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Bill

HB 1765

Exempting email addresses of individuals who subscribe to regular communications and updates from local agencies.

2025-2026 Regular Session Introduced by Greg Nance and 3 co-sponsors

Exempts email addresses of government agency newsletter subscribers from public records disclosure to protect subscriber privacy from harvesting.

Public hearing in the House Committee on State Government & Tribal Relations at 1:30 PM.
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Bill Summary · HB 1765

Legislative bill overview

HB 1765 would exempt email addresses of individuals who voluntarily subscribe to regular communications and updates from local government agencies from public disclosure under Washington's Public Records Act (PRAS). This creates a privacy carve-out specifically for subscribers to official government mailing lists and newsletters.

Why is this important

Government transparency laws typically require agencies to disclose most records, including email lists, which citizens can request. This bill recognizes that voluntary subscribers to agency communications may have privacy interests distinct from other public records. The exemption could protect subscribers' email addresses from commercial harvesting, spam, or other misuse while maintaining agency ability to communicate with interested citizens.

Potential points of contention

  • Transparency vs. privacy balance: Critics may argue that exempting subscriber lists reduces public oversight of who receives government communications and could obscure patterns of agency outreach bias
  • Scope ambiguity: The bill's language about "regular communications and updates" may be unclear—would it cover all newsletter subscriptions, specific categories, or only certain agencies?
  • Implementation burden: Agencies would need systems to distinguish subscriber lists from other records and verify subscription status, creating administrative costs
  • Access inequality: Citizens unable to subscribe initially (or who don't know about lists) might have less access to agency information than those on distribution lists

Compiled from official sources — confirm details with the bill’s official record.

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