OPEN GOVERNMENT TRAINING REQUIREMENTS
All members of governing bodies must complete Open Public Meetings Act (OPMA) training within 90 days of taking the oath of office or assuming duties per
RCW 42.30.205. A refresher course is also required every four years. For more information, see the Washington State Attorney General's webpage on
Open Government Training.
Recognizing that, “whether due to error or ignorance, violations of the public records act and open public meetings act are very costly for state and local governments,” the Legislature enacted, and the Governor signed
ESB 5964 (Laws of 2014, ch. 66), named the “Open Government Training Act.” This new law, effective on July 1, 2014, mandates that persons filling certain state and local government offices and positions complete training regarding one or both of those two laws – and, for some, regarding records retention laws.
OPEN GOVERNMENT TRAINING CURRICULUM
All lessons must be complete within 90 days of appointment. Included in the curriculum are 4 lessons that need to be completed; they do not need to be taken in order. When you have completed all four lessons, please complete the training certificate below and email/deliver to your City staff representative for tracking purposes.
LESSON 1: OPEN GOVERNMENT OVERVIEWS AND GENERAL PRINCIPLES
PowerPoint Presentation
LESSON 2: OPEN PUBLIC RECORDS - RCW 42.56
Video - 30 minutes
LESSON 3: OPEN PUBLIC MEETINGS - RCW 42.30
Video - 16 minutes
LESSON 4: RECORDS MANAGEMENT AND RETENTION - RCW 40.14
Video - 38 minutes
TRAINING CERTIFICATE
Click
here to print your certificate of completion.