Bill > HB1885

This bill proposes to modify Washington state's Public Records Act (RCW 42.56.010) by expanding the definition of "public records" to explicitly include internal legislative documents and communications. Specifically, the bill adds language that clarifies public records now encompass writings related to internal deliberations about bills, including preliminary drafts, recommendations, internal legislative communications, and interbranch communications where opinions are expressed or policies are formulated or recommended. This means that previously potentially privileged legislative documents would now be subject to public disclosure requirements. The bill maintains existing definitions of what constitutes a public record, an agency, and a writing, but introduces a significant change by removing any potential legislative privilege that might have previously prevented transparency around the drafting and deliberation of proposed legislation. By making these internal legislative documents explicitly part of the public record, the bill aims to increase governmental transparency and public access to information about how laws are developed.

Government Affairs

https://app.leg.wa.gov/billsummary?BillNumber=1885&Year=2025&Initiative=false