Bill > HB159

This bill clarifies the enforcement process under the Virginia Freedom of Information Act (FOIA)—a state law that guarantees citizens access to public records and government meetings—by explicitly stating that a formal "service of process," which is the official delivery of legal papers to a defendant usually performed by a sheriff or professional process server, is not required when someone files a petition for a mandamus or injunction to challenge a suspected transparency violation. Under the current law, individuals or the Commonwealth's attorney can quickly take a public body to court using a petition for a mandamus (a court order compelling a government entity to act) or an injunction (a court order stopping a government entity from doing something) if they believe their transparency rights have been violated, but the new language removes any ambiguity regarding whether formal, traditional delivery of court summonses is necessary to move the case forward.