Virginia Senate Bill 494 (Prior Session Legislation)

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Completed Legislative Action
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1-0)
Status: Passed on April 6 2016 - 100% progression
Action: 2016-04-06 - Governor: Acts of Assembly Chapter text (CHAP0716)
Text: Latest bill text (Chaptered) [HTML]

Virginia Freedom of Information Act (FOIA); record exclusions; rule of redaction; no weight accorded to public body's determination. Reverses the holding of the Virginia Supreme Court in the case of Department of Corrections v. Surovell, by setting out the general rule of redaction, which provides that no provision of FOIA is intended, nor shall it be construed or applied, to authorize a public body to withhold a public record in its entirety on the grounds that some portion of the public record is excluded from disclosure by FOIA or by any other provision of law. Further, the bill states that a public record may be withheld from disclosure in its entirety only to the extent that an exclusion from disclosure under FOIA or other provision of law applies to the entire content of the public record. Otherwise, only those portions of the public record containing information subject to an exclusion under FOIA or other provision of law may be withheld, and all portions of the public record that are not so excluded shall be disclosed. The bill defines the term "information" and provides that it is declaratory of the law as is it existed prior to the September 17, 2015, decision of the Supreme Court of Virginia in the case of the Department of Corrections v. Surovell. The bill also reverses that part of the holding of the Virginia Supreme Court in the case of Department of Corrections v. Surovell by providing that in a FOIA enforcement action, no court shall be required to accord any weight to the determination of a public body as to whether an exclusion applies. The bill contains technical amendments.

Virginia Freedom of Information Act; record exclusions, rule of redaction, etc.

Sen. Scott Surovell [D]

2016-03-04 - Senate - Senate: Senate rejected Governor's recommendation (0-Y 38-N) (Y: 0 N: 38 NV: 2 Abs: 0) [FAIL]
2016-02-22 - House - House: VOTE: PASSAGE (98-Y 2-N) (Y: 101 N: 2 NV: 0 Abs: 0) [PASS]
2016-02-18 - House - House: Reported from General Laws (19-Y 1-N) (Y: 20 N: 1 NV: 2 Abs: 0) [PASS]
2016-02-16 - Senate - Senate: Passed Senate (38-Y 1-N) (Y: 38 N: 1 NV: 1 Abs: 0) [PASS]
2016-02-16 - Senate - Senate: Constitutional reading dispensed (39-Y 0-N) (Y: 39 N: 0 NV: 1 Abs: 0) [PASS]
2016-02-16 - Senate - Senate: Constitutional reading dispensed (38-Y 0-N) (Y: 38 N: 0 NV: 2 Abs: 0) [PASS]
2016-02-15 - Senate - Senate: Reported from General Laws and Technology with substitute (10-Y 5-N) (Y: 10 N: 5 NV: 0 Abs: 0) [PASS]

Date	Chamber	Action
2016-04-06		Governor: Acts of Assembly Chapter text (CHAP0716)
2016-04-06		Governor: Approved by Governor-Chapter 716 (effective 7/1/16)
2016-03-11	Senate	Communicated to Governor
2016-03-04	Senate	Senate rejected Governor's recommendation (0-Y 38-N)
2016-03-03	Senate	Passed by for the day
2016-03-01	Senate	Governor's substitute printed 16105976D-S2
2016-03-01	Senate	Governor's recommendation received by Senate
2016-02-23		Governor: Governor's Action Deadline Midnight, March 1, 2016
2016-02-23	Senate	Enrolled Bill Communicated to Governor on 2/23/16
2016-02-23	House	Signed by Speaker
2016-02-23	Senate	Signed by President
2016-02-23	Senate	Bill text as passed Senate and House (SB494ER)
2016-02-23	Senate	Enrolled
2016-02-22	House	VOTE: PASSAGE (98-Y 2-N)
2016-02-22	House	Passed House (98-Y 2-N)
2016-02-22	House	Read third time
2016-02-19	House	Read second time
2016-02-18	House	Reported from General Laws (19-Y 1-N)
2016-02-18	House	Referred to Committee on General Laws
2016-02-18	House	Read first time
2016-02-18	House	Placed on Calendar
2016-02-16	Senate	Passed Senate (38-Y 1-N)
2016-02-16	Senate	Constitutional reading dispensed (39-Y 0-N)
2016-02-16	Senate	Engrossed by Senate - committee substitute SB494S1
2016-02-16	Senate	Committee substitute agreed to 16105285D-S1
2016-02-16	Senate	Reading of substitute waived
2016-02-16	Senate	Read second time
2016-02-16	Senate	Constitutional reading dispensed (38-Y 0-N)
2016-02-15	Senate	Committee substitute printed 16105285D-S1
2016-02-15	Senate	Reported from General Laws and Technology with substitute (10-Y 5-N)
2016-01-12	Senate	Referred to Committee on General Laws and Technology
2016-01-12	Senate	Prefiled and ordered printed; offered 01/13/16 16103660D

HB817 (Same As) 2016-04-01 - Governor: Acts of Assembly Chapter text (CHAP0620)

Chapter	Article	Section	Citation Type	Statute Text
2	2	3704	(n/a)	See Bill Text
2	2	3704.01	(n/a)	See Bill Text
2	2	3705.1	(n/a)	See Bill Text
2	2	3705.7	(n/a)	See Bill Text
2	2	3711	(n/a)	See Bill Text
2	2	3713	(n/a)	See Bill Text

Type	Source
Summary	https://lis.virginia.gov/cgi-bin/legp604.exe?161+sum+SB494
Text	https://lis.virginia.gov/cgi-bin/legp604.exe?161+ful+SB494+hil
Text	https://lis.virginia.gov/cgi-bin/legp604.exe?161+ful+SB494S1+hil
Text	https://lis.virginia.gov/cgi-bin/legp604.exe?161+ful+SB494ER+hil
Text	https://lis.virginia.gov/cgi-bin/legp604.exe?161+ful+SB494S2+hil
Text	https://lis.virginia.gov/cgi-bin/legp604.exe?161+ful+CHAP0716+hil
Roll Call	https://lis.virginia.gov/cgi-bin/legp604.exe?161+vot+S12V0070+SB0494
Roll Call	https://lis.virginia.gov/cgi-bin/legp604.exe?161+vot+SV0453SB0494+SB0494
Roll Call	https://lis.virginia.gov/cgi-bin/legp604.exe?161+vot+SV0460SB0494+SB0494
Roll Call	https://lis.virginia.gov/cgi-bin/legp604.exe?161+vot+SV0461SB0494+SB0494
Roll Call	https://lis.virginia.gov/cgi-bin/legp604.exe?161+vot+H11V0198+SB0494
Roll Call	https://lis.virginia.gov/cgi-bin/legp604.exe?161+vot+HV0778+SB0494
Roll Call	https://lis.virginia.gov/cgi-bin/legp604.exe?161+vot+SV0865SB0494+SB0494