Let’s remember when the Washington legislature tried to shield their records from the public, on this day in 2018 (February 23)
This is one of the worst things I’ve ever seen the legislature do. I can’t even bring myself to vote for my otherwise good representatives (Noel Frame and Gael Tarleton) because of how they voted on this bill — and their self-serving and dishonest justifications for doing so. It was a awful process that seemingly confirmed the consensus of politicians acting in their self-interest and against the betterment of their constituency.
Here’s how the Seattle Times covered it:
Forget everything you ever learned about how a bill becomes a law. Forget those public hearings, floor debates and deliberations.
With breathtaking speed, Washington lawmakers passed a bill Friday that removed themselves from the state’s voter-approved Public Records Act — keeping years of emails and other documents off-limits and making the Legislature its own gatekeeper when it comes to secrecy.
Senate Bill 6617 passed the Senate, without debate, 41–7. Minutes later, House lawmakers approved it 83–14.
Legislators passed the bill only 48 hours after it became public.
Legislative leaders would not say who drafted the bill, why it came so…
