As part of the workgroup created by SB 324 (Roem), the Virginia Freedom of Information Advisory (FOIA) Council will publish several best practices guides pertaining to access to public records under FOIA, FOIA charges, and making requests for public records. VACo encourages members to review these guides and to post to the appropriate section of county government websites to help inform and educate members of the public. Increased education and awareness will hopefully streamline the process of FOIA requests made to county governments and reduce the number of contentious requests.
These documents will soon be posted to the FOIA Council website, but links to each can be found below:
- Access to Public Records Under the Freedom of Information Act
- Best Practices for Making Requests for Public Records
- FOIA Charges Guide
As previously reported, VACo expressed concerns with SB 324 in its original form. The workgroup created by the legislation continues to discuss potential consensus approaches that honor the intent of the legislation but reduce or eliminate potential unfunded mandates to local governments. VACo recently sent a survey to County Administrators on the latest version of potential draft legislation, though this draft is likely to change based on feedback from the October 21 meeting of the workgroup. The patron of the bill is interested in assessing potential costs and has offered to introduce budget amendments to help local governments with implementation of any new changes to FOIA caused by this legislation.
VACo will continue to engage on this issue and provide feedback and updates as the issue evolves.
VACo Contact: Jeremy R. Bennett and Phyllis Errico