Hawaii Legislature Threatens Freedom of Information with SB2858

Media Council Hawaii, along with 16 other community organizations are appealing to the state legislature on SB 2858. In her OpEd at Civil Beat today, UH Manoa Professor emerita Beverly Deepe Keever explained problems with the bill. She said there are "portions of the bill that would permit a government agency to go to court to contest an official agency’s decision compelling disclosure to the public of a record to which the law entitles it." We agree.

"Retaining FOIA in the existing bill," said Keever. "Would unnecessarily weaken OIP’s powers, waste limited resources of OIP and other agencies, and make it even more difficult for citizens to obtain government records in a timely manner.

Read the complete OpEd here and follow the bill here.