The high court heard oral arguments on the appeal of a case that was sparked by a September 2017 lawsuit from a coalition led by The Associated Press. The group sued to challenge lawmakers’ assertion they are not subject to the law that applies to other elected officials and agencies. A Thurston County superior court judge in January 2018 ruled that the offices of individual lawmakers are in fact subject to the Public Records Act, but that the Washington Legislature, the House and Senate were not. The media coalition’s lawsuit had named the individual entities of the Legislature, as well as four legislative leaders. ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOWThe House and Senate currently do release limited records, including lawmaker expenses and per diems.

Source: thestar June 12, 2019 01:18 UTC