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Washington Senate Internet and Electronic Mail Policy
Use of Internet and Electronic Messaging
Any use of the Internet by members and staff of the Senate must comply with the Rules of the Senate, all policies and procedures of the Senate, the Standards of Conduct regarding Use of Public Facilities, and all statutes governing the Senate.
The Secretary of the Senate must pre-approve any use of commercial or pay-for-use services available via the Internet. All Senate Internet users must use their assigned account names and passwords and are responsible for using effective password security. To ensure compliance with copyright laws and maintain the security of the legislative network, users are prohibited from downloading and/or installing software (commercial, freeware, Beta, etc.) without prior consultation with the Secretary of the Senate or designee.
Use of this service is limited to the conduct of official Senate business, or the duties of a Senator in representing constituents. Personal use of the Internet is allowed only in cases where: 1) it is incidental, infrequent, involves little or no actual cost to the state; 2) it does not interfere with performance of official duties, and 3) there is a public benefit such as increasing employee morale or improving work-related job skills.
Each user is individually responsible for the content of any communication sent via the Internet. Personal use is also subject to the restrictions imposed on all workplace communications by Senate employees, personal and professional. These long-standing restrictions include adherence to respectful workplace policies regarding sexual harassment, no personal gain from state resources, no electoral campaign uses, no viewing of pornography, and avoiding sustained usage that creates productivity problems. Monitoring of employees is only initiated following evidence of transgressions in these areas. Crossing these lines will initiate the disciplinary process described in this manual under 'Disciplinary Actions and Terminations'. (See page 8, subsection 4)
As a member or an employee of the Senate, you should be aware that documents created on your PC, correspondence you send or receive via e-mail and records of sites you visit on the Internet may become public information. While such information is generally not disclosable, there are ways it may lose its privacy or confidentiality. The Senate has the ability to track Internet sites visited by PCs that are connected to our network to ensure compliance with this policy.
Internet messages, generally have no guarantee of confidentiality, but electronic mail within our network is in most cases secure between sender and receiver. However, e-mail can be mistakenly addressed or forwarded to others for whom it was not intended. Even though you have deleted an e-mail on your screen, there is no guarantee that it has been removed from the system - the same goes for documents created in word processing and other programs available for your use.
Any time you post a comment on a USENET news server, you leave your Internet address behind. Anyone using an Internet search site has the ability to search for the address, determine who has left postings, and read, print, copy, or forward their contents. Postings of a non-legislative nature violate the Senate Internet policy.
Inquiries regarding the particular use of an Internet service, including whether or not such use constitutes "official Senate business" or "permitted personal use" shall be directed to the Secretary of the Senate or Office of Senate Counsel.
Computer Usage Monitoring Policy
The Washington State Senate is justifiably proud of our effort to be a model employer and workplace, encouraging the highest standards of ethical and professional conduct among legislators, supervisors, and staff. A wide range of practices to encourage professional and ethical behavior have been implemented under the heading of "respectful workplace" policies.
New technologies have expanded the range of practices which need to reflect the respectful workplace perspective. The Senate expects the highest standards of professionalism from staff, and in return rewards that professionalism with respect for employee privacy within the boundaries of ethical and legal restraints incumbent upon all employees invested with public trust.
In practice, the Senate has affirmed the professionalism of employees by avoiding monitoring of e-mail, by filtering Internet access to pornography without routine monitoring of individual Internet usage, and by allowing private voice-mail. These practices seek to balance the need for efficient staff output with the realities of the complex lives of employees and the need to trust the professionalism of staff.
This document proposes a formalization of current practice and a means to link that practice to our broader vision of a respectful workplace.
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