Virginia public bodies would use .gov addresses for employee email

Covered public bodies would use addresses ending in .gov for email accounts they provide to employees. The requirement covers Virginia legislative bodies, courts, state and local government bodies, and other organizations supported wholly or mainly by public money, with the listed exemptions. Higher education institutions, state museums, state hospitals, and companies collecting electronic tolls for Virginia are exempt. The Virginia Tourism Authority, Virginia Economic Development Partnership Authority, Virginia Retirement System, Virginia Commonwealth University Health System Authority, and Commonwealth Savers Plan are also exempt. The Virginia Information Technologies Agency would set guidelines for a reasonable transition period and procedures for requesting exceptions or waivers. The measure would take effect July 1, 2029. Transition guidelines would apply to existing email systems.

Covered public bodies would follow limits on the endings of their official public website addresses. The rules cover Virginia legislative bodies, courts, state and local government bodies, and other organizations supported wholly or mainly by public money, with the listed exemptions. One clause allows official websites ending in .gov, .edu, or .museum. Another allows non-.gov addresses, including .edu and .museum, solely to send visitors to an official .gov website. Higher education institutions, state museums, state hospitals, and companies collecting electronic tolls for Virginia are exempt. The Virginia Tourism Authority, Virginia Economic Development Partnership Authority, Virginia Retirement System, Virginia Commonwealth University Health System Authority, and Commonwealth Savers Plan are also exempt. The Virginia Information Technologies Agency would set transition guidelines, rules for redirecting visitors, and procedures for requesting exceptions or waivers. It would ensure compliance while allowing practical flexibility. The measure would take effect July 1, 2029. Transition guidelines would apply to existing websites.