June 10, 2025
The Washington Public Disclosure Commission is proposing to increase the penalty ranges for violations of the state’s political disclosure laws, and has scheduled a public hearing to consider the proposal at its meeting on July 24, 2025.
The Commission uses penalty schedules to make appropriate assessments of violations based upon the nature of the activity and potential harm to the public, among other factors. The current penalty schedules used for stipulations (WAC 390-37-062), brief adjudicatory proceedings (WAC 390-37-143), and full commission hearings (WAC 390-37-182) were set in 2018. Public Disclosure Commissioners have expressed interest in updating the penalty schedules several times over the past year, and PDC staff initiated the formal rulemaking process in October 2024.
PDC staff has proposed increase increasing the penalty ranges by $500 to $1,000 for most categories of violations in order to give the Commission more flexibility in assessing penalties. The Commission is limited by statute to fines of $10,000 per violation, but can assess higher penalties by agreement of the parties, or by referring cases to the state Attorney General’s Office for prosecution if higher penalties are warranted.
The Commission is inviting written comments on the proposed rules and welcomes participation at the public hearing July 24, 2025.
To comment on the proposed penalty increases, email pdc@pdc.wa.gov.