Authority: Title 23, Chapter 6.1, Code of Virginia.

A.1. Out of this appropriation, $5,682,518 the first year and $5,882,215 the second year from the general fund is provided for the operation of the Family Practice Residency Program and Family Practice medical student programs. In allocating these funds, priority shall be given to providing full funding to the Shenandoah family practice program. This appropriation for Family Practice programs, whether ultimately implemented by contract, agreement or other means, is considered to be a grant.

2. The University shall report by July 1 annually to the Department of Planning and Budget an operating plan for the Family Practice Residency Program.

3. The University, in cooperation with the University of Virginia, shall establish elective Family Practice Medicine experiences in Southwest Virginia for both students and residents.

4. In the event the Governor imposes across-the-board general fund reductions, pursuant to his executive authority in § 4-1.04 of this act, the general fund appropriation for the Family Practice programs shall be exempt from any reductions, provided the general fund appropriation for the family practice program is excluded from the total general fund appropriation for Virginia Commonwealth University for purposes of determining the University's portion of the statewide general fund reduction requirement.

B. Out of this appropriation, an amount not to exceed $500,000 the first year and $500,000 the second year is designated from the general fund for outreach and continuing education programs of the Massey Cancer Center.

C. Out of this appropriation an amount estimated at $388,468 from the general fund and $168,533 from nongeneral funds the first year and $388,468 from the general fund and $168,533 from nongeneral funds the second year is designated for the educational telecommunications project to provide graduate engineering education, subject to a plan approved by the State Council of Higher Education for Virginia.

D. Out of this appropriation, $30,000 the first year and $30,000 the second year shall be expended from the general fund to provide financial support to Virginia resident students during the medical school phase of their MD/PhD program.

E. Out of this appropriation, not less than $262,500 from the general fund the first year and $342,500 from the general fund the second year is designated for the Virginia Center on Aging.  This includes $160,000 in the second year for the Alzheimer's and Related Diseases Research Award Fund.

F.1. Out of this appropriation, $798,919 from the general fund and at least $352,269 from nongeneral funds the first year and $798,919 from the general fund and at least $352,269 from nongeneral funds the second year is designated for the "generalist initiative" to sustain the successful increase in generalist output from Virginia medical schools and generalist residency training programs. Virginia Commonwealth University, in conjunction with the University of Virginia and Eastern Virginia Medical School, shall jointly collect and report the yearly outcomes of the Virginia Generalist Initiative to the Secretary of Education and the State Council of Higher Education biennially by October 1. The State Council shall report on the status of the Generalist Initiative to the House Appropriations and Senate Finance Committees at their regularly scheduled meetings in November.

2. The amounts appropriated shall be used for recruitment and admissions, curriculum enhancement and graduate medical education.

3. It is the intent of the General Assembly that the goals of the Virginia Generalist Initiative shall be as follows:

a. Based on a three year average, at least 50 percent of Virginia medical school graduates shall enter generalist residency programs.

b. Based on a three year average, at least 50 percent of Virginia generalist residency graduates shall enter generalist practice upon completion of residency training and at least 50 percent of those graduates shall practice in Virginia.

4. Further, it is the intent of the General Assembly that:

a. Generalist initiative recruitment and admissions programs shall be designed to actively recruit and retain Virginia medical students with an interest in generalist medicine from medically underserved areas of the Commonwealth; and

b. Generalist initiative education programs shall be designed to sustain educational experiences in community settings in general, and in medically underserved communities in particular, for both medical students and generalists.

c. In addition to the statistical goals specified above, the Virginia Generalist Initiative program shall be evaluated for its quality based on: 1) Virginia graduates' responses to the annual survey of the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC); 2) Student evaluation of the program conducted by the individual institution; and 3) Faculty and community preceptors' evaluation of the student learning and skills.

G.1. Out of this appropriation, $2,850,000 from the general fund and at least $2,755,500 from nongeneral funds the first year and $2,850,000 from the general fund and at least $2,755,500 from nongeneral funds the second year is designated for operating and undergraduate program support for the School of Engineering.

2. All costs for maintenance and operation of the physical plant of the new engineering school and future renovations, repairs, and improvements as they become necessary shall be financed from nongeneral funds.

H. Out of this appropriation, $449,850 the first year and $590,000 the second year from the general fund is provided for the continued operation and expansion of the Autism Program of Virginia. The Commonwealth Institute for Child and Family Studies shall have oversight responsibility for the program and shall retain five percent each year for administration. The balance each year shall be provided to the Autism Program of Virginia for operation and expansion of the program.

I. It is the intent of the General Assembly to assist the three Virginia medical schools as they respond to changes in the need for delivery and financing of medical education, both undergraduate and graduate.

J. Out of this appropriation, $400,000 the first year and $400,000 the second year from the general fund is provided in recognition of unreimbursed indigent care provided by medical school faculty separate from the care provided by the Medical College of Virginia Hospitals. These funds are in partial support of the direct cost of the first-professional medical education program for Virginia students. Cost study policies similar to those established in Item 218 of this act shall apply to these patients and financial transactions. The annual report required in Item 218 on financial activities and the qualification of patients shall be reported to the State Council of Higher Education and the Department of Planning and Budget.

K. Out of this appropriation, $225,000 the first year and $225,000 the second year from the general fund is designated for support of the Council on Economic Education.

L. Out of this appropriation, $67,500 the first year and $48,500 the second year from the general fund is designated for support of the Education Policy Institute.

M.1. Out of this appropriation, $6,500,000 the first year and $15,500,000 the second year from nongeneral funds is designated to support the University's branch campus in Qatar.

2. Notwithstanding § 2.2-1802 of the Code of Virginia, Virginia Commonwealth University is authorized to maintain a local bank account in Qatar for the purpose of receiving funds directly from sources within Qatar and other University accounts for expenditure within Qatar in connection with the VCU Qatar Campus. The local bank account is exempt from the Virginia Security for Public Deposits Act, Title 2.2, Chapter 44 of the Code of Virginia.

3. Expenditures from the local bank account will be recorded in the Commonwealth Accounting and Reporting System by Agency Transaction Vouchers, as appropriated herewith with revenue recognized as equal to the expenditures.

4. Procurements within Qatar and the surrounding Arab states may be modified to comply with local custom, laws and regulations established for the Qatar Campus. Further, Qatar citizens and other residents who are employed solely to support the Qatar Campus are not to be considered employees of the Commonwealth of Virginia. Employees hired in faculty positions and issued a contract are considered employees of the Commonwealth. The Board of Visitors of Virginia Commonwealth University is authorized to approve the specific policies and procedures related to these activities for the Qatar Campus. Prior to such approval, the University is to seek the guidance and recommendations of the Secretaries of Finance, Administration and Education.

N.1. Notwithstanding any other provisions of law, Virginia Commonwealth University is authorized to remit tuition and fees for merit scholarships for students of high academic achievement subject to the following limitations and restrictions:

2. The number of such scholarships annually awarded to undergraduate Virginia students shall not exceed twenty percent of the fall headcount enrollment of Virginia students in undergraduate studies in the institution from the preceding academic year. The total value of such merit scholarships annually awarded shall not exceed in any year the amount arrived at by multiplying the applicable figure for undergraduate tuition and required fees by twenty percent of the headcount enrollment of Virginia students in undergraduate studies in the institution for the fall semester from the preceding academic year.

3. The number of such scholarships annually awarded to undergraduate non-Virginia students shall not exceed twenty percent of the fall headcount enrollment of non-Virginia students in undergraduate studies in the institution from the preceding academic year. The total value of such merit scholarships annually awarded shall not exceed in any year the amount arrived at by multiplying the applicable figure for undergraduate tuition and required fees by twenty percent of the fall headcount enrollment of non-Virginia students in undergraduate studies in the institution during the preceding academic year.

4. A scholarship awarded under this program shall entitle the holder to receive an annual remission of an amount not to exceed the cost of tuition and required fees to be paid by the student.

O. Virginia Commonwealth University shall report to the State Council of Higher Education for Virginia no later than May 1 of each year its tuition, fee, and all other nongeneral fund revenues, in a manner as prescribed by the State Council of Higher Education for Virginia. The report shall include revenues from the current fiscal year and a projection of anticipated revenues for the next fiscal year.

P. Out of this appropriation, $7,202,141 the first year and $15,411,178 the second year from the general fund is provided to address base funding needs identified by the Joint Subcommittee Studying Higher Education Funding Policies and to mitigate the pressure on student tuition and fees. These amounts reflect a portion of the additional general fund support needed to provide adequate base support of the institution's core academic function. These additional funds will allow the institution to serve more students; retain existing students more effectively; increase the number of students receiving a degree or certificate, particularly in fields where the Commonwealth faces critical workforce shortages; and enhance the quality and rigor of its academic programs. The Secretary of Education shall monitor the institution's efforts to meet these objectives and other statewide needs.

Q.  Out of this appropriation, $150,000 is provided from the general fund in the second year for the Medical College of Virginia Palliative Care Partnership.