Inslee suspends parts of open meetings, public records laws

Gov. Jay Inslee has suspended parts of the state’s public records and open meetings laws for 30 days in response to the coronavirus outbreak.

Washington residents and journalists use the laws to track the actions of state and local governments.

The emergency proclamation that the governor signed late Tuesday prohibits public agencies from holding in-person meetings.

“Waiving this requirement works to prevent the gathering of people to further curb the spread of the virus,” according to a statement from the governor’s office.

The directive says agencies must provide options for the public to virtually attend the meetings via computer or telephone.

Governing boards may address only “necessary and routine matters” or those pertaining to the COVID-19 outbreak “until such time as regular public participation under the Open Public Meetings Act is possible,” Inslee’s proclamation states.

In addition, the governor temporarily waived the requirement that public agencies acknowledge the receipt of public records requests within five business days.

The governor’s office said many public agencies are closed because of Inslee’s proclamation signed Monday that mandates non-essential employees to work from home, making it difficult to respond to requests within the five-day deadline.

“However, agencies are still expected to continue to respond promptly and to the greatest and fullest extent possible,” the statement added.

This story was originally published March 25, 2020 at 8:22 AM.