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• VA Legislative Information Systems (LIS)
• House Committee pages

Subcommittees

Post-Secondary and Higher Ed Subcommittee

Meets on:  Wednesday at After full committee in House Committee Room

Members: Mark Keam (Chair),   Amanda Batten,  Jeff  Bourne,  Joshua Cole,  Mark Cole,   Martha  Mugler,  Sam Rasoul,  Will Wampler

Pre-K-12 Subcommittee

Meets on: Monday at 4:00 p.m. in 400-C Subcommittee Room

Members:  Lamont Bagby (Chair),  John Avoli,   Mark Cole,  John McGuire,  Delores McQuinn,  Sam Rasoul,   Schuyler VanValkenburg,

SOL and SOQ Subcommittee

Meets on:  Monday at 7:30 a.m. in House Committee Room

Members:  Schuyler VanValkenburg(Chair),  John Avoli,  David Bulova,  Glenn Davis,   Nancy Guy,  Elizabeth Guzman,   Danny Marshall,  Roxann Robinson,  Suhas Subramanyam

Bills    

(none at this time)

Bills reported out 

HB 2176 – School board policies (January 27, 2021)

• Delegate Bagby sponsored a bill that which defines school board policies relating to  harmful and abusive environments such as abusive conduct, abusive work environment, psychological and physical harm.
• Voted to report bill 12 – Yeas 9 – Nays

HB 1885 – Comprehensive review of computer science standards (January 27, 2021)

• Delegate VanValkenburg sponsored a bill that which would enforce a review of current and constructive implementation of mandatory computer science standards in elementary school and middle schools.
• Voted to report bill 21 – Yeas 0 – Nays.

HB 2211 – Individualized education programs (January 27, 2021)

• Delegate McQuinn sponsored a bill that Requires individualized education work teams to identify any children with disabilities that might require outside additional service of the school in order to refer them to the local family planning assessment and planning team.
• Voted to report bill 21 – Yeas 0 – Nays.

HB 2117 – Children’s Services Act; special education programs (January 27, 2021)

• Delegate VanValkenburg sponsored a bill that which requires that funds that are directed for special education services under the Children’s Services Act only be used on licensed educational programs licensed by the Department of Education.
• Voted to report and refer to Appropriations Committee 19 – Yeas 2 – Nays.

HB 2299 – Department of Education; duties and special education (January 27, 2021)

• Delegate VanValkenburg sponsored a bill that which requires the Department of Education to provide training and localized guidance documents to schools on the developments of individualized education programs for children with disabilities.
• Voted to report bill and refer to Appropriations Committee 21 – Yeas 0 – Nays.

HB 2305 – Board of Education (January 27, 2021)

• Delegate VanValkenburg sponsored a bill that which requires the Board of Education to issue guidance on the governance of the academic year, including admissions places and diversity and inclusion training.
• Voted to report bill 14 – Yeas 7 – Nays.

HB 1930 – Applicant’s criminal history in education (January 25, 2021)

• Delegate Aird sponsored a bill that of which would prohibit higher education institutions in Virginia to not require or to use an applicant’s criminal history in the context of admission.
• Voted to report bill 15 – Yeas 7 – Nays.

HB 1975 – Tuition waiver for survivors of sexual assault (January 25, 2021)

• Delegate Rush sponsored a bill that of which would require schools and higher education systems in Virginia to waive fees for tuition if that student happens to be a survivor of criminal sexual assault.
• Voted to report and refer to Appropriations Committee 17 – Yeas 5 – Nays.

HB 1986 – George Mason University program elevation (January 25, 2021)

• Delegate Bulova sponsored a bill that which would request the management program for GMU to be elevated to a category 3, given its achievements in certain levels of history.
• Voted to report with technical amendments 21 – Yeas 0 – Nays.

HB 2123 – Expanding opportunities for Virginia students (January 25, 2021)

• Delegate Lopez sponsored a bill which would expand higher education opportunities such as scholarships to students with undefined or questionable legal status living within Virginia.
• Voted to report and refer to Appropriations Committee 14 – Yeas 6 – Nays.

HB 2204 – Codify G3 program (January 25, 2021)

• Delegate Filler-Corn sponsored a bill that would enforce and codify the G3 program which would allow those who wish to continue pursuing higher education in exchange for working to waive tuition fees in local community colleges in Virginia.
• Voted to report and refer to Appropriations Committee 21 – Yeas 1 – Nays.

Bills passed

• HB 1747 Clinical nurse specialist; licensure of nurse practitioners as specialists, etc. Changes for clinical nurse specialists the requirement to register with the Board of Nursing as a clinical nurse specialist to licensure by the Boards of Medicine and Nursing to practice as a nurse practitioner in the category of clinical nurse specialist and provides that a nurse practitioner licensed as a clinical nurse specialist shall practice pursuant to a practice agreement between the clinical nurse specialist and a licensed physician and in a manner consistent with the standards of care for the profession and applicable law and regulations. For the transition of registration to licensure, the bill requires the Boards of Medicine and Nursing to jointly issue a license to practice as a nurse practitioner in the category of a clinical nurse specialist to an applicant who is an advance practice registered nurse who has completed an advanced graduate-level education program in the specialty category of clinical nurse specialist and who is registered by the Board of Nursing as a clinical nurse specialist on July 1, 2021.
• HB 1776 Education, Board of; temporary extension of certain teachers’ licenses. Requires the Board of Education to grant a two-year extension of the license of any individual licensed by the Board whose license expires on June 30, 2021, in order to provide the individual with sufficient additional time to complete the requirements for licensure.
• HB 1790 Public schools; severe weather conditions and other emergency situations. Provides that when severe weather conditions or other emergency situations have resulted in the closing of any school in a school division for in-person instruction, the school division may declare an unscheduled remote learning day whereby the school provides instruction and student services, consistent with guidelines established by the Department of Education to ensure the equitable provision of such services, without a reduction in the amount paid by the Commonwealth from the Basic School Aid Fund. The bill prohibits any school division from claiming more than 10 unscheduled remote learning days in a school year unless the Superintendent of Public Instruction grants an extension. This bill is identical to SB 1132.
• HB 1798 Brunswick County school board; appointed school board salaries.  Removes the Brunswick County school board from the list of approved member salaries for appointed school boards. The Brunswick County school board is currently an elected school board. This bill is identical to SB 1175.
• HB 1823 Public schools, child day programs, and certain other programs; carbon monoxide detectors required. Requires each building that was built before 2015 and that houses any public school classroom for students, licensed child day program, or other program that serves preschool-age children to be equipped with at least one carbon monoxide detector.
• HB 1827 Education, Board of; geographic representation of members. Requires the nine-member Board of Education to include at least five members, appointed by the Governor, who each reside in different superintendent’s regions in the Commonwealth.
• HB 1838 Loudoun County school board; staggered terms of its members. Enables the Loudoun County school board to stagger the terms of its members at the November election immediately preceding the end of the board’s term and upon the board’s prior vote for staggered terms.
• HB 1855 Mines, Minerals and Energy, Department of; renamed the Department of Energy. Renames the Department of Mines, Minerals and Energy as the Department of Energy. Within the Department, the bill renames the Division of Mined Land Reclamation as the Division of Mined Land Repurposing and renames the Division of Energy as the Division of Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency.
• HB 1865 Kindergarten through grade 3; reading intervention services for certain students. Requires reading intervention services for students in kindergarten through grade three who demonstrate deficiencies based on their individual performance on the Standards of Learning reading test or any reading diagnostic test that meets criteria established by the Department of Education to be evidence-based, including services that are grounded in the science of reading, and include explicit, systematic, sequential, and cumulative instruction, to include phonemic awareness, systematic phonics, fluency, vocabulary development, and text comprehension as appropriate based on the student’s demonstrated reading deficiencies. The bill requires the parent of each student who receives such reading intervention services to be notified before the services begin and the progress of each such student to be monitored throughout the provision of services.
• HB 1904 Teachers and other licensed school board employees; cultural competency. Requires teacher, principal, and division superintendent evaluations to include an evaluation of cultural competency. The bill requires every person seeking initial licensure or renewal of a license from the Board of Education (i) to complete instruction or training in cultural competency and (ii) with an endorsement in history and social sciences to complete instruction in African American history, as prescribed by the Board. The bill also requires each school board to adopt and implement policies that require each teacher and any other school board employee holding a license issued by the Board to complete cultural competency training, in accordance with guidance issued by the Board, at least every two years. This bill is identical to SB 1196.
• HB 1905 Economic education and financial literacy required in middle and high school grades; employment. Adds to objectives developed and approved by the Board of Education for economics education and financial literacy at the middle and high school levels the implications of various employment arrangements with regard to benefits, protections, and long-term financial sustainability. Employment arrangements is defined in the bill as full-time employment, part-time employment, independent contract work, gig work, piece work, contingent work, day labor work, freelance work, and 1099 work.
• HB 1918 Student driver safety; driver education program shall include dangers of speeding. Requires (i) driver education programs to include instruction on the dangers of distracted driving and speeding and (ii) a student to submit a standard application form developed by the Department of Education by which the student provides evidence that he possesses a valid driver’s license or driver privilege card before being issued a pass to park a vehicle on high school property. This bill is identical to SB 1169.
• HB 1930 Higher educational institutions, public; admissions applications criminal history questions. Prohibits each public institution of higher education, with the exception of the Virginia Military Institute and a law school of a public institution of higher education that is accredited by the American Bar Association, from (i) utilizing an institution-specific admissions application that contains questions about the criminal history of the applicant or (ii) denying admission to any applicant on the basis of any criminal history information provided by the applicant on any third-party admissions application accepted by the institution. The bill permits each public institution of higher education to inquire into the criminal history of any individual who has been admitted to but has yet to enroll at the institution and withdraw an offer of admission to any individual whom the institution subsequently determines to have a criminal history that poses a threat to the institution’s community. The bill has a delayed effective date of January 1, 2022.
• HB 1940 Students; guidelines on excused student absences, civic engagement. Provides that, subject to guidelines established by the Department of Education, each school board (i) shall permit one school day-long excused absence per school year for any middle school or high school student in the local school division who is absent from school to engage in a civic event and (ii) may permit additional excused absences for such students who are absent for such purposes. The bill also provides that local school boards may require that the student provide advance notice of the intended absence and require that the student provide documentation of participation in a civic event. This bill is identical to SB 1439.
• HB 1980 Enslaved Ancestors College Access Scholarship and Memorial Program; established, report.  Establishes the Enslaved Ancestors College Access Scholarship and Memorial Program, whereby Longwood University, the University of Virginia, Virginia Commonwealth University, the Virginia Military Institute, and The College of William and Mary in Virginia, with any source of funds other than state funds or tuition or fee increases, are required to annually (i) identify and memorialize, to the extent possible, all enslaved individuals who labored on former and current institutionally controlled grounds and property and (ii) provide a tangible benefit such as a college scholarship or community-based economic development program for individuals or specific communities with a demonstrated historic connection to slavery that will empower families to be lifted out of the cycle of poverty. The bill requires the State Council of Higher Education for Virginia to collaborate with such institutions to establish guidelines for the implementation of the Program and to annually collect information on the implementation of the Program from such institutions and report such information to the Chairmen of the House Committee on Appropriations, the House Committee on Education, the Senate Committee on Education and Health, the Senate Committee on Finance and Appropriations, and the Virginia African American Advisory Board.
• HB 1986 George Mason University; management agreement with the Commonwealth. Provides a management agreement between the Commonwealth and George Mason University pursuant to the Restructured Higher Education Financial and Administrative Operations Act (§ 23.1-1000 et seq.). This bill is identical to SB 1204.
• HB 1998 Public schools; lock-down drills, annual requirement. Reduces from three to two the minimum number of mandatory annual lock-down drills in each public elementary and secondary school in the Commonwealth.
• HB 2013 School boards; board policy for students unable to pay for a meal at school. Requires each school board to adopt a policy that prohibits the board from filing a lawsuit against a student or the student’s parent because the student cannot pay for a meal at school or owes a school meal debt.
• HB 2019 Public elementary and secondary schools; administration of undesignated stock albuterol inhalers. Requires each local school board to adopt and implement policies for the possession and administration of undesignated stock albuterol inhalers and valved holding chambers in every public school in the local school division, to be administered by any school nurse, employee of the school board, employee of a local governing body, or employee of a local health department who is authorized by the local health director and trained in the administration of albuterol inhalers and valved holding chambers for any student believed in good faith to be in need of such medication. The bill requires the Department of Education, in conjunction with the Department of Health, to develop and implement policies for the administration of stock albuterol in public schools. The bill has a delayed effective date of January 1, 2022.
• HB 2027 Standards of Learning assessments; reading and mathematics; grades three through eight. Requires the Board of Education to establish, in lieu of a one-time end-of-year assessment and for the purpose of providing measures of individual student growth over the course of the school year, a through-year growth assessment system, aligned with the Standards of Learning, for the administration of reading and mathematics assessments in grades three through eight. The bill requires such through-year growth assessment system to include at least one beginning-of-year, one mid-year, and one end-of-year assessment in order to provide individual student growth scores over the course of the school year, provided that the total time scheduled for taking all such assessments shall not exceed 150 percent of the time scheduled for taking a single end-of-year proficiency assessment. The bill requires the Department of Education to ensure adequate training for teachers and principals on how to interpret and use student growth data from such assessments to improve reading and mathematics instruction in grades three through eight throughout the school year. The bill provides that with such funds and content as are available for such purpose, such through-year growth assessment system shall provide accurate measurement of a student’s performance, through computer adaptive technology, using test items at, below, and above the student’s grade level as necessary. The bill requires full implementation of such system no later than the 2022–2023 school year and partial implementation during the 2021–2022 school year consisting of one beginning-of-year assessment and one end-of-year assessment. This bill is identical to SB 1357.
• HB 2035 Virginia Initiative for Education and Work; participants, modifies Full Employment Program. Modifies the Full Employment Program (FEP) for Virginia Initiative for Education and Work participants by (i) allowing FEP participants to continue receiving Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF); (ii) disregarding wages received through FEP for purposes of calculating TANF; (iii) removing the requirement that a person be unable to find unsubsidized employment in order to participate in FEP; and (iv) allowing employers participating in FEP to receive a subsidy of up to $1,000 per month for each FEP employee for a period not to exceed six months.
• HB 2058 Virginia STEM Education Advisory Board; established, report. Creates the Virginia Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) Advisory Board to create a unified vision regarding STEM education initiatives, language, and measures of success to promote a culture of collaboration for STEM programming in the Commonwealth. The Board shall develop the infrastructure for creating STEM Regional Hubs and naming STEM Champions in communities across the Commonwealth. Additionally, the Board shall report annually to the Governor and the General Assembly on STEM challenges, goals, and successes across the Commonwealth.
• HB 2105 Early childhood education; quality rating and improvement system participation. Delays until the 2022–2023 school year the requirement for all publicly funded early childhood education providers to participate in a quality rating and improvement system to be established by the Board of Education by July 1, 2021. The bill also delays from the fall of 2023 to the fall of 2024 the publication of initial quality ratings for such providers. The bill reinstates the School Readiness Committee and alters the composition and scope of the work of the School Readiness Committee.
• HB 2119 Student driver education program; parent/student component exemption. Exempts students who are (i) at least 18 years old, (ii) emancipated minors, or (iii) unaccompanied minors who are not in the physical custody of their parent or guardian from the requirement to participate in the parent/student component of a school’s driver education program.
• HB 2120 Higher educational institutions, public; governing boards, meetings, input, and disclosures. Requires the governing board of each public institution of higher education to establish and maintain on the institution’s website (i) a listing of all board members, including the name of the Governor who made each appointment and the date of each appointment; (ii) a listing of all committees created by the board and the membership of each committee; (iii) a schedule of all upcoming meetings of the full board and its committees and instructions for the public to access such meetings; (iv) an archive of agendas and supporting materials for each meeting of the governing board and its committees that was held; and (v) an email address or email addresses that allow board members to receive public communications pertaining to board business. The bill requires such boards to solicit the input of representatives of the institution’s faculty senate or its equivalent (a) at least twice per academic year on topics of general interest to the faculty and (b) in advance of decisions to be made on the search for the institution’s new chief executive officer. The bill also requires the State Council of Higher Education for Virginia, in consultation with the Virginia Freedom of Information Advisory Council, to work with each public institution of higher education and with technology experts to develop a minimal uniform standard, to the extent practicable, for providing the public with real-time electronic access to meetings of the governing boards of public institutions of higher education.
• HB 2123 Students; eligibility for in-state tuition. Provides that students who meet the criteria to be deemed eligible for in-state tuition regardless of their citizenship or immigration status shall be afforded the same educational benefits, including financial assistance programs administered by the State Council of Higher Education for Virginia the State Board for Community Colleges, or a public institution of higher education, as any other individual who is eligible for in-state tuition. The bill directs the State Council of Higher Education for Virginia, in coordination with institutions of higher education in the Commonwealth, to promulgate regulations to implement the provisions of the bill. The bill has a delayed effective date of August 1, 2022, and is identical to SB 1387.
• HB 2135 School boards, certain; participation in the Afterschool Meal Program. Requires each school board that governs a local school division that has a student population that qualifies for free and reduced-price meals at a minimum percentage of 50 percent in the prior school year and simultaneously offers educational or enrichment activities and is consequently eligible to participate in the Afterschool Meal Program administered by the U.S. Department of Agriculture Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) Child and Adult Care Food Program to apply to the Department of Education to participate in the Afterschool Meal Program for each such school to subsequently and simultaneously serve federally reimbursable meals and offer an afterschool education or enrichment program, pursuant to FNS guidelines and state health and safety standards. The bill requires the Department of Education to administer the Afterschool Meal Program on behalf of the U.S. Department of Agriculture. The bill provides that the Superintendent of Public Instruction shall issue a waiver to this requirement upon determination that participation is not financially viable for a school or group of schools. The bill requires the Department of Education to develop a process and criteria for evaluating such waivers. The bill has a delayed effective date of July 1, 2022.
• HB 2148 Small renewable energy projects; energy storage. Includes in the definition of a “small renewable energy project” certain energy storage facilities and projects that include storage facility components. Such facilities are eligible for special permitting, review, and inspection requirements. The bill directs the Department of Environmental Quality to promulgate initial regulations to implement the provisions of the bill by January 1, 2022.
• HB 2176 School board policies; abusive work environments, definitions. Defines, for the purposes of mandatory school board policies relating to abusive work environments, the terms “abusive conduct,” “abusive work environment,” “physical harm,” and “psychological harm.” The bill clarifies that the requirement to adopt such policies shall not be construed to limit a school board’s authority to adopt policies to prohibit any other type of workplace conduct as the school board deems necessary.
• HB 2182 Traumatic brain injury; definition. Requires the Board of Education to amend its regulatory definition of “traumatic brain injury,” for the purpose of the provision of special education for children with disabilities, to include an acquired injury to the brain caused by a medical condition, including stroke, anoxia, infectious disease, aneurysm, brain tumors, and neurological insults resulting from medical or surgical treatments. The current regulatory definition of “traumatic brain injury” includes only an acquired brain injury caused by an external physical force.
• HB 2204 Get Skilled, Get a Job, Give Back (G3) Fund and Program; established. Establishes the Get Skilled, Get a Job, Give Back (G3) Fund and requires the Virginia Community College System to establish the G3 Program for the purpose of providing financial assistance from the Fund to certain low-income and middle-income Virginia students who are enrolled in an educational program at an associate-degree-granting public institution of higher education that leads to an occupation in a certain high-demand field. The bill contains provisions for student eligibility, financial assistance award amounts, and data reporting. This bill is identical to SB 1405.
• HB 2218 Pharmaceutical processors; permits processors to produce & distribute cannabis products. Permits pharmaceutical processors to produce and distribute cannabis products other than cannabis oil and for that purpose defines the terms “botanical cannabis,” “cannabis product,” and “usable cannabis.” The bill requires the Board of Pharmacy to establish testing standards for botanical cannabis and botanical cannabis products, establish a registration process for botanical cannabis products, and promulgate emergency regulations to implement the provisions of the bill. The bill provides that if a practitioner determines it is consistent with the standard of care to dispense botanical cannabis to a minor, the written certification shall specifically authorize such dispensing. The bill allows the Board of Pharmacy to assess and collect botanical cannabis regulatory fees to cover costs associated with the implementation of the provisions of the bill, including costs for new personnel, training, promulgation of regulations and guidance documents, and information technology. The bill exempts the Board of Pharmacy’s acquisition of a commercially available cannabis-specific software product to implement the provisions of the bill from the Virginia Public Procurement Act. This bill is identical to SB 1333.
• HB 2299 Special education; training for school divisions on developing IEPs for children w/ disabilities. Requires the Department of Education and the Board of Education to develop new policies and procedures and effect numerous modifications to existing policies and procedures to improve the administration and oversight of special education in the Commonwealth. This bill is identical to SB 1288.
• HB 2316 Students w/ disabilities; Dept. of Education to update its special education and related services. Requires the Department of Education to update its special education eligibility worksheets as necessary, including clarifying any ambiguity or vagueness in eligibility criteria, and provide to each local school division the appropriate level of guidance on eligibility determinations for special education and related services. The bill requires the Board of Education to amend its regulations to ensure that each education preparation program graduate in a K-12 general education endorsement area demonstrates proficiency in understanding the role of general education teachers on the individualized education program (IEP) team.

Commissions & Boards

Brown v. Board of Education Scholarship Awards Committee v. Board of Education Scholarship Awards Committee

Source: Website

The Brown v. Board of Education Scholarship Program was established in accordance with § 30-231.8  of the Code of Virginia for the purpose of providing a public education to persons who were denied an education in the public schools of Virginia between 1954 and 1964, in jurisdictions in which the public schools were closed to avoid desegregation.

Commission on Youth

Source: Webiste

The Commission on Youth is tasked with providing a forum for review and study of youth policies and services. Whether you are a member or staff of the General Assembly, a government official, service provider, educator, parent or caregiver, or interested member of the public, you will find this website a wonderful resource on the Commission’s work on a host of issues, from child welfare to juvenile justice, or from mental health to education.

Commission on School Construction and Modernization

Source: Webpage

Assesses the Commonwealth’s school facilities and determines school construction and modernization funding needs; identifies funding mechanisms and makes recommendations to the Governor and the General Assembly; establishes best practices in school modernization and construction for school divisions; creates standardized construction designs and procurement practices to recommend and make available to local school divisions; and Identifying potential cost-saving measures for implementation by local school divisions to minimize construction and modernization costs where possible; and identifies potential cost-saving measures for implementation by local school divisions to minimize construction and modernization costs where possible.

Joint Subcommittee Early Childhood Care and Education

Source: Webpage

(i) review the cost-effectiveness of federal and state funding used to improve Virginia's early childhood care and education system, (ii) ensure that the transition of child care regulation from the Board of Social Services to the Board of Education occurs seamlessly without impacting health and safety oversight functions, (iii) ensure that the transition of functions from the Department of Social Services to the Department of Education occurs seamlessly without the interruption of the provision of state services or undue impact on the operation of either agency, (iv) review the implementation of the Board of Education's Quality Rating Implementation System, (v) review workforce needs for Virginia's early childhood education system, (vi) further facilitate partnerships between school divisions and private providers for the Virginia Preschool Initiative, (vii) consider recommendations and options included in the 2017 JLARC report on Improving Virginia's Early Childhood Development Programs, and (viii) consider funding methodology changes to transition the Virginia Preschool Initiative funding model to maximize the number of children served, while recognizing prevailing costs.

Education Commission of the States

Source: Webpage

To improve public education by facilitating the exchange of information, ideas and experiences among state policymakers and education leaders.

Task Force to Assist in Identification of the History of Formerly Enslaved African Americans in Virginia

Source: Webpage

Task Force shall assist the Virginia Foundation for the Humanities Foundation 1. Promote the identification, preservation, and conservation of historic sites significant to the history, presence, and contributions of formerly enslaved African Americans in Virginia; 2. Assess the extent to which students and the public are knowledgeable concerning African American history, the African slave trade, slavery in Virginia and America, and the vestiges of slavery in the Commonwealth and the nation; 3. Identify the contributions of African Americans to Virginia, the nation, and the world; 4. Inventory relevant African American historical sites, memorials, exhibits, and resources in the Commonwealth and assess the potential economic impact of tourism and economic development promotion relative to such sites; 5. Develop a register of historical sites significant to African American history in Virginia that should be preserved and recommend options for preservation and ways to increase tourism revenues; and 6. Develop and maintain a roster of volunteer historians, educators, businesses, organizations, and speakers to act as resource persons for classroom teachers on African American history, the African slave trade, American slavery, the impact of slavery on modern society, and the contributions of African Americans to Virginia and the nation.

Board of Trustees Frontier Culture Museum of Virginia

Source: Website

To construct, operate, and maintain, in the Augusta County, Staunton and Waynesboro areas of the Commonwealth, an outdoor museum to commemorate on an international scale the contribution that the pioneers and colonial frontiersmen and frontierswomen of the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries made to the creation and development of the United States

Joint Subcommittee on the Future Competitiveness of Virginia – Higher Education

Source: Webpage

The Chairmen of the House Appropriations and Senate Finance Committees shall each appoint four members from their respective committees to a Joint Subcommittee on the Future Competitiveness of Virginia Higher Education to (a) review ways to maintain and improve the quality of higher education, while providing for broad access and affordability; (b) examine the impact of financial, demographic, and competitive changes on the sustainability of individual institutions and the system as a whole; (c) identify best practices to make the system more efficient, including shared services, institutional flexibility, and easily accessible academic pathways; (d) evaluate the use of distance education and online instruction across the Commonwealth and appropriate business models for such programs; (e) review current need-based financial aid programs and alternative models to best provide for student affordability and completion; (f) review the recommendations of the Joint Legislative Audit and Review Commission on the study of the cost efficiency of higher education institutions and make recommendations to their respective committees on the implementation of those recommendations; (g) study the effectiveness and value of transfer students; (h) evaluate the effectiveness of dual enrollment in reducing the cost of higher education; and (i) study the effectiveness of preparing teachers to enter the K-12 system.

Board of Trustees Institute for Advanced Learning and Research

Source: Webpage

To seek to diversify the Dan River Region’s economy by engaging the resources of Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University in partnership with Danville Community College and Averett University and public and private bodies and organizations of the region and state.

Virginia Council on Interstate Compact on Educational Opportunity for Military Children

Source: Webpage

To remove barriers to educational success imposed on children of military families because of frequent moves and deployment of their parents.

Jamestown-Yorktown Foundation Board of Trustees

Source: Webpage

Do all things necessary and proper to further an appreciation of the contributions of the first permanent English-speaking settlers and their American Indian neighbors of Virginia and the United States to the building of our Commonwealth and nation, to commemorate the winning of American independence on the battlefield at Yorktown, and to enhance our understanding of the making of the United States Constitution and Bill of Rights, including Virginia’s role in shaping the fundamental principles of the American constitutional system.

Memorial Commission Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

Source: Website

To identify, plan, develop, and implement appropriate programs and events that further the philosophy and memory of Dr. King.

New College Institute

Source: Website

Seek to diversify the region’s economy by engaging the resources of other institutions of higher education, public and private bodies, and organizations of the region and state. Serve as a catalyst for economic and community transformation by leveraging and brokering resources that support economic diversity. Facilitate development of the technology and trained workforce necessary for new economic enterprises to flourish, using the resources available from collaborating educational institutions. Expand educational opportunities in the region by providing access to degree-granting programs, including undergraduate, graduate, and professional programs, through partnerships with private and public institutions of higher education, the public schools, and public and private sectors. Encourage and coordinate the development and delivery of degree programs and other credit and noncredit courses with a focus on statewide and regional critical shortage areas as well as the needs of industry. This shall include needed adult education and workforce training. Serve as a resource and referral center by maintaining and disseminating information on existing educational programs, research, and university outreach and technology resources.

Roanoke Higher Education Authority

Source: Website

To expand access to higher education in the Roanoke Valley by providing for adult and continuing education and degree-granting programs, including undergraduate, graduate and professional programs, through partnerships with the Commonwealth’s public and private institutions of higher education.

School Readiness Committee

Source: Webpage

Secretary of Education; establishment of School Readiness Committee. Directs the Secretary of Education to establish a School Readiness Committee with the first goal of addressing the development and alignment of an effective professional development and credentialing system for the early childhood education workforce in the Commonwealth, including the (i) development of a competency-based professional development pathway for practitioners who teach children birth to age five in both public and private early childhood education programs; (ii) consideration of articulation agreements between associate and baccalaureate degree programs; (iii) refinement of teacher licensure and education programs to address competencies specific to early childhood development; (iv) alignment of existing professional development funding streams; and (v) development of innovative approaches to increasing accessibility, availability, affordability, and accountability of the Commonwealth’s workforce development system for early childhood education teachers and providers.

Southwest Virginia Higher Education Center Board of Trustees

Source: Website

Encourage and coordinate the development and delivery of continuing education programs offered by those educational institutions serving the region.

Southwest Virginia Public Education Consortium Governing Board

Source: Webpage

Coordinate with those educational institutions and agencies in the Commonwealth and surrounding areas to develop joint educational initiatives; promote and establish, in conjunction with the Department of Education and the region’s public school divisions, regional programs to address area educational needs; coordinate the development and sharing of programs, educational techniques, and resources among and between the region’s school divisions and institutions of higher education to enhance the educational opportunities for students and teachers in Southwest Virginia; and provide technical assistance to school divisions throughout the Commonwealth for the implementation of effective educational programs.

Advisory Board Teacher Education and Licensure

Source: Webpage

The Advisory Board on Teacher Education and Licensure shall advise the Board of Education and submit recommendations on policies applicable to the qualifications, examination, licensure, and regulation of school personnel including revocation, suspension, denial, cancellation, reinstatement, and renewals of licensure, fees for processing applications, standards for the approval of preparation programs, reciprocal approval of preparation programs, and other related matters as the Board of Education may request or the Advisory Board may deem necessary. The final authority for licensure of school personnel shall remain with the Board of Education.

Board of Veterans Services

Source: Webpage

Advise the Director of the Department of Veterans’ Services on matters relating to veterans.

Board of the Virginia College Savings Plan

Source: Webpage

To administer the Virginia College Savings Plan established to enhance the accessibility and affordability of higher education for all citizens of the Commonwealth.

Board of Trustees Virginia Retirement System

Source: Website

Administer the Virginia Retirement System: a retirement system for teachers, state employees, and employees of local participating political subdivisions.

Western Virginia Public Education Consortium

Source: Website

Coordinate with organizations and agencies providing programs and services to Consortium schools division to reduce duplication and optimize use of available resources.

Commemorative Commission to Honor the Contributions of the Women of Virginia

Source: Website

The Commission shall determine and recommend to the General Assembly an appropriate monument in Capitol Square to commemorate the contributions of the women of Virginia. The Commission shall seek private funding for the operation and support of the Commission and the erection of an appropriate monument.

World War I and World War II Commemoration Commission

Source: Website

The Commission shall plan, develop, and carry out programs and activities appropriate to commemorate the 100th anniversary of World War I and the 75th anniversary of World War II.