State of Hawaii - Office of Information Practices

August 18, 2008:
POSTING MEETING NOTICES OF STATE BOARDS
ON THE STATE CALENDAR
Effective immediately, Governor Linda Lingle has directed all State boards subject to the Sunshine Law to post their meeting notices on the State Calendar as soon as those notices are filed at the Office of the Lieutenant Governor. See Executive Memorandum No. 08-06. A board must still file its meeting notice and agenda with the Lieutenant Governor’s office to comply with the Sunshine Law’s notice requirements.

Visit the State Calendar to view meeting notices of State boards and commissions. Please note: the State Calendar is maintained by the Department of Accounting and General Services.

June 6, 2008:
RECENT COURT CASES UNDER
THE UIPA AND THE SUNSHINE LAW
The Hawaii appellate courts have ruled in two cases that offer guidance under the UIPA and the Sunshine Law.

(1) Right to Know Comm. v. City Council, City & County of Honolulu, 175 P.2d 111 (Haw. Ct. App. 2007).
This case concerned the serial use of a "permitted interaction" under the Sunshine Law. The Intermediate Court of Appeals agreed with OIP's conclusion (in OIP Op. Ltr. No. 05-15) that serial use violates the Sunshine Law because it circumvents the law's open meeting requirement and is contrary to the law's underlying policy and intent.

(2) Olelo v. OIP, 173 P.3d 484 (Haw. 2007).
In this case, the Hawaii Supreme Court ruled that Olelo is not an "agency" under the UIPA.

For a summary of these two cases and their effect on furture OIP opinions, see the May 2008 issue of Openline.

October 16, 2007:
New OIP Director
Governor Linda Lingle has appointed Paul T. Tsukiyama director of the Office of Information Practices, effective November 28, 2007.

"I appreciate Paul's willingness to continue to serve the public and ensure the people of Hawaii have open access to government records and public information," said Governor Lingle. "Based on his legal experience and his long record of public service, I am confident Paul will build on our Administration's achievements in ensuring state government is open and transparent."

Tsukiyama comes to OIP from the City and County of Honolulu's Department of the Corporation Counsel where he headed the labor and personnel section. Paul has also served the public in many other state positions including director of the Special Prosecution Division of the City's Department of the Prosecuting Attorney, supervisor of the Prosecuting Attorney's White Collar Crime Branch and deputy attorney general in the Commerce and Economic Development Division of the Department of the Attorney General.

A graduate of the University of Hawaii at Manoa, Tsukiyama earned his juris doctor from Willamette University College of Law in Salem, Oregon.