On January 30, the House Communications, Technology, and Innovations Committee heard HB 2207 (Tran), which makes changes to the Information Technology Access Act (ITAA). The changes included broadening the definition of digital accessibility and technology procurement requirements, as well as requiring all state agencies, public institutions of higher education, school divisions, and political subdivisions of the Commonwealth to designate an employee to serve as digital access coordinator, responsible for developing and implementing a digital accessibility policy and report. VACo expressed concerns to the patron prior to the committee meeting regarding the potential impact to local governments and as a result, the patron introduced a substitute version of the bill.
The substitute version made the digital access coordinator position optional, applies only to future procurements effective January 1, 2024, and exempts localities with populations less than 50,000 from the procurement requirements. The Committee subsequently reported and referred the bill to the House Appropriations Committee by a vote of 16-6.
VACo Contact: Jeremy R. Bennett