[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.