2026 SESSION

INTRODUCED

26101190D

HOUSE BILL NO. 1069

Offered January 14, 2026

Prefiled January 14, 2026

A BILL to amend and reenact §§ 23.1-1300, 23.1-1401, 23.1-1501, 23.1-1601, 23.1-1701, 23.1-1801, 23.1-1901, 23.1-2001, 23.1-2101, 23.1-2106, 23.1-2201, 23.1-2303, 23.1-2501, 23.1-2601, 23.1-2701, and 23.1-2801 of the Code of Virginia, relating to boards of visitors of baccalaureate public institutions of higher education and Richard Bland College and local community college boards; membership; faculty representative and staff representative.

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Patron—Laufer

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Referred to Committee on Education

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Be it enacted by the General Assembly of Virginia:

1. That §§ 23.1-1300, 23.1-1401, 23.1-1501, 23.1-1601, 23.1-1701, 23.1-1801, 23.1-1901, 23.1-2001, 23.1-2101, 23.1-2106, 23.1-2201, 23.1-2303, 23.1-2501, 23.1-2601, 23.1-2701, and 23.1-2801 of the Code of Virginia are amended and reenacted as follows:

§ 23.1-1300. Members of governing boards; removal; terms; certain voting and nonvoting, advisory representatives; residency.

A. Members appointed by the Governor to the governing boards of public institutions of higher education shall serve for terms of four years. Vacancies occurring other than by expiration of a term shall be filled for the unexpired term. No member appointed by the Governor to such a governing board shall serve for more than two consecutive four-year terms; however, a member appointed by the Governor to serve an unexpired term is eligible to serve two consecutive four-year terms immediately succeeding such unexpired term. Except as otherwise provided in § 23.1-2601, all appointments are subject to confirmation by the General Assembly. Members appointed by the Governor to the governing board of a public institution of higher education shall continue to hold office until their successors have been appointed and qualified. Ex officio members shall serve a term coincident with their term of office.

B. No member appointed by the Governor to the governing board of a public institution of higher education who has served two consecutive four-year terms on such board is eligible to serve on the same board until at least four years have passed since the end of his second consecutive four-year term.

C. Notwithstanding the provisions of subsection E or any other provision of law, the Governor may remove from office for malfeasance, misfeasance, incompetence, or gross neglect of duty any member of the board of any public institution of higher education and fill the vacancy resulting from the removal.

D. The Governor shall set forth in a written public statement his reasons for removing any member pursuant to subsection C at the time the removal occurs. The Governor is the sole judge of the sufficiency of the cause for removal as set forth in subsection C.

E. If any member of the governing board of a public institution of higher education fails to attend (i) the meetings of the board for one year without sufficient cause, as determined by a majority vote of the board, or (ii) the educational programs required by § 23.1-1304 in his first two years of membership without sufficient cause, as determined by a majority vote of the board, the remaining members of the board shall record such failure in the minutes at its next meeting and notify the Governor, and the office of such member shall be vacated. No member of the board of visitors of a baccalaureate public institution of higher education or the State Board for Community Colleges who fails to attend the educational programs required by § 23.1-1304 during his first four-year term is eligible for reappointment to such board.

F. The governing board of each public institution of higher education shall adopt in its bylaws policies (i) for removing members pursuant to subsection E and (ii) referencing the Governor's power to remove members described in subsection C.

G. The ~~governing~~ board of visitors of each baccalaureate public institution of higher education and Richard Bland College and each local community college board ~~may~~ shall appoint one or ~~more~~ ~~nonvoting,~~ ~~advisory~~ voting faculty ~~representatives~~ representative and one voting staff representative to its respective board. In ~~the~~ ~~case~~ of ~~local~~ ~~community~~ ~~college~~ ~~boards~~ ~~and~~ ~~boards~~ of ~~visitors,~~ ~~such~~ ~~representatives~~ ~~shall~~ be ~~chosen~~ ~~from~~ ~~individuals~~, each of whom shall be (i) elected (a) by the majority of the institution's faculty or the institution's faculty senate or its equivalent. In ~~the~~ ~~case~~ of ~~the~~ ~~State~~ ~~Board,~~ ~~such~~ ~~representatives~~ ~~shall~~ be ~~chosen~~ ~~from~~ ~~individuals~~ ~~elected~~ by ~~the~~ ~~Chancellor's~~ ~~Faculty~~ ~~Advisory~~ ~~Committee.~~ ~~Such~~ ~~representatives~~ ~~shall~~ be, in the case of the faculty representative or (b) by the majority of the institution's staff, in the case of the staff representative and (ii) appointed to serve ~~(i)~~ (a) at least one term of at least 12 months, which shall be coterminous with the institution's fiscal year or ~~(ii)~~ (b) for such terms as may be mutually agreed to by ~~the~~ ~~State~~ ~~Board~~ ~~and~~ ~~the~~ ~~Chancellor's~~ ~~Faculty~~ ~~Advisory~~ ~~Committee,~~ or by the local community college board or the board of visitors, and the institution's faculty ~~senate~~ or ~~its~~ ~~equivalent~~ or staff, respectively. Any vacancy of such a voting representative shall be filled in the same manner as the original selection, whether the vacancy occurs by expiration of a term or otherwise.

H. The State Board may appoint one or more nonvoting, advisory faculty representatives to its respective board from a list of individuals elected by the Chancellor's Faculty Advisory Committee. Such representatives shall be appointed to serve for such terms as may be mutually agreed to by the State Board and the Chancellor's Faculty Advisory Committee.

H. I. The board of visitors of any baccalaureate public institution of higher education shall appoint one or more students as nonvoting, advisory representatives. Such representatives shall be appointed under such circumstances and serve for such terms as the board of visitors of the institution shall prescribe.

I. J. Nothing in subsections G ~~and~~ H and I shall prohibit the governing board of any public institution of higher education or ~~any~~ ~~local~~ ~~community~~ ~~college~~ ~~board~~ from excluding ~~such~~ any nonvoting, advisory faculty or student ~~representatives~~ representative from discussions of faculty grievances, faculty or staff disciplinary matters or salaries, or any other matter.

J. K. The president or any one of the vice presidents of the board of visitors of Virginia Military Institute, the chairman or the vice-chairman of the State Board, and the rector or vice-rector of the governing board of each other public institution of higher education shall be a resident of the Commonwealth.

K. L. No baccalaureate public institution of higher education shall employ an individual appointed by the Governor to the board of visitors of such institution within two years of the expiration of his term. Such prohibition shall not apply to the employment of an individual to serve as an institution president or, in the case of Virginia Military Institute, the Superintendent.

§ 23.1-1401. Membership.

The board shall consist of 14 members appointed by the Governor, of whom at least six shall be alumni of the University, and two members appointed by the board in accordance with subsection G of § 23.1-1300.

§ 23.1-1501. Membership.

A. The board shall consist of 16 members appointed by the Governor and two members appointed by the board in accordance with subsection G of § 23.1-1300. At least one member appointed each year by the Governor shall be an alumnus of the University.

B. The alumni association of the University and the board may submit to the Governor a list of at least three nominees for each vacancy on the board of a member who is appointed by the Governor, whether the vacancy occurs by expiration of a term or otherwise. The Governor may appoint a member from the list of nominees.

§ 23.1-1601. Membership.

A. The board shall consist of 15 members appointed by the Governor, of whom at least 13 shall be residents of the Commonwealth, and two members appointed by the board in accordance with subsection G of § 23.1-1300.

§ 23.1-1701. Membership.

A. The board shall consist of 13 members appointed by the Governor, of whom at least two shall be alumni of the University and at least 11 shall be residents of the Commonwealth, and two members appointed by the board in accordance with subsection G of § 23.1-1300.

B. The alumni association of the University may submit to the Governor a list of at least three nominees for each vacancy on the board of a member who is appointed by the Governor, whether the vacancy occurs by expiration of a term or otherwise. The Governor may appoint a member from the list of nominees.

§ 23.1-1801. Membership.

A. The board shall consist of 12 members appointed by the Governor, of whom at least nine shall be residents of the Commonwealth and at least six shall be alumni of the University, and two members appointed by the board in accordance with subsection G of § 23.1-1300.

§ 23.1-1901. Membership; executive committee.

A. The board of visitors shall consist of 13 members appointed by the Governor, of whom at least four shall be alumni of the University, and two members appointed by the board in accordance with subsection G of § 23.1-1300. Of the alumni appointed, at least one shall be a resident of the Commonwealth.

B. The alumni association of the University may submit to the Governor a list of four nominees for each vacancy on the board of a member who is appointed by the Governor, whether the vacancy occurs by expiration of a term or otherwise. The Governor may appoint a member from the list of nominees.

C. The board may appoint at least three and not more than five of its members to an executive committee that has and may exercise such powers as the board may prescribe.

§ 23.1-2001. Membership.

A. The board shall consist of 17 members appointed by the Governor, of whom at least (i) 14 shall be residents of the Commonwealth, (ii) four shall be physicians or other medical or health professionals with administrative or clinical experience in an academic medical center, and (iii) three shall be alumni of the University, and two members appointed by the board in accordance with subsection G of § 23.1-1300.

B. The alumni association of the University may submit to the Governor a list of at least three nominees for each vacancy on the board of a member who is appointed by the Governor, whether the vacancy occurs by expiration of a term or otherwise. The Eastern Virginia Medical School Foundation or any successor foundation may submit to the Governor a list of at least three nominees for each vacancy on the board that is required to be filled by a physician or other medical or health professional with administrative or clinical experience in an academic medical center pursuant to clause (ii) of subsection A. The Governor may appoint a member from the relevant list of nominees.

§ 23.1-2101. Membership.

A. The board shall consist of 15 members appointed by the Governor, of whom at least 11 shall be residents of the Commonwealth, and two members appointed by the board in accordance with subsection G of § 23.1-1300.

§ 23.1-2106. Membership.

The board shall consist of nine members appointed by the Governor and two members appointed by the board in accordance with subsection G of § 23.1-1300.

§ 23.1-2201. Membership.

A. The board shall consist of 17 members appointed by the Governor, of whom at least (i) 12 shall be appointed from the Commonwealth at large, (ii) 12 shall be alumni of the University, and (iii) one shall be a physician with administrative and clinical experience in an academic medical center, and two members appointed by the board in accordance with subsection G of § 23.1-1300.

§ 23.1-2303. Membership.

A. The board shall consist of 16 members appointed by the Governor and two members appointed by the board in accordance with subsection G of § 23.1-1300.

B. Notwithstanding § 23.1-1300, members appointed by the Governor are eligible to serve for a total of two four-year terms which may be served consecutively; however, a member appointed by the Governor to serve an unexpired term is eligible to serve two additional four-year terms.

§ 23.1-2501. Membership.

A. The board shall consist of 17 ~~members,~~ of ~~whom~~ 16 ~~shall~~ be members appointed by the Governor ~~and~~ ~~one~~ ~~shall~~ be, the Adjutant General, who shall serve as an ex officio nonvoting member, and two members appointed by the board in accordance with subsection G of § 23.1-1300. Of the 16 members appointed by the Governor, (i) 12 shall be alumni of the Institute, of whom eight shall be residents of the Commonwealth and four shall be nonresidents, and (ii) four shall be nonalumni residents of the Commonwealth.

B. The alumni association of the Institute may submit to the Governor a list of not more than three nominees for each vacancy on the board of a member who is appointed by the Governor, whether the vacancy occurs by expiration of a term or otherwise. The Governor may appoint a member from the list of nominees.

§ 23.1-2601. Membership.

A. The board shall consist of 14 ~~members,~~ of ~~whom~~ 13 ~~shall~~ be members appointed by the Governor ~~and~~ ~~one~~ ~~shall~~ be, the president of the Board of Agriculture and Consumer Services, who shall serve ex officio, and two members appointed by the board in accordance with subsection G of § 23.1-1300. Of the 13 members appointed by the Governor, at least 10 members shall be residents of the Commonwealth and at least six members shall be alumni of the University. All appointments by the Governor are subject to confirmation by the Senate.

B. The alumni association of the University may submit to the Governor a list of three nominees for each vacancy on the board of a member who is appointed by the Governor, whether it occurs by expired term or otherwise. The Governor may appoint a member from the list of nominees.

§ 23.1-2701. Membership.

A. The board shall consist of 15 members appointed by the Governor, of whom at least three shall be alumni of the University and at least 10 shall be residents of the Commonwealth, and two members appointed by the board in accordance with subsection G of § 23.1-1300.

B. The alumni association of the University may submit to the Governor a list of three nominees for each vacancy on the board of a member who is appointed by the Governor, whether the vacancy occurs by expiration of a term or otherwise. The Governor may appoint a member from the list of nominees.

§ 23.1-2801. Membership.

A. The board shall consist of 17 members appointed by the Governor, of whom at least 13 shall be residents of the Commonwealth, and two members appointed by the board in accordance with subsection G of § 23.1-1300.

B. The alumni association of the university may submit to the Governor a list of at least three nominees for each vacancy on the board of a member who is appointed by the Governor, whether the vacancy occurs by expiration of a term or otherwise. The Governor may appoint a member from the list of nominees.