Sunshine Week 2024 highlights the importance of open government

Sunday marked the start of the annual Sunshine Week, which runs March 10-16. Started in 2005 by the American Society of News Editors, Sunshine Week is a national initiative that brings together news organizations, advocacy groups, and residents to discuss the importance of open government and freedom of information.

This week you may be contacted by one of the above groups asking about your city’s commitment to open government. We encourage you to prepare a few talking points or facts to share if you are contacted.

Washington state has one of the strongest open government laws in the country. The Public Records Act went into effect more than 40 years ago and continues to provide the public with direct access to government records.

Cities are committed to open transparent government. Beyond complying with the Public Records Act and Open Public Meetings Act, cities work constantly to engage their residents in local government through regular information-sharing and community outreach.

In 2022, 68 Washington cities and towns reported a total of 161,412 public records requests—accounting for nearly half of all public records requests to public agencies that submitted data. Responding to such requests requires skilled and dedicated staff. In 2022, cities reported that staff invested nearly 350,000 hours responding to records requests and cities spent over $98 million responding to records requests and maintaining public records. AWC greatly appreciates public records staff and the many hours they commit to managing records and staying up to date on current laws.

Open government training and resources

Did you know that city elected officials are required by law to complete open government training within 90 days of taking office, with a refresher every four years? (This means new officials who took office on January 1, 2024, must complete open government training by March 30.)

One convenient way to fulfill this training requirement is to watch this recording of the open government training session from AWC’s 2023 Elected Officials Essentials Workshop.

For more information on Washington’s open government laws, we invite you to review resources from the Attorney General’s Office.

We wish everyone a happy and productive Sunshine Week!