[{"_1":2,"_99":-5,"_100":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,76,87],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},"mediaId",6386032,"mediaKeyId","2118670-f3b67bac5d711a3e20dc3924076cf80e","parentId",2118670,"title","George Mason briefs subcommittee on Mason Enterprise and SBDC; Delegate Reid sponsors $1.4M budget amendment request","audioSeconds",804,"startMs",1764950,"endMs",2569415,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=2118670-f3b67bac5d711a3e20dc3924076cf80e&start=1764&end=2569","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2118670-f3b67bac5d711a3e20dc3924076cf80e/thumbnail_1764950.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6386032/Virginia/George-Mason-briefs-subcommittee-on-Mason-Enterprise-and-SBDC-Delegate-Reid-sponsors-14M-budget-amendment-request","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6386032-1e72a03a6e9f346e94cf7a8b9586c6df/orig.mp4?Expires=1770447618&Signature=ijphZ1r7U5OnqSZDIY0~DSENSe2ORah~QEI~aWAC614wr-Mx3l-jUuS4ThH7wPHm3xFXah-62SdTRdM7~v1-lRB2Tf1ezP6~-Pz05u6aGNuKkh9Q7t-WpQ13qKNvn0GD7krWzPdK5Bwt0LvxP9oqDIQEK077o5ChAVXh6-bJAKGFo~wCcZiDZ~FTaGx48hO~oI63VUQoyLdBO97F8EiutjiKxkS2ue7dSWXgvkw9-AK5A-YJP3S7rpnV~ji4uvgWNqy10qTbFmH3xyI2OE~fmDuQP-iH8lKNYZ5AeFfvIuKrG5NBQXKgjks5V7PGpj22oqQ6WfubeKgj4Wn9a53ZIA__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","Virginia Legislature","date","2025-01-15T00:00:00Z","article","Paula Sorrell, vice president for innovation and economic development at George Mason University, and Jody Keenan of the Virginia Small Business Development Center (SBDC) network briefed the House Appropriations Higher Education Subcommittee on Mason Enterprise programs and the SBDC’s statewide assistance activities.

Sorrell described Mason Enterprise as a suite of programs that supports small businesses and innovators across Virginia and said the portfolio reaches about 30,000 small businesses. She said the enterprise’s team comprises roughly 200 people who deliver advising, training and commercialization services.

Jody Keenan said the Virginia SBDC is funded principally by the U.S. Small Business Administration and operates through a network of 25 offices with partner organizations. Keenan provided performance metrics for recent years: 31,000 advising hours in 2023, about 500 training events, nearly 400 new businesses launched, more than $200 million in capital accessed by clients and 28,100 jobs created or retained. Keenan described the SBDC’s Innovation Commercialization Assistance Program (ICAP), which has assisted about 1,500 entrepreneurs since 2018; those companies reportedly raised more than $200 million in investment and created about 1,300 jobs.

Keenan and Sorrell emphasized SBDC client diversity—53% women-owned, 46% minority-owned and 14% veteran-owned businesses—and said the network returns an estimated 5-to-1 ROI. They noted that federal SBA funding is the primary source, and that required matching funds are provided by partner organizations; Keenan said approximately 23% of SBDC budget comes from local government and about 15% from institutions of higher education. VIPC (Virginia Innovation Partnership Corporation) represents roughly 3% of the SBDC budget, Keenan added.

Committee members asked how the SBDC coordinates with VIPC and GO Virginia; presenters said VIPC and Go Virginia provide complementary funding and that program design differences (for example, Go Virginia’s two-year program funding) create sustainability questions for ongoing initiatives. Delegate Reid is the patron of a budget amendment asking for $1,400,000 to expand SBDC capacity statewide and to support the ICAP program. Presenters said they would provide materials to the subcommittee and invited members to an open house on January 27.

No formal funding action was recorded in the transcript excerpted for this article.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","Higher Ed Subcommittee Wednesday, Jan 15, 2025 9:56 AM - 10:44 AM","oneSentenceSummary","George Mason University officials briefed the subcommittee on Mason Enterprise and the Virginia SBDC network and supported a Delegate Reid budget amendment requesting $1.4 million to expand SBDC capacity and ICAP services.","taxTitle","2025 Legislature VA, Virginia","taxId",77687,"location","Virginia","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":77,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":78,"_41":79,"_43":80,"_45":44,"_47":81,"_49":82,"_51":83,"_53":84,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":85,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":86,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6386035,"Virginia Sea Grant director urges $584,095 appropriation to expand fellowships and compete for federal funds",607,1157655,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2118670-f3b67bac5d711a3e20dc3924076cf80e&start=1157&end=1764","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2118670-f3b67bac5d711a3e20dc3924076cf80e/thumbnail_1157655.jpg","/articles/6386035/Virginia/Virginia-Sea-Grant-director-urges-584095-appropriation-to-expand-fellowships-and-compete-for-federal-funds","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6386035-6d808d5041469485d09ce6b244e164cc/orig.mp4?Expires=1770447618&Signature=MIOHpx6ZnGWtszbBb0gJkqCcuYdvL7tB7peqTl5~1otEiWnHb1Fa7csSSEx0PpW8wYzQSUlnMutHdwsDoIPwUJV0aX4DqPeM5Fv8JD0nr~-PdrT-x6gMWb-gQiVdZfagU88ivNypmEqLaptyT5b9Ww72bVGbFGoLkGj3xOUJMQDX3L58atbOMiZV7OqNc5GIkyKNT6zwW-j-glqXTZVfptw2YRQgmi4dk9K9KZqyaMozYcdpOY0BXZ4r6QwHGFvgy6e2X0YMU4dunZcGoZjrbTKkMArZCM-0bbkKzBYhKiviYCZShGWbtW156eYsF~nds1q0jzYgZeiz0RsCUtFA8g__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Troy Hartley, director of Virginia Sea Grant, told the House Appropriations Higher Education Subcommittee that a $584,095 state appropriation would expand fellowships and workforce-development programming and improve the program’s ability to secure competitive federal grants.

Hartley said Virginia Sea Grant is one of 34 state-based Sea Grant programs funded in part by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and that NOAA provides roughly 20% of the program’s base operating budget; the remaining funds must be raised locally. He said the request would fund workforce development, expand fellowship offerings and add five postgraduate Commonwealth Fellows who would be placed with state agencies.

Hartley said the program’s economic return model estimates that a $584,095 investment would return about $4.8 million to the Commonwealth and support 32 businesses and 205 jobs. He described Virginia Sea Grant as a multi-university program with seven member universities and said the Virginia Institute of Marine Science (VIMS) is the program’s host and fiscal agent.

Delegate Sickles asked about NOAA match requirements; Hartley said base NOAA funding requires a 50% match and that many competitive federal opportunities also require a 50% match. Kelly Goodison (staff) and Tony Maggio (staff analyst) raised a transparency point: current draft language routes the funds through the Chev (as drafted) rather than directly to VIMS; staff recommended routing the appropriation directly to VIMS, the program’s fiscal agent, for clarity and administrative simplicity.

Hartley and committee members discussed neighboring states’ investments in Sea Grant as a point of comparison; he said New York and Maryland provide larger state matches and South Carolina funds its Sea Grant at a higher level, which helps those programs compete for additional federal dollars. No formal subcommittee vote on the Sea Grant request was recorded in the transcript.

Hartley closed by outlining the fellowship and workforce objectives and by answering committee members’ questions about partnerships, program focus areas (fisheries, aquaculture, coastal adaptation and economic development) and the role of Sea Grant fellows in agency workforce capacity.","Virginia Sea Grant asked the House Appropriations Higher Education Subcommittee for $584,095 to expand workforce development programming, including five new postgraduate Commonwealth Fellows. The director said the funding would increase competitiveness for federal NOAA grants; no formal vote was taken.",{"_33":88,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":89,"_41":90,"_43":91,"_45":92,"_47":93,"_49":94,"_51":95,"_53":96,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":97,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":98,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6386037,"Subcommittee carries over HB 1752 to gather more information on Virginia National Guard enlistment referral funding",386,768920,1155700,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2118670-f3b67bac5d711a3e20dc3924076cf80e&start=768&end=1155","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2118670-f3b67bac5d711a3e20dc3924076cf80e/thumbnail_768920.jpg","/articles/6386037/Virginia/Subcommittee-carries-over-HB-1752-to-gather-more-information-on-Virginia-National-Guard-enlistment-referral-funding","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6386037-165de3e50f2c8a8961906dc83339e48b/orig.mp4?Expires=1770447618&Signature=dwXrEIx7hj5OoeXec7EEL-5sWjTyLdIrV1tJwaaYN1txZBLbDQlPrOV2oCtTMbe1aJjToJSPtCXAcTYuAGcY6-iGfPI4kgvtfhaggAgOhWtRDVpc27Yoc9Sl63DIZfkwsrVDfRtFrRc9uyKEwxaDgTOFn-7z1SRlHZ855cUb4T3MPeDLmkOTUF-gsOz3g3g~Zw~qoVhURddaGIoIsclh7rF9utQfW4pcIwFCste0NKWQ1w~8-q2Jf3kG1cMLVQohPxpTIVljDC8TXscpI0EaOLvfUlGOmKMICuMuxJN1FV-bFhIUXIQ4-t4h5QspIV8O8~r02Pmmq72Ac334n4bh-A__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","House Bill 1752, which would increase the Virginia National Guard referral enlistment program’s annual allocation from $50,000 to $250,000, was carried over temporarily after committee members requested more information.

Tony Maggio, the staff analyst who introduced the item, said the program aims to help close a 500-person manpower gap the Virginia National Guard described as necessary to maintain force structure and morale. Maggio called on staff to explain the bill to the subcommittee.

Alexis Boles Fryer, policy and legislative analyst for the Department of Military Affairs, told the committee the program has been used to exhaustion in recent fiscal years and has been paused for the current fiscal year. Fryer said, “It’s been a really, really, really good program,” and explained recent internal changes to the payment process: eligible citizen recruiters now receive a single $1,000 payment rather than split payments, which limits the program to about 50 new enlistments per fiscal year at the current payment level.

Fryer and Maggio provided enrollment figures for recent years: since the program’s introduction in 2023 the department reported 21 new enlistments in 2023 and 86 enlistments in 2024. The presenters said demand and administrative changes contributed to funds being exhausted for the current fiscal year.

Delegate Delian Austin moved to table the bill to gather further information; a committee member seconded the motion and the subcommittee took a voice vote. The chair announced the bill was carried over temporarily.

The subcommittee did not record a roll-call tally in the transcript excerpted for this article. Committee members asked staff to supply additional details before the bill returns to the subcommittee.

A fuller fiscal and program report was requested to clarify how the proposed increase to $250,000 would translate into additional enlistments and to explain administrative changes affecting payout and enrollment counts.","The House Appropriations Higher Education Subcommittee temporarily carried over HB 1752 after members sought more information on a proposal to raise the Virginia National Guard referral enlistment program allocation from $50,000 to $250,000 per year. Presenters said the program has exhausted current funds and was paused for the fiscal year.","actionData","errors"]

Article not found

George Mason briefs subcommittee on Mason Enterprise and SBDC; Delegate Reid sponsors $1.4M budget amendment request

Virginia Sea Grant director urges $584,095 appropriation to expand fellowships and compete for federal funds

Subcommittee carries over HB 1752 to gather more information on Virginia National Guard enlistment referral funding