What's New

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.

Two Acts Signed into Law in 2008:

Click on the links for official copies of the two new acts affecting the Sunshine Law:

• Act 20 - amending limited meetings provision (§ 92-3.1) to allow closed meeting where public attendance is not practicable
• Act 153 - creating special Sunshine Law exceptions for neighborhood boards
  

OpenLine Newsletter (pdf):

• August 2008
  State Boards Must Post Meeting Notices on State Calendar; Using the State Calendar; 2008 Acts Affecting Sunshine Law: Act 20 - Board Meeting Where Public Attendance Is Not Practicable; Act 153 - Special Sunshine Exceptions for Neighborhood Boards

OIP Opinion Letters (pdf):

• See a list of all opinions, with summaries and full text.

Text of 2008 Opinion Letters (pdf):

• OIP Opinion Letter No. 08-01, March 14, 2008
  (Council Member Attendance)
• OIP Opinion Letter No. 08-02, July 28, 2008
  (Boards Created by Resolution)

Text of 2007 Opinion Letters (pdf):

• OIP Opinion Letter No. 07-01, February 1, 2007
  (Firearm Permits)
• OIP Opinion Letter No. 07-02, February 1, 2007
  (Sufficiency of Agenda Re: Motions to Reconsider)
• OIP Opinion Letter No. 07-03, February 13, 2007
  (Public Testimony)
• OIP Opinion Letter No. 07-04, March 22, 2007
  (Police Blotter Information)
• OIP Opinion Letter No. 07-05, April 13, 2007
  (Energy Infrastructure Security)
• OIP Opinion Letter No. 07-06, April 13, 2007
  (Sufficiency of Agenda)
• OIP Opinion Letter No. 07-07, April 18, 2007
  (Personal Information and Vital Records in Land Records)
• OIP Opinion Letter No. 07-08, May 4, 2007
  (Personal Information in Agency's Response to Audit Report)
• OIP Opinion Letter No. 07-09, May 11, 2007
  (Ethics Advisory)

Opinion Letter Summaries: a chronological index of all OIP opinion letters, with brief summaries.

• These summaries are designed to serve only as a quick guide to locate an
  OIP opinion letter relating to a certain subject.
• To fully understand an opinion, it is necessary to read the full text of the opinion.

Subject Matter Index of Opinion Letters; Table of Statutes:

• Subject Matter Index (MS Word) - updated July 26, 2007
• Subject matter index (pdf) - updated July 26, 2007
  
• Sunshine Law Index (MS Word) - updated November 19, 2007
• Sunshine Law index (pdf) - updated November 19, 2007
  
• Table of statutes (MS Word) - updated August 9, 2007
• Table of statutes (pdf) - updated August 9, 2007

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.

July 14, 2005:
NOTICE REGARDING PUBLIC, EDUCATIONAL,
AND GOVERNMENT ACCESS PROVIDERS
The First Circuit Court recently granted summary judgment to 'Olelo in its lawsuit seeking a declaration that it is not an agency for UIPA purposes. Based on that ruling, OIP will not be accepting new requests for assistance regarding 'Olelo or other PEG providers until further notice. OIP will provide updates on this issue as needed on this website.