Hawaii Uniform Information Practices Act
From Sunshine Review
Contents |
The Hawaii Uniform Information Practices Act (UIPA) is the law that governs access to public records in Hawaii. The law was first enacted in 1975.
The Hawaii Sunshine Law legislates the methods by which public meetings are conducted.
Hawaii's transparency report card
A 2008 study, BGA - Alper Integrity Index, conducted by the Better Government Association and sponsored by Alper Services, ranked Hawaii #3 in the nation with an overall percentage of 62.30%. [1]
A 2007 study, Graded state responsiveness to FOI requests, conducted by BGA and the NFOIC, gave Hawaii 44 points out of a possible 100, a letter grade of "F", and a ranking of 29 out of the 50 states.[2]
A 2002 study, Freedom of Information in the USA, conducted by IRE and BGA, ranked Hawaii's law as the 28th worst in the country, giving it a letter grade of "D+".[3]
Public Records
"In a democracy, the people are vested with the ultimate decision-making power. Government agencies exist to aid the people in the formation and conduct of public policy. Opening up the government processes to public scrutiny and participation is the only viable and reasonable method of protecting the public's interest. Therefore the legislature declares that it is the policy of this State that the formation and conduct of public policy—the discussions, deliberations, decisions, and action of government agencies—shall be conducted as openly as possible."[4]
Open Meetings
"In a democracy, the people are vested with the ultimate decision-making power. Governmental agencies exist to aid the people in the formation and conduct of public policy. Opening up the governmental processes to public scrutiny and participation is the only viable and reasonable method of protecting the public's interest. Therefore, the legislature declares that it is the policy of this State that the formation and conduct of public policy - the discussions, deliberations, decisions, and action of governmental agencies - shall be conducted as openly as possible."[5]
Who May Request Hawaii Records?
Anyone may file a request for public records in Hawaii. Governmental agencies "upon request by any person" shall make available public records. [6]
For requester residency requirements in other states, see the list of who can make public record requests by state.
Relevant legal cases
See Also
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External Links
- Hawaii Office of Information Practices
- Open Government Guide to Hawaii
- Hawaii on WikiFOIA
- Hawaii's Open Records Law - UIPA booklet
- Find the Sunshine Law booklet here
