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Educational Institutions

P Passed

P HB31
Commonwealth of Virginia Higher Educational Institutions Bond Act of 2000. Authorizes the issuance of Commonwealth of Virginia Higher Educational Institutions Bonds pursuant to Article X, Section 9 (c) of the Constitution of Virginia in a principal amount not exceeding $131,763,100. The purpose of the bonds is to provide funds for paying, together with any other available funds, the costs of acquiring, constructing, renovating, enlarging, improving, and equipping revenue-producing capital projects at institutions of higher learning of the Commonwealth. The net revenues derived from the capital projects and the full faith and credit of the Commonwealth are pledged for the payment of the principal of and the interest on the bonds and any bond anticipation notes or refunding bonds. The bill authorizes the Treasury Board, by and with the consent of the Governor, to fix the details of such bonds, to borrow money in anticipation of the issuance of the bonds, and to issue refunding bonds. The bill finds that an emergency exists, and that it is in force from its passage. This bill is identical to SB 31. This bill contains an emergency clause.
Patron - Callahan

P HB438
Certain college tuition savings initiatives. Changes the name of the Virginia Higher Education Tuition Trust Fund to the Virginia College Savings Plan; removes contributors to a savings trust account within the Plan who are age 70 and over from the requirement that deductions for such contributions not exceed $2,000 (a benefit currently afforded purchasers of prepaid tuition contracts); and broadens the definition of the Virginia fiduciary adjustment, for estate tax purposes, to include the state income tax deduction permitted for purchases of prepaid tuition contracts and contributions to savings trust accounts within the Plan. The measure is effective for taxable years beginning on and after January 1, 2000. This bill is identical to SB 359.
Patron - Callahan

P HB592
Southwest Virginia Higher Education Center. Adds the president of Old Dominion University to the Board of Trustees of the Southwest Virginia Higher Education Center.
Patron - Johnson

P HB610
Southwest Virginia Higher Education Center. Adds the Southwest Virginia Higher Education Center (SVHEC) to the list of those entities characterized as "educational institutions" and "governmental instrumentalities for the dissemination of education." Current law designates as "educational institutions" the Commonwealth's four-year public colleges and universities, the Virginia Community College System, the Woodrow Wilson Rehabilitation Center, the Virginia Schools for the Deaf and the Blind, and the Eastern Virginia Medical School. This classification in § 23-14 as an educational institution will enable SVHEC to issue bonds with the approval of its governing board and the Governor (§§ 23-15 and 23-19), acquire property (§ 23-16), be eligible for its bonds to be purchased by the Virginia College Building Authority (§§ 23-30.24, 23-30.25, 23-30.27, and 23-30.28), establish a campus police department, and authorize such campus police to purchase their service handguns (§ 23-232). This designation will not empower the SVHEC to establish unfunded scholarships (§ 23-31), nor will it place the Center under the State Council of Higher Education for Virginia (SCHEV), the coordinating council for two- and four-year public colleges and universities. In addition, the designation does not require SVHEC to submit an annual report to SCHEV regarding financial statements (§ 23-1.01). The term "educational institution" appears in a variety of contexts throughout the Code. The term, for purposes of § 23-14, does not necessarily include all entities described as "institutions of higher education" or "institutions of higher learning" elsewhere in the Code of Virginia. "Educational institution" is used broadly in Code provisions addressing matters such as employment, prohibited contracts, and certain field permits. "Educational institutions" may also sell real estate (§ 13.1-901); establish educational television stations (§ 15.2-966); have students excluded from certain toll payments (§ 22.1-187); and have governing board members reimbursed for travel expenses (§ 23-3). Public "educational institutions" receiving state funds may not discriminate against persons with disabilities (§ 51.5-43). Not referenced in § 23-14, nor subject to SCHEV as a coordinating council, are these designated "educational institutions": the Miller School of Albemarle, the Board of Regents of Gunston Hall, the Frontier Culture Museum, the Science Museum of Virginia, the Jamestown-Yorktown Foundation, and the Library of Virginia. The term has also been used in reference to private correspondence schools (§ 22.1-319). Designation as an "institution of higher education" has been applied to the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, (which is not designated as an "educational institution") as well as the Science Museum of Virginia, and specifically makes these entities eligible to receive property and funds from localities (§ 23-3.1) and to maintain their state appropriations, despite any increases in endowment funds (§ 23-9.2). This bill is identical to SB 423.
Patron - Kilgore

P HB645
Jamestown-Yorktown Foundation. Provides that the president of the Jamestown-Yorktown Foundation, Inc. will be a member of the Board of Trustees of the Jamestown-Yorktown Foundation, replacing the position currently filled by the president of the Jamestown-Yorktown Educational Trust. The Jamestown-Yorktown Educational Trust is a § 115 organization under the Internal Revenue Code; and its focus has shifted to concessions and other functions related to the Foundation. The Foundation, Inc., a § 501(c)(3) organization under the Internal Revenue Code, and will assist in fundraising to support the Jamestown-Yorktown Foundation. This bill is identical to SB 328.
Patron - Davis

P HB697
Virginia College Building Authority. Removes the $150 million cap on the aggregate principal amount of outstanding Virginia College Building Authority bonds to finance acquisition of equipment. The Authority was created to purchase such bonds "to serve educational institution purposes by financing the construction of projects of capital improvement at less cost, thereby facilitating such construction" and may also issue its own revenue bonds to pay for these projects. In addition, § 23-30.24 indicates legislative intent that the Authority purchase "new scientific, technical and other" equipment for lease or sale to colleges and universities, "thereby facilitating the acquisition and supply of such equipment to educational institutions and increasing the purchasing power of their funds, including funds provided by tuition and fees and by appropriations from the General Assembly." Currently, there is no similar statutory limit on outstanding bonds for construction projects. This bill is identical to SB 368.
Patron - Hargrove

P HB821
Student representatives to boards of visitors. Requires the board of visitors of each four-year state institution of higher education to appoint one or more students as nonvoting, advisory representatives. The board of visitors may exclude these representatives from discussions of faculty grievances, faculty or staff disciplinary matters or salaries or other matters at the discretion of the board. This measure is identical to SB 438.
Patron - Landes

P HB846
Tuition Assistance Grants. Deletes references to any loans previously made under the Tuition Assistance Grant Act (TAG), including repayment provisions and other requirements applying to loans made before July 1, 1980, and provides that pharmacy students may receive TAG grants for no more than four academic years. In addition, the measure provides that institutions acting as agents for students receiving TAG grants are to promptly credit funds disbursed to TAG students upon verification of the student's eligibility by the institution. Under current law, eligibility notification is provided by the State Council of Higher Education. The TAG initiative provides "a program of tuition assistance in the form of grants" to Virginia residents attending "private, accredited and nonprofit institutions of collegiate education in the Commonwealth whose primary purpose is to provide collegiate, graduate, or professional education and not to provide religious training or theological education." Identical to SB 559.
Patron - Broman

P HB866
Institutes for training teachers. Removes the limitation that only four sites be established for institutes for training teachers. These institutes may be located at sites that include two-and four-year public institutions of higher education in Virginia. Legislation adopted in 1996 directed the State Council of Higher Education to establish, from such funds as may be appropriated for this purpose, institutes providing technology training for teachers, administrators, and librarians in the elementary and secondary schools and public libraries of the Commonwealth. The initial legislation (HB 1097) capped the institutes at no more than three sites; this number was increased to four in 1999 (HB 2671), and the institutes' mission altered to encompass "in-service training in the effective use of educational technology."
Patron - Tata

P HB920
Commonwealth Health Research Fund. Provides that the Commonwealth Health Research Board may expend the annual income generated from investments of the Commonwealth Health Research Fund; annual income does not include any noncash dividends paid on investments of the Fund and any realized gain on the sale of any investment of the fund. Under current law, the Board may expend up to 90 percent of the annual income realized from investments of the Fund, including realized gains on the sale of investments, on grants that have the potential of maximizing human health benefits for the citizens of the Commonwealth and on certain enumerated expenses of administering the Fund. The bill provides that the Board may contract for professional services to assist the Board in the performance of its duties and responsibilities. The bill also provides that members of the Board shall be compensated for their services at the per diem rate specified in Chapter 924 of the 1997 Acts of Assembly as for members of the General Assembly. The Board and Fund were established by the 1997 Session of the General Assembly. The Fund consists of all stock and cash distributed to the Commonwealth as a policyholder pursuant to the conversion of Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Virginia from a mutual insurance company to a Virginia stock corporation. This bill is identical to SB 484.
Patron - Dickinson

P HB936
In-service training in educational technology. Authorizes the provision of in-service training in the effective use of educational technology for adult education and literacy program professionals. The training is to be delivered at institutes established by the State Council of Higher Education for providing in-service training in educational technology for public school teachers, administrators, and librarians.
Patron - Plum

P HB980
Waivers of tuition for certain persons. Provides grants for tuition and fees at Virginia community colleges for a Virginia resident who (i) has received a high school diploma or a general educational development (GED) certificate and was in foster care or in the custody of the Department of Social Services or is considered a special needs adoption at the time such diploma or certificate was awarded; (ii) is enrolled or has been accepted for enrollment as a full-time student in a degree or certificate program of at least one academic year in length in a Virginia community college; (iii) has not been enrolled in postsecondary education as a full-time student for more than five years; (iv) maintains the required grade point average established by the State Board for Community Colleges; (v) has submitted applications for federal student financial aid programs; and (vi) meets any additional financial need requirements established by the State Board for Community Colleges for the purposes of such grants. The State Board for Community Colleges, in consultation with the State Council of Higher Education and the Department of Social Services, is to establish regulations governing the grants that shall address renewal of grants; financial need; the calculation of grant amounts, after consideration of any additional financial resources or aid the student may hold; the grade point average required to retain such grant; and procedures for the repayment of tuition and fees after failure to meet the grant requirements.
Patron - Darner

P HB1133
University of Virginia's College at Wise; receipt of certain real property. Authorizes the receipt by the University of Virginia's College at Wise, of two parcels of real property, including appurtenances, known as the Wise Hospital property, from Appalachian Regional Healthcare, Inc., with the approval of the Governor and in a form approved by the Attorney General.
Patron - Kilgore

P HB1159
Composition of Board of Visitors of Norfolk State University. Provides that four members of the 13-member Board of Visitors of Norfolk State University (NSU) must be NSU alumni of which three alumni may be nonresidents of Virginia. The Governor may appoint alumni members from a list of qualified persons provided by the Norfolk State University Alumni Association.
Patron - Robinson

P HB1279
College Scholarship Assistance Act. Deletes references to any loans previously made under the College Scholarship Assistance Act, including repayment provisions and other requirements, and provides that the grant amount may not exceed the amount provided in the Appropriation Act. In addition, the measure provides that students may be eligible for these grants if they have not previously received an undergraduate degree at the same level (for example, a student who has an associate degree may receive a grant to pursue a four-year degree but not an additional two-year degree). The College Scholarship Assistance initiative provides a statewide program of financial aid to eligible undergraduate students at accredited, degree-granting public or private nonprofit institutions of higher education in Virginia. Currently, grants are capped at $2,000 per year. Students in those institutions or programs whose primary purpose is to provide religious training or theological education are not eligible for this aid. This bill is identical to SB 631.
Patron - Suit

P HB1463
Board of Visitors for Mount Vernon. Creates staggered terms for members of the Board of Visitors for Mount Vernon. The bill also provides that current members of the board of visitors whose terms have not expired as of July 1, 2000 are not affected.
Patron - Bolvin

P HB1471
Medical College of Virginia Hospitals Authority. Changes the name of the Medical College of Virginia Hospitals Authority to the Virginia Commonwealth University Health System Authority and provides a mechanism for merging the MCV Hospitals and the physician-faculty practice. This bill provides that the Vice President for Health Sciences or the person who holds such other title as subsequently may be established by the Board of Visitors of the University for the chief academic and administrative officer for the Health Sciences Campus of the university will serve on the Board of Directors of the Authority and increases the membership by six physician-faculty members, with two physician-faculty members to be appointed by the Governor, two physician-faculty members to be appointed by the Speaker of the House of Delegates; and one physician-faculty member to be appointed by the Senate Committee on Privileges and Elections. The new physician-faculty members must be faculty members of Virginia Commonwealth University with hospital privileges at Medical College of Virginia Hospitals at all times while serving on the Board. Staggered terms for the new appointees are provided by delineating different initial terms. The Chief Executive officer of the Authority will now be the Vice President for Health Sciences of VCU. The Vice President for Health Sciences/Chief Executive Officer of the Authority will be jointly appointed by the Board of Directors of the Authority and the Board of Visitors of the University upon a vote of a majority of the members of each board who are present and voting at a joint meeting. The two boards will select and remove the Vice President/Chief Executive officer and set the conditions of his appointment, including salary.
Patron - Hall

P HB1528
Advantage Virginia Incentive Program created. Creates the Advantage Virginia Incentive Foundation ("Foundation"), the Advantage Virginia Incentive Fund ("Fund"), and the Advantage Virginia Incentive Program ("Program"). The Foundation would be a body politic of the Commonwealth and is to be administered by a board of trustees. The members of the board of trustees are to be appointed by the Governor. The Foundation is to establish and administer the Fund, and moneys of the Fund are to be used for awarding scholarships pursuant to the Program. The Program is to be administered by the Virginia Workforce Council, to provide scholarships to students attending two and four-year (i) public institutions of higher education, and (ii) private, nonprofit or for-profit, nonsectarian, degree-granting institutions of higher education that are institutionally accredited by an accrediting commission recognized by the United States Department of Education, and whose primary purpose is to provide collegiate, graduate, technical or professional education and not to provide religious training or theological education, who become employed in "occupational areas where there is high demand for workers in the Commonwealth," as such areas are designated by the Council. An occupational area where there is high demand for workers shall include occupations in Virginia localities and planning districts that (i) have annual average unemployment rates that are 50 percent higher than the final statewide average unemployment rate for the most recent calendar year or (ii) are within planning districts that have annual average unemployment rates for the most recent calendar year that are at least one percent greater than the final annual statewide average for the most recent calendar year, provided that such occupational areas in such Virginia localities and planning districts require, for successful completion, the level of education, skills, and training for which scholarships are granted under the bill. The granting of the scholarship to students enrolled in degree programs offered by private, accredited and nonprofit institutions of collegiate education in the Commonwealth whose primary purpose is to provide collegiate, graduate, or professional education and not to provide religious training or theological education mirrors the eligibility requirement under the Tuition Assistance Grant Program . The granting of the scholarships to students enrolled in degree programs offered by for-profit, nonsectarian post-secondary private schools and institutions of learning in the Commonwealth is pursuant to the 1998 Report of the Attorney General (p. 24), which provides that such tuition assistance programs are allowed under Article VIII, Section 10 of the Constitution of Virginia. Eligible students can receive scholarships of up to $3,000 per academic year, not to exceed a maximum of $12,000, for tuition, books, and fees. A recipient is required to repay his scholarship by agreeing to become employed in an occupational area where there is high demand for workers in the Commonwealth within one calendar year after his graduation, and to continue thereafter until he has been continuously employed in such area for a period of years equal in number to the years that he has benefited from the Program's scholarship. Students who fail to maintain eligibility during a scholarship year or refuse to fulfill these terms and conditions are required to repay their AVIP scholarship with interest and any penalties the Council assesses. Priority will be given to students (i) who are closest to completing their degree programs, (ii) who demonstrate financial need, and (iii) whose applications were received earliest by the Council.
Patron - Scott

P HB1548
University of Virginia; endowment funds. Vests flexibility in investing or reinvesting endowment funds in the Board of Visitors of the University of Virginia. This provision authorizes the Board to invest or reinvest endowment funds in derivatives, options, and financial securities, including notes, stocks, treasury stocks, bonds, debentures, evidence of indebtedness, certificates of interest, etc. Present law authorizes the Board to invest and manage the endowment funds of the University in accordance with the provisions of the Uniform Management of Institutional Funds Act which restricts investment authority narrowly. This bill is identical to SB 777.
Patron - Cantor

P SB31
Commonwealth of Virginia Higher Educational Institutions Bond Act of 2000. Authorizes the issuance of Commonwealth of Virginia Higher Educational Institutions Bonds pursuant to Article X, Section 9 (c) of the Constitution of Virginia in a principal amount not exceeding $131,763,100. The purpose of the bonds is to provide funds for paying, together with any other available funds, the costs of acquiring, constructing, renovating, enlarging, improving, and equipping revenue-producing capital projects at institutions of higher learning of the Commonwealth. The net revenues derived from the capital projects, and the full faith and credit of the Commonwealth are pledged for the payment of the principal of and the interest on the bonds and any bond anticipation notes or refunding bonds. The bill authorizes the Treasury Board, by and with the consent of the Governor, to fix the details of such bonds, to borrow money in anticipation of the issuance of the bonds, and to issue refunding bonds. The bill has an emergency clause.
Patron - Chichester

P SB328
Jamestown-Yorktown Foundation. Provides that the president of the Jamestown-Yorktown Foundation, Inc. will be a member of the Board of Trustees of the Jamestown-Yorktown Foundation, replacing the position currently filled by the President of the Jamestown-Yorktown Educational Trust. The Jamestown-Yorktown Educational Trust is a § 115 organization under the Internal Revenue Code, and its focus has shifted to concessions and other functions related to the Foundation. The Foundation, Inc., a § 501(c)(3) organization under the Internal Revenue Code, and will assist in fund raising to support the Jamestown-Yorktown Foundation. This measure is identical to HB 645.
Patron - Norment

P SB359
Certain college tuition savings initiatives. Changes the name of the Virginia Higher Education Tuition Trust Fund to the Virginia College Savings Plan; removes contributors to a savings trust account within the Plan who are age 70 and over from the requirement that deductions for such contributions not exceed $2,000 (a benefit currently afforded purchasers of prepaid tuition contracts); and broadens the definition of the Virginia fiduciary adjustment, for estate tax purposes, to include the state income tax deduction permitted for purchases of prepaid tuition contracts and contributions to savings trust accounts within the Plan. The measure is effective for taxable years beginning on and after January 1, 2000. This measure is identical to HB 438.
Patron - Lambert

P SB368
Virginia College Building Authority. Removes the $150 million cap on the aggregate principal amount of outstanding Virginia College Building Authority bonds to finance acquisition of equipment. The Authority was created to purchase such bonds "to serve educational institution purposes by financing the construction of projects of capital improvement at less cost, thereby facilitating such construction" and may also issue its own revenue bonds to pay for these projects. In addition, § 23-30.24 indicates legislative intent that the Authority purchase "new scientific, technical and other" equipment for lease or sale to colleges and universities, "thereby facilitating the acquisition and supply of such equipment to educational institutions and increasing the purchasing power of their funds, including funds provided by tuition and fees and by appropriations from the General Assembly." Currently, there is no similar statutory limit on outstanding bonds for construction projects. This bill is identical to HB 697.
Patron - Norment

P SB373
Tuition grants for certain students. Removes the $500 cap on the amount of tuition grants for members of the Virginia National Guard enrolled in an institution of higher education in Virginia and provides that the grant amount may not exceed the difference between the full cost of tuition and any other educational benefits for which they are eligible as members of the National Guard. Under current law, the grant amount may be half of the cost of tuition, not to exceed $500 per term or $1,000 in any one year. To be eligible for such a grant, the Virginia National Guard member must also have a minimum remaining obligation of two years, must have satisfactorily completed required initial active duty service, and must be satisfactorily performing duty pursuant to National Guard regulations.
Patron - Wampler

P SB423
Southwest Virginia Higher Education Center. Adds the Southwest Virginia Higher Education Center (SVHEC) to the list of those entities characterized as "educational institutions" and "governmental instrumentalities for the dissemination of education." Current law designates as "educational institutions" the Commonwealth's four-year public colleges and universities, the Virginia Community College System, the Woodrow Wilson Rehabilitation Center, the Virginia Schools for the Deaf and the Blind, and the Eastern Virginia Medical School. This classification as an educational institution will enable SVHEC to issue bonds with the approval of its governing board and the Governor (§§ 23-15 and 23-19), acquire property (§ 23-16), be eligible for its bonds to be purchased by the Virginia College Building Authority (§§ 23-30.24, 23-30.25, 23-30.27, and 23-30.28), establish a campus police department, and authorize such campus police to purchase their service handguns (§ 23-232). This designation will not empower the SVHEC to establish unfunded scholarships (§ 23-31), nor will it place the Center under the State Council of Higher Education for Virginia (SCHEV), the coordinating council for two- and four-year public colleges and universities. In addition, the designation does not require SVHEC to submit an annual report to SCHEV regarding financial statements (§ 23-1.01). The term "educational institution" appears in a variety of contexts throughout the Code. The term, for purposes of § 23-14, does not necessarily include all entities described as "institutions of higher education" or "institutions of higher learning" elsewhere in the Code of Virginia. "Educational institution" is used broadly in Code provisions addressing matters such as employment, prohibited contracts, and certain field permits. "Educational institutions" may also sell real estate (§ 13.1-901); establish educational television stations (§ 15.2-966); have students excluded from certain toll payments (§ 22.1-187); and have governing board members reimbursed for travel expenses (§ 23-3). Public "educational institutions" receiving state funds may not discriminate against persons with disabilities (§ 51.5-43). Not referenced in § 23-14, nor subject to SCHEV as a coordinating council, are these designated "educational institutions": the Miller School of Albemarle, the Board of Regents of Gunston Hall, the Frontier Culture Museum, the Science Museum of Virginia, the Jamestown-Yorktown Foundation, and the Library of Virginia. The term has also been used in reference to private correspondence schools (§ 22.1-319). Designation as an "institution of higher education" has been applied to the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, (which is not designated as an "educational institution") as well as the Science Museum of Virginia, and specifically makes these entities eligible to receive property and funds from localities (§ 23-3.1) and to maintain their state appropriations, despite any increases in endowment funds (§ 23-9.2). This measure is identical to HB 610.
Patron - Wampler

P SB438
Student representatives to boards of visitors. Requires the board of visitors of each four-year state institution of higher education to appoint one or more students as nonvoting, advisory representatives. The board of visitors may exclude these representatives from discussions of faculty grievances, faculty or staff disciplinary matters or salaries or other matters at the discretion of the board. This measure is identical to HB 821.
Patron - Rerras

P SB460
Institutes for training teachers, administrators, and librarians; adult education and literacy programs. Requires the institutes established by the State Council of Higher Education for Virginia currently providing in-service training in the effective use of educational technology for teachers, administrators, and librarians in the elementary and secondary schools to provide the same training to such personnel of equivalent adult education and literacy programs.
Patron - Houck

P SB484
Commonwealth Health Research Fund. Provides that the Commonwealth Health Research Board may expend the annual income generated from investments of the Commonwealth Health Research Fund; annual income does not include any noncash dividends paid on investments of the Fund or any realized gain on the sale of any investment of the fund. Under current law, the Board may expend up to 90 percent of the annual income realized from investments of the Fund, including realized gains on the sale of investments, on grants that have the potential of maximizing human health benefits for the citizens of the Commonwealth and on certain enumerated expenses of administering the Fund. The bill provides that the Board may contract for professional services to assist the Board in the performance of its duties and responsibilities. The bill also provides that members of the Board shall be compensated for their services at the per diem rate specified in Chapter 924 of the 1997 Acts of Assembly as for members of the General Assembly. The Board and Fund were established by the 1997 Session of the General Assembly. The Fund consists of all stock and cash distributed to the Commonwealth as a policyholder pursuant to the conversion of Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Virginia from a mutual insurance company to a Virginia stock corporation.
Patron - Chichester

P SB542
Jamestown-Yorktown Foundation. Authorizes the Jamestown-Yorktown Foundation (i) to determine what artworks, manuscripts, and artifacts may be acquired by purchase, gift, or loan, and to exchange or sell the items if not inconsistent with the terms of the acquisition; and (ii) to change the form of investment of any funds, securities, or other property, real or personal, consistent with the terms of the instrument under which the property was acquired, and to sell or convey any such property, except that any transfers of real property must be made with the consent of the Governor. The language mirrors those powers already granted to the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts.
Patron - Marye

P SB559
Tuition Assistance Grants. Deletes references to any loans previously made under the Tuition Assistance Grant Act (TAG), including repayment provisions and other requirements applying to loans made before July 1, 1980, and provides that pharmacy students may receive TAG grants for no more than four academic years. In addition, the measure provides that institutions acting as agents for students receiving TAG grants are to promptly credit funds disbursed to TAG students upon verification of the student's eligibility by the institution. Under current law, eligibility notification is provided by the State Council of Higher Education. The TAG initiative provides "a program of tuition assistance in the form of grants" to Virginia residents attending "private, accredited and nonprofit institutions of collegiate education in the Commonwealth whose primary purpose is to provide collegiate, graduate, or professional education and not to provide religious training or theological education." This measure is identical to HB 846.
Patron - Quayle

P SB631
College Scholarship Assistance Act. Deletes references to any loans previously made under the College Scholarship Assistance Act, including repayment provisions and other requirements, and provides that the grant amount may not exceed the amount provided in the Appropriation Act. In addition, the measure provides that students may be eligible for these grants if they have not previously received an undergraduate degree at the same level (for example, a student who has an associate degree may receive a grant to pursue a four-year degree but not an additional two-year degree). The College Scholarship Assistance initiative provides a statewide program of financial aid to eligible undergraduate students at accredited, degree-granting public or private nonprofit institutions of higher education in Virginia. Currently, grants are capped at $2,000 per year. Excluded from aid are students in those institutions whose primary purpose is to provide religious training or theological education.
Patron - Mims

P SB777
University of Virginia; endowment funds. Authorizes the board of visitors of the University of Virginia to invest or reinvest endowment funds in derivatives, options, and financial securities.
Patron - Stosch

F Failed

F HB301
Meetings of boards of visitors of the University of Virginia. Extends from July 1, 2000, to July 1, 2001, the authority of the board of visitors of the University of Virginia to conduct meetings via audio/video communication when at least two-thirds of the membership is physically assembled at its regular meeting place and when the customary requirements of public notice, voting and recordation of the meetings are followed.
Patron - Diamonstein

F HB463
School calendar for higher education. Clarifies the authority of the boards of visitors of institutions of higher education to set the calendar for the academic year, which, in the case of four-year institutions, is to provide for the cessation of classes and the closure of relevant institution from midday Monday before Thanksgiving through and including the Monday following Thanksgiving each year.
Patron - Tate

F HB529
Commonwealth of Virginia Higher Education and Related Educational Facilities Bond Act of 2000. Authorizes the issuance of Commonwealth of Virginia Higher Education and Related Educational Facilities Bonds pursuant to Article X, Section 9 (b) of the Virginia Constitution in an amount not exceeding $297,500,000, subject to approval by a majority of the qualified voters of the Commonwealth voting thereon at the November 7, 2000, general election. The purpose of the bonds is to provide funds for paying, together with any other available funds, the cost of acquiring, constructing, restoring, repairing, improving, renovating and refurbishing the physical plants, including incidental equipment, of higher education and related educational facilities. The full faith and credit of the Commonwealth is pledged for the payment of the principal of and interest on the bonds and any bond anticipation notes or refunding bonds. The bill authorizes the Treasury Board, by and with the consent of the Governor, to fix the details of such bonds, to borrow money in anticipation of the issuance of the bonds, and to issue refunding bonds. The bill shall not become effective, and no bonds shall be issued unless and until voter approval is obtained.
Patron - Diamonstein

F HB784
Tuition and fees. Amends the statute requiring the reduction of tuition and mandatory educational and general fees for in-state undergraduate students by 20 percent in the 2000 fiscal year to prohibit the boards of visitors or other governing bodies of public institutions of higher education from increasing such tuition and mandatory educational and general fees for in-state undergraduate students through June 30, 2004.
Patron - Rollison

F HB966
Student representatives on boards of visitors. Requires the board of visitors of each four-year state institution of higher education to appoint one or more nonvoting student representatives to the board. This measure was incorporated in HB 821.
Patron - Wagner

F HB1441
Waivers of tuition for certain education personnel. Provides for the waiver of tuition and fees at four-year public institutions of higher education for Virginia residents who (i) are enrolled as full-time or part-time undergraduate students in an approved teacher education degree program in a public four-year institution of higher education in Virginia; (ii) are employed by a local school board as education paraprofessionals for the semester for which the waiver is sought; (iii) have completed at least two years of full-time employment as education paraprofessionals with a local school board in Virginia; (iv) maintain the required grade point average; and (v) meet the financial need requirements established by the State Council of Higher Education for Virginia. The State Council, in consultation with the Board of Education, is to establish regulations governing these waivers. The regulations are to include provisions addressing education paraprofessional positions for which waivers may be obtained; financial need; verification of employment as an education paraprofessional; the grade point average required to retain such waiver; and procedures for the repayment of tuition and fees for failure to meet the waiver eligibility requirements. This measure was incorporated in HB 1404 and HB 1408.
Patron - Hull

F SB350
Advantage Virginia Incentive Program created. Creates the Advantage Virginia Incentive Foundation ("Foundation"), the Advantage Virginia Incentive Fund ("Fund"), and the Advantage Incentive Program ("Program"). The Foundation would be a body politic of the Commonwealth and is to be administered by a board of trustees. The members of the board of trustees are to be appointed by the Governor. The Foundation is to establish and administer the Fund, and moneys of the Fund are to be used for awarding scholarships pursuant to the Program. The Program is to be administered by the Virginia Workforce Council, to provide scholarships to students attending two- and four-year public institutions of higher education or private, accredited and nonprofit institutions of collegiate education in the Commonwealth whose primary purpose is to provide collegiate, graduate, or professional education and not to provide religious training or theological education who become employed in "occupational areas where there is high demand for workers in the Commonwealth," as such areas are designated by the Council. The granting of the scholarship to students enrolled in degree programs offered by private, accredited and nonprofit institutions of collegiate education in the Commonwealth whose primary purpose is to provide collegiate, graduate, or professional education and not to provide religious training or theological education mirrors the eligibility requirement under the Tuition Assistance Grant Program. Eligible students can receive scholarships of up to $3,000 per academic year, not to exceed a maximum of $12,000, for tuition, books, and fees. A recipient is required to repay his scholarship by agreeing to become employed in an occupational area where there is high demand for workers in the Commonwealth within one calendar year after his graduation, and to continue thereafter until he has been continuously employed in such area for a period of years equal in number to the years that he has benefited from the Program's scholarship. Students who fail to maintain eligibility during a scholarship year or refuse to fulfill these terms and conditions are required to repay their AVIP scholarship with interest and any penalties the Council assesses. Priority will be given to students (i) who are closest to completing their degree programs, (ii) who demonstrate financial need, and (iii) whose applications were received earliest by the Council. The bill also creates tax credits for contributing to the Fund. The tax credits are available to any individual, estate or trust, partnership, or corporate taxpayers who contributes to the Fund; however, for a taxpayer to receive tax credit, the total sum of the tax contributions at the end of the year has to be equal to or greater than the moneys appropriated by the General Assembly for the Fund for that taxable year. If this matching requirement is not met, the contributors will not receive any tax credit and they will be given the option to have their contributions refunded. The amount of tax credit allowed per taxpayer is in the amount equal to fifty percent of the taxpayer's contribution to the Fund and is not to exceed the amount of tax imposed to the taxpayer in that taxable year. The total amount of the tax credits allowed for a taxable year is $2.5 million. If the total amount exceeds $2.5 million in a taxable year, the tax credit would be distributed on pro rata basis. If the total amount is less than $2.5 million in a taxable year, the unused amount is rolled over to the succeeding taxable year.
Patron - Ticer

F SB352
Student representatives on boards of visitors. Requires the board of visitors of each four-year state institution of higher education to appoint one or more nonvoting student representatives to the board. The board of visitors may exclude the nonvoting student representatives from discussions of faculty grievances, faculty or staff disciplinary matters or salaries or other matters at the discretion of the board. This measure was incorporated in SB 438.
Patron - Byrne

F SB443
Tuition and fees. Amends the statute requiring the reduction of tuition and mandatory educational and general fees for in-state undergraduate students by 20 percent in the 2000 fiscal year to prohibit the boards of visitors or other governing bodies of public institutions of higher education from increasing such tuition and mandatory educational and general fees for in-state undergraduate students through June 30, 2004.
Patron - Mims

F SB650
Diversity of employees of local school boards and institutions of higher education. Requires local school boards, the State Board for Community Colleges, and public four-year institutions of higher education to develop and implement a strategic plan to ensure diversity among employees of local school boards, and public two-year and four-year institutions of higher education. These entities must also provide training pertaining to lawful hiring and interviewing practices; constitutional, civil rights, and employment law; and related matters to certain personnel. The chairmen of the local school boards, the Chancellor of Community Colleges, and the chairmen of the boards of visitors of the respective senior institutions must document that such training has been conducted. The Board of Education and the State Council of Higher Education must recommend incentives that are within constitutional principles to school boards and institutions, respectively, to encourage them to hire minorities into positions in which they have been traditionally underrepresented. The Board and the Council must report annually to the Governor and to the General Assembly those institutions that have implemented such plans and conducted such training. The strategic plans are effective on and after July 1, 2000. This bill is a recommendation of the Commission on Access and Diversity in Higher Education.
Patron - Marsh

C Carried Over

C HB472
External Diploma Scholarship Program. Establishes, from such funds as may be appropriated or received, the External Diploma Scholarship Program and Fund, administered by the State Council of Higher Education, to provide scholarships to students who have graduated from a Virginia public high school with an eligible external diploma, such as the International Baccalaureate, and who are enrolled in or accepted for enrollment in any four-year public institution of higher education in Virginia. Awards would be for one year; scholarships may be renewed annually for no more than three subsequent years of study for students enrolled in four-year undergraduate programs, or, from such funds as are available, for no more than four subsequent years of study for students enrolled in five-year undergraduate programs. Scholarship amounts are determined annually, but cannot exceed the actual amount of full tuition and required fees at the relevant four-year public institution of higher education. This bill is identical to SB 435.
Patron - Amundson

C HB1429
Ratio of in-state and out-of-state students. Requires the governing bodies of public four-year institutions of higher education, beginning with the incoming freshman class of fall 2001, to maintain a ratio of the in-state and out-of-state student population in each incoming freshman class that is not less than 67 percent in-state students. The measure does not apply to Virginia Military Institute, Norfolk State University and Virginia State University.
Patron - O'Brien

C HB1434
Senior Citizens Higher Education Act. Eliminates the one-year Virginia residency requirement for senior citizens wishing to enroll in Virginia public institutions of higher education on a tuition-free basis pursuant to the Senior Citizens Higher Education Act. The State Council of Higher Education is to establish procedures for granting priority in accommodating senior citizens seeking these enrollments to those senior citizens who have established domicile in the Commonwealth. Senior citizens wishing to enroll for academic credit, however, must have had taxable income not exceeding $10,000 for Virginia income tax purposes for the year preceding the year of desired enrollment. The bill contains technical amendments.
Patron - O'Brien

C HB1451
Institutions of higher education; direct solicitation of student credit cards. Authorizes the boards of visitors (governing bodies) of public institutions of higher education to establish rules and regulations that prohibit direct solicitation, marketing, and distribution of credit cards to students enrolled at the institution on campus grounds and property owned by the institution, or owned by the state and controlled by the board of visitors. The rules and regulations may not restrict the right of the credit card vendors, financial institutions, or other consumer credit companies to contact students by mail, telephone, or electronic means. This bill is a recommendation of the Joint Subcommittee Studying the Status and Needs of African-American Males in Virginia.
Patron - Jones, D.C.

C SB223
Tuition and fees for in-state students. Amends the statute requiring all public institutions of higher education to reduce the tuition and mandatory educational and general fees in effect on June 30, 1999, for in-state undergraduate students by 20 percent to require that the tuition and fees for graduate students in effect on June 30, 2000, be reduced by 20 percent for the July 1, 2000, to June 30, 2001, school year.
Patron - Edwards

C SB435
External Diploma Scholarship Program. Establishes, from such funds as may be appropriated or received, the External Diploma Scholarship Program and Fund, administered by the State Council of Higher Education, to provide scholarships to students who have graduated from a Virginia public high school with an eligible external diploma, such as the International Baccalaureate, and who are enrolled in or accepted for enrollment in any four-year public institution of higher education in Virginia. Awards would be for one year; scholarships may be renewed annually for no more than three subsequent years of study for students enrolled in four-year undergraduate programs, or, from such funds as are available, for no more than four subsequent years of study for students enrolled in five-year undergraduate programs. Scholarship amounts are determined annually, but cannot exceed the actual amount of full tuition and required fees at the relevant four-year public institution of higher education. This bill is identical to HB 472.
Patron - Puller


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