SB494
Higher educational institutions, public; membership of governing boards.
Status:
Passed
Latest Action:
April 2, 2026
Senate: Fiscal Impact Statement from Department of Planning and Budget (SB494)
Chief Patron:
Creigh Deeds (D)
Session:
2026 Regular Session
Summary
As Passed House of Origin. Public institutions of higher education; governing boards; membership and duties; work groups.
Revises the membership and duties of the governing board of each public institution of higher education by, among other things, increasing from four years to six years the terms of each member of the governing board and requiring the governing board of each public institution of higher education to adopt ... (More) policies defining and implementing shared governance among the components of the institution's organizational structure. The bill also directs the State Council of Higher Education for Virginia to convene work groups for the purpose of developing model shared governance policies, in accordance with the provisions of the bill, and for the purpose of studying and making recommendations on (i) a process by which (a) the governing board of any public institution of higher education, the Governor, or the General Assembly or a committee thereof with relevant oversight responsibility, upon determining that the Office of General Counsel or other legal counsel of a public institution of higher education is not acting in the best interests of the institution, including due to a conflict of interest, failure to defend the lawful authority of the institution, or failure to comply with state law, may request the Attorney General to review the adequacy of such legal representation and (b) upon a determination by the Attorney General or the General Assembly or a committee thereof that such institution is not receiving adequate legal representation, the governing board may request additional representation or approve alternate counsel as necessary to protect the interests of the institution, and (ii) policies for requiring any individual member of a governing board to recuse himself from or not participate in any vote or decision of the governing board on any matter in which he has a personal or pecuniary interest or any partisan or ideological interest that would compromise his ability to vote or act objectively and in accordance with the primary board duties. (Less)-
Bill History
- 01/13/2026 - Senate: Prefiled and ordered printed; Offered 01-14-2026 26104667D
- 01/13/2026 - Senate: Referred to Committee on Education and Health
- 02/04/2026 - Senate: Fiscal Impact Statement from Department of Planning and Budget (SB494)
- 02/09/2026 - Senate: Assigned Education sub: Higher Education
- 02/09/2026 - Senate: Senate subcommittee offered
- 02/11/2026 - Senate: Senate subcommittee offered
- 02/12/2026 - Senate: Reported from Education and Health with substitute (12-Y 0-N 3-A)
- 02/12/2026 - Senate: Senate committee offered
- 02/12/2026 - Senate: Incorporates SB381 (Surovell)
- 02/12/2026 - Senate: Committee substitute printed 26107584D-S1
- 02/13/2026 - Senate: Rules suspended
- 02/13/2026 - Senate: Constitutional reading dispensed Block Vote (on 1st reading) (36-Y 0-N 0-A)
- 02/13/2026 - Senate: Passed by for the day Block Vote (Voice Vote)
- 02/16/2026 - Senate: Read second time
- 02/16/2026 - Senate: Committee substitute agreed to (Voice Vote)
- 02/16/2026 - Senate: Engrossed by Senate - committee substitute (Voice Vote)
- 02/17/2026 - Senate: Read third time and passed Senate (22-Y 18-N 0-A) Close Floor Vote
- 02/23/2026 - Senate: Fiscal Impact Statement from Department of Planning and Budget (SB494)
- 02/24/2026 - House: Placed on Calendar
- 02/24/2026 - House: Read first time
- 02/24/2026 - House: Referred to Committee on Education
- 02/26/2026 - House: Assigned HED sub: Higher Education
- 02/26/2026 - House: Placed on Education Agenda
- 03/02/2026 - House: House subcommittee offered
- 03/02/2026 - House: Subcommittee recommends reporting with substitute (7-Y 3-N)
- 03/03/2026 - House: Placed on Education Agenda
- 03/04/2026 - House: Reported from Education with substitute (15-Y 6-N)
- 03/04/2026 - House: Committee substitute printed 26108796D-H1
- 03/05/2026 - Senate: Fiscal Impact Statement from Department of Planning and Budget (SB494)
- 03/06/2026 - House: Read second time
- 03/09/2026 - House: Read third time
- 03/09/2026 - House: committee substitute agreed to
- 03/09/2026 - House: Engrossed by House - committee substitute
- 03/09/2026 - House: Passed House with substitute (61-Y 35-N 0-A) Close Floor Vote
- 03/10/2026 - Senate: House substitute rejected by Senate (0-Y 40-N 0-A)
- 03/11/2026 - House: House insisted on substitute
- 03/11/2026 - House: House requested conference committee
- 03/12/2026 - Senate: Senate acceded to request Block Vote (40-Y 0-N 0-A)
- 03/12/2026 - Senate: Conferees appointed by Senate
- 03/12/2026 - Senate: Senate Conferees: Deeds, Locke, Surovell, Pillion
- 03/12/2026 - House: Conferees appointed by House
- 03/12/2026 - House: House Conferees: Franklin of Montgomery, Carr, Zehr
- 03/12/2026 - House: House Conferees: Franklin, L.V., Feggans, Austin
- 03/14/2026 - Senate: Conference substitute printed 26110040D-S2
- 03/14/2026 - House: Passed by temporarily
- 03/14/2026 - Conference Report released
- 03/14/2026 - Senate: Conference report agreed to by Senate (21-Y 18-N 0-A) Close Floor Vote
- 03/14/2026 - House: Conference report agreed to by House (62-Y 35-N 0-A) Close Floor Vote
- 03/30/2026 - Senate: Enrolled
- 03/30/2026 - Senate: Bill text as passed Senate and House (SB494ER)
- 03/30/2026 - Senate: Signed by President
- 03/31/2026 - House: Signed by Speaker
- 03/31/2026 - Senate: Enrolled Bill communicated to Governor on March 31, 2026
- 03/31/2026 - Governor's Action Deadline 11:59 p.m., April 13, 2026
- 04/02/2026 - Senate: Fiscal Impact Statement from Department of Planning and Budget (SB494)
