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Virginia committee narrows scholarship eligibility to Virginia‑domiciled direct descendants and approves advertising
Summary
The Senate Brown v. Board Scholarship Committee recommended limiting scholarship eligibility to direct descendants domiciled in Virginia, kept in‑state awards at $10,000 and set out‑of‑state awards at $5,000, authorized up to $10,000 for advertising, and scheduled a Dec. 3 vote on final bill language.
Sen. Angela Williams Graves reported the committee’s post‑closed‑session recommendations and led votes on policy direction for the Brown v. Board scholarship program.
The committee recommended eligibility be limited to direct descendants (children, grandchildren, great‑grandchildren) of those directly affected by the Prince Edward County school closings and that eligible descendants be domiciled in Virginia. The committee proposed retaining the in‑state tuition award at $10,000 per year and setting an out‑of‑state award at $5,000 per year, citing uncertainty about applicant counts and stipulations tied to federal funding as reasons for the distinction.
Chair Williams Graves outlined next steps: the committee will meet with the Division of Legislative Services (DLS) to draft bill language; the committee will vote to accept final language in December, the measure will be filed for the 2026 General Assembly session and, if enacted, become effective July 1, 2026, with eligibility in place for January 2027.
During public comment Marcia Walker, whose father was affected by the Prince Edward County closings, said her daughter — an honor student at Alabama State University — was denied the scholarship because she lives out of state and asked the committee to consider broader eligibility. The committee discussed outreach and approved a recommendation to authorize up to $10,000 for advertising (digital and print) through Virginia Press services and asked that advertising materials also be sent to legislators and committee members to support constituent outreach.
The committee scheduled a reconvened meeting for Dec. 3 at 12:00 p.m. in Committee Room C311 to vote on final language. Motions were moved, seconded and approved by voice vote in committee; the transcript does not record named movers or a roll‑call tally for all votes.
