A request to the Maui Department of Liquor Control took 454 days to fulfill, the longest response time listed in a new statewide review of Hawaiʻi government agencies’ public-records practices. The fiscal year 2025 findings also show that response times and disclosure rates varied across agencies.
A Maui Outlier in a Varied Record
The figures are from the Public First Law Center’s latest report, covering fiscal year 2025, as described by Honolulu Civil Beat. The Maui request had the longest response time identified. The report also found agencies that disclosed records in fewer than half of their requests. Public First is a nonprofit law firm specializing in government transparency and publishes annual comparisons of agency responsiveness, according to Civil Beat.
The report does not assess whether any individual denial was lawful. Hawaiʻi’s Uniform Information Practices Act (UIPA) allows agencies to withhold or redact some records, including in circumstances involving privacy or an ongoing criminal investigation, Honolulu Civil Beat reported. Agencies also need not create records that do not exist, and some requests are denied because the agency does not have the information sought.
Why Access Matters
Public First Law Center director Brian Black told Civil Beat that improper denials can keep information from the public, including when records could expose an agency to criticism. Public records can help people examine government actions using underlying documents rather than relying only on official statements. Those records may include audits, budget reports, police records, government photos, body camera videos, data and public officials’ emails; they can also contribute to reporting, investigations, hearings or criminal charges.
Journalists, residents and researchers all use public-records requests to seek information from Hawaiʻi agencies. Civil Beat reported that the Hawaiʻi Office of Information Practices receives repeated complaints about some of the same agencies, a sign that access problems can recur, according to Honolulu Civil Beat.
Some Agencies Reported Stronger Results
The review also identified agencies with strong response records. Four turned over records to 100% of requesters last fiscal year: the Kauaʻi Department of Finance, the Department of Accounting and General Services accounting branch, the State Employer Union Trust Fund, and the Department of Health’s clean water branch. The State Ethics Commission, the state auditor and the Honolulu Medical Examiner each responded to requests within 10 working days or less, Civil Beat reported.
How to Read the Agency Figures
The Hawaiʻi Office of Information Practices’ FY 2025 report provides context for agency-level counts: state agencies reported 3,807 formal requests and county agencies 3,927, while estimated routine requests made up most of the much larger totals. OIP says its figures rely on agency-submitted data; it corrected obvious errors but did not conduct a comprehensive accuracy audit. The report also notes that some agencies combine requests across their units, while others report separately by division or office. These OIP details do not specify how Public First calculated its response-time and disclosure-rate measures. See the OIP FY 2025 report. For formal government-record requests, OIP says agencies must provide a Notice to Requester that should include when the record will be available. That notice is distinct from the eventual delivery of the records, so the reported response time should not be mistaken for the date of the initial notice.
People who have difficulty obtaining records can seek help from the Hawaiʻi Office of Information Practices, which interprets the UIPA. The law provides alternative appeal procedures for denials of access to personal records. Agencies may also charge hundreds or thousands of dollars for time spent searching for and reviewing records, adding a potential cost barrier, Honolulu Civil Beat reported.
