While the 2026 legislative session saw the introduction of several bills regarding the Public Records Act (PRA) and Open Public Meetings Act (OPMA), none of those bills advanced.

However, AWC was closely engaged on the bill to regulate automated license plate readers (ALPRs). While SB 6002 is not a traditional open government bill, one of the key components of interest to cities pertained to needed clarity on PRA applicability for ALPR-collected data. Several jurisdictions had been receiving requests for ALPR data, creating concerns about whether the data could be accessed via a PRA request by federal immigration enforcement or by someone with the intent to stalk or harm an individual. AWC worked closely with legislators to ensure the legislation struck a balance between protecting individual privacy and public safety. This work included allowance of use of ALPRs for crimes arising to a gross misdemeanor and PRA exemptions for ALPR-collected data. It is also noteworthy that the PRA exemption applies to the data collected by ALPR systems, but not to audit trails or other information about how a jurisdiction uses ALPR systems. SB 6002 took effect immediately upon the Governor’s signature.