Bill > HB130

This bill amends Hawaii's public records law by establishing specific guidelines for fees associated with searching, reviewing, and segregating government records. The bill caps fees at $5 per 15 minutes for searching records and $7.50 per 15 minutes for reviewing and segregating records. Importantly, the legislation introduces a mechanism for fee waivers when the public interest would be significantly served by disclosing a record. To qualify for a fee waiver, the disclosed information must contribute substantially to public understanding of government operations, not be primarily for commercial interests, and not be unreasonably burdensome. When evaluating whether a disclosure serves the public interest, officials will consider factors such as the subject matter, informative value, potential public understanding, contribution significance, any commercial interests, and the primary motivation for the request. The bill aims to maintain government transparency and accountability by making public records more accessible while preventing excessive financial barriers to information retrieval. The legislation is modeled after the federal Freedom of Information Act standards and provides guidance for interpreting fee waiver circumstances through existing case law.

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https://www.capitol.hawaii.gov/session/measure_indiv.aspx?billtype=HB&billnumber=130&year=2026