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�J�tYosq-; • COUNTY OF HAWAII ' STATE OF HAWAII tf;TF Of M�'�'``• RESOLUTION NO. 295 17 A RESOLUTION REQUESTING THAT THE HAWAII STATE LEGISLATURE AMEND CHAPTER 92 OF THE HAWAII REVISED STATUTES TO REQUIRE ITSELF TO BE SUBJECT TO THE SUNSHINE LAW. WHEREAS, Hawai`i Revised Statutes (HRS), Chapter 92, Public Agency Meetings and Records, governs the Sunshine Law; and WHEREAS, State of Hawai`i Office of Information Practices' website describes the Sunshine Law as Hawai`i's open meeting law that was established to regulate the manner in which all state and county boards must conduct their official business; and WHEREAS, Hawai`i Revised Statutes (HRS), Chapter 92,§92-2 Definitions, defines the "boards"that it governs as, "any agency, board, commission, authority, or committee of the State or its political subdivisions which is created by constitution, statute, rule, or executive order, to have supervision, control, jurisdiction, or advisory power over specific matters and which is required to conduct meetings and to take official actions."; and WHEREAS, Hawai`i Revised Statutes (HRS), Chapter 92, § 92-1, Declarations of policy and intent, describes the significance of holding meetings open to the public as, "Opening up the governmental processes to public scrutiny and participation is the only viable and reasonable method of protecting the public's interest."; and WHEREAS, Hawai`i Revised Statutes (HRS), Chapter 92, § 92-10, Legisltive branch; applicability, provides that "Notwithstanding any provisions contained in this chapter to the contrary, open meeting requirements, and provisions regarding enforcement, penalties and sanctions, as they are to relate to the state legislature or to any of its members shall be such as shall be from time to time prescribed by the respective rules and procedures of the senate and the house of representatives, which rules and procedures shall take precedence over this part."; and WHEREAS, despite the touted importance of holding meetings open to the public for all state and county boards, the Hawai`i State Legislature is exempted from the applicability of the Sunshine Law; now, therefore, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE COUNCIL OF THE COUNTY OF HAWAII that the Hawai`i State Legislature require itself to be subject to the Sunshine Law in its entirety and therefore equally accountable to protecting the public's interest.