House Committee on Judiciary (JUD) - chair: Luke, vice chair: Oshiro House Committee on Legislative Management (LMG) - chair: Magaoay, vice chair: Yamane

Monday, February 6, 2006, 2:00 p.m. Conference Room 325

Testifier: Jean Aoki, Legislative Chair, LWV of Hawaii

Click here to view HB2403

The League of Women Voters strongly supports HB 2403 which gives the Office of Information Practices the power needed to enforce chapter 92. We have always advanced the argument that the present provisions in Chapter 92 make it very difficult for citizens with legitimate concerns about the conduct of any board to seek enforcement of the rules. Most citizens and non-profits do not have the financial means to seek justice through the courts, and many do not have the sophistication to pursue such a course. Giving the director of the OIP the power to enforce these rules is really a shot in the arm for all of our citizens who follow the proceedings of one board or another and are often frustrated by the attempts, through negligence or intentionally, to exclude them and their opinions. The addition of the new section which details the action required of the director either upon the filing of a complaint or at the direction of the director and giving him/her the ability to review the records of a board and make inquiries and ultimately to enforce compliance with OIP’s decision through the courts will really contribute toward a more open government.