Training Materials Index
Here are brief descriptions and links to OIP’s training guides and videos explaining the UIPA and Sunshine Law.
UIPA:
The Law
Uniform Information Practices Act (Modified), Chapter 92F, Hawaii Revised Statutes (“UIPA”)
Rules
Rules
Quick Guide to OIP’s Administrative Rules
Please note that the Hawaii Supreme Court recently held that the deliberative process privilege could not be recognized under the UIPA in its 3-2 decision in Peer News LLC v. City and County of Honolulu, No. SCAP-16-0000114 (Haw. Dec. 21, 2018); see Majority Opinion; Dissenting Opinion.
- Open Records: Guide to Hawaii’s Uniform Information Practices Act
(pdf) – rev August 2019
Basic UIPA Training Videos
- 2-part video and training materials, approx. 1.5 hours.
For the hearing impaired, here is the full transcript of the Basic UIPA training video:
• Transcript of Basic UIPA training video (pdf).
Additional UIPA Guidance:
- Basic Q & A
Basic Q&A on access to government records
- Waiver of Fees
Waiver of fees in the public interest (pdf) – Nov. 2011 - Processing Large or Complex UIPA Requests
Informal Guide to Processing Large or Complex UIPA Record Requests (pdf) – Jan. 2012 - Responding to a Personal Record Request
Quick Review: Responding to a Personal Record Request (pdf) – April 2013 - Disclosure to Auditors
Disclosure to Auditors – May 2002
- Redaction
Quick Review: The ABCs of Redaction – April 2013 - Requester’s Responsibilities and Requirements
Quick Review: Requester Has Responsibilities and Requirements
Before an Agency Must Provide Records – rev May 2014 - Emergency Orders and Medical Privacy
Quick Review: Agency Disclosure Obligations During Pandemic – August 28, 2020
UIPA Forms for the Public
UIPA Forms for the Public
UIPA Forms for Agencies
UIPA Forms for Agencies
UIPA RECORD REQUEST LOG
Log, Training, Instructions, FAQ, Reports
SUNSHINE LAW:
The Law
Chapter 92: Public Agency Meetings and Records
Summary: Sunshine Law Amendments Allowing Remote Meetings – July 8, 2021
Rules
Rules
Sunshine Law Guide
Open Meetings: Guide to the “Sunshine Law” for State and County Boards – rev July 2019
Open Meetings: Guide to the “Sunshine Law” for Neighborhood Boards – rev July 2019
Basic Sunshine Law Training Video
2-part “Basic Sunshine Law” video and training materials, approx. 1.5 hours. (part 2 revised July 2019)
For the hearing impaired, here is the full transcript of the Basic Sunshine Law training video:
Transcript of Basic Sunshine Law training video (pdf).
Sunshine Law Test
The state Office of Information Practices (OIP) invites you to test your knowledge of Hawaii’s Sunshine Law requiring open public meetings. Certification is given for a passing score (70%) at the end of the test. There are ten questions (multiple choice and true/false), randomly chosen, about the following areas: (1) minutes, (2) meetings & testimony, (3) closed meetings, (4) outside a meeting, and/or (5) notice and agenda.
Additional Sunshine Law Guidance:
- Virtual Meetings
OIP’s Tips for Holding a Virtual Public Meeting – April 16, 2020
Summary: Sunshine Law Amendments Allowing Remote Meetings – July 8, 2021 - 2018 Sunshine Law Changes:
- Quick Review: Sunshine Law Provisions – effective July 1, 2018
- Sunshine Law changes: training outline
- Sunshine Law changes: training script
- Who Board Members Can Talk to and When:
Quick Review: Who Board Members Can Talk to and When, Part 1 – rev July 2018
Quick Review: Who Board Members Can Talk to and When, Part 2 – rev May 2014
Quick Review: Who Board Members Can Talk to and When, Part 3 – Aug. 2013
Quick Review: Roundtable Discussions with Multiple Boards
Subject to the Sunshine Law – March 2017
- Agendas and State Calendar
Agenda Guidance for Sunshine Law Boards – rev July 2019 (note: the Public Meeting Notice Checklist attached at the end of the guidance is the July 2019 version).
Calendar Guidance State Calendar – Visit the State Calendar to view meeting notices of state boards and commissions. With the calendar you can select a single agency or select “ALL” to see a calendar of all meetings. Please note: the State Calendar is maintained by the Department of Accounting and General Services. See Executive Memo 11-11 – Nov. 2011. - Continuance of a Meeting
Quick Review: Continuance of a Meeting Under the Sunshine Law – rev July 2018
Hawaii Supreme Court Sunshine Law Decision in Kanahele v. Maui County Council
Regarding meeting continuances and board communications. - Meeting Notices
Quick Review: Sunshine Law Meeting Notice Requirements – rev July 2019 - Meeting Minutes
Quick Review: Sunshine Law Requirements for Public Meeting Minutes – rev July 2018 - Audio- or Videoconferenced Meetings
Quick Review: Audio- or Videoconferenced Meetings (June 2016) - Executive Meetings
Quick Review: Executive Meetings Closed to the Public (July 2019) - State Legislative Issues and Measures
Quick Review: Sunshine Law Options to Address State Legislative Issues and Measures – rev July 2018
Sunshine Law Forms for Boards:
- Public Meeting Notice Checklist (pdf) – rev July 2019
- Request for OIP’s Concurrence for a Limited Meeting (11/11) (MS Word) – fillable form
- Notice of Continuance of Meeting (MS Word) – Jan. 2014
- Checklist and County Council’s Request to Waive Videotaping of a Meeting
as Guests of a Board or Community Group (MS Word – fillable form) – Mar. 2015 - Checklist and County Council’s Request to Waive Videotaping of a Meeting
as Guests of a Board or Community Group (pdf – fillable form) – Mar. 2015
ADA Accessibility Questions:
For questions about the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and its applicability to the online posting of minutes, notices, agendas, and other matters, please contact Hawaii’s Disability and Communications Access Board (DCAB), [email protected], 919 Ala Moana Blvd., Room 101, Honolulu, HI 96814, (808) 586-8121, or visit DCAB’s website at http://health.hawaii.gov/dcab/. For questions about the Sunshine Law, please contact OIP.
Although the federal Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) is not enforced or administered by the state Office of Information Practices, OIP would like to remind state and county boards that ADA requirements also apply to all public meetings. The state Disability and Communication Access Board (DCAB) has recently posted on its website “Guidance on the Provision of Auxiliary Aids/Services or Accommodations Due to a Disability at Public Meetings or Events,” which contains sample language that state and county boards should include on their meeting agendas to notify people that an accommodation due to a disability may be requested in advance of a public meeting. Additionally, according to DCAB, “the agenda and all supporting documents linked to the agenda should be prepared in an accessible format readable by a person with screen-reader software, including the inclusion of alt text (alternative text) behind images.” Thus, in addition to the state Sunshine Law, boards should comply with federal ADA requirements to ensure that their notices and meetings are accessible to persons with disabilities.
COURT OPINIONS
APPEALS:
Guide to Appeals to the Office of Information Practices
This guide, in a question and answer format, provides an introduction to the process of administrative appeals to the Office of Information Practices (OIP) from government agency decisions under the Uniform Information Practices Act (UIPA), the Sunshine Law, and certain decisions of the State Department of Taxation to grant or deny access to their records.
2013 Law and Administrative Rules Governing Appeal Procedures of Hawaii’s Office of Information Practices
A law review article by OIP Director Cheryl Kakazu Park and Staff Attorney Jennifer Brooks first published at 36 University of Hawai’i Law Review 271 (Winter 2014), which explains the administrative rules regarding appeals to OIP in UIPA and Sunshine Law cases, as well as the law allowing agencies to appeal to the courts from OIP’s decisions.