August 8, 2024
VSB Seeks Comment on Changes to Remote Participation Policy
The Virginia State Bar seeks public comment on proposed amendments to the VSB Council’s “Policy on Individual Remote Participation in Meetings and All-Virtual Meetings.” These changes would ensure compliance with updates to the Virginia Freedom of Information Act (VFOIA) enacted in the 2024 General Assembly Session. The changes include the following:
- allowing members of public bodies who are caregivers and must provide for a person with a disability, thus preventing physical attendance at meetings, to participate by electronic communication means;
- including a member of a public body who joins by electronic means and is (i) a person with a disability that prevents the member’s physical attendance or (ii) a caregiver who must provide care for a person with a disability, preventing the member’s physical attendance, to be counted toward the quorum requirement;
- adding a provision that a member of a public body who joins through electronic communication means is not counted toward the quorum requirement for any portion of the meeting during which (i) audio-visual technology is available and the visual communication is voluntarily disconnected or otherwise fails or (ii) audio communication involuntarily fails; and
- increasing the percentage of allowable all-virtual meetings from no more than 25 percent to 50 percent.
The proposed amendments are provided below.
Proposed Amendments
Inspection and Comment
The proposed amendments may be inspected below or at the office of the Virginia State Bar, 1111 East Main Street, Suite 700, Richmond, Virginia 23219-0060, between the hours of 9 am and 4:30 pm, Monday through Friday.
Any individual, business, or other entity may submit written comments in support of or in opposition to the proposed action to Cameron M. Rountree, executive director of the Virginia State Bar, by close of business on September 30, 2024. Comments may be submitted via email to [email protected].