Sen. John Braun, R-Centralia
Dean Takko, D-Longview, answers questions in his office in the O'Brien Building on the Capitol Campus in Olympia in 2013.
State Sens. John Braun, R-Centralia, and Dean Takko, D-Longview, recently provided their official calendars in response to a Chronicle public records request.
Both calendars were sent by Senate Counsel Victoria Cantore, who said the Senate still considers itself exempt from state public records law while a court case is ongoing. Both Braun and Takko provided their calendars voluntarily.
The documents are filled with typical events, meet-and-greets with local organizations, school tours and meetings with area officials. Braun provided his calendar from March 16-April 26; Takko’s covered April 1-May 5.
The documents were provided after a political firestorm near the end of the legislative session, after a court ruling subjected legislators to public records laws to which they’d long held themselves exempt.
The Legislature hastily passed a bill retroactively exempting lawmakers from disclosures, but backed down after public backlash and a veto from Gov. Jay Inslee.
The legal battle is pending an appeal, and Cantore said disclosure requirements have been stayed by the Washington State Supreme Court until that happens.
