SB 56 Virginia Senate · 2026 Regular Session

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

Summary
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.
Bill status passed 3 of 5 stages cleared
Introduction
Nov 2025
Committee Review
Feb 2026
Senate Passage
Feb 2026
House of Delegates Passage
Governor
Introduced Nov 26, 2025 Last action Mar 10, 2026
Floor votes · Senate Feb 4, 2026

How they voted

390
Passed
Total votes 39
Feb 4, 2026
D Democratic20
20 Yea
100% Yea
R Republican19
19 Yea
100% Yea
Vote distribution
All Yea All Nay Mixed No data
Full legislative history

Actions timeline

Total actions
17
Key actions
5
Committee
6
Feb 24, 2026
Lower · Passed
Subcommittee recommends laying on the table (10-Y 0-N)
lower
Feb 23, 2026
Committee
Assigned HGL sub: Procurement/Open Government
lower
Feb 12, 2026
Committee
Referred to Committee on General Laws
lower
Feb 6, 2026
Upper · Passed
Read third time and passed Senate (40-Y 0-N 0-A)
upper
Feb 4, 2026
Upper · Passed
Passed by for the day Block Vote (Voice Vote)
upper
Feb 3, 2026
Upper · Passed
Reported from Finance and Appropriations (13-Y 0-N)
upper
Jan 21, 2026
Upper · Passed
Reported from General Laws and Technology and rereferred to Finance and Appropriations (15-Y 0-N)
upper
Nov 26, 2025
Committee
Referred to Committee on General Laws and Technology
upper
1 primary · 0 co-sponsors

Sponsors

Role
Legislator
Party
State
District
P
Photo of Danica Roem
Danica Roem
DDemocratic
VA
30