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Voters approved the Public Disclosure Act by initiative in 1972. At the time, the Act included only 10 exemptions from disclosure. As of 2016, there are over 500 exemptions in the Revised Code of Washington.
The Attorney General’s Office requested a bill to establish a Blue-Ribbon Committee to review all exemptions to the Public Disclosure Act. Senate Bill 5435, which created the Public Records Exemptions Accountability Committee (Sunshine Committee), became law on July 22, 2007. The Sunshine Committee makes recommendations to the Legislature to repeal or amend exemptions to the Public Records Act.
General Meeting Information and Attendance Options
Thank you for your interest in the Public Records Exemptions Accountability Committee (Sunshine Committee).
Sunshine Committee meetings are held in a hybrid environment. This means that there are a number of ways to attend. Members of the public can attend in-person at the Cherberg Building in Olympia, online via GoToWebinar, by phone, or via live-stream by TVW. For specific details on each option please see the information below.
To attend the meeting anonymously, you may attend in-person, join by phone or view the meeting on TVW’s website.
The other option to view the meeting is to use the online platform, GoToWebinar. It will ask for a first name, last name, and email address. (You may try using an alias, such as “observer,” should you want to remain anonymous but the Committee cannot guarantee entry via this platform.)
The Sunshine Committee strives to make its meetings accessible to all. For questions about a reasonable accommodation in Washington State Legislative buildings, please go to their website here. Contact the Washington Relay Service at 7-1-1 or 1-800-833-6388 for telephone relay service. For any other requests, please email SunshineCommittee@atg.wa.gov.
Public Testimony/Written Comments
Public testimony regarding agenda items, exemptions under review, or general comments are welcomed by the Committee. To provide public testimony, please contact Elizabeth Mateo (360) 570-3419 or by email at Elizabeth.Mateo@atg.wa.gov. Requests to testify via GoToWebinar are appreciated the day prior to the meeting, by close of business. Please note, in order to ensure written information is received by the Committee in a timely manner, written comments and materials should be provided two business days prior to the next scheduled meeting.
The Sunshine Committee will not be able to monitor and receive public comment through the GoToWebinar chat feature.
Next Meeting
What: Public Records Exemptions Accountability Committee (Sunshine Committee)
When: May 23, 2023
Time: 9:00 a.m.
In-Person: John A. Cherberg Building, Room ABC, 304 – 15th Ave SW, Olympia, WA 98504
Virtual/Online: GoToWebinar – TBD
By Phone: TBD
TVW: TBD
Materials: Agneda Forthcoming
Previous Meeting Materials (Agendas, Minutes, Video Recordings)
Sunshine Committee's 2023 meeting schedule
Additional information:
Add yourself to the Sunshine Committee mailing list for the latest news from the committee. Just make sure to select "Sunshine Committee" on the subscriptions page. You can also sign up to receive additional information from the Attorney General's Office such as News Releases and other AGO newsletters.