Rep. Joshua Penner: Protecting local governments from AG "Fishing Expeditions" (SB 5925) скачать в хорошем качестве

Rep. Joshua Penner: Protecting local governments from AG "Fishing Expeditions" (SB 5925)

Rep. Joshua Penner, R-Orting, argues against expanding the Attorney General's investigative powers during a House floor debate on Senate Bill 5925. Speaking in support of Amendment 2208, Penner highlights the significant risks the underlying bill poses to cities and counties across Washington. The amendment seeks to exempt political subdivisions of the state, including school districts and municipal corporations, from being issued civil investigative demands by the Attorney General's office. Penner draws on his experience as the former Mayor of Orting to explain that local jurisdictions already have robust, transparent processes for record fulfillment through the Public Records Act. Penner warns that SB 5925 would allow any of the hundreds of attorneys in the Attorney General's office to bypass established laws and launch broad discovery demands. He characterizes these potential demands as "fishing expeditions" that could force small cities to produce every record on their servers without a specific or justified cause. During his time as mayor, Penner noted that 10% of his staff were already dedicated to fulfilling records requests, and he argues that the financial burden of these new, open-ended demands would be impossible for local governments to meet. He concludes that this amendment is a necessary safeguard to protect the operational and financial health of Washington’s local communities.