Formal Opinions

Opinion Letter No. 05-03 January 19, 2005 Charter Provision Providing Greater Disclosure The Department of Finance, County of Kauai (“Finance”) asked the OIP for an opinion concerning the disclosure of the job titles and the exact salaries of covered employees...

Opinion Letter No. 05-02 January 19, 2005 Speaking at Public Meetings on Matters Outside the Agenda The County Clerk for the County of Hawaii asked OIP for an opinion on the Hawaii County Council’s practice of permitting members of the...

Opinion Letter No. 05-01 January 19, 2005 Downtown Homeless Task Force The OIP was asked whether the Downtown Homeless Task Force of the City and County of Honolulu ("City") is a board subject to the Sunshine Law. The OIP found...

Opinion Letter No. 04-19 November 12, 2004 University of Hawaii Institutional Animal Care & Use Committee The OIP was asked whether the University of Hawaii Institutional Animal Care & Use Committee (the “UH IACUC”) must conduct its meetings in compliance...

Opinion Letter No. 04-18 November 15, 2004 Transcript of Administrative Hearing Protected by Confidentiality Statute The UIPA authorizes agencies to withhold access to government records when a confidentiality statute explicitly restricts access to those records. Section 383-95(a), HRS, requires that...

Opinion Letter No. 04-17 October 27, 2004 Personal Calendars and Telephone Message Slips Not Government Records The OIP found it to be consistent with the definition of “government record” under the UIPA and its legislative history to distinguish between records...

Opinion Letter No. 04-16 September 22, 2004 Records to be Provided in Requested Format Government records required to be disclosed under the UIPA that are maintained in electronic format generally must be provided to a requester in paper format if...

Opinion Letter No. 04-15 August 30, 2004 Disclosure of Forecasts Prepared by Staff An opinion was requested as to whether forecast sections of tax credit data tables (the “Staff Forecasts”), prepared by staff of the Tax Research and Planning Office...

Opinion Letter No. 04-14 August 27, 2004 Briefing on Contested Cases and Executive Session to Protect Privacy Even under a narrow reading of the term “adjudicatory functions,” a staff briefing for a board regarding pending contested cases before that board...

Opinion Letter No. 04-13 August 23, 2004 Payroll Clearance Fund Escheated Warrants Report [OIP Op. Ltr. No. 05-03 partially overrules this opinion to the extent that it states or implies that the UIPA’s privacy exception in section 92F-13(1), HRS, either prohibits public...