Resources for Trustees

Training on the OPMA and PRA can be found at Open Government Training | Washington State.

This section focuses on the laws that impact library board meetings as well as provides tips for best practices. Many general questions can be answered by consulting the in-depth resource, Open Government Resource Manual, which cites the laws and subsequent legal interpretations. Specific questions should be addressed to your library's legal counsel.

From the Open Government Resource Manual, Chapter 3:  "The Open Public Meetings Act ("OPMA"), chapter RCW 42.30, was passed by the legislature in 1971 as part of a nationwide effort to make government affairs more accessible and, in theory, more responsive." The OPMA and the Public Records Act (PRA), chapter 42.56 RCW, create important and powerful tools enabling the people to inform themselves about their government, both state and local.

The Public Disclosure Commission is responsible for providing information about the RCWs as well as ensuring compliance.

The following opening statement from RCW 42.30.010 demonstrates the clear intent of the law and the manner in which courts have interpreted the law: "The people of this state do not yield their sovereignty to the agencies which serve them. The people, in delegating authority, do not give their public servants the right to decide what is good for the people to know and what is not good for them to know. The people insist on remaining informed so that they may retain control over the instruments they have created."