Enslaved Ancestors College Access Scholarship and Memorial Program; established, report. (HB1980)

Introduced By

Del. David Reid (D-Loudoun) with support from 21 copatrons, whose average partisan position is:

Those copatrons are Del. Hala Ayala (D-Woodbridge), Del. Lamont Bagby (D-Richmond), Del. Betsy Carr (D-Richmond), Del. Lee Carter (D-Manassas), Del. Josh Cole (D-Stafford), Del. Dan Helmer (D-Fairfax Station), Del. Patrick Hope (D-Arlington), Del. Kaye Kory (D-Falls Church), Del. Mark Levine (D-Alexandria), Del. Delores McQuinn (D-Richmond), Del. Martha Mugler (D-Hampton, Del. Ken Plum (D-Reston), Del. Sam Rasoul (D-Roanoke), Del. Ibraheem Samirah (D-Herndon), Del. Marcus Simon (D-Falls Church), Del. Shelly Simonds (D-Newport News), Del. Suhas Subramanyam (D-Sterling), Del. Rip Sullivan (D-Arlington), Sen. John Bell (D-Chantilly), Sen. Jennifer Boysko (D-Herndon), Sen. Joe Morrissey (D-Richmond)

Description

Enslaved Ancestors College Access Scholarship and Memorial Program established. 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. Read the Bill »

Status

03/30/2021: signed by governor

History