HB 2244 — Adopting the recommendations of the public records exemptions accountability committee in its 2025 annual report.

H-3072.1H-2587.2 SUBSTITUTE HOUSE BILL 2244 State of Washington 69th Legislature 2026 Regular Session By House State Government & Tribal Relations (originally sponsored by Representatives Mena, Reed, Fitzgibbon, Scott, Duerr, Doglio, Gregerson, and Reeves)Reeves READPrefiled FIRST01/05/26. TIME 01/22/26.

Read first time 01/12/26.

Referred to Committee on State Government & Tribal Relations.

amending RCW 43.190.110, 42.56.320, 10.27.160, 27.53.070, 46.52.065, 46.52.080, 46.52.120, 72.05.130, 21.20.480, and 43.41.100;

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RCW 42.56.320 and 2009 c 191 s 1 are each amended to read as follows:

The following educational information is exempt from disclosure under this chapter:

(1) Financial disclosures filed by private vocational schools under chapters 28B.85 and 28C.10 RCW;

(2) Financial and commercial information supplied by or on behalf of a person, firm, corporation, or entity under chapter 28B.95 RCW relating to the purchase or sale of tuition units and contracts for the purchase of multiple tuition units;

(3) Individually identifiable information received by the workforce training and education coordinating board for research or evaluation purposes;

(4)(a) Except ((for public records as defined in RCW 40.14.010)) as provided for under (b) of this subsection, any records or documents obtained by a state college, university, library, or archive through or concerning any gift, grant, conveyance, bequest, or devise, the terms of which restrict or regulate public access to those records or documents.

(b) The following records and information are not exempt under (a) of this subsection:

(i) Public records as defined in RCW 40.14.010;

and (ii) The name and city of residence of a financial donor, the amount of the financial donation, and any restrictions or conditions on the financial donation;

and (5) The annual declaration of intent filed by parents under RCW 28A.200.010 for a child to receive home-based instruction.

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PROVIDED, That the results of these analyses shall be)) reported to the state patrol p.and made available to the prosecuting attorney or law enforcement agency having jurisdiction((:

2 SHB 2244 and made available to the prosecuting attorney or law enforcement agency having jurisdiction((:

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(1) All required accident reports and supplemental reports and copies thereof shall be without prejudice to the individual so reporting and shall be for the confidential use of the county prosecuting attorney and chief of police or county sheriff, as the case may be, and the director of licensing and the chief of the Washingtonp. state patrol, and other officer or commission as authorized by law, except that ((any)):

(a)3 AnyHB such2244 officerWashington shallstate disclosepatrol, the names and addressesother ofofficer personsor reportedcommission as involved in an accident or as witnesses thereto, the vehicle license plate numbers and descriptions of vehicles involved, and the date, time and location of an accident, to any person who may have a proper interest therein, including the driver or drivers involved, or the legal guardian thereof, the parent of a minor driver, any person injured therein, the owner of vehicles or property damaged thereby, or any authorized representativeby oflaw, suchexcept anthat interested((any)): party, or the attorney or insurer thereof;

(a) Any such officer shall disclose the names and addresses of persons reported as involved in an accident or as witnesses thereto, the vehicle license plate numbers and descriptions of vehicles involved, and the date, time and location of an accident, to any person who may have a proper interest therein, including the driver or drivers involved, or the legal guardian thereof, the parent of a minor driver, any person injured therein, the owner of vehicles or property damaged thereby, or any authorized representative of such an interested party, or the attorney or insurer thereof ;

PROVIDED, That the reports may be used as p.evidence when necessary to prosecute charges filed in connection with a violation of RCW 46.52.088.

3 SHB 2244 evidence when necessary to prosecute charges filed in connection with a violation of RCW 46.52.088.

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RCW 46.52.120 and 2017 c 147 s 9 are each amended to read as follows:

(1) The director shall keep a case record on every motor vehicle driver licensed under the laws of this state, together with information on each driver, showing all the convictions and findings of traffic infractions certified by the courts, together with an index cross-reference record of each accident reported relating to such individual with a brief statement of the cause of the accident and whether or not the accident resulted in any fatality.

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4 HB 2244 (2) The records shall be for the ((confidential)) use of the director, the chief of the Washington state patrol, the director of the Washington traffic safety commission, and for such police officers or other cognizant public officials as may be designated by law.

Such case records shall not be admitted into evidence in any court, except where relevant to the prosecution or defense of a criminal charge, or in case appeal is taken from the order of the director, suspending, revoking, canceling, or refusing a vehicle driver's license.

(3) The director shall tabulate and analyze vehicle driver's case records and suspend, revoke, cancel, or refuse a vehicle driver's license to a person when it is deemed from facts contained in the case record of such person that it is for the best interest of public safety that such person be denied the privilege of operating a motor vehicle.

The director shall also suspend a person's driver's license if the person fails to attend or complete a driver improvement interview or fails to abide by conditions of probation under RCW 46.20.335.

Whenever the director orders the vehicle driver's license of any such person suspended, revoked, or canceled, or refuses the issuance of a vehicle driver's license, such suspension, revocation, cancellation, or refusal is final and effective unless appeal from the decision of the director is taken as provided by law.

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