Governor signs bill updating state open-meetings law
Published 11:18 am Wednesday, March 30, 2016
For the Reporter
Gov. Jay Inslee signed Tuesday a bill sponsored by Sen. Pam Roach to increase transparency in government by enhancing penalties for knowing violations of Washington’s Open Public Meetings Act (OPMA).
“The people have a right to know what their officials are doing and hold them accountable for those decisions,” said Roach, R-Sumner. “This update of the law means those officials who knowingly and repeatedly violate our open-meetings law will now face a real penalty — one strong enough to protect the public’s right to know.”
The OPMA requires meetings of multimember, public-agency governing bodies such as city councils, county commissions, school boards, and many state boards to be open and accessible to the public.
Senate Bill 6171 will modernize the out-of-date penalty provisions of the OPMA. The current penalty for violating the OPMA is $100, unchanged since the act was enacted in 1971. The new law will increase the penalty to $500 for a first-time knowing violation, roughly in line with inflation. It will also enact a new $1,000 “repeat violator” penalty for a subsequent knowing violation of the act.
“This bipartisan bill promotes the open and honest government Washingtonians demand and deserve,” said Attorney General Bob Ferguson, who requested the legislation.
SB 6171 passed with overwhelming bipartisan support, clearing the House of Representatives with a vote of 72 to 25, and passing the Senate unanimously. The measure goes into effect on June 9.
