Public records law being weakened

POSTED: 01:30 a.m. HST, May 08, 2012

~~<p>There's particular, sad irony in the passage of one bill by state lawmakers last week, Senate Bill 2858. If it's enacted and takes effect Jan. 1, the measure will continue a reversal of the groundbreaking work done by their predecessors nearly 25 years earlier on the issue of public records and open government.</p>
<p>It was this work — passing the Uniform Information Practices Act, including creation of the Office of Information Practices (OIP) — that made Hawaii's law a model that other states followed. No longer the vanguard, Hawaii now seems to be marching toward the back ranks.</p>
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There's particular, sad irony in the passage of one bill by state lawmakers last week, Senate Bill 2858. If it's enacted and takes effect Jan. 1, the measure will continue a reversal of the groundbreaking work done by their predecessors nearly 25 years earlier on the issue of public records and open government.

It was this work — passing the Uniform Information Practices Act, including creation of the Office of Information Practices (OIP) — that made Hawaii's law a model that other states followed. No longer the vanguard, Hawaii now seems to be marching toward the back ranks. Login for more...