SB 2449: Public Meetings; Business Days; Board Packets; Public Inspection; Regular Business Hours

A BILL FOR AN ACT

RELATING TO PUBLIC MEETINGS.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF HAWAII:

     SECTION 1.  Section 92-2, Hawaii Revised Statutes, is amended by adding two new definitions to be appropriately inserted and to read as follows:

     ""Business day" means Monday through Friday, excluding state holidays designated under section 8-1 and observed pursuant to section 8-2, unless otherwise determined by the chief executive pursuant to section 78-1.6.

     "Chief executive" has the same meaning as defined in section 76-11."

     SECTION 2.  Section 92-7.5, Hawaii Revised Statutes, is amended to read as follows:

     "§92-7.5  Board packet; filing; public inspection; notice.  (a)  At the time the board packet is distributed to the board members, but no later than three full business days before the meeting, the board shall also make the board packet available for public inspection in the board's office[;] during regular business hours; provided that nothing in this section shall require creation of a board packet; provided further that nothing in this section shall prohibit the distribution of public testimony to board members before the meeting.  At the time the board packet is made available for public inspection in the board's office, the board shall provide notice to persons who have requested notification of meetings pursuant to section 92-7(e) that includes a list of the documents that were compiled by the board and distributed to the board members before a meeting for use at that meeting and that the board packet is available for inspection in the board's office and shall provide reasonably prompt access to the board packet to any person upon request.  The board shall not be required to mail board packets.  As soon as practicable, the board shall accommodate requests for electronic access to the board packet and shall post the board packet on its website.

     (b)  For purposes of this section:

     "Board packet" means documents that are compiled by the board and distributed to board members before a meeting for use at that meeting, to the extent the documents are public under chapter 92F; provided that this section shall not require disclosure of executive session minutes, license applications, or other records for which the board cannot reasonably complete its redaction of nonpublic information in the time available before the public inspection required by this section.

     ["Business day" has the same meaning as defined in section 11-1.]

     "Regular business hours" means between the hours of 7:30 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. on business days, unless otherwise determined by the chief executive pursuant to section 78-1.6."

     SECTION 3.  Statutory material to be repealed is bracketed and stricken.  New statutory material is underscored.

     SECTION 4.  This Act shall take effect on July 1, 2026.

Report Title:

Public Meetings; Business Days; Board Packets; Public Inspection; Regular Business Hours

Description:

Defines "business day" as used in Part I of Chapter 92, HRS, governing public meetings.  Clarifies that board packets, if created, shall be made available for public inspection in the board's office during regular business hours, no later than three full business days before the public meeting.  Defines "regular business hours".

The summary description of legislation appearing on this page is for informational purposes only and is not legislation or evidence of legislative intent.