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[0:16]
So good afternoon everyone. And
[0:19]
welcome to the Brown versus
[0:20]
Board of Education Scholarship
[0:22]
Committee. I am Senator Angela
[0:24]
Williams Graves, chair of this
[0:26]
committee representing Senate
[0:29]
District 21. And it's great to
[0:31]
have all of you. Thank you so
[0:34]
much for being here. We had
[0:36]
originally we had a quorum and
[0:39]
we have lost it, but we do have
[0:40]
a workaround for that because
[0:42]
we do have some important
[0:44]
legislation that we need to get
[0:48]
into the 2026 session. So let's
[0:51]
call the members to order and
[0:54]
call the roll, and we'll go
[0:55]
from there.
[0:57]
>> Senator Hashmi, Senator
[0:59]
Williams, graves here, Delegate.
[1:03]
Munden, King Delegate Runyon
[1:05]
Delegate glass here, Delegate.
[1:08]
Theta here, doctor. Barbara.
[1:12]
Inman. Doctor. Doctor. Janita.
[1:14]
Kearney. Here. Cameron.
[1:19]
Patterson. Present. Jones.
[1:21]
Johns. Cobb. Harris. Turner.
[1:24]
MADAM Chair. MADAM Chair, you
[1:26]
do not have a quorum.
[1:28]
>> All right, so Michael said
[1:29]
the quiet part out loud. We
[1:32]
don't have a quorum, but we do.
[1:34]
We can go through our agenda
[1:39]
and the policy amendments were
[1:42]
a consensus in our last meeting
[1:44]
of what we had. We cannot vote
[1:51]
on this agenda item as a.
[1:53]
Without a quorum. We can't vote
[1:56]
on this to be a commission
[1:59]
recommendation. However, I'll
[2:03]
carry it and make sure that
[2:04]
whatever committee it ends up
[2:06]
in, I don't know where it's
[2:07]
going to end up, understands
[2:09]
the circumstances as to why we
[2:11]
did not have a vote. I have a
[2:15]
couple of spots left that I can
[2:17]
carry this, and we can have it.
[2:20]
Ideally, it will still pass
[2:21]
because I think the changes
[2:25]
that we made are are reasonable.
[2:27]
So you all know all the members.
[2:30]
We don't have any new members.
[2:31]
So we'll go through. If you
[2:34]
look at the attachment for the
[2:37]
proposed draft legislation that
[2:40]
is in your packet, the changes
[2:44]
start on line 3032. And well,
[2:46]
actually there's a cross-out in
[2:51]
line 30. But the the real
[2:53]
changes I believe. Yeah. Start
[2:56]
on line 32. Is that correct?
[2:59]
Yes. Okay. And then that change.
[3:02]
Let's see where does that
[3:05]
sentence start. That is a long
[3:11]
sentence. It is. Yeah. It's it
[3:15]
it it starts okay on 24 okay.
[3:18]
So line 24 educational agency
[3:20]
means any one public school of
[3:22]
the Commonwealth to public or
[3:24]
private accredited two year or
[3:25]
four year Virginia Institution
[3:29]
of Higher Education that is in
[3:31]
compliance with the Southern
[3:33]
Association of Colleges and
[3:34]
Schools accreditation standards
[3:37]
for institutions and academic
[3:39]
programs, or other national or
[3:42]
regional organization or agency
[3:44]
recognized by the United States
[3:46]
Secretary of Education for
[3:47]
accreditation. Accrediting
[3:50]
purposes. Three high school
[3:52]
equivalency preparation program
[3:55]
in compliance with the Board of
[3:57]
Education guidelines for
[3:58]
College level examination
[4:00]
program. The Clep program, in
[4:02]
compliance with the
[4:03]
requirements of the College
[4:06]
Board governing college level
[4:09]
examination programs, or five
[4:12]
accredited career and technical
[4:14]
education. Post-secondary
[4:16]
school in the Commonwealth that
[4:18]
accepts for admission
[4:21]
recipients from the Brown v
[4:21]
Board of Education Scholarship
[4:23]
Program. And here's where the
[4:25]
change six. Solely for the
[4:27]
purpose of a scholarship for
[4:30]
any eligible student or any
[4:32]
individual who is a lineal
[4:34]
descendant of an eligible
[4:38]
student, as defined in
[4:42]
subsection g of paragraph 32
[4:46]
3023 point I'm sorry, 3230 1.2
[4:49]
accredited two year or four
[4:50]
year institution of higher
[4:53]
education outside of the
[4:58]
Commonwealth, and that is the
[5:04]
substance of the change. And
[5:07]
then on page 56, I'm sorry,
[5:09]
line 56, that any scholarship
[5:11]
awarded pursuant to the Brown v
[5:12]
Board of Education Scholarship
[5:14]
Program established pursuant to
[5:19]
chapter 34.1, section 3231.01
[5:23]
at sequence of title 30 of the
[5:25]
Code of Virginia to an eligible
[5:26]
student to attend any
[5:28]
accredited two year or four
[5:29]
year institution of higher
[5:31]
education outside of the
[5:34]
Commonwealth, as described in
[5:36]
clause six of the definition of
[5:39]
educational agency. In the
[5:40]
section noted of the Code of
[5:42]
Virginia, as amended by this
[5:45]
act, shall be limited to $5,000
[5:46]
annually, provided that the
[5:49]
Brown, Brown v Board of
[5:51]
Education Scholarship Committee
[5:53]
established in the subsection
[5:55]
notice noted of the Code of
[5:57]
Virginia, MAY subsequently
[6:00]
adjust such annual scholarship
[6:03]
limit as it deems necessary or
[6:06]
appropriate. So I think we got
[6:09]
everything that we intended to
[6:12]
accomplish in the last meeting
[6:14]
in this particular piece of
[6:16]
legislation, and it is my
[6:17]
understanding that that is the
[6:19]
consensus of the board. If
[6:21]
anybody is of a different
[6:24]
opinion, let us know.
[6:27]
>> MADAM Chair, can I just
[6:30]
clarify? So with the $5,000
[6:32]
language, is that saying that
[6:34]
we as a committee can amend
[6:36]
that absent of a code change?
[6:38]
>> Is that the accurate
[6:41]
interpretation?
[6:42]
>> MADAM Chair? Yes, that's
[6:47]
correct. The committee has the
[6:49]
range to amend different
[6:51]
policies or the amount of the
[6:55]
scholarship once they meet.
[6:58]
>> As per this language, in the
[7:00]
legislation, in the proposed
[7:04]
legislation. Yes. Okay. Okay.
[7:08]
Any other questions. All right.
[7:10]
So if that is a consensus of
[7:13]
the group we'll carry it. I
[7:18]
will reach out to Delegate
[7:19]
glass. We can talk about if you
[7:21]
want to if you can carry the
[7:23]
house side, I don't know if
[7:24]
Delegate King will be able to
[7:26]
do that, but if not, can you
[7:28]
carry the house side on it?
[7:31]
Okay. All right. Very good. And
[7:34]
then the any. Is there any
[7:41]
public comment?
[7:43]
>> You're online and would like
[7:44]
to speak electronically. Please
[7:52]
raise your hand electronically.
[7:54]
>> All right. No commenters.
[7:57]
All right. So this is our last
[7:58]
meeting before the General
[8:02]
Assembly 2026 session. We start.
[8:04]
I told my team that's the set.
[8:07]
She wants to speak. Oh, yes.
[8:15]
Please come on up. Yes, you.
[8:17]
Tell us your name. Okay. Good
[8:19]
morning everybody. My name is
[8:21]
Morgan Bassfield. I attend the
[8:22]
illustrious Alabama State
[8:24]
University, and I was just
[8:26]
coming to speak. Just to give
[8:27]
you guys a little background, I
[8:29]
am a Dean student. I was
[8:31]
recently inducted into the
[8:34]
National Success and Leadership
[8:37]
of the Nsls at our school. And
[8:38]
the scholarship would mean a
[8:40]
lot to me because I am an
[8:42]
out-of-state student and I was
[8:44]
awarded a few scholarships. But,
[8:45]
you know, it doesn't cover like
[8:48]
the the total, you know, cost
[8:50]
of school. And it is a lot on
[8:51]
my parents to pay the remaining
[8:53]
balance out of pocket. So
[8:54]
that's what the scholarship
[8:56]
would mean to me. If I was to
[8:58]
receive it. It would mean a lot
[8:58]
to me.
[9:00]
>> Well, thank you so much for
[9:02]
coming and for speaking. Your
[9:03]
mother has been advocating,
[9:04]
your family has been advocating
[9:06]
on your behalf and for students
[9:09]
just like you to be able to
[9:10]
receive scholarship funds. So
[9:13]
thank you. It's great to see
[9:14]
you and in person. And we are
[9:16]
proud of all of the things that
[9:18]
you have accomplished in your
[9:19]
collegiate career. And so just
[9:23]
as a timeline for everyone,
[9:25]
this legislation will go into
[9:27]
the JANUARY session. It will.
[9:29]
I'm also carrying a budget
[9:30]
amendment for the legislation
[9:32]
as well to match the previous
[9:34]
budget. Previous biennial
[9:36]
budget amendment. It will be
[9:38]
voted on. Ideally, it will pass
[9:40]
the House and the Senate and it
[9:44]
will. And then the new governor
[9:47]
will sign it and it will go
[9:50]
into effect JULY 1st. So that
[9:52]
would mean that applications
[9:58]
under this legislation for the
[10:00]
2027 year, is that right? Am I
[10:02]
calculating that correct goes
[10:04]
into effect JULY 1st. We would
[10:06]
have already awarded JULY. We
[10:08]
would have awarded 26
[10:09]
scholarships. So then
[10:13]
applications for 2027 will go
[10:15]
into this will go into place
[10:18]
for 2027. And then in years
[10:21]
going on after that. All right.
[10:26]
Thank you. All right. Again
[10:28]
this is our last meeting.
[10:30]
Session starts JANUARY 14th. We
[10:31]
run the 60 day session this
[10:33]
year. So it is the long game.
[10:36]
And I appreciate all of you for
[10:38]
being here, for showing up and
[10:40]
for making this scholarship
[10:42]
even more meaningful than I
[10:46]
think it was when it first was
[10:47]
instituted. So thank you for
[10:49]
your time. Thank you to our
[10:51]
families who have come out and
[10:53]
who have given us a different
[10:54]
perspective of the real life
[10:56]
implications of the scholarship.
[10:59]
Without that work and that
[11:01]
advocacy, this work wouldn't
[11:04]
get done. So thank you so much.
[11:05]
We appreciate you. Any other
[11:08]
comments from anyone else? All
[11:11]
right. So the the last thing I
[11:15]
have is I didn't do this last
[11:20]
meeting because grief and death
[11:22]
are very sensitive subjects.
[11:25]
And I told Delegate King my
[11:29]
reason for not acknowledging
[11:30]
the passing of her daughter.
[11:32]
And she said, oh girl, say my
[11:35]
baby's name. So today, as our
[11:37]
last meeting, we will adjourn
[11:40]
in honor and memory of Candice
[11:42]
Gabriela King, who passed away
[11:46]
at 15 from a battle with sickle
[11:48]
cell. And we want to say her
[11:50]
name, to remember her legacy
[11:54]
and to make sure that her short
[11:56]
life, which was very impactful,
[11:58]
is not forgotten. So I just
[12:00]
need a motion.
[12:01]
>> Second.
[12:02]
>> I need a motion.
[12:05]
>> Oh, so move to.
[12:07]
>> Adjourn. In the honor and
[12:09]
memory of Canberra's Candice
[12:09]
Gabriela King.
[12:11]
>> a second.
[12:12]
>> Thank you so much. We are
[12:14]
adjourned.