HJ32 • 2026

Higher educational institutions; JLARC to study artificial intelligence use policies.

Directing the Joint Legislative Audit and Review Commission to study artificial intelligence use policies in place at institutions of higher education in the Commonwealth. Report.

Education Privacy Technology

Enacted

This bill passed the Legislature and reached final enactment based on the latest official action.

Sponsor: Laufer
Last action: 2026-04-01
Official status: Passed
Effective date: Not listed

Plain English Breakdown

Checked against official source text during the last sync.

Study AI Policies at Colleges

This law tells JLARC to study how Virginia colleges use artificial intelligence (AI) and make suggestions for better policies.

What This Bill Does

JLARC must study the AI rules that Virginia colleges have or are thinking about having.
The study will check if these rules help with things like honesty, privacy, fairness, openness, and letting teachers decide what to teach.
JLARC needs to make a good example of an AI rule for all Virginia colleges to use.
They also need to suggest tools, lessons, and other stuff that can go in a big list everyone can see.

Who It Names or Affects

Colleges and universities in Virginia
JLARC (Joint Legislative Audit and Review Commission)

Terms To Know

AI: Artificial intelligence, which is when computers do tasks that usually need human thinking.
JLARC: Joint Legislative Audit and Review Commission, a group that looks into how government money is spent and makes suggestions for improvements.

Limits and Unknowns

The bill does not specify when the study will start.
It's unclear which specific colleges or universities are included in the study.
There is no information on who will fund this study.

Amendments

These notes stay tied to the official amendment files and metadata from the legislature.

HJ32AHC1

2026-02-02 • Committee

Studies Subcommittee Subcommittee Amendment

Plain English: The amendment changes the dates in the bill to delay certain actions related to studying artificial intelligence use policies at higher education institutions.

Changes '2026' to '2027' after line 36 of the original text.
Changes '2027' to '2028' after line 38 of the original text.

The exact impact and purpose of these date changes are not clear from the provided amendment text alone.

HJ32AH1

2026-02-06 • Committee

Rules Amendment

Plain English: The amendment changes specific dates in the bill to later years.

Changes '2026' to '2027' at line 36 of the bill.
Changes '2027' to '2028' at line 38 of the bill.

Bill History

2026-04-01 House
Bill text as passed House and Senate (HJ32ER)
2026-03-03 Senate
Read third time
2026-03-03 Senate
Agreed to by Senate Block Vote (Voice Vote)
2026-03-02 Senate
Rules suspended
2026-03-02 Senate
Passed by temporarily
2026-03-02 Senate
Passed by for the day
2026-03-02 Senate
Reading waived Block Vote (on 2nd reading) (39-Y 0-N 0-A)
2026-02-27 Rules
Reported from Rules (Voice Vote)
2026-02-12 Senate
Constitutional reading dispensed (on 1st reading)
2026-02-12 Rules
Referred to Committee on Rules
2026-02-11 House
Taken up
2026-02-11 House
committee amendments agreed to
2026-02-11 House
Engrossed by House as amended
2026-02-11 House
Agreed to by House Block Vote (97-Y 0-N 0-A)
2026-02-06 Rules
Reported from Rules with amendment(s) (16-Y 0-N)
2026-02-02 Studies Subcommittee
Subcommittee recommends reporting with amendment(s) (5-Y 0-N)
2026-01-30 Studies Subcommittee
Assigned HRUL sub: Studies Subcommittee
2026-01-13 House
Prefiled and ordered printed; Offered 01-14-2026 26104154D
2026-01-13 Rules
Referred to Committee on Rules

Official Summary Text

Study; Joint Legislative Audit and Review Commission; artificial intelligence use policies in place at institutions of higher education in the Commonwealth; report.
Directs the Joint Legislative Audit and Review Commission (JLARC) to study the artificial intelligence use policies in place at institutions of higher education in the Commonwealth and evaluate each policy in terms of how it addresses academic integrity, data privacy, equity and access, transparency, and faculty autonomy and instructional agency. JLARC is further directed to develop a model policy for AI use in institutions of higher education, as well as to make recommendations for AI tools, curricula, and other resources for inclusion in a statewide clearinghouse for educators, students, and the public at large.

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text

Directing the Joint Legislative Audit and Review Commission to study artificial intelligence use policies in place at institutions of higher education in the Commonwealth. Report.
Agreed to by the House of Delegates, February 11, 2026
Agreed to by the Senate, March 3, 2026
WHEREAS, artificial intelligence (AI) brings tremendous potential to transform education at all levels; and
WHEREAS, integration of AI in education is critical in order to equip students with the skills, knowledge, and competencies necessary to use AI responsibly and effectively, so that AI can be used to amplify learning rather than shortcutting it; and
WHEREAS, integration of AI in education must be done deliberately and with ongoing monitoring and oversight; and
WHEREAS, state-level action is pivotal to the creation of a unified framework for AI use in education and the adoption of statewide AI literacy standards is equally critical; and
WHEREAS, Executive Order No. 30 (2024) called for the promulgation of safety standards and guidelines for the use of AI and directed the development and issuance of tools, instructional resources, and support to assist with the implementation and use of AI at postsecondary institutions; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED by the House of Delegates, the Senate concurring, That the Joint Legislative Audit and Review Commission be directed to study the artificial intelligence use policies in place at the institutions of higher education in the Commonwealth.
In conducting its study, the Joint Legislative Audit and Review Commission (JLARC) shall conduct a survey of the AI use policies that have been adopted or are being considered by the institutions of higher education in the Commonwealth, including AI use policies that may be applicable only to a subset of the institution, and evaluate each policy in terms of how it addresses (i) academic integrity, (ii) data privacy, (iii) equity and access, (iv) transparency, and (v) faculty autonomy and instructional agency. JLARC shall develop a model policy for AI use in institutions of higher education in the Commonwealth, as well as make recommendations for AI tools, curricula, and other resources that could be included in a statewide clearinghouse for educators and students at institutions of higher education, in addition to the public at large.
Technical assistance shall be provided to JLARC by the State Council of Higher Education for Virginia, the Virginia Community College System, and the Virginia Information Technologies Agency. All agencies of the Commonwealth shall provide assistance to JLARC for this study, upon request.
JLARC shall complete its meetings by November 30, 2027, and the chair shall submit to the Division of Legislative Automated Systems an executive summary of its findings and recommendations no later than the first day of the

2028 Regular Session of the General Assembly. The executive summary shall state whether JLARC intends to submit to the General Assembly and the Governor a report of its findings and recommendations for publication as a House or Senate document. The executive summary and report shall be submitted as provided in the procedures of the Division of Legislative Automated Systems for the processing of legislative documents and reports and shall be posted on the General Assembly's website.