Exemptions and Prohibition Statutes Not Listed in Chapter 42.56 RCW (Procedure Appendix B) – Thurston County, WA

Exemptions and Prohibition Statutes Not Listed in Chapter 42.56 RCW (Procedure Appendix B) is the Thurston County list of laws outside the Public Records Act (PRA) that the county believes exempt or prohibit disclosure of specific records.

RCW 42.56.070(2) requires an agency to publish and maintain a current list of every such law. The appendix adds that an agency's failure to list an exemption does not affect the exemption's efficacy. For Washington State statutes it refers you to the Attorney General's Sunshine Committee webpage, whose up-to-date list of public disclosure exemptions is created annually by the Code Reviser's Office. The federal list is a selection of statutes and rules, updated periodically by MRSC; this copy is dated March 2019:

• 18 USC § 2721 - 2725: driver and license plate information
• 20 USC § 1232g: Family Education Rights and Privacy Act
• 23 USC § 409: evidence of certain accident reports
• 42 USC § 290dd-2: confidentiality of substance abuse records
• 42 USC § 405(c)(2)(C)(viii)(I): limits on use and disclosure of Social Security numbers
• 42 USC § 654(26), § 671(a)(8), § 1396a(7): state plans for child support, foster care and adoption assistance, and medical assistance
• 42 USC § 5106a: grants to states for child abuse and neglect prevention and treatment programs
• 7 CFR § 272.1(c): food stamp applicants and recipients
• 34 CFR § 361.38: state vocational rehabilitation services programs
• 42 CFR § Part 2 (2.1 - 2.67): alcohol and drug abuse patient records
• 42 CFR § 431.300 - 307: safeguarding information on medical assistance applicants and recipients
• 42 CFR § 483.420: client protections in intermediate care facilities for individuals with intellectual disabilities
• 45 CFR § 160-164: HIPAA Privacy Rule

It is a reference list, not a records request form.

Anyone who requests records from Thurston County, or who wants to understand why part of a record may be withheld, can use this appendix. The county's Public Records Disclosure page explains that the Public Records Act provides that a number of types of documents, or parts of documents, are exempt from public inspection and copying, and it lists this appendix among its resources on exemptions from disclosure.

The appendix is also the county's published answer to the requirement in RCW 42.56.070(2) to list the laws, other than those in the PRA, that it believes exempt or prohibit disclosure.

Keep these limits in mind:

• The appendix lists only selected federal confidentiality statutes and rules. Washington State exemptions are found on the Attorney General's Sunshine Committee webpage.
• It is not a request form. A person who wants records files a public records request through the county's channels, described under How to submit.
• Nothing on the appendix is signed or completed by a requester.

Appendix B is a reference list and is not submitted to the county. The public records requests it supports go through these Thurston County channels:

• Online portal: the county's Public Records Request Portal, linked from its Public Records Disclosure page. The county asks you to be as specific as possible so it can search accurately.
• Public Records Officer or Coordinator: if you prefer not to use the portal, direct your request to the Public Records Officer or to the Public Records Coordinator in the office or department that holds the records. The request form is available in person at any Thurston County office or department.
• Email: accepted only at the official Thurston County Public Records Request e-mail address. The county's system limited attachments to 20 megabytes as of October 2010 and says that capacity may change without notice.
• Mail: Sara Meath, Public Records Officer, Thurston County Prosecuting Attorney's Office, 2000 Lakeridge Dr. SW, Olympia, WA 98502. Telephone: (360) 754-4998.

Copy charges apply under RCW 42.56.120(2), which the county has adopted; ask the Public Records Officer or the office providing the records for the amounts. FillingPDF lets you fill out and download the PDF; submission follows the channels above.