The depth of the betrayal of SB6617: the Legislature's speed of sound bill to remove itself from public scrutiny.

If you were driving in the vicinity of Vancouver around mid afternoon, you may have noticed a mushroom cloud in the vicinity of Brush Prairie.

If were privy to such a sight, that was the aftermath of my head exploding in anger at the passage of SB6617, the "Nunya" bill passed without debate, without discussion and without committee hearings or any other kind of public input that enables those in the Legislature and their staffs to hide their malfeasance and misfeasance in office by removing themselves from the Public Records Act where THEY belong more than any other person, group of persons or agency in this entire state.

I am told be someone up there that they voted for this bill to keep "constituent communication private."

During MY 6 years on staff, I never once received ANY constituent communication that NEEDED to be "private."

But let's first look at the bill in question so you can see how badly we've been screwed.

Here is the bill's history.  This turd was dropped YESTERDAY and passed TODAY.

2018 REGULAR SESSION

Feb 22

Read first time, rules suspended, and placed on second reading calendar. (View Original Bill)

Feb 23

Floor amendment(s) adopted.

Rules suspended. Placed on Third Reading.

Third reading, passed; yeas, 41; nays, 7; absent, 1; excused, 0. (View 1st Engrossed) (View Roll Calls)

IN THE HOUSE

Feb 23

Read first time, rules suspended, and placed on second reading calendar.

Rules suspended. Placed on Third Reading.

Third reading, passed; yeas, 83; nays, 14; absent, 0; excused, 1. (View Roll Calls)

IN THE SENATE

Feb 23

President signed.

IN THE HOUSE

Feb 23

Speaker signed.

OTHER THAN LEGISLATIVE ACTION

Feb 23

Delivered to Governor. (View Bill as Passed Legislature)

As I stated, I was on legislative staff for 6 sessions (around 6 years or so) and in all that time, I NEVER have seen a bill move that fast.

Ever.

You don't see anything there about committee hearings in either House.

And why do you suppose that might be?

Could it be that the scum jamming this down our throats didn't WANT to hear from us?

Nah.  Not everyone is like Ann "Gas Tax/Property Tax" Rivers.... are they?

Could it be they didn't WANT video coverage of witness after witness sitting in front of their cowardly mugs and punching them silly for this insidious slap to the face to the citizens of this state?

Gee.... you think?

Here's the summary from the Bill Report of what this legislative abortion actually does:

This is a result of a judge's decision in a lawsuit brought by the Seattle Times and Associated Press where the decision handed down stated that, in fact, the Legislature was NOT exempt from the PRA.

Of course, the PRA was the result of an initiative (I-276) passed some 45 years ago by the voters of this state, but these slime don't care any more about that than they do another initiative we passed, the $30 car tab initiative, I-695.

Seen a $30 car tab lately? 

Here's the list of what us mere mortals CAN get.

Legislative Public Records Subject to Disclosure. The following items are defined as legislative public records: Ÿ

committee meeting documents, such as correspondence, amendments, and minutes; transcripts, records of hearings, written testimony, and other documents filed with committees;

internal accounting and financial records;

leave, travel, and payroll records;

bills and bill reports;

reports submitted to the Legislature;

final dispositions of disciplinary proceedings;

information from legislators' calendars of meetings or events related to official legislative duties, if created after July 1, 2018;

correspondence on legislative business to and from non-legislative employees who are not constituents, if created after July 1, 2018; and any other record officially designated as such.

So, we're told that this was a vote to "protect constituent privacy."

Really?

Then why is it we can get information about Calendars if they were made after July 1 of this year?

What's so magic about 1 July?  What about BEFORE July 1?  What are they hiding?

How does withholding calendars from BEFORE July 1 "protect constituent privacy?"

Why does ANY of this apply to ANYONE who is NOT a "constituent" at all?

What's so magic about July 1 when it comes to correspondence with non-constituents?  What about BEFORE July 1?  What are they hiding?

Here's the reality:

Our legislature is corrupt.

The communications they want to protect?

They want to protect them to protect themselves from public scrutiny.

Because, as I've frequently pointed out, the LAST thing these people want is accountability.

That's why their campaign websites and literature are utterly worthless, a mass of words that say nothing, explain nothing and pledge nothing.

At a minimum?  It's politically embarrassing.  At a maximum, it's proof of misfeasance in office.

How do I know that?

Here's the test: IF the concern was ONLY constituent privacy?

Then that's all this would address.  The ONLY thing that would be exempted would be just that: constituent communication.

There wouldn't be any need for dates, such as July 1, 2018.

CLEARLY, then, this legislation which stinks like rotten meat, goes FAR beyond "constituent privacy."

Legislators aren't priests.  There's no doctor/patient relationship, no lawyer/client relationship, no priest/penitent relationship.

I want to know and review ALL of the communication between MY Senator and the pot interests who own her like the 13th Amendment was the 13th Suggestion.  Practically NONE of them are "constituents."

I want to know each and every communication Rivers has received from ANY source concerning her effort to ram the horrific gas tax and tab fee increases down our throats.  Practically NONE of them are from "constituents."

I want to know each and every communication Rivers has received from ANY source concerning her effort to cause our property taxes to explode, her sellout to Strategies 360, and the details of the $5.5 BILLION she stuffed in the WEA's pockets.  Practically NONE of them are from "constituents."

I want to know each and every communication Rivers has received from ANY source concerning her effort to resurrect the CRC/Loot Rail scam that she had worked so hard to kill a few short years ago.  Practically NONE of them are from "constituents."
And guess what?  If this law survives?

I can't get ANY of it.

And THAT is the kind of thing this smoke-filled room, midnight behind closed doors crap is designed to do.

The LAST thing they were concerned about was "constituent privacy."

The last thing they considered was what was "right."

The LEAST important thing to them was SUPPOSED to be the MOST important thing to them.

US.

And the thing they've done here?  And the way they've done it?

Proves they don't give a DAMN what we think, want or desire, as long as they can wave a wand and cover their asses.

"Constituent privacy?"

Don't pee on our legs and tell us it's raining.

And, by the way?  BOTH parties shafted us on this (Senate vote: 41-7, House vote: 83-14) PRECISELY like they screwed us on the gas tax/tab fee jam, the resurrection of the CRC scam and our current, ongoing, property tax explosion.
I have been disappointed and angered by what these people have done to us before... but nothing comes close to this.

Nothing.