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

UIPA Guide
Please note that the Hawaii Supreme Court held in 2018 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.

Basic UIPA Training Videos

OIP’s Services and Overview of the UIPA (a 30-minute PowerPoint presentation) (Sept 2021)
OIP’s Services and Overview of the UIPA  (pdf, accessible) (Sept 2021)

2-part video and training materials, approx. 1.5 hours.

Additional UIPA  Guidance:

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:

Current Law:
Chapter 92: Public Agency Meetings and Records
(Does not contain Act 220 amendments that are effective 1/1/22.)

Amendments effective 1/1/22:
Act 220, SLH 2021

Training on Act 220, SLH 2021:

Open Meetings: Guide to “The Sunshine Law” for State and County Boards
(October 2021) (for the law as effective from 1/1/22)

Open Meetings: Guide to “The Sunshine Law” for Neighborhood Boards
(October 2021) (for the law as effective from 1/1/22)

Summary:  Sunshine Law Amendments Allowing Remote Meetings – July 8, 2021

In-Depth Sunshine Law Requirements for Multi-Site and Remote Meetings Effective January 1, 2022
(October 2021) (for the law as effective from 1/1/22)

Public Meeting Notice Checklist
(October 2021) (for the law as effective from 1/1/22)

Quick Review:  Sunshine Law Meeting Notice Requirements
(October 2021) (for the law as effective from 1/1/22)

Quick Review:  Sunshine Law Requirements for In-Person Meetings Held at Multiple Sites
(October 2021) (for the law as effective from 1/1/22)

Quick Review:  Sunshine Law Requirements for Remote Meetings
(October 2021) (for the law as effective from 1/1/22)

Quick Review:  Executive Meetings Closed to the Public
(October 2021) (for the law as effective from 1/1/22)

 

Training on Current Law:

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:

Sunshine Law Forms for Boards:

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.

 

RULES

OIP’s Administrative Rules

COURT OPINIONS

OIP Opinions Page

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.