Small changes, homestretch approach in Virginia’s FOIA review

Virginia's Freedom of Information Advisory Council will formally recommend changes to the state's open records and meetings laws as soon as next month.

Among the changes waiting for an up-or-down vote from the council are tweaks that could potentially narrow one of the law's broadest exemptions, which currently lets state and local officials keep a wide and ill-defined swath of documents from public view.

The changes wouldn't go as far as many press and open government advocates have called for, and critics say the council's ongoing Freedom of Information Act review has repeatedly missed opportunities to improve public access. Continue…

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