EDITORIAL: Public records votes brought important issues to light

The unprecedented media response to the state Legislature’s effort to exempt itself from portions of Washington’s sunshine law has — not a bit ironically — brought a few issues to light.

First, how many Washingtonians knew that the Legislature had found a way to exempt itself from the state’s far-reaching Public Records Act — a law that won Washington fourth place in a state-by-state “transparency” ranking by the Better Government Association?

Members of the press knew the public did not have access to legislative documents, which is what led news organizations to file a lawsuit last fall. (In January, those news organizations won a partial court victory.) But the front-page editorials about the legislative response to this court ruling, the full-page spreads on how individual lawmakers voted on a bill that would have given them a partial exemption, days’ worth of banner headlines all brought into high-wattage focus the fact that the Legislature has been dodging the Public Records Act for the last 46 years.

Second, and more importantly, the debate highlighted the kind of political hypocrisy that has left many Americans angry and disillusioned. Consider Congress undermining the Affordable Care Act while ensuring it retains Cadillac health coverage. Or a U.S. representative who works to undermine abortion laws while secretly suggesting his lover get an abortion. Or President Trump, for whom the list is so long one hardly knows where to begin.

Senate Bill 6617 — the legislative response to the court ruling — is not as egregious as the kind of hypocrisy we’ve witnessed at a national level. But both the bill and the process by which it was rushed through both chambers certainly appeared self-serving.

City councilmembers, town clerks, school board members and all 12,000 King County employees have to meet the burden of the Public Records Act. Many jurisdictions, including King County, have paid hefty fines for their failure to fully comply with a request for records. Some jurisdictions employ one or more public records specialists who do nothing but respond to requests. Why should state lawmakers be even partially exempt?

Rep. Joe Fitzgibbon deserves credit for being the only member of the 34th District delegation to publicly explain his support for SB 6617. Both Sen. Sharon Nelson, who co-sponsored the bill, and Rep. Eileen Cody have been silent. But in defending his vote, Fitzgibbon suggested state lawmakers have a greater right to privacy than other elected officials. It’s hard to understand that distinction.

Thanks to Gov. Inslee’s veto, the Legislature has an opportunity to set a new course. Under the glaring spotlight of news coverage, many Washingtonians will be paying close attention.