SB 375 Virginia Senate · 2026 Regular Session

Virginia College Opportunity Fund; established, reports.

Summary
Commonwealth Savers Plan; Virginia College Opportunity Endowment and Fund established; report. Establishes (i) the Endowment Scholarship Program for the purpose of providing scholarships to students at eligible institutions, as defined in the bill; (ii) the Virginia College Opportunity Endowment as an agency of the Commonwealth for the purpose of establishing and administering the Endowment Scholarship Program; and (iii) as subfunds of the Commonwealth Savers Plan fund, (a) the DB529 Fund for the purpose of holding in trust the assets of prepaid tuition contracts to meet contractual obligations and (b) the Virginia College Opportunity Fund (the Opportunity Fund), into which certain funds from the DB529 Fund shall be deposited for the purpose of funding, by income generated from investments of such deposits, the Endowment Scholarship Program and other applicable programs, as set forth in the bill. The bill requires the Commonwealth Savers Plan (the Plan) to (a) after the fiscal year beginning on July 1, 2026, deposit $500 million into the Opportunity Fund from the DB529 Fund; (b) each fiscal year thereafter, in accordance with the timeline set forth in the bill, submit to the General Assembly a report on the funded status, as defined by applicable law, of the DB529 Fund and the recommendations of the Plan on the prudence of directing deposits, and the amounts of any such deposits, of additional actuarial surpluses of the Plan from the DB529 Fund into the Opportunity Fund; and (c) each subsequent year, deposit additional actuarial surpluses into the Opportunity Fund in accordance with the provisions of the bill. The bill also requires the Joint Legislative Audit and Review Commission to, no less than biennially, complete an independent evaluation and risk assessment of the Plan's risk assessment model, assumptions, and other measures employed by the Plan relating to the DB529 Fund and Opportunity Fund. Finally, the bill contains provisions (1) relating to voluntary contributions to the Opportunity Fund for the purpose of receiving tax fund contributions and income tax deductions, and (2) exempting from mandatory disclosure requirements certain information contained in a public record relating to the Commonwealth Savers Plan or the Virginia College Opportunity Endowment and Fund.
Bill status passed 4 of 5 stages cleared
Introduction
Jan 2026
Committee Review
Feb 2026
Senate Passage
Feb 2026
House of Delegates Passage
Mar 2026
Governor
Introduced Jan 13, 2026 Last action Mar 4, 2026
Maddy AI version diff · 1 comparison

What changed between versions

Introduced Finance and Appropriations Substitute · 5 edits
MODERATE
The Senate Finance and Appropriations Committee substituted a revised version of SB 375 that significantly narrows the bill's scope. The substitute removes the comprehensive amendments to multiple Code of Virginia sections related to public records, tax provisions, and the Commonwealth Savers Plan. Instead, it focuses solely on amending the closed meetings law and adding new sections to the Commonwealth Savers Plan chapter.
Scope change
The bill's scope was substantially reduced. The original version amended 14 different Code sections covering public records, tax deductions, and retirement plans. The substitute version only amends the closed meetings statute and two sections in the Commonwealth Savers Plan chapter.
SCOPE

Removed amendments to public records law (§ 2.2-3705.7) that would have added 37 new categories of confidential information, including details about library patron records, hazardous waste siting, and various investment strategies.

Removed amendments to tax code sections (§§ 58.1-3, 58.1-322.02, 58.1-322.03, 58.1-344.3, 58.1-344.4, 58.1-402) that would have modified voluntary contribution options, tax deductions for college savings, and corporate taxable income calculations.

Removed the addition of new articles to the Commonwealth Savers Plan that would have established the Virginia College Opportunity Endowment and Fund with detailed scholarship programs, eligibility requirements, and funding mechanisms.

The substitute retains only the closed meetings law amendments and adds new sections 23.1-235, 23.1-236, and 23.1-707.2 to the Commonwealth Savers Plan chapter, significantly reducing the legislative impact compared to the original version.

TIMELINE

Changed the effective date for closed meetings provisions from 'Introduced' status to a specific Senate Substitute filed February 12, 2026, with the bill now focusing only on closed meetings and Commonwealth Savers Plan rather than the broader original scope.

Floor votes · Senate Feb 13, 2026 · House of Delegates Mar 4, 2026

How they voted

340
Passed · 5 other
Total votes 39
Feb 13, 2026
D Democratic20
19 Yea 1
95% Yea
R Republican19
15 Yea 4
78% Yea
Vote distribution
All Yea All Nay Mixed No data
Full legislative history

Actions timeline

Total actions
20
Key actions
6
Committee
6
Amendments
1
Mar 4, 2026
House Of Delegates · Passed
House of Delegates Vote: pass (20-1)
house of delegates
Feb 24, 2026
Committee
Referred to Committee on Appropriations
lower
Feb 17, 2026
Upper · Passed
Read third time and passed Senate (38-Y 2-N 0-A)
upper
Feb 16, 2026
Amended
Education and Health Amendment rejected
upper
Feb 13, 2026
Upper · Passed
Passed by for the day
upper
Feb 12, 2026
Upper · Passed
Reported from Finance and Appropriations with substitute (15-Y 0-N)
upper
Feb 5, 2026
Upper · Passed
Reported from Education and Health with amendments and rereferred to Finance and Appropriations (12-Y 0-N 2-A)
upper
Feb 2, 2026
Upper · Passed
Senate subcommittee amendments offered
upper
Feb 2, 2026
Committee
Assigned Education sub: Higher Education
upper
Jan 13, 2026
Committee
Referred to Committee on Education and Health
upper
1 primary · 0 co-sponsors

Sponsors

Role
Legislator
Party
State
District
P
Photo of Scott Surovell
Scott Surovell
DDemocratic
VA
34