Two bills supported by the state Office of Information Practices have been advanced during the legislative session that was reconvened on June 22, 2020. Senate Bill 2038, S.D. 1, H.D. 1, Relating to Board Members, was passed by the House Judiciary Committee yesterday. The original bill would permit two or more board members to attend ...
Read More LEGISLATIVE PROPOSALS PROCEED
What’s New
On June 16, 2020, the Hawaii Supreme Court (Court) issued a unanimous opinion in In Re Office of Information Practices Opinion Letter No. F16-01, which overturned decisions by the Second Circuit Court and Intermediate Court of Appeals (ICA) that had resulted in the dismissal of a complaint challenging a Sunshine Law opinion by the state ...
Read More HAWAII SUPREME COURT OPINION
Now that the State of Hawaii is in the “Act with Care” stage and offices are allowed to reopen, OIP’s office located at 250 S. Hotel Street, Suite 107, Honolulu will be open from 7:45 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. on Mondays through Fridays, except State holidays, effective June 8, 2020. For everyone’s health and safety, ...
Read More OIP’S OFFICE REOPENS
The state Office of Information Practice (OIP) is pleased to announce that the State Calendar process has been changed to allow the electronic posting of emergency and continued meetings with less than six days’ notice. The Sunshine Law requires notice of meetings of state boards to be electronically posted on the State Calendar. Although emergency ...
Read More STATE CALENDAR ALLOWS POSTING OF EMERGENCY OR CONTINUED MEETING NOTICES
Now that its powers have been restored, the state Office of Information Practices posted three new informal memorandum opinion summaries and the full text of a new formal opinion on its opinions page at oip.hawaii.gov. In OIP Opinion Letter No. F20-3, OIP concluded that the budget committee of the Honolulu City Council violated the Sunshine ...
Read More OIP POSTS 4 NEW OPINIONS
The COVID-19 pandemic, and the possibility of future crises, have changed many things forever, including some ways that government may be conducted. While the partial suspension of Hawaii’s open records and open meetings laws are temporary until amended or terminated by the Governor’s emergency orders, there could be lasting changes in how the public will ...
Read More OIP COLLECTING COMMENTS FOR DRAFT LEGISLATION
Late yesterday, most of OIP’s powers and duties were reinstated by Governor David Ige’s Seventh Supplementary Proclamation issued on May 5, 2020 (SP7), which is now posted on OIP’s website. SP7 continues to partly suspend both the state’s Uniform Information Practices Act (UIPA) (Chapter 92F, HRS), and the Sunshine Law (Part I of Chapter 92, ...
Read More OIP POWERS REINSTATED
In addition to the virtual public meeting tips posted last week, the state Office of Information Practices (OIP) would like to pass along information about virtual meeting technology training and how boards can make those meetings accessible to disabled persons. The Microsoft Teams Live Event online training that was recorded and posted by the State ...
Read More ADDITIONAL TIPS FOR VIRTUAL PUBLIC MEETINGS
During this unprecedented COVID-19 emergency when the Sunshine Law has been partially suspended and people have been ordered to shelter at home, several boards have used technology to hold virtual public meetings so that they can continue to do their important work with public participation while keeping everyone safe from infection. We don’t know when ...
Read More OIP’S TIPS FOR HOLDING A VIRTUAL PUBLIC MEETING
As the COVID-19 virus has become a global pandemic and a serious threat to the health and welfare of our State’s population, the Uniform Information Practices Act (Modified), chapter 92F, HRS (UIPA), was temporarily suspended, and the Sunshine Law, part I of chapter 92, HRS, was substantially suspended, by the Supplemental Proclamation of Governor Ige dated March 16, 2020 (SP), to give government the maximum flexibility to ...
Read More OIP’S ADVICE FOR AGENCIES AND BOARDS DURING THE TEMPORARY SUSPENSION OF THE LAWS