Committee continues transition‑counselor certification bill to 2027 after supportive testimony
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Summary
House Bill 85 would create an accessible postsecondary transition‑counselor certificate to support students with disabilities moving to college, work, or independent living. Supporters—including special‑education professionals and parent advocates—testified; the subcommittee voted to continue the bill to 2027 for further development.
House Bill 85 would establish a postsecondary transition‑counselor certification program aimed at equipping school personnel with skills to help students with disabilities transition from K–12 to college, employment, or independent living.
The patron (Speaker 3) described the bill as personal and urged the committee to adopt a certification accessible to the workforce rather than requiring a master’s degree. The patron said the General Assembly already requires transition counselors in each school but that existing assignments often place that duty on staff with limited training; HB 85 would make a targeted certification more broadly available.
Supporters included Sydney Neighbors of the Virginia Education Association (Speaker 8), Regina Frazier (Speaker 12) of the Virginia Council for Exceptional Children, and parent advocates who told personal stories about the "cliff" families face when students age out of K–12 services. Frazier cited statistics on employment rates for individuals with disabilities and argued for increased retention and workforce participation if transition supports improve.
Given the committee’s desire to allow SHEV and institutions time to refine program design and preserve institutional autonomy, Delegate Clark (Speaker 11) moved to continue the bill to 2027 so the patron and stakeholders could develop details; the motion was seconded and passed by voice vote with one member recorded in opposition. The subcommittee emphasized the continuation was intended to provide time for coordination, not to reject the bill’s goals.
The continuation leaves substantive questions about program design, credentialing standards, and institutional roles to be resolved during the extended review period.