HB 644 Virginia House of Delegates · 2026 Regular Session

FOIA; exemption for records of minors participating in certain programs run by state public bodies.

Summary
Virginia Freedom of Information Act; exemption for records of minors participating in certain programs run by state bodies. Exempts from the mandatory disclosure requirements of the Virginia Freedom of Information Act the personal contact information of minors who are participating in a program, such as an apprenticeship or unpaid internship or externship, run by a state public body. The bill is a recommendation of the Virginia Freedom of Information Advisory Council.
Bill status signed all 5 stages cleared
Introduction
Jan 2026
Committee Review
Feb 2026
House of Delegates Passage
Feb 2026
Senate Passage
Feb 2026
Signed into Law
Apr 2026
Introduced Jan 13, 2026 Signed Apr 6, 2026
Maddy AI version diff · 2 comparisons

What changed between versions

Enrolled Chaptered · 2 edits
MINOR
This bill converts the legislative text of HB 644 from an 'Enrolled' draft into a 'Chaptered' version, indicating it has been officially approved and assigned Chapter 189 of the 2026 Virginia Acts of Assembly. The substantive policy content regarding public record exemptions remains unchanged, though the formatting includes minor spacing adjustments and a change in the date from 'Approved' to 'Approved April 6, 2026'.
TECHNICAL

Added official chapter number (Chapter 189) and a specific approval date (April 6, 2026) to finalize the bill's status in the Code of Virginia.

Adjusted header formatting and spacing to match the standard layout of enacted laws, while retaining the original text of the Virginia Freedom of Information Act amendments.

Floor votes · Senate Feb 20, 2026 · House of Delegates Feb 4, 2026

How they voted

390
Passed
Total votes 39
Feb 20, 2026
D Democratic20
20 Yea
100% Yea
R Republican19
19 Yea
100% Yea
Vote distribution
All Yea All Nay Mixed No data
Full legislative history

Actions timeline

Total actions
28
Key actions
11
Committee
6
Apr 6, 2026
Signed into law
Approved by Governor-Chapter 189 (effective 7/1/2026)
executive
Feb 25, 2026
Upper · Passed
Signed by President
upper
Feb 25, 2026
Lower · Passed
Signed by Speaker
lower
Feb 25, 2026
Lower · Passed
Bill text as passed House and Senate (HB644ER)
lower
Feb 23, 2026
Upper · Passed
Passed Senate (36-Y 2-N 0-A)
upper
Feb 20, 2026
Upper · Passed
Passed by for the day Block Vote (Voice Vote)
upper
Feb 18, 2026
Upper · Passed
Reported from General Laws and Technology (13-Y 1-N)
upper
Feb 5, 2026
Committee
Referred to Committee on General Laws and Technology
upper
Feb 4, 2026
Lower · Passed
Passed House (98-Y 0-N 0-A)
lower
Feb 4, 2026
Lower · Passed
Read third time and passed House (97-Y 1-N 0-A)
lower
Jan 29, 2026
Lower · Passed
Reported from General Laws (21-Y 0-N)
lower
Jan 27, 2026
Lower · Passed
Subcommittee recommends reporting (10-Y 0-N)
lower
Jan 26, 2026
Committee
Assigned HGL sub: Procurement/Open Government
lower
Jan 13, 2026
Committee
Referred to Committee on General Laws
lower
1 primary · 2 co-sponsors

Sponsors