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_ 140 Item Details($) Appropriations($) ITEM 113. First Year Second Year First Year Second Year FY2025 FY2026 FY2025 FY2026 the general fund is provided to support the opening of the Virginia-Taiwan Trade Office. R. Notwithstanding any provision of subsection D of § 2.2-2237.1, Code of Virginia, to the contrary, the Virginia Economic Development Partnership Authority may include in its annual report on its operational plan the most recent audit report from the Auditor of Public Account's examination of the Authority's accounts and books pursuant to § 2.2-2242, Code of Virginia, in lieu of the audited financial statements of the Authority for the year ending the previous June 30. S. Out of this appropriation, $1,000,000 the first year and $1,250,000 the second year from the general fund is provided to support reorganizing economic development services at the authority. T.1. Out of this appropriation, $6,000,000 the second year from the general fund is provided to support employer-focused activities that further the goal of providing all postsecondary students in Virginia with one or more paid internships during their undergraduate course of study. 2. Out of the amounts provided in this paragraph, up to $500,000 in fiscal year 2026 may be transferred by the Director of the Department of Planning and Budget to the Department of Workforce Development and Advancement (Virginia Works) to support the development and deployment of the jobseeker/individual focused portal, Virginia Has Jobs, for higher education related internships. Such transfer will be coordinated and assessed for approval by the Board of the Virginia Economic Development Partnership (VEDP). If an amount is approved for the stated purposed, Virginia Works shall use the one-time funds provided in this paragraph to increase the capabilities of the Virginia Has Jobs platform to collect information from employers on available higher education internships and connect students to these internship opportunities. To provide guidance on functionality, feature requirements, and user experience considerations of the higher education related internship component of the Virginia Has Jobs platform, Virginia Works shall convene an advisory group consisting of the State Council of Higher Education for Virginia (SCHEV), institutions of higher education, VEDP, Virginia Chamber of Commerce, Virginia Business Higher Education Council, and other statewide local government and non-profit education partners. The advisory group will confirm that the the Virginia Has Jobs platform is not duplicative of existing platforms used by any of the advisory group members. Virginia Works shall not use these funds for the marketing or promotion of the Virginia Has Jobs platform. 3. Out of the amounts provided in this paragraph, up to $2,000,000 in fiscal year 2026 may be designated for VEDP to conduct initial outreach and marketing to increase employer participation in paid internship and other work-based learning programs pursuant to § 23.1- 903.4, Code of Virginia, including developing and implementing a statewide promotion, convening, and marketing program to encourage, assist, and recognize employers that increase employment of undergraduate student interns. Such amounts will be subject to approval by the Board of VEDP. 4. Out of this amounts provided in this paragraph, up to $3,500,000 in fiscal year 2026 and up to $6,000,000 each year thereafter, is provided for VEDP to support the following activities: (i) arranging for administration of the matching grant program for certain employers of higher education related student interns as provided in this paragraph; (ii) coordinating regional collaboratives to serve as intermediaries for employers seeking to initiate or expand employment of higher education related student interns in a region; and (iii) measuring and reporting program participation and progress toward identified goals through the Virginia Office of Education and Workforce Alignment. VEDP shall convene a stakeholder group from business, industry, education, economic and workforce development, and government, including the following primary partners for employer engagement: Virginia Chamber of Commerce; Virginia Business Higher Education Council; and other statewide local government and non-profit education partners to design these activities. At the recommendation of the stakeholder group, VEDP may enter into a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with Virginia Works to carry out the activities listed in paragraphs T.4. and 5. of this item; however, VEDP shall remain the fiscal agent for these activities. The MOU shall provide for ongoing collaboration by and with SCHEV and institutions of higher education to integrate the employer-focused activities authorized in this paragraph with campus internship centers and other activities related to postsecondary paid and credit-