VA SB 56
Status unknownFOIA; procedure for responding to requests, charges, posting of notice of rights & responsibilities.
Virginia · 2026 Regular Session · upper
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
2025-11-26
Prefiled and ordered printed; Offered 01-14-2026 26100741D
filing,introduction
2025-11-26
Referred to Committee on General Laws and Technology
referral-committee
2026-01-12
Fiscal Impact Statement from Department of Planning and Budget (SB56)
2026-01-21
Reported from General Laws and Technology and rereferred to Finance and Appropriations (15-Y 0-N)
committee-passage
2026-02-03
Reported from Finance and Appropriations (13-Y 0-N)
committee-passage
2026-02-04
Rules suspended
2026-02-04
Constitutional reading dispensed Block Vote (on 1st reading) (40-Y 0-N 0-A)
2026-02-04
Passed by for the day Block Vote (Voice Vote)
2026-02-05
Read second time
reading-2
2026-02-05
Engrossed by Senate (Voice Vote)
2026-02-06
Read third time and passed Senate (40-Y 0-N 0-A)
passage,reading-3
2026-02-12
Placed on Calendar
2026-02-12
Read first time
reading-1
2026-02-12
Referred to Committee on General Laws
referral-committee
2026-02-23
Assigned HGL sub: Procurement/Open Government
referral-committee
2026-02-24
Subcommittee recommends laying on the table (10-Y 0-N)
2026-03-10
Left in General Laws
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
Attribution
Data from openstates_bulk_csv, retrieved 2026-07-24T05:35:59.552682Z
Inspect retained evidence for changes recorded after evidence tracking began:
Use this data
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- Committee referrals are not yet captured.
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