Freedom of Information/National Freedom of Information
Coalition
2009
FOI bills in 2009 Legislature
Hawaii ranks 26th is Sunshine Week
survey of online records
2008
Reporters' Shield Law passes. What it means, according to
Portnoy
FOI Bills at the state
Legislature
2007
Chapter and
other groups win Sunshine lawsuit against City Council, which is affirmed on
appeal
Bills in the 2007
Legislature
2006
Legislation
introduced in 2006 Legislature: House Judiciary Committee defers
action on bill that would create a task force to study procedures
of the Office of Information Practices. The task force would have
had a majority of government boards, including two that have
longstanding beefs with OIP. (Updated: 3/27/06)
Mark Cooper
talks about a "Digital Democracy" at the annual FOI Day
luncheon March 14 at the East-West Center (Posted: 3/6/06)
Details on
Sunshine Week March 12-18: OIP conducts Sunshine workshop for
reporters (Updated: 3/1/06)
10 organizations
release firstever Hawaii FOI audit of government records (Posted:
3/14/06)
Former New York Times columnist
Tony Lewis tells what he
thinks about protecting the
names of confidential sources.
What's New:
Freedom of Information forum touches on military access, prior
restraints and sources, Feb. 24-25 at the University of Hawaii
law school (Updated: 2/26/06)
Order is issued
by Judge Eden Hifo in ruling against City Council one-on-one
serial meetings (Posted: 2/18/06)
2005
Lawsuit against City Council to stop
serial, one-on-one meetings
This just in: No
sooner than the City Council loses a lawsuit over openness urged
by the Office of Information Practices, top legislators introduce
a bill to create a board to oversee OIP without giving it the
usual requisite power to fine or enforce the open meetings and
open records laws (1/27/06)
Eight groups win
in lawsuit against City Council on serial one-on-one
communications (Updated: 1/25/06)
Lawsuit filed
against City Council, and Council answers Hawaii Chapter SPJ's
lawsuit over secret meetings (Updated: 10/27/05)
The dispute between the
Office of Information Practices and the City Council over serial
one-on-one vote gathering; OIP opinion to be posted soon (8/6/05)
Other FOI business
President Bush
issues executive order designed to improve federal agency
response on Freedom of Information requests (Posted: 12/16/05)
Journalists
coalition cites increased use of exemptions by federal government
in refusing to release information under the Freedom of
Information Act (Posted: 12/16/05)
The judiciary
backs off proposed restrictions on the rule governing cameras in
the courtroom (Posted: 12/7/05)
Chapter submits
testimony against proposed changes in cameras in the courtroom
changes (Posted: 11/18/05)
State courts
propose to restrict rules on cameras in the courtroom. Deadline
is today (Posted: 11/21/05)
Kondo and Keever
talk about open meetings and records at workshop Jan. 25 (Posted:
1/26/05)
Bill Dedman of the
Boston Globe tells the FOI Day Luncheon why government records
are so important. Here is the second corrected list of Hawaii
Freedom of Information Project Activities -- Week of March 13 to
April 1; IRE and BGA give Hawaii FOI law a dismal grade; Sunshine
Week Web site goes live; Advertiser, Pacific Business News and
Star-Bulletin agree to participate in Sunshine Week; SPJ joins
various media organizations in Sunshine Week 2005 (Updated:
3/16/05)
Acting governor
signs two Office of Information Practices bills; updated
legislative report; House Finance Committee revises bill that
would have stripped funding from Akaku public access television
on Maui; Groups urge House Judiciary Committee to hold
hearing on Senate Bill 1551; Open records and meetings measures
so far in the 2005 Legislature (Updated: 8/5/05)
2004: Governor vetoes
convention center disclosure bill but notes that Hawaii law
allows withholding of confidential information if disclosure
"frustrates a legitimate government function." What
bills are alive and dead at the state Capitol (Updated: 12/17/04)
2003: Office of
Information Practices opinion on how detailed agendas should be;
Differing legal opinions on Sunshine Law; Medical privacy restrictions; Sen. Leahy introduces bill
to replace broad exemption for homeland security on
infrastructure plans; Bills affecting government access
1. SPJ says new medical
privacy rules issued by Bush will hamper news reporting; Hawaii
gets a D+ for its Freedom of Information Law in nationwide audit;
FOI 2002 bills dead (Posted: 8/19/02)
2. Judge rules that UH Board of Regents
didn't violate Sunshine Law; May 17 hearing scheduled for
chapter's motion for temporary restraining order to force Board
of Regents to hold a public vote on the UH president's salary;
chapter's, students' lawsuit against University of Hawaii Board
of Regents for violating the Sunshine Law in setting the new
president's salary (5/9/01)
3. Bush
administration issues guidelines on medical privacy;
Pending bills in the 2001 Legislature: Acting governor signs bill
to repeal medical privacy bill because of of superceding federal
regulations (Updated: 7/09/01)
4. 2000 legislative developments: SEN.
IHARA says conference committee chairman's powers negates reforms
of last year; IHARA gets opinion that conference committees have
to vote in public; after Kamemoto inquires about administration
bill, governor pulls backing for it; bill seeking constitutional
amendment establishing a right of access (4/26/01)
5. Office of Information Practices
rules/comments; Director approves and sends to governor (3/10/98)
6. Open Government Coalition of Hawaii:
Notes from 2002 Conference; Tips from 2001 Conference, Minutes;
FOI Roundup of the states 2000, 2001; Minutes of annual NFOIC
meeting; FOI-L official on developments across the nation; State
of FOI by Ian Lind (5/9/02)
7. Hawaii FOI issues 1999: Chapter fails
to get amendment to allow hospitals to continue to give medical
conditions of victims of crimes and accidents; Governor vetoes
Tourism Authority secrecy bill (7/14/99)
8. New FOI Alerts (7/23/99)
9. Hawaii FOI issues 1998 (5/25/98)
10. Supreme Court rules in SHOPO case
(11/20/97)
Hawaii SPJ