News from OIP: Changed Quorum Requirement for Some Boards; OIP Discontinues Fax Line

The Office of Information Practices (OIP) has recently transitioned to a new telephone system, and our previous office fax line will no longer be active.  Please continue to contact our office through email: [email protected], mailing address: 250 S. Hotel St., #107, Honolulu, HI 96813, or telephone: (808) 586-1400.

The Legislature did not pass out any bills amending the Sunshine Law or the Uniform Information Practices Act this year.  However, it did pass two bills changing the quorum requirement for Honolulu neighborhood boards and for the island burial councils, which the Governor has now signed into law.  Act 077 (S.B. 2397, S.D. 1, H.D. 1, C.D. 1) provides that for neighborhood boards overseen by the Honolulu Neighborhood Commission, a majority of filled seats (as opposed to a majority of all seats including vacant ones) constitutes a quorum for the purposes of conducting board business and discussions before and related to voting, but not for the purpose of voting.  Act 096 (H.B. 2104, H.D. 2, S.D. 1, C.D. 1) provides, among other things, that for an island burial council a majority of all members appointed (as opposed to a majority of all members the council is entitled to) constitutes a quorum to do business, so long as those members number least three.  Although Act 077 and Act 096 do not amend the Sunshine Law itself, they will have Sunshine Law implications for Honolulu neighborhood boards and island burial councils with vacant seats.  Such boards can now meet with fewer members present than they previously could, but should also bear in mind their lower quorum number when using the Sunshine Law’s permitted interactions (many of which limit participation to less than a quorum of a board’s members).