# Virginia HB815: Virginia Health Workforce Development Authority; administration of nursing scholarships.

Virginia HB815, Virginia Health Workforce Development Authority; administration of nursing scholarships., is a 2026 Regular Session House bill sponsored by Mark C. Downey (Democratic); status signed, last action 2026-04-08 (Acts of Assembly Chapter text (CHAP0430)); PRIA reads it as touching household money (as of 2026-10-12).

- Canonical: https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/VA-HB815-2026
- As of: 2026-10-12
- Plain-text twin of the page above; the HTML and this file carry the same facts.

## Facts
- Bill: Virginia HB815
- State: Virginia
- Session: 2026 Regular Session
- Title: Virginia Health Workforce Development Authority; administration of nursing scholarships.
- Status: signed
- Chamber: House
- Introduced: 2026-01-13
- Last action: 2026-04-08, Acts of Assembly Chapter text (CHAP0430)
- Sponsor: Mark C. Downey (Democratic)
- Cosponsors: 0
- Touches household money: yes
- Roll calls: 9 (333 yes, 1 no in all)
- Economic provisions PRIA read: 3

## Summary

Virginia Health Workforce Development Authority; administration of nursing scholarships. Grants the Virginia Health Workforce Development Authority the authority to administer scholarships related to nursing and to promulgate regulations exempt from the requirements of the Administrative Process Act as may be necessary to carry out the administration of nursing scholarship and loan programs. Under current law, the Board of Health is the administrative authority for such scholarships and the Commissioner of Health serves as the fiscal agent for the Board in the administration of some scholarship funds. The bill directs the Authority to establish an annual reporting schedule requiring submission of health workforce data, requires the Authority to establish and provide oversight and strategic guidance to the Virginia Nursing Workforce Center, and grants the Authority the authority to evaluate health workforce programs administered or supported by the Commonwealth. The bill directs the Virginia Nursing Workforce Center to establish an advisory board to provide it with strategic oversight and guidance. This bill is identical to SB 405.

## Bill overview: provisions PRIA read

- New agency handles nursing scholarship awards: benefit, low. The Virginia Health Workforce Development Authority administers nursing scholarships and the Nursing Scholarship and Loan Repayment Fund with the Board. It awards scholarships to eligible part-time and full-time students, including annual awards for advanced practice registered nursing students. Ex…
- Virginia tracks workforce needs and nurse shortages: benefit, low. The Authority sets an annual reporting schedule for state agencies and institutions holding health workforce data. They must submit usable records with identifying details removed in standard CSV or Excel files. The Authority analyzes and publishes the data for workforce planning, policy developmen…
- Nurse aide scholarships require care service: mixed, medium. Virginia residents accepted into or enrolled in approved nurse aide programs preparing for certification can compete for scholarships. Recipients must agree to work in a Virginia long-term care facility. Awards consider financial need, and eligibility lasts no more than four academic years total. T…

## Sponsors and cosponsors

- Sponsor: Mark C. Downey (Democratic), House

## Roll call votes

| Date | Chamber | Motion | Result | Yes | No | Other |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 2026-03-10 | Senate | Passed Senate Block Vote | pass | 40 | 0 |   |
| 2026-03-09 | Senate | Passed by for the day Block Vote (Voice Vote) | pass | 0 | 0 |   |
| 2026-03-09 | Senate | Constitutional reading dispensed Block Vote (on 2nd reading) | pass | 40 | 0 |   |
| 2026-03-06 | Senate | Reported from Finance and Appropriations | pass | 14 | 0 |   |
| 2026-02-19 | Senate | Reported from Education and Health and rereferred to Finance and Appropriations | pass | 14 | 0 |   |
| 2026-02-11 | House | Read third time and passed House Block Vote | pass | 96 | 0 |   |
| 2026-02-11 | House | Passed House Block Vote | pass | 98 | 0 |   |
| 2026-02-05 | House | Reported from Health and Human Services | pass | 22 | 0 |   |
| 2026-01-29 | House | Subcommittee recommends reporting | pass | 9 | 1 |   |

## Actions (29)

- 2026-04-08: Acts of Assembly Chapter text (CHAP0430) (Governor)
- 2026-04-08: Approved by Governor-Chapter 430 (effective 7/1/2026) (Governor)
- 2026-03-31: Fiscal Impact Statement from Department of Planning and Budget (HB815) (House)
- 2026-03-31: Governor's Action Deadline 11:59 p.m., April 13, 2026 (Governor)
- 2026-03-31: Enrolled Bill communicated to Governor on March 31, 2026 (House)
- 2026-03-31: Signed by Speaker (House)
- 2026-03-30: Bill text as passed House and Senate (HB815ER) (House)
- 2026-03-30: Enrolled (House)
- 2026-03-30: Signed by President (Senate)
- 2026-03-10: Passed Senate Block Vote (40-Y 0-N 0-A) (Senate)
- 2026-03-10: Read third time (Senate)
- 2026-03-09: Passed by for the day Block Vote (Voice Vote) (Senate)
- 2026-03-09: Constitutional reading dispensed Block Vote (on 2nd reading) (40-Y 0-N 0-A) (Senate)
- 2026-03-09: Rules suspended (Senate)
- 2026-03-06: Reported from Finance and Appropriations (14-Y 0-N) (Senate)
- 2026-02-19: Reported from Education and Health and rereferred to Finance and Appropriations (14-Y 0-N) (Senate)
- 2026-02-12: Referred to Committee on Education and Health (Senate)
- 2026-02-12: Constitutional reading dispensed (on 1st reading) (Senate)
- 2026-02-11: Passed House Block Vote (98-Y 0-N 0-A) (House)
- 2026-02-11: Reconsideration of passage agreed to by House (House)
- 2026-02-11: Read third time and passed House Block Vote (96-Y 0-N 0-A) (House)
- 2026-02-10: Read second time and engrossed (House)
- 2026-02-09: Read first time (House)
- 2026-02-09: Fiscal Impact Statement from Department of Planning and Budget (HB815) (House)
- 2026-02-05: Reported from Health and Human Services (22-Y 0-N) (House)
- 2026-01-29: Subcommittee recommends reporting (9-Y 1-N) (House)
- 2026-01-21: Assigned sub: Health Professions (House)
- 2026-01-13: Referred to Committee on Health and Human Services (House)
- 2026-01-13: Prefiled and ordered printed; Offered 01-14-2026 26105023D (House)

## Bill text

- Chaptered, 2026-04-08: [HTML](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1218043.HTML), [PDF](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1218042.PDF)
- Enrolled, 2026-03-30: [HTML](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1210901.HTML), [PDF](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1210900.PDF)
- Introduced, 2026-01-13: [HTML](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1086016.HTML), [PDF](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1086015.PDF)

## Related bills

- HB5: Employment; paid sick leave, civil penalties. (signed)
- SB199: Employment; paid sick leave, civil penalties. (signed)
- HB95: Va. Residential Landlord and Tenant Act; landlord remedies, noncompliance with rental agreement. (signed)
- HB1393: Electric utilities; pilot program for energy assistance and weatherization for certain individuals. (signed)
- HB834: Virginia Residential Landlord and Tenant Act; fire or casualty damage, termination by landlord. (signed)
- HB675: Protection of employees; coercion or threat based on immigration status, civil penalty. (signed)

## Sources
- [Chaptered (HTML)](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1218043.HTML)
- [Chaptered (PDF)](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1218042.PDF)
- [Enrolled (HTML)](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1210901.HTML)
- [Enrolled (PDF)](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1210900.PDF)
- [Introduced (HTML)](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1086016.HTML)
- [Introduced (PDF)](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1086015.PDF)

## Related
- [HB5: Employment; paid sick leave, civil penalties.](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/VA-HB5-2026)
- [SB199: Employment; paid sick leave, civil penalties.](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/VA-SB199-2026)
- [HB95: Va. Residential Landlord and Tenant Act; landlord remedies, noncompliance with…](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/VA-HB95-2026)
- [HB1393: Electric utilities; pilot program for energy assistance and weatherization for…](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/VA-HB1393-2026)
- [HB834: Virginia Residential Landlord and Tenant Act; fire or casualty damage, terminat…](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/VA-HB834-2026)
- [HB675: Protection of employees; coercion or threat based on immigration status, civil…](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/VA-HB675-2026)
- [Virginia bills](https://policyrisk.com/states/virginia/bills)
- [Virginia state hub](https://policyrisk.com/states/virginia)
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Source: PRIA, https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/VA-HB815-2026 (as of 2026-10-12).