Busy summer leads to even busier fall

September 2026 — The so-called “dog days” of summer have traditionally been the slow period for the Washington Coalition for Open Government. But this year, like last year, that trend seems to be changing.

 The Government Committee continued to meet because we anticipate a slew of attacks on government transparency in the 2027 legislative session. We’ve met with several groups planning to introduce bills in the next session, and we appreciated the opportunities to offer input ahead of filing. We may not always end up agreeing to support a proposal, but communication goes a long way in helping to build working relationships and find consensus. At minimum, it allows both sides to share their views and ideas for issues that need resolution.

There are now 700-plus exemptions that allow information requested under the Public Records Act to be withheld from the public. There were just 10 exemptions in the version of the law passed by a large majority of Washington voters in 1972.

We are always willing to listen to proposed PRA exemptions. Over the years, it’s been apparent that some material should not be made public, such as personal information that could endanger law enforcement personnel. But color us dubious going into any such discussion, given the numerous holes already poked into the law by legislators. We also must consider the failure of the Legislature to take up and approve recommendations of the state Sunshine Committee, which the Legislature itself created to comb through PRA exemptions to find those that are no longer value or necessary. Almost none of the Sunshine Committee’s recommendations has passed the Legislature.

Outside the legislative arena, we also have sought to ensure a healthy dialogue with officials who are elected statewide. In that vein, we plan to meet soon with State Auditor Pat McCarthy to explore ways that her office could help promote government transparency by more closely scrutinizing agencies’ practices and the complaints provided by whistleblowers who see the law being flouted.

We were also pleased to see State Treasurer Mike Pellicciotti at our annual breakfast in the spring and look forward to further dialogue with him.

Let’s hope that the winds of change that bring cooler fall air will ease us all into a productive legislative session to come.