Virginia 2026 Session Status: Introduced

HB159 — Va. Freedom of Information Act; proceedings for enforcement, petition for mandamus or injunction.

Last action — Continued from last session

  1. 1
    Introduced
  2. 2
    In Committee
  3. 3
    Passed House of Delegates
  4. 4
    Passed Senate
  5. 5
    To Executive
  6. 6
    Enacted

This bill has been introduced in the House of Delegates. Introduced January 06, 2026. It must pass committee before a floor vote.

Next likely step: a committee referral and hearing.

Odds of enactment

Low chance

Based on the sponsor, cosponsors, and committee posture, this bill has a low chance of becoming law.

Upgrade to see the exact probability and what's driving it.

A statistical estimate from our own model of past outcomes — an insight, not a guarantee. Policymaking is volatile.

Prognosis

Stalled 26% · moderate confidence

  • Introduced

    Current position in the legislative process.

  • 1 sponsor

    1 primary, 0 co-sponsors signed on.

  • Cleared a recorded vote

    Passed 4 recorded votes so far.

Based on stage, sponsorship breadth, committee status, recorded votes, and cross-state momentum — a description of the observable signals, not a prediction.

In plain language

This bill addresses enforcement procedures for the Virginia Freedom of Information Act.

The bill outlines the processes for enforcing the Virginia Freedom of Information Act. It includes provisions for filing a petition for mandamus or injunction related to FOIA violations.

Summary

Va. Freedom of Information Act; proceedings for enforcement, petition for mandamus or injunction.

Bill Text

We don't have the full text on file for this bill yet.

Read HB159 on the official Virginia source →

Action History

  1. S Continued to next session in General Laws and Technology (13-Y 1-N)

  2. S Senate committee offered

  3. S Referred to Committee on General Laws and Technology

  4. S Constitutional reading dispensed (on 1st reading)

  5. H Fiscal Impact Statement from Department of Planning and Budget (HB159)

  6. H Read third time and passed House (97-Y 0-N 0-A)

  7. H Engrossed by House as amended

  8. H committee amendment agreed to

  9. H Read second time

  10. H Fiscal Impact Statement from Department of Planning and Budget (HB159)

  11. H Read first time

  12. H Reported from General Laws with amendment(s) (21-Y 0-N)

  13. H Placed on General Laws Agenda

  14. H Subcommittee recommends reporting with amendment(s) (10-Y 0-N)

  15. H House subcommittee offered

  16. H Placed on General Laws Agenda

  17. H Assigned HGL sub: Procurement/Open Government

  18. H Referred to Committee on General Laws

  19. H Prefiled and ordered printed; Offered 01-14-2026 26102340D

Sponsors

Sponsorship breakdown

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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.

Whip count is in markup. Polling the chamber and every recorded vote this session. Only the first open is slow. It’s instant for you after this. Calling the roll · Tallying · Engrossing

Votes

Continued to next session in General Laws and Technology

Passed 13 Yea · 1 Nay · 1 Other
Party YeaNayPresentNot Voting
Unaffiliated 13101
Total 13101
% of votes cast 87%7%0%7%
How each member voted (15)
Member Party Vote
Aaron R. Rouse — Yea
Angelia Williams Graves — Yea
Bryce E. Reeves — Yea
Christie New Craig — Yea
Christopher T. Head — Yea
Danica A. Roem — Nay
David W. Marsden — Yea
Emily M. Jordan — Not Voting
Jennifer D. Carroll Foy — Yea
Jeremy S. McPike — Yea
Mamie E. Locke — Yea
Schuyler T. VanValkenburg — Yea
Stella G. Pekarsky — Yea
Timmy French — Yea
Todd E. Pillion — Yea

Official roll call →

Read third time and passed House

Passed 97 Yea · 0 Nay · 3 Other
Party YeaNayPresentNot Voting
Unaffiliated 97003
Total 97003
% of votes cast 97%0%0%3%
How each member voted (100)
Member Party Vote
Adele Y. McClure — Yea
Alex Q. Askew — Yea
Alfonso H. Lopez — Yea
Amy J. Laufer — Yea
Anne Ferrell Tata — Yea
Atoosa R. Reaser — Yea
Barry D. Knight — Not Voting
Betsy B. Carr — Yea
Bill Wiley — Yea
Bonita G. Anthony — Yea
Briana D. Sewell — Yea
C.E. Cliff Hayes, Jr. — Yea
Charlie Schmidt — Yea
Charniele L. Herring — Yea
Chris S. Runion — Yea
Dan I. Helmer — Yea
David A. Reid — Yea
Debra D. Gardner — Yea
Delores L. McQuinn — Yea
Delores Oates — Yea
Destiny LeVere Bolling — Yea
Don Scott — Yea
Elizabeth B. Bennett-Parker — Yea
Elizabeth R. Guzman — Yea
Ellen H. McLaughlin — Yea
Eric Phillips — Yea
Eric R. Zehr — Yea
Garrett McGuire — Yea
Gretchen M. Bulova — Yea
H. Otto Wachsmann, Jr. — Yea
Hillary Pugh Kent — Yea
Holly M. Seibold — Yea
Hyland F. "Buddy" Fowler, Jr. — Yea
Irene Shin — Yea
Israel D. O'Quinn — Yea
JJ Singh — Yea
Jackie H. Glass — Yea
James A. "Jay" Leftwich — Yea
James W. Morefield — Yea
Jason S. Ballard — Yea
Jeion A. Ward — Yea
Jessica L. Anderson — Yea
John Chilton McAuliff — Yea
Joseph P. McNamara — Yea
Joshua E. Thomas — Yea
Joshua G. Cole — Yea
Justin Pence — Yea
Karen Hamilton — Yea
Karen Keys-Gamarra — Yea
Karen R. "Kacey" Carnegie — Yea
Karrie K. Delaney — Yea
Kathy K.L. Tran — Yea
Katrina Callsen — Yea
Kelly K. Convirs-Fowler — Yea
Kimberly Pope Adams — Yea
Laura Jane Cohen — Yea
Leslie Chambers Mehta — Yea
Lily V. Franklin — Yea
Lindsey Dougherty — Yea
Luke E. Torian — Yea
M. Keith Hodges — Yea
Madison Whittle — Yea
Marcia S. "Cia" Price — Yea
Marcus B. Simon — Yea
Margaret A. Franklin — Yea
Mark C. Downey — Yea
Marty Martinez — Yea
May Nivar — Yea
Michael B. Feggans — Yea
Michael J. Webert — Yea
Michelle Lopes Maldonado — Yea
Mike A. Cherry — Yea
Mitchell Cornett — Yea
Nadarius E. Clark — Yea
Nicole Cole — Yea
Patrick A. Hope — Yea
Paul E. Krizek — Yea
Phil M. Hernandez — Yea
Phillip A. Scott — Yea
R. Lee Ware — Yea
Rae Cousins — Yea
Richard C. "Rip" Sullivan, Jr. — Yea
Robert S. Bloxom, Jr. — Yea
Rodney T. Willett — Yea
Rozia A. Henson, Jr. — Yea
Sam Rasoul — Yea
Scott A. Wyatt — Yea
Shelly A. Simonds — Yea
Stacey Annie Carroll — Yea
Terry G. Kilgore — Yea
Terry L. Austin — Yea
Thomas A. Garrett, Jr. — Yea
Thomas C. Wright, Jr. — Not Voting
Timothy P. Griffin — Yea
Tony O. Wilt — Yea
Virgil Thornton — Yea
Vivian E. Watts — Yea
Wendell S. Walker — Yea
Will Davis — Yea
Wren M. Williams — Not Voting

Official roll call →

Reported from General Laws with amendment(s)

Passed 21 Yea · 0 Nay · 1 Other
Party YeaNayPresentNot Voting
Unaffiliated 21001
Total 21001
% of votes cast 95%0%0%5%
How each member voted (22)
Member Party Vote
Adele Y. McClure — Yea
Atoosa R. Reaser — Yea
Barry D. Knight — Not Voting
Betsy B. Carr — Yea
Bill Wiley — Yea
Elizabeth R. Guzman — Yea
Ellen H. McLaughlin — Yea
Holly M. Seibold — Yea
Hyland F. "Buddy" Fowler, Jr. — Yea
James W. Morefield — Yea
Joshua G. Cole — Yea
Karrie K. Delaney — Yea
Katrina Callsen — Yea
Lily V. Franklin — Yea
Luke E. Torian — Yea
Marcia S. "Cia" Price — Yea
Marcus B. Simon — Yea
Paul E. Krizek — Yea
Phil M. Hernandez — Yea
Robert S. Bloxom, Jr. — Yea
Stacey Annie Carroll — Yea
Terry L. Austin — Yea

Official roll call →

Subjects

civil-rights elections
Cross-referencing the record. Reading this bill against every other bill in the corpus by meaning, not keywords. Only the first open is slow. It’s instant for you after this. Matching · Ranking · Engrossing

Frequently asked questions

What does HB159 do?
Va. Freedom of Information Act; proceedings for enforcement, petition for mandamus or injunction.
Who sponsors HB159?
HB159 is sponsored by Marcus B. Simon.
What is the current status of HB159?
This bill has been introduced in the House of Delegates. Introduced January 06, 2026. It must pass committee before a floor vote.
Where can I track HB159?
Track HB159 free on One Click Politics — get push/email alerts when it moves.

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Last checked for changes 3 months ago · updated continuously

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