® Federal Way roa He Jim Ferrel, Mayor February 28, 2018 Governor Jay Inslee Office of the Governor PO Box 40002 Olympia, WA 98504-0002 Dear Governor Inslee: ‘As mayor of the City of Federal Way and on behalf of the entire Federal Way City Council and the people of Federal Way, I respectfully request that you use your powers as governor to veto Senate Bill 6617, which I believe is an affront to our obligation to ensure open government. This bill would exempt the State Legislature from the Public Records Act, set up separate rules for disclosure of legislative records that are less stringent than those that apply to all state and local government agencies, and retroactively exempt from disclosure records that a Thurston County Superior Court judge previously ruled must be disclosed. Even more troubling, the bill purports to restrict appeal to legislative committees of the House and Senate, denying review by any court. I believe that this provision could even be unconstitutional. Itis particularly disturbing that a bill of this magnitude was passed by a suspension of usual procedures with no debate, in less than one hour, and only 48 hours afier it became public. believe that the people whom we represent have a right to know what we are doing in their name. Senate Bill 6617 instead shields some of the people’s business from their rightful serutiny. I am proud that all three of our representatives in the State Legislature voted against this bill, making the 30 Legislative District one of only two districts in the entire state to stand up unanimously for the right of the people to open government, Please do the same and veto this ill-advised legislation, Sincerely, wtdf Jim Ferrell, Mayor City of Federal Way co: Federal Way City Council