Do good end results on bills justify bad process?

With the deadline to save charter schools just a week away, several "title only" bills have been introduced to serve as a "vehicle" in case a last minute deal can be reached by lawmakers. Amazingly, one of those "title only" bills, SB 6670 was actually adopted by a committee today without changes and sent to the Rules Committee as a blank bill. This means the blank bill could potentially be pulled directly to the floor if a deal is reached and voted on without any public comment on the actual details . . . READ MORE

Public must receive meaningful notice of rule making

Two little known state boards have come under fire recently for lack of meaningful public notice for their ruling making. The Human Rights Commission has agreed there was a lack of adequate public participation in its recent "bathroom" rule while the State Building Code Council has acknowledge violations of the state's Open Public Meetings Act (OPMA). Both these examples illustrate the need for more education of government entities, both large and small, on the people's right to know and be involved in the decisions that affect their lives . . . READ MORE

State employee contract transparency bill introduced

Later this year Governor Inslee will once again begin secret contract negotiations with state employee unions to determine their compensation terms for the 2017-19 budget. Once this deal is reached behind closed doors the legislature will only have the option to approve or reject the agreement in its entirety - no amendments are allowed. Under a bill introduced today, however, these binding state employee contract negotiations would no longer be conducted in secret . . . READ MORE

Remote testimony being used in a galaxy far, far away (and Olympia)

If anyone still doubts the importance of allowing remote testimony during the legislative session, let me offer Exhibit A from WSDOT's I-90 cam . . . READ MORE

Governor Inslee receives open government award

Earlier this month the Washington Newspaper Publishers Association awarded Governor Inslee with its Walter C. Woodward Freedom’s Light Award. This award recognizes commitment to open government and freedom of the press . . . READ MORE

State Supreme Court issues landmark public records ruling on text messages

In a 9-0 decision this morning the state Supreme Court ruled that the text messages of government employees that relate to official business, even on their private phone, are public records. From the ruling . . . READ MORE

Not Olympia's finest hour for government transparency

It is wonderful news the state won't be facing a government shutdown and that a major transportation investment package with good reforms is moving forward but the last week, the past 72 hrs in particular, have been very embarrassing for the cause of an open and transparent legislative process . . . READ MORE

New collective bargaining reform bill introduced

Today a new bill has been introduced to help bring more transparency, accountability and fiscal discipline to the negotiating process used for future state employee contracts. SB 6126 (Addressing collective bargaining) is an omnibus bill that includes many of the reform provisions from prior bills heard earlier this year. The bill has been scheduled for a public hearing on May 26 at 1:30 p.m. in Ways & Means . . . READ MORE

State employee contract negotiations to remain secret

This Sunday (March 15) is the beginning of National Sunshine Week. The motto for this national celebration of government transparency is "Open government is good government." Based on the untimely death of SB 5329 (Requiring public employee collective bargaining sessions to be open meetings) this week in the Senate, however, state employee contract negotiations will continue to be conducted under a total eclipse of secrecy with the public kept in the dark . . . READ  MORE

Senate adopts remote testimony rules - work session from Tri-Cities February 4

The Senate Facilities and Operations Committee has officially adopted rules for the use of remote testimony during the 2015 Legislative Session. As adopted by the F&O Committee . . . READ MORE

Secretary Wyman and Sen. Habib propose new video testimony option for Washingtonians

Testifying before the Legislature, meet the 21st Century. Along with the exciting news we shared yesterday concerning the recent developments for live remote testimony, comes this new bill (SB 5267: Ordering development of processes to allow prerecorded video testimony and written testimony on pending legislation) requested by Secretary of State Kim Wyman and introduced by Sen. Cyrus Habib. According to the bill . . . READ MORE

Remote testimony option progressing in Spokane and Tri-Cities

You know it's getting real when a job posting for a Senate Remote Testimony Clerk in Spokane goes out and the President of Columbia Basin College in the Tri-Cities volunteers the school to be a remote testimony location. As reported by KNDU Tri-Cities last night . . . READ MORE

Remote testimony option becomes reality

History was made last Friday when the Senate Law and Justice Committee meeting in Olympia allowed several individuals to provide live video remote testimony from Spokane. In what I hope was just the first of many opportunities for Washingtonians across the state, Friday's remote testimony test went better than I expected and put to rest any concerns that there would be a technological obstacle to opening the doors of Olympia via remote testimony . . . READ MORE

Remote testimony approved in Colorado

If the Seattle Seahawks' Super Bowl demolition of the Denver Broncos taught us anything, it's that anything Colorado can do Washington can do better. With that in mind, it is worth noting that Colorado lawmakers have sent to their Governor a bill to allow remote testimony. As reported by Colorado's KREX news . . . READ MORE

Legislative survey says: Remote testimony is a winner

Washington State University has released the results of the "2013 Washington State Legislative Service Survey and the Washington State Governance Series." Based on the answers of lawmakers, legislative staff and lobbyists, WPC's recommendation for remote testimony options for citizens is a clear winner . . . READ MORE

Marijuana, Lean management and public records best practices

No, that's not the opening line of a joke but instead an example of how the (now misnamed) Washington State Liquor Control Board (LCB) is improving access to public records. According to Governor Inslee's Results Washington process, the Liquor Control Board has made progress using Lean management to improve its response time to growing public records requests as a result of the state's legalization of marijuana . . . READ MORE

Should candidates verify their background for voters?

Voting for candidates for elected office is an important decision. Unfortunately at times there is little information available about candidates to help us make an informed decision. While county auditors and the Secretary of State produce voter pamphlets with information self-provided by those running for office, is the information actually truthful? That’s where the new CandidateVerification.org in our state has the potential to bring clarity . . . READ MORE

Sunshine Week legislative update

This Sunshine Week forecast is brought to you by the 2014 Legislative Session: Your right to know is partly cloudy. When the just concluded session began there was the opportunity for brilliant sunshine but at least we avoided any severe secret storm warnings. Below is a look back on some of the open government actions (or lack thereof) during the 2014 Legislative Session . . . READ MORE

Funding for TVW repairs and upgrades cut from capital budget

In just a few weeks the country will be celebrating "Sunshine Week," a time committed to celebrating the people's right to know about what their government is doing. Recent developments in Olympia, however, may put a damper on those celebrations. While neither the House's or Senate's original supplemental capital budgets included requested funding to repair and upgrade TVW's equipment that enables it to provide coverage of the Legislature, the Senate did add the funding to its version sent over to the House after hearing testimony from TVW about the urgency of the situation . . . READ MORE

Providing opportunity for remote testimony and improving public notice

At the invitation of Rep. Pollet and Rep. Hawkins (Co-Chairs) I had the opportunity to make a presentation before the House Open Government Caucus today on ways the Legislature could accommodate remote testimony and improve its public notice process . . . READ MORE