VACo opposed HB 599 (Roem), which changes FOIA policy in three major ways. First, it mandates that each person in the Commonwealth including every member of a news entity receive 8 free hours of FOIA requests per month free of charge. It provides a per hour cap on fees charged on any request after the 8 hours of free monthly requests. It also provides that a public body may petition the appropriate court for relief from the hourly fee cap. The bill failed in a House General Laws Subcommittee and therefore should be done for the session.
VACo Contact: Phyllis Errico, Esq., CAE