republic-os/legislation/us/states/va/2024/sb-734.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 HB 894.	us/states/va	Virginia General Assembly	2024	SB 734	Virginia SB 734 (2024)	bill		enacted	David W. Marsden	3	24	5	2024-01-19	2024-03-20	openstates	ocd-bill/250294ec-b4c6-41ae-a34d-e37c2a95b48b	https://lis.virginia.gov/cgi-bin/legp604.exe?241+sum+SB734	230f0e67dcd05cebf5559eb8a712165ed1245b19487d3aba07fe3467df5bdcd3	2026-07-01	https://data.openstates.org/daily/2026-07-01/public.pgdump	2026-07-06	reported	legislation bill us-va

Virginia SB 734 (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 HB 894. 

Version chain

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

1. CHAP0129 (committee substitute) — source
2. Presented and ordered printed 24102038D (committee substitute) — source
3. SB734ER (committee substitute) — source

Votes

• 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
• Read third time and passed Senate (35-Y 4-N) — 35–4 (pass) · upper
• Constitutional reading dispensed (38-Y 0-N) — 38–0 (pass) · upper
• VOTE: Passage (79-Y 20-N) — 78–20 (pass) · lower

Sponsors

• David W. Marsden — primary (person)

Timeline

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

• 2024-01-19 Presented and ordered printed 24102038D introduction
• 2024-01-19 Referred to Committee on General Laws and Technology referral-committee
• 2024-01-24 Impact statement from DPB (SB734)
• 2024-01-31 Reported from General Laws and Technology (14-Y 0-N 1-A) committee-passage
• 2024-02-02 Constitutional reading dispensed (38-Y 0-N)
• 2024-02-05 Read second time and engrossed reading-2
• 2024-02-06 Read third time and passed Senate (35-Y 4-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
• 2024-02-15 Reported from General Laws (22-Y 0-N) committee-passage
• 2024-02-19 Read second time reading-2
• 2024-02-20 Read third time reading-3
• 2024-02-20 Passed House (79-Y 20-N) passage
• 2024-02-20 VOTE: Passage (79-Y 20-N) passage
• 2024-02-26 Enrolled enrolled
• 2024-02-26 Bill text as passed Senate and House (SB734ER) passage
• 2024-02-26 Impact statement from DPB (SB734ER)
• 2024-02-26 Signed by Speaker passage
• 2024-02-29 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
• 2024-03-20 Approved by Governor-Chapter 129 (effective 7/1/24) executive-signature
• 2024-03-20 Acts of Assembly Chapter text (CHAP0129)

Source

OpenStates / OpenCivicData bulk snapshot 2026-07-01; origin ocd-bill/250294ec-b4c6-41ae-a34d-e37c2a95b48b. Confidence: reported (aggregated from official Virginia legislature records).