60th LEGISLATURE,
2nd REGULAR SESSION (2008)
Bill Status: As of
April 1, 2008 -- FINAL
WSAB
has represented Washington’s radio and
television stations in the State
Legislature since 1935. Each year, WSAB
protects and promotes the interests of
broadcasters on a variety of bills and
issues.
Symbol
Key:
HB/SB: Original Bill
SHB/SSB: Substitute Bill -
Amendments were added by the committee and
compiled into a Substitute Bill.
EHB/ESB: Engrossed Bill -
Amendments were added during consideration
of the bill by the full House or Senate
and consolidated before final passage into
a new bill.
ADVERTISING
NEWS
GATHERING & REPORTING
TAXES
MISCELLANEOUS
ADVERTISING
HB 1362:
Campaign Finance Reform.
This bill would make a slight change in the sponsor
identification requirement for independent expenditure or
electioneering advertising in the list of major contributors.
2007 STATUS:
In House State Government & Tribal Affairs
Committee.
2008 STATUS:
In House State Government & Tribal Affairs
Committee.
HB 1389:
Contractor Advertising.
This bill makes clarifications in the exceptions to the
requirement that contractor advertising contain the
contractor’s registration number.
The current exemption for broadcast advertising is
retained without change, but moved to a different section. 2007
STATUS:
In House Commerce & Labor Committee.
2008 STATUS:
In House Commerce
& Labor Committee.
HB 3336:
Public Financing of Supreme Court Campaigns.
One section of this bill would permit a court to issue
an order to a radio or television stations ordering the
station to stop broadcasting advertising by a candidate for
the Supreme Court who had violated the reporting requirements
contained in the bill.
WSAB is working to eliminate that provision and direct
the order to be issued to the advertiser, not the station.
2008
STATUS:
In House State Government & Tribal Affairs
Committee.
SB 6101:
Legal Notice Web Site.
This bill would establish an official state web site
for the posting of legal notices.
It does not affect broadcast legal notice advertising.
2007 STATUS:
In Senate Judiciary Committee.
2008 STATUS: In Senate Judiciary Committee.
SSB 6202/SHB 2852:
False & Defamatory Statements About Candidates for
Public Office.
This bill attempts to overturn a Washington Supreme
Court decision that held unconstitutional a portion of the
political advertising law dealing with making false and
misleading statements in a campaign.
The bill adds the requirement that the false statement
also be defamatory in order to be actionable.
Broadcasters are immune to liability for defamatory
statements made by a candidate in a candidate sponsored spot
in which the candidate appears, but not for “electioneering
communications” sponsored by a person or group not the
candidate.
2008
STATUS:
SSB 6202 in Senate Rules Committee.
SHB 2852 in House Rules Committee.
SB 6577:
Truth in Music Advertising.
This bill would regulate advertising by or about a
performing musical group that uses the name of a former
recording group, but that does not contain all of the original
members of the recording group.
The bill does not make broadcasters liable for any
violation nor require broadcasters to investigate the
authenticity of the group or advertisement.
2008
STATUS:
In Senate
Consumer Protection & Housing Committee.
SJM
8019: Prescription Drug Advertising.
This bill asks the federal Food & Drug
Administration to adopt rules requiring direct to consumer
pharmaceutical advertising to be approved by the Surgeon
General.
2007 STATUS:
In Senate Health & Long Term Care Committee.
2008 STATUS:
In Senate Health & Long Term Care Committee.
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NEWS
GATHERING & REPORTING
OPEN
RECORDS ACCESS
HB 1202/SSB 5547:
Developmental Disabilities Ombudsman DSHS.
These two identical bills would create in the State
Department of Social & Health Services an office of
ombudsman for persons with developmental disabilities.
Investigate records received by the ombudsman would be
exempt from public disclosure.
2007 STATUS:
HB 1202 in House Appropriations Committee.
SB 5547 in Senate
Ways & Means Committee. 2008
STATUS:
HB 1202 in House
Appropriations Committee.
SB 5547in Senate
Ways& Means Committee.
SHB 1421/SB 5409:
Victim Confidentiality Program Personal Information.
These two identical bills would exempt from public
inspection and copying the residential address and phone
number of a person who is enrolled in the victim
confidentiality program administered by the Secretary of
State. 2007
STATUS: HB
1421 passed House; Senate did not consider and returned bill
to House Rules Committee at end of session.
SB 5409 in Senate Government Operations & Elections
Committee. 2008
STATUS: HB
1421
passed House;
passed Senate; signed by Governor; Chapter 18, Laws of 2008. SB
5409 in Senate Government Operations & Elections
Committee.
HB 1446/SB 5436:
Public Records Litigation Statute of Limitations.
These two identical bills would add “failure to
provide a response” in the time required by the public
records law as another triggering event that would start the
one-year statute of limitations for filing an action based on
a denial of a public records request.
2007 STATUS:
HB 1446 passed House; Senate did not consider and
returned bill to House Rules Committee at end of session.
SB 5436 in Senate Rules Committee.
2008 STATUS:
HB 1446 in
House
State
Government & Tribal Affairs Committee. SB
5436 in Senate Rules Committee.
HB 1478:
Pipeline Location Maps/Images.
This
bill would exempt from public inspection and copying maps or
images of pipelines created or acquired by the State Utilities
& Transportation Commission which showed detail greater
than a scale of 1:24,000.
2007 STATUS:
In House Rules Committee.
2008 STATUS: In
House Rules Committee.
SHB 1553/SB 5973:
Prescription Database Information.
These bills would exempt from public disclosure
information gathered by the State Department of Health in the
creation of a prescription drug dispensed electronic database.
2007 STATUS: SHB
1553 in House Appropriations Committee.
SB 5973 in Senate
Ways & Means Committee.
2008 STATUS:
SHB 1553 in House Appropriations Committee.
SB 5973 in Senate Ways & Means Committee.
HB 1742/SSB 5566:
Voter Registration Information.
This bill would exempt from public inspection and
copying the birth date on voter registration records.
It would also make the phone number and signature on
the ballot return envelope available for public inspection,
but not for copying. 2007
STATUS: HB
1742 in House
State
Government & Tribal Affairs Committee.
SSB 5566 passed Senate; House did not consider and
returned bill to Senate Rules Committee at end of session.
2008 STATUS:
HB 1742 in House State
Government & Tribal Affairs Committee.
SSB 5566 in
Senate
Rules Committee.
HB 1942:
Disclosure of Dates of Birth of Public Employees and
Volunteers.
This bill would add the date of birth of a public
employee or volunteer to the list of personal information that
may be withheld from public inspection and copying of public
records. 2007
STATUS: In
House State Government & Tribal Affairs Committee.
2008 STATUS:
In House State Government & Tribal Affairs
Committee.
SHB 2348:
Disclosure of Labor Relations Materials.
This bill would exempt from public inspection and
copying mediation communications and evidence furnished as
showing of interest in support of any labor representation
petition in public employee union labor relations.
2007 STATUS:
In House Rules Committee.
2008 STATUS:
In House Rules Committee.
HB 2490:
Personal Information About Commissioned Peace Officers
& Their Families.
This bill would exempt from public disclosure any
personal information about a commissioned peace officer or the
officer’s family that is not necessary for operation of a
law enforcement agency, such as residential address and phone
number, property tax records, birth dates.
2008
STATUS: In
House State Government & Tribal Affairs Committee.
HB 2725/SB 6250:
Confidentiality of Information Collected for Driver’s
Licenses.
This bill would exempt from public disclosure any
documents and materials used to prove identity, age,
residential address, social security number or other personal
information required to apply for a driver’s license.
2008 STATUS: HB
2725 in
House State Government & Tribal Affairs Committee.
SB 6250 in Senate
Rules Committee.
HB 2839:
Government Agency Ability to Sue Records Requester.
This bill would eliminate the ability of a government
agency, to which a public records request has been made, from
bringing a lawsuit against the requester to enjoin the
disclosure of a requested record.
2008
STATUS: In
House State Government & Tribal Affairs Committee.
HB 2911:
Collective Bargaining Records.
This bill would require disclosure of records made
during government collective bargaining after a written
collective bargaining agreement has been reached.
2008
STATUS: In
House State Government & Tribal Affairs Committee.
HB 3219/SB 6294:
Records Request Damages to Incarcerated Requesters.
This bill would
eliminate the payment of damages to an incarcerated inmate who
is awarded damages because a government agency refused a
public records request. 2008
STATUS: HB
3219 in House
State
Government & Tribal Affairs Committee.
SB 6294 in Senate Human Services & Corrections
Committee.
SB 5120:
Broadband Deployment Survey Information.
This bill would require the State Department of
Community, Trade & Economic Development to conduct a
survey on the deployment of broadband technology in households
in Washington. It
would make confidential the name and identification data of
any person participating in the survey.
2007 STATUS:
In Senate
Ways & Means Committee.
2008 STATUS:
In Senate
Ways & Means Committee.
2SSB 5295:
Department of Corrections Ombudsman.
This bill would create an office of ombudsman in the
State Department of Corrections.
Investigative records received by the ombudsman would
be exempt from public disclosure.
2007 STATUS:
In Senate
Ways & Means Committee.
2008 STATUS: In Senate Ways & Means
Committee.
SB 5515:
Real Property Owner’s Personal Information.
This bill would prohibit a county assessor from
publicizing any personal information related to a property
owner that is not related to the assessment of the property.
The definition of “personal information” is so
broad as to include almost anything.
2007 STATUS:
In Senate Government Operations & Elections
Committee. 2008
STATUS: In
Senate Government Operations & Elections Committee.
SB 6076:
Disclosure of Law Enforcement Investigative Records.
This bill would exempt from public disclosure specific
investigative records of a law enforcement agency pertaining
to an incident that has not led to an arrest, conviction or
other disposition adverse to the subject if more than one year
has passed since the record was created and for which
proceedings are no longer actively pending.
2007 STATUS:
In Senate Judiciary Committee.
2008 STATUS:
In Senate Judiciary Committee.
SSB
6457: Reports of
Adverse Health Events by Care Providers.
This bill would require that the notification of an
adverse health event (event involving patient care that does
or could result in serious injury to the patient) must be made
available to the public and specifically makes the
notification of an adverse health event subject to public
disclosure. SSB
6475 maintains the public nature of the information. 2008
STATUS: Passed
Senate;
passed House; delivered to Governor; Chapter 36, Laws of 2008.
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NEWS
GATHERING & REPORTING
OPEN
MEETINGS
HB 2042:
Public Access to Public Employee Labor Negotiations.
This bill would require that collective bargaining
sessions with public employee organizations are to be
conducted as an open public meeting.
2007 STATUS:
In House Commerce & Labor Committee.
2008 STATUS:
In House Commerce & Labor Committee.
HB 2141:
Open Public Meetings:
This bill would clarify that a “meeting” for
purposes of the Open Public Meetings Act includes any
gathering of a majority of the members of a governing board,
either in person, by telephone or electronic means, at which
they hear, deliberate or take action on any business of the
agency. 2007 STATUS: In House
State Government & Tribal Affairs Committee.
2008 STATUS:
In House State Government & Tribal Affairs
Committee.
SHB 2567:
Open Meeting Violation Penalty.
This bill would increase the penalty for violating the
Open Meetings Act from $100 to $1,000.
SHB 2567 establishes a range for the penalty of
from$250 to $1,000. 2008
STATUS: In
House Rules
Committee.
HB 2630:
Definition of “Meeting:”
This bill clarifies that a meeting, for purposes of the Open
Public Meetings Act, includes any gathering of a majority of
the members of a governmental governing body, whether
in-person, by telephone or any electronic means, to deliberate
or take action; and, that electronic or telephonic meetings
are subject to the meeting notice requirements of the Open
Public Meetings Act. 2008
STATUS: In
House State Government & Tribal Affairs Committee
HB 3090/SSB 6704:
Notice of Special Meeting.
This bill would permit a governmental governing body to
post notice of special meetings on the agency’s web site and
posting it in a public area at the agency’s main office.
It also changes the requirement with respect to meeting
notices to the media by requiring delivery of a written notice
to each radio or television station on record as requesting to
be notified.
2008 STATUS:
HB 3090 in House
State
Government & Tribal Affairs Committee.
SB 6704 in
Senate
Rules Committee.
HB 3292:
Recording of Executive Sessions.
This bill would require a governing body holding an
executive session to make a verbatim audio recording of the
complete executive session and retain the recording for two
years. The
recording would be used only in an action alleging a violation
of the Open Public Meetings act on the basis that the
executive session was not proper.
2008
STATUS: In
House
Rules Committee.
SB
6705/HB
2721: Open
Meetings Model Rules.
These two identical bills direct the State Attorney General to
develop, publish and update an advisory model rule for Open
Meetings. The
Attorney General is also directed to publish a pamphlet for
the general public explaining the Open Meetings Act in plain
language. 2008
STATUS: SB
6705 in
Senate Rules
Committee.
HB 2721 in House State Government & Tribal Affairs
Committee
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NEWS
GATHERING & REPORTING
MISCELLANEOUS
SHB 1307:
Student Media Censorship. This bill would
prohibit high schools and institutions of higher learning from
censoring the content of student media and provides that such
media is not subject to prior review by school administrators.
It also provides that any expression by students in
school sponsored media is not the expression of school policy.
School media includes student run broadcast stations.
Substitute bill adds WSAB amendment the permits schools
to control student station content when it would violate an
FCC rule.
2007 STATUS:
Hearing held 1/26/06 [WSAB did not testify]; Passed
House Judiciary Committee with WSAB amendment concerning
student broadcast stations and FCC rule violations; passed
House; Senate did not consider and returned bill to House
Rules Committee at end of session.
2008 STATUS:
In House Judiciary Committee.
SB
6449:
Student Media Censorship.
This bill is identical to SHB 1307 from 2007 (see above).
It contains the broadcast media exemption that WSAB had
amended into SHB 1307.
2008
STATUS:
In Senate Judiciary Committee.
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TAXES
HB
1380/SB 5574: Printing
Business B & O Tax.
This bill would revise the B & O Tax provisions
relating to printing businesses.
It also amends the section of the law that includes the
provisions relating to broadcasters’ B & O Tax, but does
not change them. 2007
STATUS: HB
1380 in House Finance Committee.
SB 5574 in
Senate
Ways & Means Committee.
2008 STATUS:
HB 1380 in House Finance Committee.
SB 5574 in Senate
Ways & Means Committee.
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MISCELLANEOUS
SHB 1987:
Metal Theft Injury Liability Immunity:
This bill would shield a landowner from liability for
unintentional injuries to any person when the injury is caused
by the theft of metals, including copper.
2007 STATUS:
Passed House; Senate did not consider and returned bill
to House Rules Committee at end of session.
2008 STATUS:
In House Rules Committee.
HB 1537/SSB 5929:
AMBER Alert Hoax Reports-Class C Felony.
These two identical bills would increase the penalty
for knowingly making a false report to a public official to a
Class C felony when the report is of an abducted child that
could trigger an AMBER Alert.
2007 STATUS:
HB 1537 passed House; passed Senate Judiciary
Committee; Senate did not consider and returned bill to House
Rules Committee at end of session.
2008 STATUS:
HB
1537 in House Rules Committee. SSB 5929
in
Senate
Rules Committee.
SHB 2774:
AMBER Alert Hoax Reports-Class C Felony:
This bill is identical to the HB 1537 and SB 5929
introduced in 2007 (see above).
2008 STATUS:
Passed House;
passed Senate; signed
by Governor; Chapter 91, Laws of 2008.
SHB
1675:
Multi-Lingual Public Notices.
This bill would require government agencies that are
required to issue public notices or inform the public about
imminent dangers to public health or safety, to issue those
public notices in a language other than English if more than
5% of the population of the area to which the notice is
directed speaks a different language.
2007 STATUS:
Passed House; Senate did not consider and returned bill
to House Rules Committee at end of session.
2008 STATUS: Passed House;
in Senate Rules
Committee.
HB
1983/SB 6003:
Competitive Video Services.
This bill would create a state-issued authorization for
cable and video services to deploy their systems throughout
the state.
2007 STATUS: HB
1983 in House Technology, Energy & Telecommunications
Committee.
SB 6003 in Senate Water, Energy &
Telecommunications Committee.
2008 STATUS:
HB 1983 in House Technology, Energy &
Telecommunications Committee.
SB 6003 in Senate Water, Energy &
Telecommunications Committee.
ESHB
2225:
Statewide Enhanced 911 Emergency Radio Network. This bill would establish a work group to study
how to enhance the delivery of emergency information to the
public in the event of an on-going emergency.
WSAB is named as one of the members of the work group.
ESHB 2225 maintains WSAB’s positions in the work
group.
2007 STATUS:
passed House; Senate did not consider and returned bill
to House Rules Committee at end of session.
2008 STATUS: In
House
RulesCommittee.
SHB
2337:
Television Reception Districts.
This bill would permit television reception improvement
districts to retransmit emergency radio communications.
2007 STATUS: in House Technology, Energy &
Telecommunications Committee.
2008 STATUS:
In
House Rules Committee.
HB 2534:
Light Pollution.
This bill would regulate light pollution.
It contains a section exempting broadcast tower lights
(“Hazard warning luminaires required by federal law and
federal regulatory agencies”).
However, the exemption applies only to “red”
lights. WSAB has
proposed an amendment to the bill to ensure that both steady
burning red and flashing red tower lights and white strobe
markers are exempt. 2008
STATUS: In
House Ecology & Parks Committee.
SHB 2727:
Rights of Deceased Personalities.
This bill would clarify that the right to the use of a
person’s name, voice, likeness, photograph, etc. extend past
the person’s death and may be transferred or licensed.
The law that this bill amends contains a section
exempting news coverage, public affairs reporting, sports and
other similar uses of a person’s name.
That portion of the law is not changed by HB 2727.
2008
STATUS: Passed
House;
passed Senate; signed by Governor; Chapter 62, Laws of 2008.
SHB 2904:
Use of Publicly Funded TV Station by Incumbent City
or County Council Candidates.
This bill would prohibit any incumbent city or county
council person or commissioner or city or county executive
from appearing on a publicly funded television station, except
at a meeting of the city or county council or commission or
acting in an official capacity at an open public meeting.
SHB 2904 would apply to local government cable access
channels, not broadcast stations and would require those
organizations to develop policies to avoid preferential
treatment for incumbent city or county elected officials.
2008 STATUS:
In
House
Rules Committee.
HJM
4028: Media
Ownership Act.
This Joint Memorial would condemn the FCC’s action
relaxing the newspaper/broadcast cross-ownership act and
request Congress to pass the Media Ownership Act of 2007 which
would invalidate the FCC’s action.
A Joint Memorial does not have the force of law and is
only a “sense of the Legislature” type of resolution.
WSAB testified against HJM 4028 during a hearing in the
House Technology, Energy & Communications Committee. 2008 STATUS:
In House Rules Committee.
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