Bill Commons

VA SB 56

Status unknown

FOIA; procedure for responding to requests, charges, posting of notice of rights & responsibilities.

Virginia · 2026 Regular Session · upper

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Quick answers

Did VA SB 56 pass?

The current status of VA SB 56 is not known from the official record. Latest recorded action (2026-03-10): Left in General Laws

What is VA SB 56 about?

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.

Who sponsors VA SB 56?

Danica A. Roem is the primary sponsor of VA SB 56.

Description

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.

Introduced
2025-11-26
Latest action
2026-03-10 — Left in General Laws
Bill type
bill
Last updated
—

Sponsors

  • Danica A. Roemprimary

Committees

Not provided by source.

Action timeline

Newest first

  1. 2026-03-10

    Left in General Laws

  2. 2026-02-24

    Subcommittee recommends laying on the table (10-Y 0-N)

  3. 2026-02-23

    Assigned HGL sub: Procurement/Open Government

    referral-committee

  4. 2026-02-12

    Referred to Committee on General Laws

    referral-committee

  5. 2026-02-12

    Read first time

    reading-1

  6. 2026-02-12

    Placed on Calendar

  7. 2026-02-06

    Read third time and passed Senate (40-Y 0-N 0-A)

    passage,reading-3

  8. 2026-02-05

    Engrossed by Senate (Voice Vote)

  9. 2026-02-05

    Read second time

    reading-2

  10. 2026-02-04

    Passed by for the day Block Vote (Voice Vote)

  11. 2026-02-04

    Constitutional reading dispensed Block Vote (on 1st reading) (40-Y 0-N 0-A)

  12. 2026-02-04

    Rules suspended

  13. 2026-02-03

    Reported from Finance and Appropriations (13-Y 0-N)

    committee-passage

  14. 2026-01-21

    Reported from General Laws and Technology and rereferred to Finance and Appropriations (15-Y 0-N)

    committee-passage

  15. 2026-01-12

    Fiscal Impact Statement from Department of Planning and Budget (SB56)

  16. 2025-11-26

    Referred to Committee on General Laws and Technology

    referral-committee

  17. 2025-11-26

    Prefiled and ordered printed; Offered 01-14-2026 26100741D

    filing,introduction

Versions

Documents

Votes

  • Reported from General Laws and Technology

    2026-01-21 · pass · 15-0

    Member-level votes (15)
    • Adam P. Ebbin: yes
    • Mamie E. Locke: yes
    • Bryce E. Reeves: yes
    • Jeremy S. McPike: yes
    • Todd E. Pillion: yes
    • Aaron R. Rouse: yes
    • Christopher T. Head: yes
    • Emily M. Jordan: yes
    • Lashrecse D. Aird: yes
    • Schuyler T. VanValkenburg: yes
    • Danica A. Roem: yes
    • Jennifer D. Carroll Foy: yes
    • Timmy French: yes
    • Christie New Craig: yes
    • Angelia Williams Graves: yes

  • Reported from Finance and Appropriations

    2026-02-03 · pass · 13-0

    Member-level votes (15)
    • L. Louise Lucas: yes
    • R. Creigh Deeds: yes
    • Mamie E. Locke: yes
    • David W. Marsden: yes
    • Adam P. Ebbin: yes
    • Ryan T. McDougle: yes
    • Mark D. Obenshain: yes
    • Richard H. Stuart: not voting
    • Bryce E. Reeves: not voting
    • Barbara A. Favola: yes
    • Scott A. Surovell: yes
    • Jeremy S. McPike: yes
    • Jennifer B. Boysko: yes
    • Todd E. Pillion: yes
    • Aaron R. Rouse: yes

  • Constitutional reading dispensed R

    2026-02-04 · pass · 40-0

    Member-level votes (40)
    • Lashrecse D. Aird: yes
    • Lamont Bagby: yes
    • Jennifer B. Boysko: yes
    • Jennifer D. Carroll Foy: yes
    • Luther Cifers, III: yes
    • Christie New Craig: yes
    • R. Creigh Deeds: yes
    • Bill DeSteph: yes
    • J.D. "Danny" Diggs: yes
    • Tara A. Durant: yes
    • Adam P. Ebbin: yes
    • Barbara A. Favola: yes
    • Timmy French: yes
    • T. Travis Hackworth: yes
    • Christopher T. Head: yes
    • Michael J. Jones: yes
    • Emily M. Jordan: yes
    • Mamie E. Locke: yes
    • L. Louise Lucas: yes
    • David W. Marsden: yes
    • Ryan T. McDougle: yes
    • Jeremy S. McPike: yes
    • Tammy Brankley Mulchi: yes
    • Mark D. Obenshain: yes
    • Mark J. Peake: yes
    • Stella G. Pekarsky: yes
    • Russet Perry: yes
    • Todd E. Pillion: yes
    • Bryce E. Reeves: yes
    • Danica A. Roem: yes
    • Aaron R. Rouse: yes
    • Saddam Azlan Salim: yes
    • Kannan Srinivasan: yes
    • William M. Stanley, Jr.: yes
    • Richard H. Stuart: yes
    • Glen H. Sturtevant, Jr.: yes
    • David R. Suetterlein: yes
    • Scott A. Surovell: yes
    • Schuyler T. VanValkenburg: yes
    • Angelia Williams Graves: yes

  • Passage R

    2026-02-06 · pass · 40-0

    Member-level votes (40)
    • Lashrecse D. Aird: yes
    • Lamont Bagby: yes
    • Jennifer B. Boysko: yes
    • Jennifer D. Carroll Foy: yes
    • Luther Cifers, III: yes
    • Christie New Craig: yes
    • R. Creigh Deeds: yes
    • Bill DeSteph: yes
    • J.D. "Danny" Diggs: yes
    • Tara A. Durant: yes
    • Adam P. Ebbin: yes
    • Barbara A. Favola: yes
    • Timmy French: yes
    • T. Travis Hackworth: yes
    • Christopher T. Head: yes
    • Michael J. Jones: yes
    • Emily M. Jordan: yes
    • Mamie E. Locke: yes
    • L. Louise Lucas: yes
    • David W. Marsden: yes
    • Ryan T. McDougle: yes
    • Jeremy S. McPike: yes
    • Tammy Brankley Mulchi: yes
    • Mark D. Obenshain: yes
    • Mark J. Peake: yes
    • Stella G. Pekarsky: yes
    • Russet Perry: yes
    • Todd E. Pillion: yes
    • Bryce E. Reeves: yes
    • Danica A. Roem: yes
    • Aaron R. Rouse: yes
    • Saddam Azlan Salim: yes
    • Kannan Srinivasan: yes
    • William M. Stanley, Jr.: yes
    • Richard H. Stuart: yes
    • Glen H. Sturtevant, Jr.: yes
    • David R. Suetterlein: yes
    • Scott A. Surovell: yes
    • Schuyler T. VanValkenburg: yes
    • Angelia Williams Graves: yes

  • Subcommittee recommends laying on the table

    2026-02-24 · pass · 10-0

    Member-level votes (10)
    • Adele Y. McClure: yes
    • Betsy B. Carr: yes
    • Marcus B. Simon: yes
    • Karrie K. Delaney: yes
    • Joshua G. Cole: yes
    • Atoosa R. Reaser: yes
    • Lily V. Franklin: yes
    • Hyland F. "Buddy" Fowler, Jr.: yes
    • Robert S. Bloxom, Jr.: yes
    • Bill Wiley: yes

Related bills

No related bills recorded for this bill.

Official source

https://lis.virginia.gov/bill-details/20261/SB56

Attribution

Data from openstates_bulk_csv, retrieved 2026-07-24T05:35:59.552682Z

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