The primary topic of this morning’s Seattle Neighborhood Coalition meeting was reform of public disclosure law. Attorney General Rob McKenna was the first speaker, and after he finished Representative Toby Nixon presented a list of bills on open government now pending in the House.

The most of important of these is HB 2515, which limits the ability of public officials hide behind attorney-client privilege by adding lawyers to meetings as (in McKenna’s words) “potted plants” or copying lawyers on all emails. This reform is good for both public disclosure and the public purse.

HB 2515 has been assigned to the House Judiciary Committee and will have a hearing at 10:00 am this Tuesday, January 17. If you can attend the hearing in support of the bill, please do. You can also email the committee members to express your support. Here is the committee roster.