Virginia HB 1068

Baccalaureate public institutions of higher education; livestreaming, recording, and archiving of boards of visitors meetings; closed sessions; guidelines. Requires each baccalaureate public institution of higher education in the Commonwealth to (i) provide for the livestreaming of each meeting of its full board of visitors in a manner that is accessible to the public in real time and (ii) ensure that recordings of such meetings (a) are made, archived, and made available to the public within five business days following the conclusion of the meeting; (b) remain accessible on the institution's official website for no less than five years from the date of the meeting; and (c) include closed captioning for accessibility and are presented in a format compliant with the federal Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990. The bill requires the board of visitors of each such institution to include a report on the institution's compliance with the foregoing requirements in its statutorily required annual executive summary. The bill also requires the State Council of Higher Education for Virginia to develop and provide to each baccalaureate public institution of higher education guidelines to assist such institutions with complying with the foregoing requirements, including recommendations for technology standards and accessibility features. The bill has a delayed effective date of July 1, 2027.