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The Honolulu Advertiser

Posted at 11:56 a.m., Wednesday, November 9, 2005

Measure to exempt counties from Sunshine Law fails

Advertiser Staff

HILO, Hawai'i — A proposal to exempt the city and county councils from the state's "Sunshine Law" was killed this morning when the Big Island County Council voted unanimously to reject the plan.

Ka'u and Puna Councilman Bob Jacobson called the proposed Sunshine Law exemption "garbage," and complained that the idea had been bundled with good proposals in an effort to get the counties to approve the entire package.

Jacobson called that "an old political trick," and urged the council to signal its displeasure with the tactic by rejecting the entire package proposed by the Hawai'i State Association of Counties for the 2006 session of the state Legislature.

"I personally can't tolerate it," Jacobson said.

Instead, the council split the HSAC recommendation in two, voting 8-0 to reject the proposed Sunshine Law exemption, and voting unanimously to extend three laws that protect the counties from lawsuits by people who use county recreational areas.

The proposal by HSAC would have urged the state Legislature to exempt the three county councils and the Honolulu City Council from the Sunshine Law, which requires the councils to conduct their business in open meetings that are publicized in advance.

Under the rules governing HSAC, if any of the four councils rejects a proposal, the proposal dies and HSAC will not recommend that the Legislature pass it.

The councils on Kaua'i and Maui deferred action on the proposed Sunshine Law exemption.

The Honolulu City Council today deferred action on the measure and sent it back to a committee for reconsideration.