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.
House Joint Resolution 32 directs the Joint Legislative Audit and Review Commission (JLARC) to study artificial intelligence use policies at Virginia’s institutions of higher education. The resolution recognizes both the promise of AI in education and the need for deliberate oversight, and it ties the study to broader state efforts to promote AI literacy and establish safety standards and guidance for postsecondary institutions.
Under the resolution, JLARC must survey AI policies that colleges and universities have adopted or are considering, including policies that apply only to parts of an institution. The study must evaluate how those policies address academic integrity, data privacy, equity and access, transparency, and faculty autonomy and instructional agency. JLARC is also directed to develop a model AI policy for higher education and to recommend AI tools, curricula, and other resources that could support a statewide clearinghouse for educators, students, and the public.
HJ32 does not directly amend the Code of Virginia or create new regulatory requirements; instead, it establishes a legislative study and reporting mandate. It requires JLARC, with technical assistance from SCHEV, the Virginia Community College System, and VITA, to gather information from higher education institutions and produce recommendations for a model policy and statewide resources. The resolution may influence future policy, guidance, or legislation affecting colleges, universities, faculty, students, and state education agencies, but its immediate legal effect is limited to the study process and reporting deadlines.
The overall sentiment reflected in the resolution is supportive and forward-looking. The bill’s findings emphasize that AI can improve education if used responsibly, and the measure passed both chambers, indicating broad agreement on the need to study the issue. The absence of recorded committee debate or votes in the provided context suggests little visible opposition in the available record.
The main policy tensions identified in the resolution concern how institutions should balance innovation with safeguards. The study is specifically tasked with examining academic integrity, data privacy, equity and access, transparency, and faculty autonomy, which signals likely concern about cheating, student data use, unequal access to AI tools, disclosure of AI use, and preserving instructors’ control over teaching. Because the resolution calls for a model policy and statewide clearinghouse, another possible point of contention is how much standardization should be imposed versus allowing individual institutions to set their own rules.