Bill > HB131

This bill modifies Hawaii's public records law to allow government agencies to disclose records to researchers under specific conditions. The bill introduces two new definitions: "research purpose" is defined as a non-commercial objective to develop, study, or report aggregate or anonymous information that does not identify specific individuals, and "researcher" is broadly defined to include government agencies, hospitals, educational institutions, news media, nonprofit organizations, and similar entities. The bill amends existing law to explicitly permit agencies to share government records with researchers for research purposes, and changes the Office of Information Practices' rules from a mandatory requirement to create uniform standards for research record disclosure to a permissive one, giving the office more flexibility. The bill aims to facilitate research by making it easier for organizations to access government records while maintaining protections for individual privacy by emphasizing the use of anonymous or aggregated data. The legislation will take effect immediately upon approval.

Government Affairs, Justice

https://www.capitol.hawaii.gov/session/measure_indiv.aspx?billtype=HB&billnumber=131&year=2026