Date-of-birth privacy bill about safety and security, supporters tell a House committee
The bill to keep our dates of birth private, SB 6079, is about protecting the “physical and emotional safety” of state employees, not a restriction on the news media, bill sponsor Sen. Patty Kuderer of the 48th Dist. told the House State Government Committee Tuesday morning (Feb. 20).
Four AFSCME Council 28 (WFSE) members testified for the bill and shared stories coming in from other members from around the state. Like this one from a Spokane member:
“Just one person, angry or not, could jeopardize our safety, and our families’ safety.”
SB 6079 is needed “in order to protect the identities of state employees,” DSHS Pierce County Local 53 member Rebecca Rush told the committee.
Dates of birth unlock a wave of information that jeopardizes the safety and security of state employees and their families.
“I have been stalked and harassed personally by unhappy clients who used public information to find my home address and the names of my family members,” a Clark County DSHS member said in a statement presented to the committee.
“It really puts them (state employees) at risk,” said Elena Guilfoil, a Local 872 member at Ecology in Lacey.
Opponents attacking the bill included the publisher of the Seattle Times, several of his staff, other newspapers and the foundation that has so far been blocked by the courts on getting our dates of birth.
Some committee members said the opposition from the media and foundation was distressing.
Rep. Sherry Appleton of the 23rd Dist. called the anti-privacy stance “a witch hunt on public employees.”
“It’s reprehensible that public employees should be the ones we go after,” she said.
Seattle Times Publisher Frank Blethen and other media reps said state employees have other remedies if their dates of birth lead to threats from clients or others out to do them harm.
Rep. Laurie Dolan of the 22nd Dist. said that after-the-fact suggestion doesn’t cut it.
“Sometimes you don’t know who you’re going to be threatened by until someone shows up at your front door,” Dolan said,
Members faced down the opponents as they took to the rostrum to urge the committee to pass the bill.
Melissa Kover, a Local 443 member with DSHS in Tumwater, appreciated the debate between the public’s right to know versus the public safety of workers, but....
“It’s terrifying knowing that someone can show up at my home,” Kover testified. “I feel this is a safety issue for public employees of the state....
“My employer, the state of Washington, shouldn’t make this (dates of birth) easier for them to find.”
Rush said journalists “could do a little more digging” to identify public employees in their news stories.
“We don’t know who’s going to threaten us,” Local 443 DSHS member Steve Segall told the committee.
A compromise is on the table in the form of an amendment giving news media access to dates of birth, similar to the media leeway given on law enforcement officers’ dates of birth. But the media representatives were lukewarm to that and still wanted a wall-to-wall release of dates of birth to anyone.
SB 6079 already passed the Senate.
- CALL TO ACTION ON SB 6079: Dial 1-206-693-2926. Share your concern and ask your two House members to protect your privacy and safety by SUPPORTING SB 6079!
