Virginia Freedom of Information Act; FOIA officers, training and reporting requirements.
Do you support it?
Want to know if it passes?
We'll email you when SB 138 moves — a committee vote, a floor vote, or a signature. Nothing else.
Free forever · unsubscribe in one click.
Your answer was recorded either way.
Which district are you in?
Your ZIP is all we need to match you to your own representatives — so we can tell you how they voted on SB 138.
You're tracking SB 138
We'll email you the moment it moves.
SB 138 — Virginia Freedom of Information Act; FOIA officers, training and reporting requirements.
Last action — Approved by Governor-Chapter 1141 (effective 7/1/20)
No card. One bill, free forever — alerts when it moves.
-
✓Introduced
-
✓In Committee
-
✓Passed Senate
-
✓Passed House of Delegates
-
✓To Executive
-
6Enacted
This bill has been enacted into law. Introduced December 18, 2019. Enacted.
Prognosis
Where this bill stands today.
Odds of enactment
HighHow often bills like it became law.
-
Enacted
Current position in the legislative process.
-
1 sponsor
1 primary, 0 co-sponsors signed on.
-
Cleared a recorded vote
Passed 6 recorded votes so far.
Prognosis reads this bill's own signals — stage, sponsorship breadth, committee status, recorded votes and cross-state momentum. Odds come from a model trained on which bills have become law.
Summary
Virginia Freedom of Information Act; FOIA officers; training and reporting requirements. Adds regional public bodies to the types of public bodies that must designate a FOIA officer. The bill also changes the frequency for required FOIA officer training from annually to once during each consecutive period of two calendar years and provides that the name and contact information of a FOIA officer trained by legal counsel of a public body only needs to be submitted by July 1 of the initial year of training and updated if there are changes to that information. Current law requires this information to be submitted by July 1 of each year. This bill is a recommendation of the Virginia Freedom of Information Advisory Council.
Bill Text
What changed in the latest version
10 added · 8 removedPlain-language change summary
The recent amendment to Bill SB 138 clarifies that the designation of FOIA officers must be publicly accessible and posted online on the official government website. This change is important because it enhances transparency, ensuring that citizens can easily find information about who is responsible for handling Freedom of Information requests. By making this information readily available, the amendment aims to improve communication between government bodies and the public.
Code of Virginia Administrative Code Bills & Resolutions Summaries OTHER SESSIONS - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Session Session Special Session I Session Special Session I Session Special Session I Special Session II Session Session Session Special Session I Session Special Session I Session Special Session I Session Special Session I Session Special Session I Session Session Special Session I Session Special Session I Special Session II Session Session Special Session I Session Session Special Session I Special Session II Session Session Session Special Session I Session Session Session Special Session I Session Session Session Session Special Session I Special Session II VIRGINIA LAW PORTALCode of VirginiaVirginia Administrative Code Constitution of VirginiaChartersAuthoritiesCompacts Uncodified ActsRIS Users (account required) SEARCHABLE DATABASESBills & Resolutionssession legislationBill Summariessession summaries Reports to the General AssemblyHouse and Senate documents Legislative LiaisonsState agency contactsACROSS SESSIONS Subject Index:
SESSION history | hilite | pdf | print version VIRGINIA ACTS OF ASSEMBLY -- CHAPTER 1141 An Act to amend and reenact § 2.2-3704.2 of the Code of Virginia, relating to Virginia Freedom of Information Act;
[S 138] Approved April 11, 2020 Be it enacted by the General Assembly of Virginia:
Action History
-
Approved by Governor-Chapter 1141 (effective 7/1/20)
-
Governor's Action Deadline 11:59 p.m., April 11, 2020
-
Enrolled Bill Communicated to Governor on March 12, 2020
-
Signed by President
-
Signed by Speaker
-
Impact statement from DPB (SB138ER)
-
Enrolled
-
VOTE: Passage (100-Y 0-N)
-
Passed House (100-Y 0-N)
-
Read third time
-
Read second time
-
Reported from General Laws (20-Y 1-N)
-
Subcommittee recommends reporting (8-Y 0-N)
-
Assigned GL sub: Open Government/Procurement
-
Referred to Committee on General Laws
-
Read first time
-
Placed on Calendar
-
Read third time and passed Senate (40-Y 0-N)
-
Read second time and engrossed
-
Constitutional reading dispensed (37-Y 0-N)
-
Reported from General Laws and Technology (14-Y 0-N)
-
Impact statement from DPB (SB138)
-
Referred to Committee on General Laws and Technology
-
Prefiled and ordered printed; offered 01/08/20 20100195D
Sponsors
- Richard H. Stuart · Primary
Sponsorship breakdown
Export CSV (upgrade) →1 sponsors · 0 co-sponsors · 147 not signed on · 1 voted No
Sponsors (1)
Co-sponsors (0)
None.
Not signed on (147)
147 members have not signed on to this bill.
Show all 147 →"Not signed on" means a member has not sponsored or co-sponsored this bill — it does not imply opposition. Members flagged Voted No have a recorded No vote on this bill.
Votes
| Party | Yea | Nay | Present | Not Voting |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Unaffiliated | 99 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Total | 99 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| % of votes cast | 100% | 0% | 0% | 0% |
How each member voted (99)
| Party | Yea | Nay | Present | Not Voting |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Unaffiliated | 20 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Total | 20 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| % of votes cast | 91% | 5% | 0% | 5% |
How each member voted (22)
| Member | Party | Vote |
|---|---|---|
| Brewer, Emily M. | — | Yea |
| Adams, Dawn M. | — | Yea |
| Aird, Lashrecse D. | — | Yea |
| Betsy B. Carr | — | Yea |
| Bulova, David L. | — | Yea |
| Cole, Mark L. | — | Nay |
| Convirs-Fowler, Kelly K. | — | Not Voting |
| Fowler, Hyland F."Buddy," Jr. | — | Yea |
| Hurst, Chris L. | — | Yea |
| James A. "Jay" Leftwich | — | Yea |
| James W. Morefield | — | Yea |
| Kathy K.L. Tran | — | Yea |
| Knight, Barry D. | — | Yea |
| Luke E. Torian | — | Yea |
| Marcia S. "Cia" Price | — | Yea |
| Marcus B. Simon | — | Yea |
| Miyares, Jason S. | — | Yea |
| Murphy, Kathleen | — | Yea |
| Paul E. Krizek | — | Yea |
| Schuyler T. VanValkenburg | — | Yea |
| Thomas C. Wright, Jr. | — | Yea |
| Wampler, William C., III | — | Yea |
| Party | Yea | Nay | Present | Not Voting |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Unaffiliated | 8 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Total | 8 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| % of votes cast | 89% | 0% | 0% | 11% |
How each member voted (9)
| Member | Party | Vote |
|---|---|---|
| Adams, Dawn M. | — | Yea |
| Betsy B. Carr | — | Not Voting |
| Bulova, David L. | — | Yea |
| James A. "Jay" Leftwich | — | Yea |
| Kathy K.L. Tran | — | Yea |
| Knight, Barry D. | — | Yea |
| Miyares, Jason S. | — | Yea |
| Murphy, Kathleen | — | Yea |
| Paul E. Krizek | — | Yea |
| Party | Yea | Nay | Present | Not Voting |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Unaffiliated | 40 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Total | 40 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| % of votes cast | 100% | 0% | 0% | 0% |
How each member voted (40)
| Party | Yea | Nay | Present | Not Voting |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Unaffiliated | 37 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
| Total | 37 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
| % of votes cast | 93% | 0% | 0% | 8% |
How each member voted (40)
| Party | Yea | Nay | Present | Not Voting |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Unaffiliated | 14 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Total | 14 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| % of votes cast | 100% | 0% | 0% | 0% |
How each member voted (14)
| Member | Party | Vote |
|---|---|---|
| Bell, John J. | — | Yea |
| Bryce E. Reeves | — | Yea |
| Dunnavant, Siobhan S. | — | Yea |
| Ebbin, Adam P. | — | Yea |
| Hashmi, Ghazala F. | — | Yea |
| Jennifer B. Boysko | — | Yea |
| Jeremy S. McPike | — | Yea |
| Kiggans, Jennifer A. | — | Yea |
| Mamie E. Locke | — | Yea |
| Mason, T. Montgomery "Monty" | — | Yea |
| Richard H. Stuart | — | Yea |
| Ruff, Frank M., Jr. | — | Yea |
| Todd E. Pillion | — | Yea |
| Vogel, Jill Holtzman | — | Yea |
Subjects
Frequently asked questions
- What does SB 138 do?
- Virginia Freedom of Information Act; FOIA officers; training and reporting requirements. Adds regional public bodies to the types of public bodies that must designate a FOIA officer. The bill also changes the frequency for required FOIA officer training from annually to once during each consecutive period of two calendar years and provides that the name and contact information of a FOIA officer trained by legal counsel of a public body only needs to be submitted by July 1 of the initial year of training and updated if there are changes to that information. Current law requires this information to be submitted by July 1 of each year. This bill is a recommendation of the Virginia Freedom of Information Advisory Council.
- Who sponsors SB 138?
- SB 138 is sponsored by Richard H. Stuart.
- What is the current status of SB 138?
- This bill has been enacted into law. Introduced December 18, 2019. Enacted.
- Where can I track SB 138?
- Track SB 138 free on One Click Politics — get push/email alerts when it moves.
Make your voice heard on SB 138
Find the representatives who decide this bill and tell them where you stand — for yourself, or mobilize your whole list in one click with One Click Politics advocacy software.
Stay ahead of SB 138
Last checked for changes 3 months ago · updated continuously
One Click Politics tracks every bill in Congress and all 50 states.
Track this bill →