Enslaved Ancestors College Access Scholarship and Memorial Program; scholarships, administration.
Summary
Enslaved Ancestors College Access Scholarship and Memorial Program; parameters. Prohibits any such institution from passing the cost of any scholarship program established in accordance with the provisions of the Enslaved Ancestors College Access Scholarship and Memorial Program to other enrolled students by increasing the rate of tuition or mandatory fees. The bill also requires the State Council of Higher Education for Virginia to (i) establish a work group that consists of a representative of each institution that participates in the Program that meets at least semiannually to discuss Program administration, including sharing best practices on administration and research, coordinating funding and fundraising strategies, developing outreach and marketing plans, collaborating on historical and genealogical research efforts, and aligning government and community engagement initiatives, and (ii) develop and maintain a single statewide online portal that describes each institution's program, criteria, and investments in scholarship students or the community, lists designated points of contact at each institution, shares application timelines and processes, and offers historical context and ongoing memorial updates.
Bill status
signed
all 5 stages cleared
Introduction
Jan 2026
Committee Review
Mar 2026
House of Delegates Passage
Mar 2026
Senate Passage
Mar 2026
Signed into Law
Apr 2026
Introduced Jan 12, 2026
Signed Apr 13, 2026
Maddy AI version diff · 4 comparisons
What changed between versions
Higher Education Subcommittee Substitute
→
Chaptered
·
2 edits
MINOR
The bill was finalized and approved as Chapter 606, changing the document type from a House substitute to an enacted law. The substantive policy text regarding the scholarship program remains unchanged, though minor formatting adjustments were made to the section header.
TECHNICAL
The document header was updated to reflect final approval as Chapter 606 on April 13, 2026, replacing the draft substitute version.
Minor formatting changes were applied to the section title, adding a space between the section number and the statute citation.
Floor votes · Senate Mar 3, 2026 · House of Delegates Feb 17, 2026
How they voted
39–0
Passed
Total votes 39
Mar 3, 2026
D
Democratic20
100% Yea
R
Republican19
100% Yea
Vote distribution
All Yea
All Nay
Mixed
No data
Full legislative history
Actions timeline
Total actions
35
Key actions
13
Committee
11
Apr 13, 2026
Signed into law
Approved by Governor-Chapter 606 (effective 7/1/2026)
executive
Mar 12, 2026
Lower · Passed
Signed by Speaker
lower
Mar 11, 2026
Upper · Passed
Signed by President
upper
Mar 11, 2026
Lower · Passed
Bill text as passed House and Senate (HB404ER)
lower
Mar 4, 2026
Upper · Passed
Passed Senate (40-Y 0-N 0-A)
upper
Mar 3, 2026
Upper · Passed
Passed by for the day (Voice Vote)
upper
Mar 3, 2026
Upper · Passed
Reported from Finance and Appropriations (15-Y 0-N)
upper
Feb 26, 2026
Upper · Passed
Reported from Education and Health and rereferred to Finance and Appropriations (14-Y 0-N)
upper
Feb 23, 2026
Committee
Assigned Education sub: Higher Education
upper
Feb 18, 2026
Committee
Referred to Committee on Education and Health
upper
Feb 17, 2026
Lower · Passed
Read third time and passed House (67-Y 27-N 0-A)
lower
Feb 11, 2026
Lower · Passed
Reported from Appropriations (22-Y 0-N)
lower
Feb 11, 2026
Lower · Passed
Subcommittee recommends reporting (7-Y 0-N)
lower
Feb 4, 2026
Committee
Assigned HAPP sub: Higher Education
lower
Feb 4, 2026
Lower · Passed
Reported from Education with substitute and referred to Appropriations (14-Y 7-N)
lower
Feb 2, 2026
Lower · Passed
House subcommittee offered
lower
Jan 30, 2026
Committee
Assigned HED sub: Higher Education
lower
Jan 12, 2026
Committee
Referred to Committee on Education
lower
1 primary · 2 co-sponsors
Sponsors
Role
Legislator
Party
State
District
P
David Reid
DDemocratic
Co
Dan Helmer
DDemocratic
Co
Virgil Thornton
DDemocratic
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