HD33 - Report of the House Subcommittee Studying the Virginia Freedom of Information Act and Telecommunications
Executive Summary: The House Subcommittee Studying the Virginia Freedom of Information Act reported the findings of its 1982 study in House Document No. 19 during the 1983 Session of the General Assembly. At that time the subcommittee concluded that it would be premature to amend the Virginia Freedom of Information Act regarding teleconferencing since there was little evidence of the use of teleconferencing by public bodies for public meetings. The exception was the teleconference meeting held by the Roanoke City School Board which developed into a court case which was pending before the Supreme Court of Virginia. The subcommittee felt that the Court would resolve any conflict between the Act and telephone conference calls. The subcommittee concluded that public meetings by public bodies should not be encouraged, but stressed the adherence to the Freedom of Information Act by any public body which chooses to conduct or discuss any business of the public through a meeting. The need for teleconferencing by state agencies for administrative purposes such as interviews, training sessions and staff briefings was recognized and the subcommittee emphasized in its 1983 report that such administrative teleconferences are not public meetings and therefore not subject to the Virginia Freedom of Information Act. |
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