HB2635: Warrants, local; authorizes local governments to publish information relating thereto.

HOUSE BILL NO. 2635
Offered January 23, 2009
A BILL to amend and reenact 58.1-3131 of the Code of Virginia, relating to the publication of payment or disbursement information by local governments.
Patron-- Cline

Committee Referral Pending

Be it enacted by the General Assembly of Virginia:

1. That 58.1-3131 of the Code of Virginia is amended and reenacted as follows:

58.1-3131. Warrant book; release of information.

The treasurer shall provide and keep a well-bound book, in which he shall make an entry of all warrants legally drawn upon him by the governing body and presented for payment, stating correctly the amount, number, in whose favor drawn and the date such warrant was issued. All such warrants shall be paid, in the order presented, out of the fund drawn upon.

No information contained in the list of warrants shall be released for any purpose except (i) that the name of the payee, the amount of the warrant, the number assigned to the warrant, and the date of payment may be published by the governing body of the county, city, or town, including but not limited to providing access through the Internet, or (ii) as a means of establishing the status of a claim previously reported as having been paid when a person legally entitled to the funds presents evidence that a previously submitted claim has not been paid. In no case, however, shall the governing body of any county, city, or town publish any information that is prohibited from release under federal or state law, including but not limited to confidential records held pursuant to 58.1-3. Nothing herein shall be construed or interpreted as prohibiting the release of information on local warrants for refunds of taxes so long as such information is classified or aggregated so as to prevent the identification of payees of tax refunds. The treasurer or director of finance of the locality, or the officer or employee of the locality who performs the duties of the same, shall cooperate with the governing body of the locality for purposes of publishing information contained in the list of warrants.