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2020 SESSION
Be it enacted by the General Assembly of Virginia:
1. That § 2.2-3704.2 of the Code of Virginia is amended and reenacted as follows:
§ 2.2-3704.2. Public bodies to designate FOIA officer.
A. All state public bodies, including state authorities, that
are subject to the provisions of this chapter and all local public bodies
and regional public bodies that are subject to the provisions of this
chapter, shall designate and publicly identify one or more Freedom of
Information Act officers (FOIA officer) whose responsibility is to serve as a
point of contact for members of the public in requesting public records and to
coordinate the public body's compliance with the provisions of this chapter.
B. For such state public bodies, the name and contact information of the public body's FOIA officer to whom members of the public may direct requests for public records and who will oversee the public body's compliance with the provisions of this chapter shall be made available to the public upon request and be posted on the respective public body's official public government website at the time of designation and maintained thereafter on such website for the duration of the designation.
C. For such local public bodies and regional public bodies, the name and contact information of the public body's FOIA officer to whom members of the public may direct requests for public records and who will oversee the public body's compliance with the provisions of this chapter shall be made available in a way reasonably calculated to provide notice to the public, including posting at the public body's place of business, posting on its official public government website, or including such information in its publications.
D. For the purposes of this section, local public bodies shall include constitutional officers.
E. Any such FOIA officer shall possess specific knowledge of
the provisions of this chapter and be trained at least annually once
during each consecutive period of two calendar years commencing with the date
on which he last completed a training session by legal counsel for the
public body or the Virginia Freedom of Information Advisory Council (the
Council) or through an online course offered by the Council. Any such training
shall document that the training required by this subsection has been
fulfilled.
F. The name and contact information of a FOIA officer trained
by legal counsel of a public body shall be (i) submitted to the Council by July
1 of each the year a FOIA officer is initially trained on
a form developed by the Council for that purpose and (ii) updated in a timely
manner in the event of any changes to such information.
G. The Council shall maintain on its website a listing of all FOIA officers, including name, contact information, and the name of the public body such FOIA officers serve.