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Washington Freedom of Information

The Washington Public Records Act (PRA) under Chapter 42.56 RCW is a series of laws designed to guarantee that the public has access to public records of government bodies at all levels in Washington.  The introduction to the statute explains the reason for the PRA: “The people of the state do not yield their sovereignty to the agencies that serve them. The people, in delegating authority, do not give their public servants the right to decide what is good for the people to know and what is not good for them to know.  The people insist on remaining informed so that they may maintain control over the instruments that they have created.”

Moreover, the Washington Open Public Meetings Act under Chapter 42.30 RCW provides the methods by which public meetings are conducted.  The statement of purpose of the Open Meetings Act states, “the legislature finds and declares that all public commissions, boards, councils, committees, subcommittees, departments, divisions, offices, and all other public agencies of this state and subdivisions thereof exist to aid in the conduct of the people’s business.  It is the intent of the chapter that their actions be taken openly and that their deliberations be conducted openly.”

 


Inside Washington Freedom of Information