Virginia Senate Bill 56
Session 2026
FOIA; procedure for responding to requests, charges, posting of notice of rights & responsibilities.
Active
Passed Senate on Feb 6, 2026
Origin Chamber
Senate
Type
Bill
Bill Number
56
State
Virginia
Session
2026
Motion Text
Read third time and passed Senate Block Vote (40-Y 0-N 0-A)
Senate Roll Call Votes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Michael J. Jones
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Summary
A BILL to amend and reenact §§ 2.2-2007, 2.2-3704, 2.2-3704.1, 2.2-3714, 2.2-3806, 16.1-77, and 17.1-275 of the Code of Virginia and to amend the Code of Virginia by adding a section numbered 2.2-3704.02, relating to the Virginia Freedom of Information Act; procedure for responding to requests; charges; posting of notice of rights and responsibilities.
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.
Fiscal Impact Statement from Department of Planning and Budget (SB56)
Sort by most recent
02/06/2026
Senate
Read third time and passed Senate (40-Y 0-N 0-A)
02/05/2026
Senate
Engrossed by Senate (Voice Vote)
02/05/2026
Senate
Read second time
02/04/2026
Senate
Passed by for the day Block Vote (Voice Vote)
02/04/2026
Senate
Constitutional reading dispensed Block Vote (on 1st reading) (40-Y 0-N 0-A)
02/04/2026
Senate
Rules suspended
02/03/2026
Senate
Reported from Finance and Appropriations (13-Y 0-N)
01/21/2026
Senate
Reported from General Laws and Technology and rereferred to Finance and Appropriations (15-Y 0-N)
01/12/2026
Senate
Fiscal Impact Statement from Department of Planning and Budget (SB56)
11/26/2025
Senate
Referred to Committee on General Laws and Technology
11/26/2025
Senate
Prefiled and ordered printed; Offered 01-14-2026 26100741D
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Sources
VA Legislature
Open States
Record Created
Dec 14, 2025 3:02:50 PM
Record Updated
Feb 8, 2026 9:34:37 PM
