HAR Chapter 54 – Personal Records

§16-54-2
HAWAII ADMINISTRATIVE RULES
TITLE 16
DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE AND CONSUMER AFFAIRS
CHAPTER 54
PERSONAL RECORDS
Subchapter 1 General Provisions
§16-54-1 	Purpose
§16-54-2 	Definition
§16-54-3 	Individuals access to personal records
§16-54-4 	Correction of personal records
§16-54-5 	Public access to personal records
§16-54-6 	Disclosure of personal records to other agencies
§16-54-7 	Review procedures; denial of request for access or correction
SUBCHAPTER 1
GENERAL PROVISIONS
§16-54-1 Purpose. This chapter is adopted pursuant to chapter 92E, Hawaii
Revised Statutes, to establish procedures governing an individual's access to the
individual's personal records and access to those personal records by the public and
governmental agencies. [Eff 1/6/86] (Auth: HRS §§26-9, 91-2, 92E-10) (Imp: HRS
§92E-10)
§16-54-2 Definition. As used in this chapter:
"Department" means the department of commerce and consumer affairs.
"Director" means the director of commerce and consumer affairs.
"Division" means any division or office of the department of commerce and
consumer affairs including but not limited to the administrative services office, the
division of financial institutions, the business registration division, the cable
television division, the consumer advocacy division, the director's office,
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the Hawaii public broadcasting authority, the hearings office, the insurance division,
the office of consumer protection, the professional and vocational licensing division,
the 	regulated 	industries 	complaints 	office, 	and 	all 	boards, 	commissions, 	and
programs assigned to the department for administrative purposes.
"Individual" means the person about whom a personal record is maintained
by 	the 	department 	and 	includes 	only 	natural 	persons 	but 	not 	corporations,
partnerships, associations, cooperatives, or other similar entities.
"Personal record" means any item, collection, or grouping of information
about an individual that is maintained by the department. [Eff 1/6/86] (Auth: HRS
§§26-9, 91-2, 92E-10) (Imp: HRS §92E-1)
§16-54-3 Individuals access to personal records. (a) An individual seeking
access to the individual's personal records shall make a request in writing on a form
provided by the department. The request shall be submitted to the division which the
individual believes maintains the personal record.
(b) 	Prior to production of the personal record, the division may require
the requesting individual to produce verification of identity such as a driver's license
or other photo identification.
(c) 	Except as provided in subsection (d), within ten working days
following the date of receipt of the request the division shall permit the individual to
review the record. 	The ten day period may be extended for an additional twenty
working days if the division provides to the individual within the initial ten working
days, a written explanation of the unusual circumstances causing the delay.
(d) 	The individual may be denied access to the record if:
(1) 	The request is exempted under section 92E-3, HRS; or
(2) 	The individual is unable to produce verification of identity in
accordance with this chapter.
Where the division denies access to the record, it shall provide to the individual, in
writing, the reasons therefor within the time period prescribed in subsection (c).
(e) 	The individual reviewing the file may request a copy of any portion
or all of the individual's personal record. The copy shall be provided within the time
period prescribed in subsection (c). The division shall charge the individual for any
copies and for certification of copies. The cost shall include the cost of duplication,
transcription of the record, if necessary, and any search required to find the records
involved.
(f) 	At the request of the individual, the division shall provide an
explanation of any machine readable code or any code or abbreviation which is
employed for internal division or departmental use and which is contained in the
record. 	[Eff 1/6/86] (Auth: 	§§26-9, 91-2, 92E-10) (Imp: 	HRS §§92E-2, 92E-3,
92E-6, 92E-7)
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§16-54-4 	Correction of personal record. 	(a) If, after reviewing the
individual's personal record, an individual believes that there is a factual error,
misrepresentation, or misleading entry in the record, the individual may request that
the record be corrected, provided this section shall not apply to challenges to testing
or examination scores which are used to determine whether the individual has
qualified for a professional or vocational license and which has been given to that
individual pursuant to the test or examination. A request for correction shall:
(1) 	Be in writing;
(2) 	Specify the portion of the record sought to be corrected;
(3) 	Explain why the record should be corrected; and
(4) 	Be accompanied by any documentary support for the correction. Any
request for correction shall be submitted to the division which
maintains the record involved.
(b) 	Within twenty working days after receipt of the request for correction
and evidence in support thereof, the division shall respond to the request either by
correcting the record and notifying the requesting individual of the correction or by
informing the requesting individual that the record will not be corrected, the reasons
why the record will not be corrected, and that review of the division's decision is
available pursuant to section 16-54-7. 	[Eff 1/6/86] (Auth: 	HRS §§26-9, 91-2,
92E-10) (Imp: HRS §92E-8)
§16-54-5 	Public access to personal records. 	(a) Except as provided in
subsection (b) the personal record of an individual shall not be disclosed to any
person other than the individual to whom the record pertains.
(b) 	The personal record may be disclosed to a person other than the
individual to whom the record pertains if that disclosure is authorized by sections
92E-4 or 92E-13, HRS, or both provided that:
(1) 	Where the person who requests access to the personal record claims
to be an authorized agent of the individual to whom the record
pertains, the division may require the agent to present written
authorization 	or 	other 	documentation 	establishing 	the 	agent's
authority to act on behalf of the individual and to obtain access to the
individual's personal record;
(2) 	Information collected and maintained by the department for the
purpose of creating a record available to the general public means
information as to:
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(A) 	Whether or not an individual is licensed or authorized to
engage in a particular profession or vocation, or to carry on a
particular type of activity or trade;
(B) 	Whether or not an individual has been disciplined by the
department for any misconduct; and
(C) 	Whether the individual maintains bonding or insurances and
if so, information about that coverage;
(3) 	The division may require a person seeking disclosure for compelling
circumstances affecting the health or safety of any individual to
provide proof establishing those circumstances. 	[Eff 1/6/86] (Auth:
HRS §§26-9, 91-2, 92E-10) (Imp: HRS §§92E-4, 92E-13)
§16-54-6 	Disclosure of personal record to other agencies. The department
may disclose information contained in personal records to other agencies provided
that the agencies demonstrate that the disclosure falls into one or more of the
categories enumerated in section 92E-5, HRS. 	The department may enter into
agreements with agencies to provide for regular access to departmental files provided
that the department retains the authority to authorize each instance of specific access
to personal records and to ensure that access is solely for one of the purposes
enumerated in section 92E-5, HRS. [Eff 1/6/86] (Auth: HRS §§26-9, 91-2, 92E-10)
(Imp: HRS §92E-5)
§16-54-7 Review procedures; denial of request for access or correction. (a)
If the division denies a request for access to a personal record or denies an
individual's request to correct the individual's personal record, the affected person
may request a review of the decision of the division. A request for review shall be
filed with the office of the director within twenty working days after the date of the
division's denial, and shall explain why the person believes that the division's
determination is erroneous.
(b) 	Within thirty working days after receipt of the request for review of
the division's decision, the director or the director's designee shall respond to the
request either by ordering a correction of or access to the record and so notifying the
requesting individual, or by informing the requesting individual that the division's
decision will not be changed and why it will not be changed. If the
director or the director's designee affirms the division's refusal to correct the record
or refusal to grant access to the record, the director or the director's designee shall
inform the individual of the right to seek judicial review of the department's decision
pursuant to section 92E-11, HRS, and shall permit the individual to submit, for
inclusion in the record, a concise statement of the reasons why the individual
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believes the file should be corrected. 	[Eff 1/6/86] (Auth: 	HRS §§26-9, 91-2,
92E-10) (Imp: HRS §§92E-9, 92E-11)
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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE AND CONSUMER AFFAIRS
Chapter 16-54, Hawaii Administrative Rules, on the Summary Page dated
December 9, 1985, was adopted on December 9, 1985, following a public hearing
held on the same date, after public notice was given in the Honolulu Advertiser on
November 4, 1985.
The adoption of chapter 16-54 shall take effect ten days after filing with the
Office of the Lieutenant Governor.
/s/ Russel S. Nagata
RUSSEL S. NAGATA
Director of Commerce and Consumer Affairs
APPROVED AS TO FORM: 	Date 12/17/85
/s/ Susan Tamura Sato
Deputy Attorney General
APPROVED: 	Date 12/26/85
/s/ George R. Ariyoshi
GEORGE R. ARIYOSHI
Governor, State of Hawaii
December 27, 1985
Filed
DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE AND CONSUMER AFFAIRS
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Adoption of Chapter 16-54
Hawaii Administrative Rules
December 9, 1985
SUMMARY
Chapter 16-54, Hawaii Administrative Rules, entitled "Personal Records" is
adopted.