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Committee hears bill to exempt tribal data from Public Records Act; supporters cite sovereignty, opponents warn of overbreadth
Summary
Representative Deborah Lekanoff and tribal leaders urged the committee to protect tribal data from public disclosure by exempting certain records from the Washington Public Records Act.
Representative Deborah Lekanoff (state Representative, 40th Legislative District) and tribal leaders urged the State Government & Tribal Relations Committee to adopt House Bill 16 92, a proposal to exempt information ‘‘pertaining to American Indians, Alaska Natives, or Indian tribes’’ from disclosure under the Washington Public Records Act (PRA) when that information is prepared, owned, used, or retained by enumerated state or local agencies.
The bill’s sponsor, Representative Deborah Lekanoff, told the committee the proposal was “budget neutral” and part of an effort to recognize tribal data sovereignty. She said tribes have been harmed by unethical uses of data and cited a December 3, 2024, agreement of the governor’s Indian Health Advisory Council on tribal data sovereignty principles and a data-sharing checklist as background for the measure.
Why it matters: Backers said the proposal would give tribes…
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