On a diet: flabby Open Meetings law

The Legislature wisely is putting the state Open Records Act through a checkup — and maybe on a diet.

The governor is expected to sign a bill that will create a committee to give the voter-initiated law a once-over. In 1972, voters overwhelmingly decided citizens needed to have access to public records to remain informed about their governments. The law's bias clearly was that people should be able to inspect documents on demand with only 10 reasonable exemptions embedded in law. But what started out as one of the strongest open-records laws in the nation has grown flabby with more than 300 exemptions. Another 18 were proposed in this legislation session alone, according to state Attorney General Rob McKenna's office.

Many exemptions are legitimate because they protect the personal information of state clients, such as the disabled, or sensitive information, such as Social Security numbers. Others are curious and may need rejustifying. Why does one exemption prohibit the release of information about American ginseng growers when other industries don't have that luxury?

The review committee will include two appointees each from the governor and the attorney general, four from the Legislature and four members of the public. They will review the 300 exemptions and make recommendations about whether they should be continued, modified or eliminated.

This is good news for the public. Though journalists use this law often, most requests come from citizens with specific questions about their city council, port district or school board.

An important question the committee should consider is how do people keep tabs on their government when contract details are all but hidden. And for sure they should apply a filter colored by the sentiment in the preamble of the law voters embraced:

"The people of this state do not yield their sovereignty to the agencies that serve them. The people, in delegating authority, do not give their public servants the right to decide what is good for the people to know and what is not good for them to know."