Committee advances substitute to track FAFSA completion via five-year goals for school divisions

The Senate Education and Health Committee in Richmond on the committee's floor advanced House Bill 1095 with a substitute that seeks to boost completion of the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) by making school divisions set and report five-year goals rather than requiring individual students to complete the form or opt out. The bill sponsor (identified in the transcript as 'Delegate') told the committee that the FAFSA "is available to those who wish to attend college or trade school" and described it as "a key application that unlocks all types of grants, loans, and work study funds." The sponsor cited national and state data on under-enrollment in FAFSA completion and said the substitute retains the goal of increasing completion while changing the mechanism to division-level goal-setting and public reporting.

Committee members pressed implementation details and data burdens. Senator Pillion asked whether the school boards association or the Virginia Association of School Superintendents had positions; Stacie Haney of the School Board Association said the group had not taken a position on the original bill and that she had "just a little bit of concern" about the substitute because it places reporting responsibilities on school divisions. A representative identified in the transcript as "Lauren" for the Virginia Association of School Superintendents said the substitute arrived late and the association had similar concerns about the new reporting requirements. Julia, identified as general counsel in committee remarks, explained how the substitute restructures the statutory language so that each school board "shall establish and collect data on the progress toward achieving a five-year goal for encouraging and increasing the completion of student financial aid applications by high school students" and that the Department shall post and submit an annual report on progress.

Supporters framed the substitute as a less coercive, goal-driven approach than the earlier opt-out language approved in subcommittee. Questions from the committee focused on whether existing data sources (the sponsor cited a spreadsheet from the National College Attainment Network) make some reporting duplicative and how to avoid undue burdens on local divisions. The committee adopted the substitute and recorded the roll call on the motion to report the substitute as the transcript shows.