Freedom Of Information
Virginia 2024 Regular Session
Virginia Freedom of Information Act; electronic meetings. [SB-734]
Virginia Freedom of Information Act; electronic meetings. Amends the number of all-virtual public meetings that public bodies, with certain exceptions, may convene in a calendar year to no more than two times per calendar year or 50 percent of the meetings held per calendar year rounded up to the next whole number, whichever is greater. Current law limits the number of all-virtual public meetings to no more than two times per calendar year or 25 percent of the meetings held per calendar year rounded up to the next whole number, whichever is greater.
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Sponsored by: Sen. Dave Marsden
Governor: Acts Of Assembly Chapter Text (chap0129) on 03/20/2024
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Gettr Virginia 2024 Regular Session
Virginia Freedom of Information Act; exemption for complainant personal contact information. [HB-1412]
Virginia Freedom of Information Act; exemption for complainant personal contact information. Amends an existing exemption from mandatory disclosure under the Virginia Freedom of Information Act for names, addresses, and phone numbers of complainants furnished in confidence with respect to an investigation of individual zoning enforcement complaints or complaints relating to the Uniform Statewide Building Code or the Statewide Fire Prevention Code made to a local governing body to exempt personal contact information of such complainants as defined
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Sponsored by: Rep. Mike Cherry
Governor: Acts Of Assembly Chapter Text (chap0064) on 03/08/2024
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Virginia 2024 Regular Session
Virginia Freedom of Information Act; exclusions, apprenticeship programs. [HB-1378]
Virginia Freedom of Information Act; exclusions; apprenticeship programs; minors. Excludes from the mandatory disclosure requirements of the Virginia Freedom of Information Act any information in a public record regarding the participation of a minor in a program run by a state body, such as an internship, externship, or apprenticeship, except as otherwise prescribed by law.
Sponsored by: Rep. Hillary Pugh Kent
Left In General Laws on 02/13/2024
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Virginia 2024 Regular Session
Virginia Freedom of Information Act; amends definition of "meeting." [SB-415]
Virginia Freedom of Information Act; definition of "meeting." Amends the definition of "meeting" as it relates to the Virginia Freedom of Information Act to add an exception for local political party meetings. The bill is a recommendation of the FOIA Council.
Sponsored by: Sen. Richard Stuart
Failed To Pass In Senate on 03/09/2024
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Virginia 2024 Regular Session
Virginia Freedom of Information Act; electronic meetings. [HB-894]
Virginia Freedom of Information Act; electronic meetings. Amends the number of all-virtual public meetings that public bodies, with certain exceptions, may convene in a calendar year to no more than two times per calendar year or 50 percent of the meetings held per calendar year rounded up to the next whole number, whichever is greater. Current law limits the number of all-virtual public meetings to no more than two times per calendar year or 25 percent of the meetings held per calendar year rounded up to the next whole number, whichever is greater.
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Sponsored by: Rep. Marcia Price
Governor: Acts Of Assembly Chapter Text (chap0056) on 03/08/2024
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Virginia 2024 Regular Session
Virginia Freedom of Information Act; charges for production of public records. [SB-324]
Virginia Freedom of Information Act; charges for production of public records; report. Prohibits a public body from charging a requester for any costs incurred during the first hour spent accessing, duplicating, supplying, or searching for records requested in conjunction with the requester's first request. The bill provides that for any additional time spent accessing, duplicating, supplying, or searching for such records, or for any additional record requests, the public body shall not charge an hourly rate for accessing, duplicating, supplying,
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Sponsored by: Sen. Danica Roem
Governor: Acts Of Assembly Chapter Text (chap0669) on 04/08/2024
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Virginia 2024 Regular Session
Public records; Virginia Freedom of Information Advisory Council to study charges for production. [HJR-54]
Study; Virginia Freedom of Information Advisory Council; charges for the production of public records; report. Directs the Virginia Freedom of Information Advisory Council (the FOIA Council) to convene a work group consisting of citizens of the Commonwealth, representatives of state and local government entities, broadcast, print, and electronic media sources, open government organizations, and other interested parties to study whether the provisions of the Virginia Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) allowing public bodies to charge requesters for
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Sponsored by: Rep. Amanda Batten
Left In Rules on 02/13/2024
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Virginia 2024 Regular Session
Virginia FOIA; creates closed meeting exemption where related to home instruction of children. [HB-873]
Virginia Freedom of Information Act; closed meeting exemption; home instruction of children. Creates an exemption from the open meeting requirements of the Virginia Freedom of Information Act for discussion, consideration, or decisions relating to home instruction of children, unless objected to by a parent or guardian in an open meeting, that are exempt from disclosure pursuant to relevant law.
Sponsored by: Rep. William Green
Left In General Laws on 02/13/2024
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Virginia 2024 Regular Session
Virginia Freedom of Information Act; amends definition of meeting, provisions of Act. [HB-818]
Virginia Freedom of Information Act; definitions of meetings and public business. Exempts certain public meetings from the definition of "meeting" under the Virginia Freedom of Information Act to clarify that three or more members of a public body may appear and participate in such public meeting without violating the Act, provided that no public business is transacted or discussed. The bill also exempts members of a public body who attend a public meeting of a second public body without violating the Act, provided that no public business is transacted
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Sponsored by: Rep. Mike Cherry
Governor: Acts Of Assembly Chapter Text (chap0733) on 04/08/2024
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Virginia 2024 Regular Session
Virginia Freedom of Information Act; exclusions from mandatory disclosure, purchase card statement. [SB-340]
Virginia Freedom of Information Act; exclusions from mandatory disclosure; purchase card statement. Clarifies that the name of a public employee, officer, or official as it appears on a purchase card statement or other payment record and the description of individual purchases are not exempt from disclosure by the State Comptroller.
Sponsored by: Sen. Scott Surovell
Governor: Acts Of Assembly Chapter Text (chap0671) on 04/08/2024
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Virginia 2024 Regular Session
Virginia Freedom of Information Act; definition of "caregiver," remote participation in meetings. [HB-1040]
Virginia Freedom of Information Act; definition of "caregiver"; remote participation in meetings by persons with disabilities and caregivers; remote voting. Provides that for purposes of determining whether a quorum is physically assembled, an individual member of a public body who is a person with a disability or a caregiver, defined in the bill, and uses remote participation counts toward the quorum as if the individual was physically present. The bill also provides that the participation policy adopted by a public body, as required by the Virginia
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Sponsored by: Rep. Alfonso Lopez
Governor: Acts Of Assembly Chapter Text (chap0610) on 04/08/2024
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Virginia 2024 Regular Session
FOIA; meetings held through electronic communication during declared states of emergency. [HB-816]
Virginia Freedom of Information Act; effective date of procedures for conducting meetings held through electronic communication means during declared states of emergency. Provides that the provisions for conducting a meeting by electronic means due to a state of emergency stated in the Virginia Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) are declarative of existing law since March 20, 2020, with respect to the Governor's declared state of emergency due to COVID-19. Under the bill, any meeting by a public body using electronic communication means occurring
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Sponsored by: Rep. Mike Cherry
Governor: Acts Of Assembly Chapter Text (chap0305) on 04/02/2024
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Virginia 2024 Regular Session
FOIA; meetings held through electronic communication during declared states of emergency. [SB-244]
Virginia Freedom of Information Act; effective date of procedures for conducting meetings held through electronic communication means during declared states of emergency. Provides that the provisions for conducting a meeting by electronic means due to a state of emergency stated in the Virginia Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) are declarative of existing law since March 20, 2020, with respect to the Governor's declared state of emergency due to COVID-19. Under the bill, any meeting by a public body using electronic communication means occurring
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Sponsored by: Sen. Jeremy McPike
Governor: Acts Of Assembly Chapter Text (chap0344) on 04/02/2024
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Virginia 2024 Regular Session
Virginia Freedom of Information Act; definition of public body, revenue from public funds. [HB-671]
Virginia Freedom of Information Act; public body; revenue from public funds. Adds to the definition of "public body" any organization, corporation, or agency that received more than 50 percent of its annual revenue, within any of the three preceding years, from public funds.
Sponsored by: Rep. Nicholas Freitas
Left In General Laws on 02/13/2024
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Virginia 2024 Regular Session
FOIA; removal of Virginia residency requirement for access to certain criminal investigation files. [SB-215]
Virginia Freedom of Information Act; removal of Virginia residency requirement for access to certain criminal investigation files. Removes the requirement that persons to whom non-ongoing criminal investigation files shall otherwise be disclosed be citizens of the Commonwealth. Current law limits disclosure of public records to individuals who are citizens of the Commonwealth unless a clear exception applies.
Sponsored by: Sen. Scott Surovell
Governor: Acts Of Assembly Chapter Text (chap0582) on 04/05/2024
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Virginia 2024 Regular Session
Virginia Freedom of Information Act; release of criminal investigative files exception. [SB-204]
Virginia Freedom of Information Act; release of criminal investigative files exception. Exempts a victim's insurance company and attorney from the prohibition on releasing photographic, audio, video, or other records depicting such victim. The bill also permits a victim, a victim's immediate family members if the victim is deceased, a victim's parent or guardian, the victim's insurance company, or the victim's attorney to waive the 14-day period for a public body to respond to a request for criminal investigative files. Virginia Freedom of Information
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Sponsored by: Sen. J.D. Diggs
Governor: Acts Of Assembly Chapter Text (chap0580) on 04/05/2024
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Virginia 2024 Regular Session
VA Freedom of Information Act; records of federal animal welfare violations, limitation on fees. [HB-579]
Virginia Freedom of Information Act; records of federal animal welfare violations; limitation on fees. Prohibits any public body in custody of records that pertain to or were generated as a result of a violation of federal animal welfare regulations, policies, or guidelines from charging more than $25 for the production of such records regarding any one incident or one animal testing facility.
Sponsored by: Rep. Shelly Simonds
Left In General Laws on 02/13/2024
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Virginia 2024 Regular Session
Virginia Freedom of Information Act; definition of "caregiver," remote participation in meetings. [SB-85]
Virginia Freedom of Information Act; definition of "caregiver"; remote participation in meetings by persons with disabilities and caregivers; remote voting. Provides that for purposes of determining whether a quorum is physically assembled, an individual member of a public body who is a person with a disability or a caregiver, defined in the bill, and uses remote participation counts toward the quorum as if the individual was physically present. The bill also provides that the participation policy adopted by a public body, as required by the Virginia
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Sponsored by: Sen. Barbara Favola
Governor: Acts Of Assembly Chapter Text (chap0617) on 04/08/2024
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Virginia 2024 Regular Session
Virginia Freedom of Information Act; amends definition of meeting, provisions of Act. [SB-36]
Virginia Freedom of Information Act; definitions of meetings and public business. Exempts certain public meetings from the definition of "meeting" under the Virginia Freedom of Information Act to clarify that three or more members of a public body may appear and participate in such public meeting without violating the Act, provided that no public business is transacted or discussed. The bill also exempts members of a public body who attend a public meeting of a second public body without violating the Act, provided that no public business is transacted
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Sponsored by: Sen. Mamie Locke
Governor: Acts Of Assembly Chapter Text (chap0756) on 04/08/2024
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Virginia 2023 Regular Session
Va. Freedom of Information Act; exclusions, proprietary records & trade secrets to Fort Monroe Auth. [SB-1497]
Virginia Freedom of Information Act; exclusions; proprietary records and trade secrets; Fort Monroe Authority. Excludes from mandatory disclosure under the Virginia Freedom of Information Act trade secrets, proprietary information, or financial information supplied by an individual or a private or nongovernmental entity to the Fort Monroe Authority for the purpose of complying with the obligations of any lease, easement, license, permit, or other agreement, whether of a commercial or residential real estate nature, pertaining to the use or occupancy
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Sponsored by: Sen. Mamie Locke
Governor: Acts Of Assembly Chapter Text (chap0576) on 03/26/2023