Virginia bills · 2026 Regular Session
Virginia SB 56
FOIA; procedure for responding to requests, charges, posting of notice of rights & responsibilities.
- Introduced
- In committee
- Passed Senate
- Passed House
- To Governor
- Became law
Sponsors
- Danica A. Roem (Democratic)
Summary
Official abstract published by the Virginia legislature· SUMMARY AS INTRODUCED
Virginia Freedom of Information Act; procedure for responding to requests; charges; posting of notice of rights and responsibilities. Limits the fees charged for producing public records to the median hourly rate of pay of employees of the public body or the actual hourly rate of pay of the person performing the work, whichever is less, and provides that a public body may petition a court for relief from this fee limit if there is no one who can process the request at the median hourly rate of pay or less. The bill makes corresponding amendments to the required statement on charges in the notice of rights and responsibilities that must be posted on a public body's website. The bill also amends existing law providing that a public body may petition a court for additional time to respond to a request for public records to allow such petitions to be heard in either general district or circuit court, to give such petitions priority on the court's docket, and to toll the response time while such a petition is pending before a court. The bill makes technical amendments, including moving provisions regarding charges for the production of public records into a separate section of the Virginia Freedom of Information Act.
Text versions
Roll-call votes
State vote data last updated Oct 15, 2026, 8:04 PM.
| Date | Vote | Result | Your legislators |
|---|---|---|---|
| Feb 24, 2026 House | Subcommittee recommends laying on the table | pass | Set your home in Virginia to see |
| Feb 6, 2026 Senate | Passage R | pass | Set your home in Virginia to see |
| Feb 4, 2026 Senate | Constitutional reading dispensed R | pass | Set your home in Virginia to see |
| Feb 3, 2026 Senate | Reported from Finance and Appropriations | pass | Set your home in Virginia to see |
| Jan 21, 2026 Senate | Reported from General Laws and Technology | pass | Set your home in Virginia to see |
Actions
- Mar 10, 2026 · House
Left in General Laws - Feb 24, 2026 · House
Subcommittee recommends laying on the table (10-Y 0-N) - Feb 23, 2026 · House
Assigned HGL sub: Procurement/Open Government - Feb 12, 2026 · House
Referred to Committee on General Laws - Feb 12, 2026 · House
Read first time - Feb 12, 2026 · House
Placed on Calendar - Feb 6, 2026 · Senate
Read third time and passed Senate (40-Y 0-N 0-A) - Feb 5, 2026 · Senate
Engrossed by Senate (Voice Vote) - Feb 5, 2026 · Senate
Read second time - Feb 4, 2026 · Senate
Passed by for the day Block Vote (Voice Vote) - Feb 4, 2026 · Senate
Constitutional reading dispensed Block Vote (on 1st reading) (40-Y 0-N 0-A) - Feb 4, 2026 · Senate
Rules suspended - Feb 3, 2026 · Senate
Reported from Finance and Appropriations (13-Y 0-N) - Jan 21, 2026 · Senate
Reported from General Laws and Technology and rereferred to Finance and Appropriations (15-Y 0-N) - Jan 12, 2026 · Senate
Fiscal Impact Statement from Department of Planning and Budget (SB56) - Nov 26, 2025 · Senate
Referred to Committee on General Laws and Technology - Nov 26, 2025 · Senate
Prefiled and ordered printed; Offered 01-14-2026 26100741D