PRA/personal information

AN ACT Relating to safeguarding personal information entrusted to 1
agencies that is of no legitimate concern to the public; reenacting 2
and amending RCW 42.56.230; and creating a new section.3
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF WASHINGTON:4
NEW SECTION. Sec. 1. The legislature finds that any policy of 5
state discrimination based on national origin, citizenship, or 6
immigration status threatens the rights and proper privileges to 7
Washington's residents and menaces the institutions and foundation of 8
a free democratic state. The legislature further finds that there is 9
a chilling effect and barrier to accessing state programs when 10
personal information that would reveal information used to aid in 11
civil immigration enforcement, other than the person's immigration or 12
citizenship status as defined in RCW 43.17.420(7), is not protected 13
from being used to target vulnerable populations. Immigration 14
enforcement is not a primary function of any state agency. Personal 15
information as identified in section 2 of this act that is submitted 16
to the state for specific purposes is of no legitimate concern to the 17
public and its disclosure would be highly offensive to a reasonable 18
person if disclosure would reveal information that allows intrusion 19
into the individual's private life. Furthermore, the legislature 20
finds a substantial and compelling interest in ensuring that the 21
H-3030.1
HOUSE BILL 2637
State of Washington 69th Legislature 2026 Regular Session
By Representatives Gregerson, Mena, Davis, Stearns, Ortiz-Self,
Parshley, Fosse, Obras, Goodman, Ormsby, Taylor, Zahn, Macri, Ramel,
Santos, and Peterson
Read first time 01/22/26. Referred to Committee on State Government
& Tribal Relations.
p. 1 HB 2637
state of Washington remains accessible for all residents to live and 1
contribute by protecting the personal information shared in order to 2
access state services that can be used to target Washington residents 3
for immigration enforcement. 4
Sec. 2. RCW 42.56.230 and 2023 c 361 s 14, 2023 c 346 s 1, and 5
2023 c 182 s 2 are each reenacted and amended to read as follows:6
The following personal information is exempt from public 7
inspection and copying under this chapter: 8
(1) Personal information in any files maintained for students in 9
public schools, patients or clients of public institutions or public 10
health agencies, or welfare recipients; 11
(2)(a) Personal information: 12
(i) For a child enrolled in licensed child care in any files 13
maintained by the department of children, youth, and families;14
(ii) For a child enrolled in a public or nonprofit program 15
serving or pertaining to children, adolescents, or students, 16
including but not limited to early learning or child care services, 17
parks and recreation programs, youth development programs, and after-18
school programs; 19
(iii) For a student enrolled or previously enrolled in a local 20
education agency, in any records pertaining to the student, including 21
correspondence; 22
(iv) For the family members or guardians of a child who is 23
subject to the exemption under this subsection (2) if the family 24
member or guardian has the same last name as the child or if the 25
family member or guardian resides at the same address as the child 26
and disclosure of the family member's or guardian's information would 27
result in disclosure of the personal information exempted under 28
(a)(i) through (iii) of this subsection; or 29
(v) For substitute caregivers who are licensed or approved to 30
provide overnight care of children by the department of children, 31
youth, and families. 32
(b) Emergency contact information under this subsection (2) may 33
be provided to appropriate authorities and medical personnel for the 34
purpose of treating the individual during an emergency situation;35
(3) Personal information in files maintained for employees, 36
appointees, or elected officials of any public agency to the extent 37
that disclosure would violate their right to privacy;38
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(4) Information required of any taxpayer in connection with the 1
assessment or collection of any tax if the disclosure of the 2
information to other persons would: (a) Be prohibited to such persons 3
by RCW 84.08.210, 82.32.330, 84.40.020, 84.40.340, or any ordinance 4
authorized under RCW 35.102.145; or (b) violate the taxpayer's right 5
to privacy or result in unfair competitive disadvantage to the 6
taxpayer; 7
(5) Credit card numbers, debit card numbers, electronic check 8
numbers, card expiration dates, or bank or other financial 9
information as defined in RCW 9.35.005 including social security 10
numbers, except when disclosure is expressly required by or governed 11
by other law; 12
(6) Personal and financial information related to a small loan or 13
any system of authorizing a small loan in RCW 31.45.093;14
(7)(a) Any record used to prove identity, age, residential 15
address, social security number, or other personal information 16
required to apply for a driver's license or identicard.17
(b) Information provided under RCW 46.20.111 that indicates that 18
an applicant declined to register with the selective service system.19
(c) Any record pertaining to a vehicle license plate, driver's 20
license, or identicard issued under RCW 46.08.066 that, alone or in 21
combination with any other records, may reveal the identity of an 22
individual, or reveal that an individual is or was, performing an 23
undercover or covert law enforcement, confidential public health 24
work, public assistance fraud, or child support investigative 25
activity. This exemption does not prevent the release of the total 26
number of vehicle license plates, drivers' licenses, or identicards 27
that, under RCW 46.08.066, an agency or department has applied for, 28
been issued, denied, returned, destroyed, lost, and reported for 29
misuse. 30
(d) Any record pertaining to a vessel registration issued under 31
RCW 88.02.330 that, alone or in combination with any other records, 32
may reveal the identity of an individual, or reveal that an 33
individual is or was, performing an undercover or covert law 34
enforcement activity. This exemption does not prevent the release of 35
the total number of vessel registrations that, under RCW 88.02.330, 36
an agency or department has applied for, been issued, denied, 37
returned, destroyed, lost, and reported for misuse.38
Upon request by the legislature, the department of licensing 39
shall provide a report to the legislature containing all of the 40
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information in (c) of this subsection (7) and this subsection (7)(d) 1
that is subject to public disclosure; 2
(8) All information related to individual claim resolution 3
settlement agreements submitted to the board of industrial insurance 4
appeals under RCW 51.04.063, other than final orders from the board 5
of industrial insurance appeals. The board of industrial insurance 6
appeals shall provide to the department of labor and industries 7
copies of all final claim resolution settlement agreements;8
(9) Voluntarily submitted information contained in a database 9
that is part of or associated with 911 emergency communications 10
systems, or information contained or used in emergency notification 11
systems as provided under RCW 38.52.575 and 38.52.577;12
(10) Information relating to a future voter, as provided in RCW 13
29A.08.725; 14
(11) All information submitted by a person to the state, either 15
directly or through a state-licensed gambling establishment, or 16
Indian tribes, or tribal enterprises that own gambling operations or 17
facilities with class III gaming compacts, as part of the self-18
exclusion program established in RCW 9.46.071 or 67.70.040 for people 19
with a gambling problem or gambling disorder; 20
(12) Names, addresses, or other personal information of 21
individuals who participated in the bump-fire stock buy-back program 22
under former RCW 43.43.920; ((and))23
(13) All personal and financial information concerning a player 24
that is received or maintained by the state lottery or any contracted 25
lottery vendor except the player's name and city or town of 26
residence. Additional information may be released only in accordance 27
with prior written permission from the player; and28
(14)(a) The following personal information submitted to, obtained 29
by, or maintained by an agency which can be used to distinguish or 30
trace an individual's identity:31
(i) Age;32
(ii) Residential address;33
(iii) Place of birth;34
(iv) Location or precise geolocation data or global positioning 35
system coordinates;36
(v) Government-issued identifier, including a social security 37
number, passport number, driver's license number, student number, 38
vehicle license plate number, or application number; and39
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(vi) Consumer utility data, including from phone and internet 1
services.2
(b) The state has the right to assert the exemption from public 3
inspection and copying of the personal information in this subsection 4
(14), but only the individual who is the subject of the information 5
may waive the exemption. 6
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