxpayer and environmental groups. Democracy and accountability in government needs openness, and openness needs your support - please join WCOG today.

The Washington Coalition for Open Government (WCOG) is an independent non-partisan non-profit organization founded in 2002 by a group of individuals representing organizations with a broad spectrum of opinions and backgrounds, all dedicated to the principles of strengthening the state’s open government laws and protecting the public’s access to government at all levels.

For more information, contact Washington Coalition for Open Government, 6351 Seaview Avenue NW, Seattle, WA 98107-2664 or on the web at www.washingtoncog.org or call (206) 782-0393.

Elly Snow, Executive Director
Washington Coalition for Open Government
info@washingtoncog.org
206.782.0393