                                 CODE OF VIRGINIA

FLORENCE NEAL COOPER SMITH SICKLE CELL RESEARCH ENDOWMENT FUND (§
32.1-162.31:1)

A. From such funds as may be appropriated by the General Assembly and any gifts,
grants, or donations from public or private sources, there is created in the
state treasury a special, nonreverting, revolving, and permanent fund to be
known as the Florence Neal Cooper Smith Sickle Cell Research Endowment Fund. The
Fund shall be established on the books of the Comptroller and shall be
administered and implemented by the Board in accordance with the provisions of
this section. All funds appropriated for the Fund and any grants, donations, or
other assistance provided shall be paid into the state treasury and credited to
the Fund. Interest earned on moneys in the Fund shall remain in the Fund and be
credited to it. Any moneys remaining in the Fund, including interest thereon, at
the end of each fiscal year shall not revert to the general fund but shall
remain in the Fund. Moneys in the Fund shall be used solely for the purpose of
making grant payments pursuant to this section. Expenditures and disbursements
from the Fund shall be made by the State Treasurer on warrants issued by the
Comptroller upon written request signed by the chairman or vice-chairman of the
Board.

B. Moneys in the Fund shall be used solely to support medical and biomedical
sickle cell disease research conducted in institutions of higher education in
the Commonwealth that relates to the causes and cures of sickle cell disease.

C. Any appropriations, grants, donations, or other assistance provided pursuant
to this section shall be awarded in accordance with the Board&#8217;s specific
criteria and procedures, requirements for submission of research proposals, and
evaluation mechanisms established pursuant to this chapter. However, no
requirement for matching funds shall apply to the appropriations, grants,
donations, or other assistance awarded to the Fund, and the leveraging of funds
is incidental to the support provided under this section. The appropriations,
grants, donations, or other assistance provided pursuant to this section may,
upon demonstrating a reasonable justification to the Board&#8217;s satisfaction,
be awarded to support sickle cell disease research that is not eligible for
federal research funds through the National Institutes of Health. No moneys from
the Fund may be provided to any entity that conducts human sickle cell disease
research from stem cells obtained from human embryos or for conducting such
research; however, research conducted using stem cells other than embryonic stem
cells may be funded.

HISTORY: 2025, c. 415.