February 15, 2022
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Opinion: Change to open government law will harm crime victims - The Virginian-Pilot

This Jan. 19, 2020, file photo shows the Virginia State Capitol in Richmond. (AP Photo/Steve Helber)
This Jan. 19, 2020, file photo shows the Virginia State Capitol in Richmond. (AP Photo/Steve Helber) (Steve Helber/AP)
Matthew Hardin is the former commonwealth’s attorney for Greene County.
Matthew Hardin is the former commonwealth’s attorney for Greene County. (HANDOUT)

Last year, Virginia’s legislature took action to bring Virginia’s Freedom of Information Act in line with federal law by expanding access to law enforcement records relating to closed police investigations.

With the recent elections and the change in composition of the legislature, a new bill seeks to reverse those improvements and make it harder to request records. Worse, the proposed HB734 would weaponize Virginia’s courts against those who seek information, with the proposed bills allowing suits for injunctions prohibiting disclosure of information.



source: https://www.pilotonline.com/opinion/columns/vp-ed-column-hardin-0216-20220215-fjcuasff5bhbzpevgbp3joaf7y-story.html

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