# Virginia HB159: Va. Freedom of Information Act; proceedings for enforcement, petition for mandamus or injunction.

Virginia HB159, Va. Freedom of Information Act; proceedings for enforcement, petition for mandamus or injunction., is a 2026 Regular Session House bill sponsored by Marcus B. Simon (Democratic); status passed house, last action 2026-02-25 (Continued to 2027 in General Laws and Technology (13-Y 1-N)) (as of 2026-10-13).

- Canonical: https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/VA-HB159-2026
- As of: 2026-10-13
- Plain-text twin of the page above; the HTML and this file carry the same facts.

## Facts
- Bill: Virginia HB159
- State: Virginia
- Session: 2026 Regular Session
- Title: Va. Freedom of Information Act; proceedings for enforcement, petition for mandamus or injunction.
- Status: passed house
- Chamber: House
- Introduced: 2026-01-06
- Last action: 2026-02-25, Continued to 2027 in General Laws and Technology (13-Y 1-N)
- Sponsor: Marcus B. Simon (Democratic)
- Cosponsors: 0
- Subjects: General Laws and Technology
- Touches household money: no
- Roll calls: 4 (141 yes, 1 no in all)
- Economic provisions PRIA read: 0

## Summary

Virginia Freedom of Information Act; proceedings for enforcement; petition for mandamus or injunction. Specifies that service of process or a summons for a hearing shall not be required when a petition for mandamus or injunction to enforce rights granted under the Virginia Freedom of Information Act has been filed.

## Bill overview

No economic impacts identified for this bill.

## Sponsors and cosponsors

- Sponsor: Marcus B. Simon (Democratic), House

## Roll call votes

| Date | Chamber | Motion | Result | Yes | No | Other |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 2026-02-25 | Senate | Continued to 2027 in General Laws and Technology | pass | 13 | 1 |   |
| 2026-01-28 | House | Read third time and passed House Block Vote | pass | 97 | 0 |   |
| 2026-01-22 | House | Reported from General Laws with amendment(s) | pass | 21 | 0 |   |
| 2026-01-20 | House | Subcommittee recommends reporting with amendment(s) | pass | 10 | 0 |   |

## Actions (17)

- 2026-02-25: Continued to 2027 in General Laws and Technology (13-Y 1-N) (Senate)
- 2026-02-24: Senate committee offered (Senate)
- 2026-01-29: Referred to Committee on General Laws and Technology (Senate)
- 2026-01-29: Constitutional reading dispensed (on 1st reading) (Senate)
- 2026-01-28: Fiscal Impact Statement from Department of Planning and Budget (HB159) (House)
- 2026-01-28: Read third time and passed House Block Vote (97-Y 0-N 0-A) (House)
- 2026-01-27: Engrossed by House as amended (House)
- 2026-01-27: committee amendment agreed to (House)
- 2026-01-27: Read second time (House)
- 2026-01-26: Fiscal Impact Statement from Department of Planning and Budget (HB159) (House)
- 2026-01-26: Read first time (House)
- 2026-01-22: Reported from General Laws with amendment(s) (21-Y 0-N) (House)
- 2026-01-20: House subcommittee offered (House)
- 2026-01-20: Subcommittee recommends reporting with amendment(s) (10-Y 0-N) (House)
- 2026-01-19: Assigned HGL sub: Procurement/Open Government (House)
- 2026-01-06: Referred to Committee on General Laws (House)
- 2026-01-06: Prefiled and ordered printed; Offered 01-14-2026 26102340D (House)

## Bill text

- Substitute, 2026-02-24: [HTML](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1178882.HTML), [PDF](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1178881.PDF)
- Engrossed, 2026-01-27: [HTML](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1095622.HTML), [PDF](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1095621.PDF)
- Amendment, 2026-01-22: [HTML](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1094563.HTML)
- Amendment, 2026-01-20: [HTML](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1091912.HTML), [HTML](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1092252.HTML)
- Introduced, 2026-01-06: [HTML](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1082668.HTML), [PDF](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1082667.PDF)

## Related bills

- HB5: Employment; paid sick leave, civil penalties. (signed)
- SB199: Employment; paid sick leave, civil penalties. (signed)
- HB95: Va. Residential Landlord and Tenant Act; landlord remedies, noncompliance with rental agreement. (signed)
- HB1393: Electric utilities; pilot program for energy assistance and weatherization for certain individuals. (signed)
- HB834: Virginia Residential Landlord and Tenant Act; fire or casualty damage, termination by landlord. (signed)
- HB675: Protection of employees; coercion or threat based on immigration status, civil penalty. (signed)

## Sources
- [Substitute (HTML)](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1178882.HTML)
- [Substitute (PDF)](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1178881.PDF)
- [Engrossed (HTML)](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1095622.HTML)
- [Engrossed (PDF)](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1095621.PDF)
- [Amendment (HTML)](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1094563.HTML)
- [Amendment (HTML)](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1091912.HTML)
- [Amendment (HTML)](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1092252.HTML)
- [Introduced (HTML)](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1082668.HTML)
- [Introduced (PDF)](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1082667.PDF)

## Related
- [HB5: Employment; paid sick leave, civil penalties.](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/VA-HB5-2026)
- [SB199: Employment; paid sick leave, civil penalties.](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/VA-SB199-2026)
- [HB95: Va. Residential Landlord and Tenant Act; landlord remedies, noncompliance with…](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/VA-HB95-2026)
- [HB1393: Electric utilities; pilot program for energy assistance and weatherization for…](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/VA-HB1393-2026)
- [HB834: Virginia Residential Landlord and Tenant Act; fire or casualty damage, terminat…](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/VA-HB834-2026)
- [HB675: Protection of employees; coercion or threat based on immigration status, civil…](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/VA-HB675-2026)
- [Virginia bills](https://policyrisk.com/states/virginia/bills)
- [Virginia state hub](https://policyrisk.com/states/virginia)
- [All state legislation](https://policyrisk.com/state-bills)

Source: PRIA, https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/VA-HB159-2026 (as of 2026-10-13).