Formal Opinions

Opinion Letter No. 10-03 October 5, 2010 Ethics Commission Opinions Requester asked OIP whether the City Ethics Commission should disclose two Advisory Opinions issued by the Commission in a manner that discloses the identity of the respective employees whose misconduct...

Opinion Letter No. 10-02 August 16, 2010 Form of Record; Limitations on Employer Actions [Please note that opinions discussing the deliberative process privilege have been materially affected by the Hawaii Supreme Court’s majority opinion in Peer News LLC v. City and...

Opinion Letter No. 10-01 July 28, 2010 Settlement Proceeds Paid by County's Private Insurers Kauai County asked whether the County could keep confidential the amounts paid under its private liability insurance policies to settle claims against the County related to...

Opinion Letter No. 09-03 September 25, 2009 RICO Investigative Records OIP was asked whether the Regulated Industries Complaints Office, Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs (RICO) properly withheld all investigative records related to its petition for disciplinary action filed against...

Opinion Letter No. 09-02 September 9, 2009 Protests Filed on Requests for Proposals OIP was asked whether the State Procurement Office (SPO) properly denied a request for disclosure of protests alleging legal deficiencies in a Request for Proposals (RFP) where...

Opinion Letter No. 09-01 August 7, 2009 Hawaii Humane Society as Agency; Animal Control Enforcement Records OIP was asked whether the Hawaiian Humane Society (HHS) properly denied a request for records pertaining to a woman known as the “Cat Lady”...

Opinion Letter No. 08-02 July 28, 2008 Boards Created by Resolution A Council member asked OIP for an advisory opinion as to whether a task panel created by council resolution falls within the definition of “board” under the Sunshine Law....

Opinion Letter No. 08-01 March 14, 2008 Council Member Participation at Committee Meetings When Not Assigned to Committee The Maui County Council requested an opinion from OIP regarding whether council members may attend and participate in a meeting of a...

Opinion Letter No. 07-11 September 25, 2007 Applications for Permits to Enter Marine Refuge [Please note that opinions discussing the deliberative process privilege have been materially affected by the Hawaii Supreme Court’s majority opinion in Peer News LLC v. City and...

Opinion Letter No. 07-10 June 27, 2007 Right to Present Testimony A requester sought an opinion as to whether the Maui Planning Commission violated the Sunshine Law by denying a member of the public the right to testify during the...