Open records advocates fear information roadblocks

From Honolulu Star-Advertiser:

The state Office of Information Practices hopes a bill that would grant government agencies a new right to appeal open records decisions in court would give its orders more legal clout, yet open government advocates warn that it would delay public access to information.

Government agency appeals were not envisioned when the state's open records law was passed 24 years ago. Lawmakers had wanted to give the OIP the authority to determine whether records should be publicly disclosed. The state's open meetings law, by comparison, allows appeals.