republic-os/legislation/us/states/va/2024/hb-894.md

type, title, description, jurisdiction, legislature, session, identifier, citation, classification, subjects, status, primary_sponsors, version_count, action_count, vote_count, first_action, last_action, source, source_identifier, source_url, source_hash, vintage, source_snapshot, retrieved_at, confidence, tags

type	title	description	jurisdiction	legislature	session	identifier	citation	classification	subjects	status	primary_sponsors	version_count	action_count	vote_count	first_action	last_action	source	source_identifier	source_url	source_hash	vintage	source_snapshot	retrieved_at	confidence	tags
Bill	Virginia Freedom of Information Act; electronic meetings.	Virginia Freedom of Information Act; electronic meetings. Amends the number of all-virtual public meetings that public bodies, with certain exceptions, may convene in a calendar year to no more than two times per calendar year or 50 percent of the meetings held per calendar year rounded up to the next whole number, whichever is greater. Current law limits the number of all-virtual public meetings to no more than two times per calendar year or 25 percent of the meetings held per calendar year rounded up to the next whole number, whichever is greater. The bill also provides that with respect to all-virtual public meetings, when audio-visual technology is available, a member of a public body shall, for purposes of a quorum, be considered absent from any portion of the meeting during which visual communication with the member is voluntarily disconnected or otherwise fails or during which audio communication involuntarily fails. This bill is identical to SB 734.	us/states/va	Virginia General Assembly	2024	HB 894	Virginia HB 894 (2024)	bill		enacted	Elizabeth B. Bennett-Parker	3	27	8	2024-01-09	2024-03-08	openstates	ocd-bill/70d1b976-34b0-40d0-b34e-221eee6ee8ee	https://lis.virginia.gov/cgi-bin/legp604.exe?241+sum+HB894	f30774c8ce912baa855b5ddcce4f7436ac093f96430c15c6302adbae0b808588	2026-07-01	https://data.openstates.org/daily/2026-07-01/public.pgdump	2026-07-06	reported	legislation bill us-va

Virginia HB 894 (2024) — Virginia Freedom of Information Act; electronic meetings.

Virginia Freedom of Information Act; electronic meetings. Amends the number of all-virtual public meetings that public bodies, with certain exceptions, may convene in a calendar year to no more than two times per calendar year or 50 percent of the meetings held per calendar year rounded up to the next whole number, whichever is greater. Current law limits the number of all-virtual public meetings to no more than two times per calendar year or 25 percent of the meetings held per calendar year rounded up to the next whole number, whichever is greater. The bill also provides that with respect to all-virtual public meetings, when audio-visual technology is available, a member of a public body shall, for purposes of a quorum, be considered absent from any portion of the meeting during which visual communication with the member is voluntarily disconnected or otherwise fails or during which audio communication involuntarily fails. This bill is identical to SB 734. 

Version chain

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

1. CHAP0056 (committee substitute) — source
2. HB894ER (committee substitute) — source
3. Prefiled and ordered printed; offered 01/10/24 24100596D (committee substitute) — source

Votes

• Constitutional reading dispensed (38-Y 0-N) — 38–0 (pass) · upper
• Reported from General Laws and Technology (14-Y 0-N 1-A) — 14–0 (pass) · upper
• Reported from General Laws (22-Y 0-N) — 22–0 (pass) · lower
• Passed Senate (32-Y 6-N) — 32–6 (pass) · upper
• Passed Senate (32-Y 7-N) — 32–7 (pass) · upper
• Subcommittee recommends reporting (8-Y 0-N) — 8–0 (pass) · lower
• Reconsideration of Senate passage agreed to by Senate (39-Y 0-N) — 39–0 (pass) · upper
• VOTE: Passage (74-Y 26-N) — 73–26 (pass) · lower

Sponsors

• Elizabeth B. Bennett-Parker — primary (person)
• Adele Y. McClure — cosponsor (person)
• Amy J. Laufer — cosponsor (person)
• Barbara A. Favola — cosponsor (person)
• Briana D. Sewell — cosponsor (person)
• C.E. Cliff Hayes, Jr. — cosponsor (person)
• Candi Mundon King — cosponsor (person)
• Irene Shin — cosponsor (person)
• Jackie H. Glass — cosponsor (person)
• Jennifer B. Boysko — cosponsor (person)
• Joshua G. Cole — cosponsor (person)
• Kathy K.L. Tran — cosponsor (person)
• Marcia S. "Cia" Price — cosponsor (person)
• Michelle Lopes Maldonado — cosponsor (person)

Timeline

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

• 2024-01-09 Prefiled and ordered printed; offered 01/10/24 24100596D filing, introduction
• 2024-01-09 Referred to Committee on General Laws referral-committee
• 2024-01-19 Impact statement from DPB (HB894)
• 2024-01-22 Assigned GL sub: Procurement/Open Government referral-committee
• 2024-01-23 Subcommittee recommends reporting (8-Y 0-N)
• 2024-01-25 Reported from General Laws (22-Y 0-N) committee-passage
• 2024-01-29 Read first time reading-1
• 2024-01-30 Read second time and engrossed reading-2
• 2024-01-31 Read third time and passed House (74-Y 26-N) passage, reading-3
• 2024-01-31 VOTE: Passage (74-Y 26-N) passage
• 2024-02-01 Constitutional reading dispensed
• 2024-02-01 Referred to Committee on General Laws and Technology referral-committee
• 2024-02-14 Reported from General Laws and Technology (14-Y 0-N 1-A) committee-passage
• 2024-02-16 Constitutional reading dispensed (38-Y 0-N)
• 2024-02-19 Read third time reading-3
• 2024-02-19 Passed Senate (32-Y 6-N) passage
• 2024-02-19 Reconsideration of Senate passage agreed to by Senate (39-Y 0-N)
• 2024-02-19 Passed Senate (32-Y 7-N) passage
• 2024-02-22 Enrolled enrolled
• 2024-02-22 Bill text as passed House and Senate (HB894ER) passage
• 2024-02-22 Impact statement from DPB (HB894ER)
• 2024-02-22 Signed by Speaker passage
• 2024-02-25 Signed by President passage
• 2024-03-01 Enrolled Bill communicated to Governor on March 1, 2024 enrolled, executive-receipt
• 2024-03-01 Governor's Action Deadline 11:59 p.m., March 8, 2024 executive-receipt
• 2024-03-08 Approved by Governor-Chapter 56 (effective 7/1/24) executive-signature
• 2024-03-08 Acts of Assembly Chapter text (CHAP0056)

Source

OpenStates / OpenCivicData bulk snapshot 2026-07-01; origin ocd-bill/70d1b976-34b0-40d0-b34e-221eee6ee8ee. Confidence: reported (aggregated from official Virginia legislature records).