Office of Information Practices

Given the increasing government efforts to post open data online at data.hawaii.gov, data.honolulu.gov, and data.gov, the state Office of Information Practices (OIP) reminds all state and county agencies to update their record titles on the Records Report System (RRS), which informs the public as to the types of records being kept by the government and also helps agencies identify the publicly accessible records that they could consider posting online.  While the actual records are maintained by the agencies, not OIP, the agencies are required to report to OIP the titles of the records that they maintain and provide the following information:

• how the record is stored and retrieved;
• the title, business address, and telephone number of the officer in charge of the record;
• the retention period for the record;
• whether the record is publicly accessible, confidential, or confidential/conditional;
• whether it is a personal record;
• the legal authority for maintaining the record; and
• uses of the record and the categories of routine users of the record.

Each record title is then assigned a unique RRS number and the data is posted to the RRS database on OIP’s website for public viewing.

Agencies are reminded to update the RRS at the end of each fiscal year with any changes or new record titles that they may have created.  Training to enter such data into the RRS can be found on the RRS page for agencies at oip.hawaii.gov, where you will find various materials, including:

(1) Login Request Form

(2) Agency Training Guide: How to Report and Update Agency Records

(3) Guide to the 10 RRS Reports for Agency Users
A guide for agency users to create RRS reports that will sort and organize the information in a department’s RRS records, including by retention and by access class.  The guide also suggests ways to use the reports to manage records and information.

In addition to the RRS reports, all agencies subject to the UIPA are required to provide statistical data to OIP.  In lieu of filing the “Report of Statistical Information Required by the UIPA, Section 92F-18(b)(12),”  the state executive branch departments and the Judiciary have been reporting this information through the UIPA Record Request Log, which also helps them to track formal record requests and their outcomes, along with costs and fees for responding to requests.   Each agency’s Log totals are then uploaded to the UIPA Master Log on the state’s open data site at data.hawaii.gov.   For detailed instructions and forms, follow the Training or UIPA links on the OIP website to the UIPA Record Request Log page.

For the latest on open government news, check for these archived copies of What’s New articles that are posted here, or e-mailed upon request. To be added to OIP’s e-mail list, please e-mail [email protected].