University of Virginia Library

Proposed Act To Require
Visitors To Publicize Actions

By CHRIS KOHAN

Proposed amendments to
the state Freedom of
Information Act will require
the University's Board of
Visitors to announce all action
three days after its meeting.

The General Assembly's
House General Laws
Committee voted Tuesday to
submit the amendment for
House approval.

Under the amendment,
boards of all state higher
education institutions would
not be forbidden closed
meetings but would be
required to publish detailed
minutes of their meetings
within three business days.

Unreleased Information

Vice President for Public
Affairs Edwin M. Crawford
said this part of the
amendment is because "all the
boards in the state are taking
action and not releasing
information for a few days
afterwards."

Three actions prompted the
amendment. The State Board
of Community Colleges voted
last fall to stop granting tenure
to their professors but only released
their decision a week later.

Also, the College of William
and Mary Board of Visitors
refused to make its decisions
public until several days later
when it could be printed in the
college news letter. The State
Council on Higher Education
has not allowed reporters into
its meetings.

Secretary for the
University's Board of Visitors,
Raymond C. Bice said, "This
action won't affect us, as we
always release all of our actions
immediately following the
meetings."

Mr. Crawford said, "The
only change the Board will
have to make is to publish the
minutes within three days, as
they already make their
actions known following the
meetings."

The amendment, passed by
a committee vote of 15-4
would give the public greater
access to previously classified
information.

A major portion of the
amendment deals with the
right of governing bodies to
hold closed meetings when the
subject discussed will later be
the subject of a public hearing.
If approved, the amendment
would forbid such private
meetings.

The amendment would also
prohibit closed sessions of
committees associated with the
State Board of Education and
also study commissions
appointed by local governing
bodies.

Greater Access

The bill would also give the
public greater access to certain
official state records,
specifically applications for
licenses to the Alcoholic
Beverage control Board and
information connected with it.

Representatives of
newspapers, radio and
television stations circulating
or broadcasting within the
state would be entitled to
inspect all official records
which are legally supposed to
be open.

At present, only those
companies located within the
state have this right.

Caution has been expressed
by some critics over the bill.

Patron of the bill,
Assemblyman Edward Lane
was unavailable for comment.