                                 CODE OF VIRGINIA

COLLECTION OF INFORMATION BY LEGISLATIVE STUDY GROUPS; POLICY (§ 30-19.8)

It shall be the policy of the Commonwealth that each legislative study group,
including the Virginia Advisory Legislative Council and its subcommittees, the
Virginia Code Commission, special legislative study commissions, and standing
committees of the House and Senate and their subcommittees, either through its
members or staff, advise the agency head of the general nature of a study or
investigation being conducted by such group whenever it determines that
information within such agency is applicable to such study or investigation.
Thereafter, such legislative study group may seek out all information within
such agency from an individual designated by the agency head to provide
pertinent information or from the most direct and primary source without further
communication or contact with the agency head. Each employee within such agency
shall give his full cooperation to the group and its staff in collecting the
information. No member or staff member of such groups shall be entitled to
access to information, without permission of the agency head, for which
disclosure is prohibited by specific provisions of law.
		Insofar as possible, the legislative study groups and their staffs shall
perform their collection duties, and utilize the services of personnel within
the agencies in doing so, in such a manner as to minimize disruption of the
normal operations of the agency.
		Such freedom to access of all information within all state agencies is deemed
absolutely necessary for the legislature to be able to efficiently evaluate laws
and policies of the Commonwealth, how they are being administered, and the need
for changes in such laws and policies, and also for the Virginia General
Assembly to effectively fulfill its responsibility regarding legislative
oversight.

HISTORY: 1977, c. 433.