---
type: "Bill"
title: "FOIA; removal of Virginia residency requirement for access to certain criminal investigation files."
description: "Virginia Freedom of Information Act; removalof Virginia residency requirement for access to certain criminal investigation files. Removes the requirement that persons to whom non-ongoing criminal investigation files shall otherwise be disclosedbe citizens of the Commonwealth. Current law limits disclosure ofpublic records to individuals who are citizens of the Commonwealthunless a clear exception applies."
jurisdiction: "us/states/va"
legislature: "Virginia General Assembly"
session: "2024"
identifier: "SB 215"
citation: "Virginia SB 215 (2024)"
classification: ["bill"]
subjects: []
status: "enacted"
primary_sponsors: ["Russet Perry"]
version_count: 3
action_count: 28
vote_count: 7
first_action: "2024-01-08"
last_action: "2024-04-05"
source: "openstates"
source_identifier: "ocd-bill/88cb468b-a41e-4290-94ea-fdf92a824308"
source_url: "https://lis.virginia.gov/cgi-bin/legp604.exe?241+sum+SB215"
source_hash: "78f2ea6ec1cf7e0716ea2c61330d014af5ecfcacb386886fbcac34b91a597ae9"
vintage: "2026-07-01"
source_snapshot: "https://data.openstates.org/daily/2026-07-01/public.pgdump"
retrieved_at: "2026-07-06"
confidence: "reported"
tags: ["legislation", "bill", "us-va"]
---

# Virginia SB 215 (2024) — FOIA; removal of Virginia residency requirement for access to certain criminal investigation files.

Virginia Freedom of Information Act; removalof Virginia residency requirement for access to certain criminal investigation files. Removes the requirement that persons to whom non-ongoing criminal investigation files shall otherwise be disclosedbe citizens of the Commonwealth. Current law limits disclosure ofpublic records to individuals who are citizens of the Commonwealthunless a clear exception applies.

## Version chain

The bill's text revisions, in order — the diff chain from filing to enrollment.

1. **CHAP0582** (committee substitute) — [source](https://lis.virginia.gov/cgi-bin/legp604.exe?241+ful+CHAP0582)
2. **Prefiled and ordered printed; offered 01/10/24 24100018D** (committee substitute) — [source](https://lis.virginia.gov/cgi-bin/legp604.exe?241+ful+SB215)
3. **SB215ER** (committee substitute) — [source](https://lis.virginia.gov/cgi-bin/legp604.exe?241+ful+SB215ER)

## Votes

- Constitutional reading dispensed (40-Y 0-N) — **40–0** (pass) · upper
- Reported from Finance and Appropriations (15-Y 0-N) — **15–0** (pass) · upper
- Reported from General Laws (22-Y 0-N) — **22–0** (pass) · lower
- Subcommittee recommends reporting (8-Y 0-N) — **8–0** (pass) · lower
- Reported from General Laws and Technology (13-Y 0-N 2-A) — **13–0** (pass) · upper
- Read third time and passed Senate (40-Y 0-N) — **40–0** (pass) · upper
- VOTE: Block Vote Passage (97-Y 0-N) — **96–0** (pass) · lower

## Sponsors

- Russet Perry — primary (person)
- Scott A. Surovell — cosponsor (person)

## Timeline

The legislative action history — every referral, reading, and vote.

- **2024-01-08** Prefiled and ordered printed; offered 01/10/24 24100018D `filing, introduction`
- **2024-01-08** Referred to Committee on General Laws and Technology `referral-committee`
- **2024-01-17** Impact statement from DPB (SB215)
- **2024-01-24** Reported from General Laws and Technology (13-Y 0-N 2-A) `committee-passage`
- **2024-01-24** Rereferred to Finance and Appropriations `referral-committee`
- **2024-01-31** Reported from Finance and Appropriations (15-Y 0-N) `committee-passage`
- **2024-02-01** Constitutional reading dispensed (40-Y 0-N)
- **2024-02-02** Read second time and engrossed `reading-2`
- **2024-02-05** Read third time and passed Senate (40-Y 0-N) `passage, reading-3`
- **2024-02-13** Placed on Calendar
- **2024-02-13** Read first time `reading-1`
- **2024-02-13** Referred to Committee on General Laws `referral-committee`
- **2024-02-14** Assigned GL sub: Procurement/Open Government `referral-committee`
- **2024-02-20** Subcommittee recommends reporting (8-Y 0-N)
- **2024-02-22** Reported from General Laws (22-Y 0-N) `committee-passage`
- **2024-02-26** Read second time `reading-2`
- **2024-02-27** Read third time `reading-3`
- **2024-02-27** Passed House BLOCK VOTE (97-Y 0-N) `passage`
- **2024-02-27** VOTE: Block Vote Passage (97-Y 0-N) `passage`
- **2024-03-04** Enrolled `enrolled`
- **2024-03-04** Bill text as passed Senate and House (SB215ER) `passage`
- **2024-03-04** Signed by Speaker `passage`
- **2024-03-05** Impact statement from DPB (SB215ER)
- **2024-03-07** Signed by President `passage`
- **2024-03-11** Enrolled Bill Communicated to Governor on March 11, 2024 `enrolled`
- **2024-03-11** Governor's Action Deadline 11:59 p.m., April 8, 2024 `executive-receipt`
- **2024-04-05** Approved by Governor-Chapter 582 (effective 7/1/24) `executive-signature`
- **2024-04-05** Acts of Assembly Chapter text (CHAP0582)

## Source

OpenStates / OpenCivicData bulk snapshot [2026-07-01](https://data.openstates.org/daily/2026-07-01/public.pgdump); origin `ocd-bill/88cb468b-a41e-4290-94ea-fdf92a824308`. Confidence: reported (aggregated from official Virginia legislature records).