{"formats":[{"name":"JSON","format":"json","url":"\/downloads\/2025\/code-json\/30-178.json"},{"name":"Plain Text","format":"text","url":"\/downloads\/2025\/code-text\/30-178.txt"},{"name":"XML","format":"xml","url":"\/downloads\/2025\/code-xml\/30-178.xml"},{"name":"HTML","format":"html","url":"\/downloads\/2025\/code-html\/30-178.html"}],"law_id":60080,"edition_id":1,"section_id":60080,"structure_id":15688,"section_number":"30-178","catch_line":"Virginia Freedom of Information Advisory Council; membership; terms; quorum; expenses","history":"2000, cc. 917, 987, \u00a7 2.1-346.2; 2001, c. 844; 2004, c. 1000; 2017, cc. 141, 644.","full_text":"A\n\nThe Virginia Freedom of Information Advisory Council (the Council) is hereby created as an advisory council in the legislative branch to encourage and facilitate compliance with the Freedom of Information Act (§ 2.2-3700 et seq.).B\n\nThe Council shall consist of 14 members as follows: the Attorney General or his designee; the Librarian of Virginia or his designee; the Director of the Division of Legislative Services or his designee; five members appointed by the Speaker of the House of Delegates, two of whom shall be members of the House of Delegates, and three nonlegislative citizen members, at least one of whom shall be or have been a representative of the news media; four members appointed by the Senate Committee on Rules, two of whom shall be members of the Senate, one of whom shall be or have been an officer of local government, and one nonlegislative citizen at-large member; and two nonlegislative citizen members appointed by the Governor, one of whom shall not be a state employee. The local government representative may be selected from a list recommended by the Virginia Association of Counties and the Virginia Municipal League, after due consideration of such list by the Senate Committee on Rules. The citizen members may be selected from a list recommended by the Virginia Press Association, the Virginia Association of Broadcasters, and the Virginia Coalition for Open Government, after due consideration of such list by the appointing authorities.C\n\nAll appointments following the initial staggering of terms shall be for terms of four years, except that appointments to fill vacancies shall be for the unexpired terms in the same manner as the original appointment. No nonlegislative citizen member shall be eligible to serve for more than two successive four-year terms. At the end of a term, a nonlegislative citizen member shall continue to serve until a successor is appointed. However, after the expiration of a term of three years or less, or after the expiration of the remainder of a term to which appointed to fill a vacancy, two additional terms may be served by such member if appointed thereto. Legislative members and other state government officials shall serve terms coincident with their terms of office. Legislative members may be reappointed for successive terms.D\n\nThe members of the Council shall elect from among their membership a chairman and a vice-chairman for two-year terms. The chairman and vice-chairman may not succeed themselves to the same position.E\n\nThe Council shall hold meetings quarterly or upon the call of the chairman. A majority of the Council shall constitute a quorum. Notwithstanding the provisions of subsection C, if any nonlegislative citizen member of the Council fails to attend a majority of meetings of the Council in a calendar year, the Council shall notify the member’s appointing authority. Upon receipt of such notification, the appointing authority may remove the member and appoint a successor as soon as practicable.F\n\nMembers of the Council shall receive no compensation for their services but shall be reimbursed for all reasonable and necessary expenses incurred in the performance of their duties as provided in §§ 2.2-2813, 2.2-2825 and 30-19.12, as appropriate. Funding for expenses of the members shall be provided from existing appropriations to the Council.","order_by":null,"text":{"0":{"id":219872,"text":"The Virginia Freedom of Information Advisory Council (the Council) is hereby created as an advisory council in the legislative branch to encourage and facilitate compliance with the Freedom of Information Act (§ 2.2-3700 et seq.).","type":"section","prefixes":["A"],"prefix":"A","entire_prefix":"A","prefix_anchor":"A","level":1,"next_prefix":"B"},"1":{"id":219873,"text":"The Council shall consist of 14 members as follows: the Attorney General or his designee; the Librarian of Virginia or his designee; the Director of the Division of Legislative Services or his designee; five members appointed by the Speaker of the House of Delegates, two of whom shall be members of the House of Delegates, and three nonlegislative citizen members, at least one of whom shall be or have been a representative of the news media; four members appointed by the Senate Committee on Rules, two of whom shall be members of the Senate, one of whom shall be or have been an officer of local government, and one nonlegislative citizen at-large member; and two nonlegislative citizen members appointed by the Governor, one of whom shall not be a state employee. The local government representative may be selected from a list recommended by the Virginia Association of Counties and the Virginia Municipal League, after due consideration of such list by the Senate Committee on Rules. The citizen members may be selected from a list recommended by the Virginia Press Association, the Virginia Association of Broadcasters, and the Virginia Coalition for Open Government, after due consideration of such list by the appointing authorities.","type":"section","prefixes":["B"],"prefix":"B","entire_prefix":"B","prefix_anchor":"B","level":1,"prior_prefix":"A","next_prefix":"C"},"2":{"id":219874,"text":"All appointments following the initial staggering of terms shall be for terms of four years, except that appointments to fill vacancies shall be for the unexpired terms in the same manner as the original appointment. No nonlegislative citizen member shall be eligible to serve for more than two successive four-year terms. At the end of a term, a nonlegislative citizen member shall continue to serve until a successor is appointed. However, after the expiration of a term of three years or less, or after the expiration of the remainder of a term to which appointed to fill a vacancy, two additional terms may be served by such member if appointed thereto. Legislative members and other state government officials shall serve terms coincident with their terms of office. Legislative members may be reappointed for successive terms.","type":"section","prefixes":["C"],"prefix":"C","entire_prefix":"C","prefix_anchor":"C","level":1,"prior_prefix":"B","next_prefix":"D"},"3":{"id":219875,"text":"The members of the Council shall elect from among their membership a chairman and a vice-chairman for two-year terms. The chairman and vice-chairman may not succeed themselves to the same position.","type":"section","prefixes":["D"],"prefix":"D","entire_prefix":"D","prefix_anchor":"D","level":1,"prior_prefix":"C","next_prefix":"E"},"4":{"id":219876,"text":"The Council shall hold meetings quarterly or upon the call of the chairman. A majority of the Council shall constitute a quorum. Notwithstanding the provisions of subsection C, if any nonlegislative citizen member of the Council fails to attend a majority of meetings of the Council in a calendar year, the Council shall notify the member’s appointing authority. Upon receipt of such notification, the appointing authority may remove the member and appoint a successor as soon as practicable.","type":"section","prefixes":["E"],"prefix":"E","entire_prefix":"E","prefix_anchor":"E","level":1,"prior_prefix":"D","next_prefix":"F"},"5":{"id":219877,"text":"Members of the Council shall receive no compensation for their services but shall be reimbursed for all reasonable and necessary expenses incurred in the performance of their duties as provided in §§ 2.2-2813, 2.2-2825 and 30-19.12, as appropriate. Funding for expenses of the members shall be provided from existing appropriations to the Council.","type":"section","prefixes":["F"],"prefix":"F","entire_prefix":"F","prefix_anchor":"F","level":1,"prior_prefix":"E"}},"ancestry":[{"id":15688,"edition_id":1,"name":"Virginia Freedom of Information Advisory Council","identifier":"21","label":"chapter","depth":2,"order_by":1,"parent_id":12738,"metadata":{},"date_created":"2026-06-26 03:57:55","date_modified":"2026-06-26 03:57:55","permalink":{"id":199827,"object_type":"structure","relational_id":15688,"identifier":"21","token":"30\/21","url":"\/30\/21\/","edition_id":1,"permalink":0,"preferred":1}},{"id":12738,"edition_id":1,"name":"General Assembly","identifier":"30","label":"title","depth":1,"order_by":1,"parent_id":null,"metadata":{},"date_created":"2026-06-26 03:43:51","date_modified":"2026-06-26 03:43:51","permalink":{"id":199019,"object_type":"structure","relational_id":12738,"identifier":"30","token":"30","url":"\/30\/","edition_id":1,"permalink":0,"preferred":1}}],"structure_contents":[{"id":60080,"structure_id":15688,"section_number":"30-178","catch_line":"Virginia Freedom of Information Advisory Council; membership; terms; quorum; expenses","url":"\/30-178\/","token":"30\/21\/30-178","metadata":false},{"id":70810,"structure_id":15688,"section_number":"30-179","catch_line":"Powers and duties of the Council","url":"\/30-179\/","token":"30\/21\/30-179","metadata":false},{"id":72953,"structure_id":15688,"section_number":"30-180","catch_line":"Staff","url":"\/30-180\/","token":"30\/21\/30-180","metadata":false},{"id":70488,"structure_id":15688,"section_number":"30-181","catch_line":"Cooperation of agencies of state and local government","url":"\/30-181\/","token":"30\/21\/30-181","metadata":false}],"next_section":{"id":70810,"structure_id":15688,"section_number":"30-179","catch_line":"Powers and duties of the Council","url":"\/30-179\/","token":"30\/21\/30-179","metadata":false},"metadata":false,"official_url":"https:\/\/law.lis.virginia.gov\/vacode\/30-178\/","history_text":"

This law was first created in 2000. The record of its establishment is cataloged in chapters 917<\/a> and 987<\/a> of that year\u2019s edition of \u201cActs of Assembly,\u201d the annual state publication listing all changes made to the Code of Virginia in that year. It has been modified 3 times. Those modifications are cataloged by \u201cThe Acts of Assembly,\u201d a state publication, by year and chapter. Those modifications that can be read on the General Assembly\u2019s website will be linked accordingly. Those modifications are as follows: in 2001, chapter 844<\/a>; in 2004, chapter 1000<\/a>; in 2017, chapters 141<\/a> and 644<\/a>.<\/p>","references":[{"id":72501,"section_number":"2.2-3703","catch_line":"Public bodies and records to which chapter inapplicable; voter registration and election records; access by persons incarcerated in a state, local, or federal correctional facility","order_by":null,"url":"\/2.2-3703\/"},{"id":85069,"section_number":"2.2-3704.1","catch_line":"Posting of notice of rights and responsibilities by state and local public bodies; assistance by the Freedom of Information Advisory Council","order_by":null,"url":"\/2.2-3704.1\/"}],"refers_to":[{"id":71377,"section_number":"2.2-2813","catch_line":"Definitions; compensation and expense payments from state funds for service on collegial bodies","order_by":null,"url":"\/2.2-2813\/"},{"id":73173,"section_number":"2.2-2825","catch_line":"Reimbursement for certain travel expenditures; restrictions on reimbursement","order_by":null,"url":"\/2.2-2825\/"},{"id":55569,"section_number":"2.2-3700","catch_line":"Short title; policy","order_by":null,"url":"\/2.2-3700\/"},{"id":81066,"section_number":"30-19.12","catch_line":"Compensation of members of the General Assembly and certain commissions engaged in legislative services","order_by":null,"url":"\/30-19.12\/"}],"permalink":{"id":199829,"object_type":"law","relational_id":60080,"identifier":"30-178","token":"30\/21\/30-178","url":"\/30-178\/","edition_id":1,"permalink":0,"preferred":1},"url":"\/30-178\/","token":"30\/21\/30-178","dublin_core":{"Title":"Virginia Freedom of Information Advisory Council; membership; terms; quorum; expenses","Type":"Text","Format":"text\/html","Identifier":"\u00a7 30-178","Relation":"Code of Virginia"},"html":"\n\t\t\t\t\t\t

A.<\/span> The Virginia Freedom of Information Advisory Council (the Council) is hereby created as an advisory council in the legislative branch to encourage and facilitate compliance with the Freedom of Information Act (§ 2.2-3700<\/a> et seq.). <\/i><\/a><\/p><\/section>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t

B.<\/span> The Council shall consist of 14 members as follows: the Attorney General<\/span> or his designee; the Librarian of Virginia or his designee; the Director of the Division of Legislative Services or his designee; five members appointed by the Speaker of the House of Delegates, two of whom shall be members of the House of Delegates, and three nonlegislative citizen members, at least one of whom shall be or have been a representative of the news media; four members appointed by the Senate Committee on Rules, two of whom shall be members of the Senate, one of whom shall be or have been an officer of local government, and one nonlegislative citizen at-large member; and two nonlegislative citizen members appointed by the Governor, one of whom shall not be a state employee. The local government representative may be selected from a list recommended by the Virginia Association of Counties and the Virginia Municipal League, after due consideration of such list by the Senate Committee on Rules. The citizen members may be selected from a list recommended by the Virginia Press Association, the Virginia Association of Broadcasters, and the Virginia Coalition for Open Government, after due consideration of such list by the appointing authorities. <\/i><\/a><\/p><\/section>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t

C.<\/span> All appointments following the initial staggering of terms shall be for terms of four years, except that appointments to fill vacancies shall be for the unexpired terms in the same manner as the original appointment. No nonlegislative citizen member shall be eligible to serve for more than two successive four-year terms. At the end of a term, a nonlegislative citizen member shall continue to serve until a successor is appointed. However, after the expiration of a term of three years or less, or after the expiration of the remainder of a term to which appointed to fill a vacancy, two additional terms may be served by such member if appointed thereto. Legislative members and other state government officials shall serve terms coincident with their terms of office. Legislative members may be reappointed for successive terms. <\/i><\/a><\/p><\/section>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t

D.<\/span> The members of the Council shall elect from among their membership a chairman and a vice-chairman for two-year terms. The chairman and vice-chairman may not succeed themselves to the same position. <\/i><\/a><\/p><\/section>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t

E.<\/span> The Council shall hold meetings quarterly or upon the call of the chairman. A majority of the Council shall constitute a quorum. Notwithstanding the provisions of subsection C, if any nonlegislative citizen member of the Council fails to attend a majority of meetings of the Council in a calendar year, the Council shall notify the member’s appointing authority. Upon receipt of such notification, the appointing authority may remove the member and appoint a successor as soon as practicable. <\/i><\/a><\/p><\/section>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t

F.<\/span> Members of the Council shall receive no compensation for their services but shall be reimbursed for all reasonable and necessary expenses incurred in the performance of their duties as provided in §§ 2.2-2813<\/a>, 2.2-2825<\/a> and 30-19.12<\/a>, as appropriate. Funding for expenses of the members shall be provided from existing appropriations to the Council. <\/i><\/a><\/p><\/section>","plain_text":" CODE OF VIRGINIA\n\nVIRGINIA FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ADVISORY COUNCIL; MEMBERSHIP; TERMS; QUORUM;\nEXPENSES (\u00a7 30-178)\n\nA. The Virginia Freedom of Information Advisory Council (the Council) is hereby\ncreated as an advisory council in the legislative branch to encourage and\nfacilitate compliance with the Freedom of Information Act (§ 2.2-3700 et\nseq.).\n\nB. The Council shall consist of 14 members as follows: the Attorney General or\nhis designee; the Librarian of Virginia or his designee; the Director of the\nDivision of Legislative Services or his designee; five members appointed by the\nSpeaker of the House of Delegates, two of whom shall be members of the House of\nDelegates, and three nonlegislative citizen members, at least one of whom shall\nbe or have been a representative of the news media; four members appointed by\nthe Senate Committee on Rules, two of whom shall be members of the Senate, one\nof whom shall be or have been an officer of local government, and one\nnonlegislative citizen at-large member; and two nonlegislative citizen members\nappointed by the Governor, one of whom shall not be a state employee. The local\ngovernment representative may be selected from a list recommended by the\nVirginia Association of Counties and the Virginia Municipal League, after due\nconsideration of such list by the Senate Committee on Rules. The citizen members\nmay be selected from a list recommended by the Virginia Press Association, the\nVirginia Association of Broadcasters, and the Virginia Coalition for Open\nGovernment, after due consideration of such list by the appointing authorities.\n\nC. All appointments following the initial staggering of terms shall be for terms\nof four years, except that appointments to fill vacancies shall be for the\nunexpired terms in the same manner as the original appointment. No\nnonlegislative citizen member shall be eligible to serve for more than two\nsuccessive four-year terms. At the end of a term, a nonlegislative citizen\nmember shall continue to serve until a successor is appointed. However, after\nthe expiration of a term of three years or less, or after the expiration of the\nremainder of a term to which appointed to fill a vacancy, two additional terms\nmay be served by such member if appointed thereto. Legislative members and other\nstate government officials shall serve terms coincident with their terms of\noffice. Legislative members may be reappointed for successive terms.\n\nD. The members of the Council shall elect from among their membership a chairman\nand a vice-chairman for two-year terms. The chairman and vice-chairman may not\nsucceed themselves to the same position.\n\nE. The Council shall hold meetings quarterly or upon the call of the chairman. A\nmajority of the Council shall constitute a quorum. Notwithstanding the\nprovisions of subsection C, if any nonlegislative citizen member of the Council\nfails to attend a majority of meetings of the Council in a calendar year, the\nCouncil shall notify the member’s appointing authority. Upon receipt of\nsuch notification, the appointing authority may remove the member and appoint a\nsuccessor as soon as practicable.\n\nF. Members of the Council shall receive no compensation for their services but\nshall be reimbursed for all reasonable and necessary expenses incurred in the\nperformance of their duties as provided in §§ 2.2-2813, 2.2-2825 and\n30-19.12, as appropriate. Funding for expenses of the members shall be provided\nfrom existing appropriations to the Council.\n\nHISTORY: 2000, cc. 917, 987, \u00a7 2.1-346.2; 2001, c. 844; 2004, c. 1000; 2017,\ncc. 141, 644.","edition":{"id":1,"name":"2025","slug":"2025","date_created":"2026-06-21 22:39:22","date_modified":"2026-06-21 22:39:22","current":1,"order_by":1,"last_import":null}}