The 2019 legislative session ended with major cause for celebration at the State Archives

Irreplaceable records of Washington state’s history are on the way to being safely preserved and protected with the passage of Secretary of State Kim Wyman’s proposal to build a new combined Library-Archives Building. 

On April 25th, House Bill 2015 passed the Senate 41-7, and the House of Representatives 92-6 to authorize funding for the project.

To really round out a victorious session, the Local Records Grant Program became a permanent part of the State Archives' Records Management team. House Bill 1667 received unanimous approval by the House, following a unanimous vote in the Senate one day prior.

The Local Records Grant Program provides financial assistance to local governments to support records management and preservation efforts, to improve records retention compliance, and to provide technology information systems that improve public records disclosure. Grants are distributed based on extensive review of applications submitted by eligible local government entities, such as schools and law enforcement agencies.

--Out of the Archives, a newsletter from the Washington Secretary of State