On Friday, January 18, the Senate State Government, Tribal Relations & Elections Committee held a public hearing on SB 5246, regarding the Public Records Exemptions Accountability Committee’s (Sunshine Committee) recommendations to the Legislature. The legislation:
- Requires public disclosure for personal information where the subject of the information consents to disclosure;
- Removes exemption from public disclosure requirements for applications for vacancies in elective office;
- Exempts information regarding the ongoing investigations of employment-related discrimination from public disclosure until the agency provides notice of the investigation outcome;
- Exempts trade secrets from public disclosure;
- Exempts financial information from public disclosure if the information is marked confidential and accompanied by a statement describing the expected harm, loss, or unfair private gain disclosure would cause; and
- Allows an award of attorney's fees to any defendant who successfully defends against an injunction of public disclosure of financial, commercial, or proprietary records.
Archived video of the public hearing can be found on the TVW website.