State Del. Briana D. Sewell’s recently introduced bill is designed to expand who qualifies for Virginia’s primary student financial aid initiative and update its provisions, according to the Virginia State House.
The legislation, known as HB1221, was filed on Jan. 14, 2026, during the 2026 regular session. Its formal summary states: “Higher ed. financial aid programs; amends provisions, Va. Commonwealth Award established, report.”
The summary below is based on the bill text and may contain interpretations for clarity.
Essentially, the proposal seeks to rename and update the Virginia Guaranteed Assistance Program as the Virginia Commonwealth Award, include eligibility for both undergraduate and graduate students attending public colleges, and streamline terms such as financial need, census date and satisfactory academic progress. It places specific stipulations for domicile, enrollment, academics and selective service registration for undergraduates, lets schools set requirements for graduate grants within reporting guidelines, and refreshes standards for continuing awards. The measure calls for repealing § 23.1-637, tasks the State Council of Higher Education for Virginia with implementing emergency regulations by April 1, 2027, creates a review work group for further suggested reforms, and phases out awarding new Guaranteed Assistance Program grants to first-time recipients beginning in fall 2027 while permitting certain ongoing renewals.
The bill’s sponsors include Rep. Briana D. Sewell (Democrat-25th District), Rep. Jessica L. Anderson (Democrat-71st District), Rep. Lily V. Franklin (Democrat-41st District), alongside one additional sponsor.
Since the session started, Sewell has introduced eight other bills.
Sewell is a 2012 graduate of The College of William and Mary, where she received a Bachelor of Arts.
Sewell, a Democrat, won election to the Virginia State House in 2024 and now serves the 25th House district, succeeding Chris Runion in that seat.
In Virginia, the legislative process starts when a measure is introduced in either the House of Delegates or Senate, after which it is assigned to relevant committees for deliberation and possible amendments. If it advances out of committee, it moves to floor consideration and voting by both chambers. Should both the House and Senate pass the measure, it heads to the governor, who can either sign it into law, veto it, or let it become law without a signature. The Virginia General Assembly meets each year for its regular session on the second Monday in January. Legislators routinely introduce hundreds of bills per session, but only a subset are enacted into law.
| Legislative Session | Patron(s) | Bill Number | Date Introduced | Short Description |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | Briana D. Sewell, Jessica L. Anderson, Lily V. Franklin, and Nicole Cole | HB1221 | 01/14/2026 | Higher ed. financial aid programs; amends provisions, Va. Commonwealth Award established, report. |
| 2026 | Briana D. Sewell, Leslie Chambers Mehta, Luke E. Torian, Mark C. Downey, Adele Y. McClure, Alex Q. Askew, Alfonso H. Lopez, Amy J. Laufer, Atoosa R. Reaser, Betsy B. Carr, Bonita G. Anthony, C.E. Cliff Hayes, Jr., Charlie Schmidt, Charniele L. Herring, Dan I. Helmer, Debra D. Gardner, Delores L. McQuinn, Destiny LeVere Bolling, Elizabeth B. Bennett-Parker, Elizabeth R. Guzman, Garrett McGuire, Gretchen M Bulova, Holly M. Seibold, Irene Shin, Jeion A. Ward, Joshua E. Thomas, Joshua G. Cole, Karen Keys-Gamarra, Karrie K. Delaney, Kathy K.L. Tran, Katrina Callsen, Kelly K. Convirs-Fowler, Laura Jane Cohen, Lindsey Dougherty, Marcia S. “Cia” Price, Marcus B. Simon, Margaret A. Franklin, Marty Martinez, May Nivar, Michael B. Feggans, Michelle Lopes Maldonado, Patrick A. Hope, Paul E. Krizek, Phil M. Hernandez, Rae Cousins, Rodney T. Willett, Rozia A. Henson, Jr., Shelly A. Simonds, Stacey Annie Carroll, Virgil Thornton, and Vivian E. Watts | HB1207 | 01/14/2026 | Paid family & med. leave insurance program; definitions, notice requirements, civil action, report. |
| 2026 | Briana D. Sewell, Nicole Cole, Alex Q. Askew, Atoosa R. Reaser, Betsy B. Carr, Charlie Schmidt, Destiny LeVere Bolling, Elizabeth B. Bennett-Parker, Irene Shin, Jeion A. Ward, Jessica L. Anderson, Joshua E. Thomas, Karen Keys-Gamarra, Karen R. “Kacey” Carnegie, Kathy K.L. Tran, Kimberly Pope Adams, Leslie Chambers Mehta, Lindsey Dougherty, Marcia S. “Cia” Price, Margaret A. Franklin, Mark C. Downey, May Nivar, Michelle Lopes Maldonado, Rae Cousins, Rodney T. Willett, and Vivian E. Watts | HB1208 | 01/14/2026 | Public education; early childhood care and education, child care access calculations, report. |
| 2026 | Briana D. Sewell, Dan I. Helmer, David A. Reid, Garrett McGuire, and Karen Keys-Gamarra | HB1212 | 01/14/2026 | Zoning; small lot residential districts. |
| 2026 | Briana D. Sewell and Jackie H. Glass | HB1219 | 01/14/2026 | Unmanned aircraft systems; use by law-enforcement officers, search warrants. |
| 2026 | Briana D. Sewell | HB1226 | 01/14/2026 | Motor Vehicles, Department of; release of data to certain institutions of higher education, fees. |
| 2026 | Briana D. Sewell | HB1230 | 01/14/2026 | Income tax, state; sustainable aviation fuel production tax credit. |
| 2026 | Briana D. Sewell, John Chilton McAuliff, Paul E. Krizek, Richard C. “Rip” Sullivan, Jr., Adele Y. McClure, Betsy B. Carr, Dan I. Helmer, Destiny LeVere Bolling, Karen Keys-Gamarra, Kathy K.L. Tran, Nadarius E. Clark, Nicole Cole, Phil M. Hernandez, and Rae Cousins | HB1234 | 01/14/2026 | Land development; definitions, solar canopies in surface parking areas, delayed effective date. |
| 2026 | Briana D. Sewell, Gretchen M Bulova, Luke E. Torian, Michelle Lopes Maldonado, Jackie H. Glass, and Nadarius E. Clark | HB1237 | 01/14/2026 | Cemeteries; maintenance of abandoned or neglected graveyards, owner unknown. |
| 2025 | Briana D. Sewell | HB1878 | 01/13/2025 | State Council of Higher Education for Virginia; renaming Director as Executive Director. |
| 2025 | Briana D. Sewell, C.E. Cliff Hayes, Jr., Marcia S. “Cia” Price, Michelle Lopes Maldonado, Shelly A. Simonds, Jackie H. Glass, Joshua E. Thomas, Joshua G. Cole, Michael B. Feggans, Nadarius E. Clark, and Rodney T. Willett | HB1881 | 01/13/2025 | Public elementary/secondary schools; enrollment of dependent student of active duty service members. |
| 2025 | Briana D. Sewell | HB1882 | 01/13/2025 | Protective orders; military protective orders. |
| 2025 | Briana D. Sewell | HB1683 | 01/08/2025 | Motor vehicle dealers; recall and warranty costs, right of first refusal. |
| 2025 | Briana D. Sewell | HB1684 | 01/08/2025 | Real estate brokers and salespersons; duties, licensees engaged by buyers. |
| 2025 | Briana D. Sewell and Jackie H. Glass | HB1685 | 01/08/2025 | Early childhood care and education; publicly funded providers. |
| 2025 | Briana D. Sewell, C.E. Cliff Hayes, Jr., Marcia S. “Cia” Price, Michelle Lopes Maldonado, Shelly A. Simonds, Jackie H. Glass, Joshua E. Thomas, Joshua G. Cole, Michael B. Feggans, Nadarius E. Clark, and Rodney T. Willett | HB1880 | 01/08/2025 | Public schools; enrollment of certain military children with disabilities; provision of special education services and accommodations. |
| 2025 | Briana D. Sewell, Joshua E. Thomas, Joshua G. Cole, Michael B. Feggans, Nadarius E. Clark, Adele Y. McClure, Alex Q. Askew, Alfonso H. Lopez, Amy J. Laufer, Atoosa R. Reaser, Betsy B. Carr, Bonita G. Anthony, C.E. Cliff Hayes, Jr., Candi Mundon King, Charniele L. Herring, Dan I. Helmer, David A. Reid, David L. Bulova, Debra D. Gardner, Delores L. McQuinn, Destiny LeVere Bolling, Elizabeth B. Bennett-Parker, Holly M. Seibold, Irene Shin, JJ Singh, Jackie H. Glass, Jeion A. Ward, Karen Keys-Gamarra, Karrie K. Delaney, Kathy K.L. Tran, Katrina Callsen, Laura Jane Cohen, Luke E. Torian, Marcia S. “Cia” Price, Marcus B. Simon, Mark D. Sickles, Marty Martinez, Michael J. Jones, Michelle Lopes Maldonado, Patrick A. Hope, Paul E. Krizek, Phil M. Hernandez, Rae Cousins, Rodney T. Willett, Rozia A. Henson, Jr., Sam Rasoul, Shelly A. Simonds, and Vivian E. Watts | HB2531 | 01/08/2025 | Paid family and medical leave insurance program; definitions, notice requirements, civil action. |
| 2025 | Briana D. Sewell, Joshua E. Thomas, and Shelly A. Simonds | HB2533 | 01/08/2025 | Counties, cities, and towns; comprehensive plan may include tiny homes or accessory dwelling units. |
| 2025 | Briana D. Sewell | HB2534 | 01/08/2025 | Nonhospitalized individuals; crisis stabilization services. |
Information for this article was provided by the Virginia State House. Full data is available here.
