EVERETT – State Attorney General Rob McKenna will headline a series of open government forums sponsored by daily newspapers across the state, including The Herald, in an effort to increase citizen involvement in government and gather comments on new rules for public disclosure.

The forums begin Tuesday in Bremerton, and The Herald’s event will take place at Everett Community College Aug. 23.

“Access to open government is vitally important in a free society,” McKenna said in a statement. “These forums are designed to bring people who seek access to government information together with those who are charged with providing it, in an effort to find common ground and build trust.”

McKenna spearheaded the effort to update the state’s Public Disclosure Act during the last legislative session.

“When voters approved the state’s Public Disclosure Act nearly 30 years ago, they wanted to make sure Washington’s government was accessible and transparent,” McKenna said.

“Over the years, a series of exemptions and court decisions have chipped away at the foundation of this law. That’s why we worked so hard to pass this year’s public disclosure enhancements.”

The new disclosure law, which takes effect today, prohibits government agencies from denying public records requests by saying the requests are overly broad.

The new law also helps government agencies comply by allowing them to respond to requests on a partial or installment basis. It helps protect against nuisance requests by allowing agencies to ask for a deposit on each installment of a public records request.

Finally, the law authorizes the attorney general to adopt a model rule on public records disclosures.