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SENATE FLOOR VERSION
April 5, 2022
ENGROSSED HOUSE
BILL NO. 3253 By: Nollan and Luttrell of the
House
and
Pemberton of the Senate
An Act relating to high school students; amending 70
O.S. 2021, Section 2603, which relates to eligibility
requirements for the Oklahoma Higher Learning Access
Program; enabling students on the core curriculum to
apply for the program to attend career technology
institutes; and providing an effe ctive date.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE PEOPLE OF THE STAT E OF OKLAHOMA:
SECTION 1. AMENDATORY 70 O.S. 2021, Section 2603, is
amended to read as follows:
Section 2603. A. Except as otherwise provided for in
subsection B of this section and elsewhere in this section, to be
eligible to participate in the Oklahoma Higher Learning Access
Program and to qualify for an award which include s payment of an
amount equivalent to resident tuition or other tuition pursuant to
Section 2604 of this title for the first semester or other academic
unit of postsecondary enrollment, a student shall:
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1. Be a resident of this state or be enrolled in a sc hool
district located in this state that serves students who reside in
both this state and an adjacent state pursuant to a contract as
authorized in Section 5 -117.1 of this title;
2. Be a United States citizen or lawfully present in the United
States. A student who is not a United States citizen or lawfully
present in the United States shall not be eligible to participate in
the Oklahoma Higher Learning Access Program and to qualify for an
award notwithstanding the provisions of Section 3242 of this title .
The provisions of this paragraph shall not apply to any student who
was enrolled in the Oklahoma Higher Learning Access Program prior to
the end of the 2006-2007 school year;
3. Have a record of satisfactory compliance with agreements
executed pursuant to Section 2605 of this title;
4. a. have graduated within the previous three (3) years
from a high school accredited by the State Board of
Education, or the Oklahoma School of Science and
Mathematics with a minimum 2.5 cumulative grade point
average on a 4.0 scale for all work attempted in
grades nine through twelve,
b. have graduated within the previous three (3) years
from a high school not accredited by the State Board
of Education with a minimum 2.5 cumulative grade point
average on a 4.0 scale for al l work attempted in
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grades nine through twelve and have achieved a
composite score of 22 or higher on the ACT test or a
composite score of 1110 or higher on th e SAT, or
c. have satisfactorily completed within t he previous
three (3) years an edu cational program that was
provided through a means other than a public or
private school and have achieved a composite score of
22 or higher on the ACT test or a composite score of
1110 or higher on the SAT;
5. Have completed the curricular requirements for admission to
an institution within The Oklahoma State System of Higher Education
and one additional unit or set of competencies in a course that
meets college admission requirements; or have completed the core
curriculum and is seeking admission to an institution overseen by
the State Board of Career an d Technology Education . The curriculum
requirements for admission to an institution within The Oklahoma
State System of Higher Education shall include two units or sets o f
competencies in foreign or non -English language or techno logy
courses that meet the college admission requirements and one unit or
set of competencies of a fine arts course. Students shall also have
attained a 2.5 grade point average in the core curricu lum courses.
Students who attended a high school which did not offer all the core
curriculum courses or students who were educated by other means a nd
were not offered all the core curriculum courses shall be allowed to
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satisfy this curriculum requirement b y participating in a program
approved by the State Regents for remediation of high sc hool
curricular deficiencies;
6. Have satisfied admission sta ndards as determined by the
Oklahoma State Regents for Hi gher Education for first-time-entering
students for the appropriate type of institution, or, if attending a
private institution, have sat isfied admission standards as
determined by the private instit ution. No student participating in
the Oklahoma Higher L earning Access Program shall be admitted into
an institution of higher education by special admission standards ;
7. Have secured admissi on to, and enrolled in, an institu tion
which is a member of Th e Oklahoma State System of Higher Education,
a postsecondary vocational-technical program offered by a technology
center school that meets the requirements to be eligib le for federal
student financial aid, or a private instituti on of higher learning
located within this state and accredited pursuant to Section 41 03 of
this title; and
8. a. have established financi al need according to the
provisions of subsection D of Sect ion 2605 of this
title and standards and provisions promulga ted by the
Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education,
b. if the student was adopted between birth and twelve
(12) years of age while in the permanent custody of
the Department of Human Services, in the court-ordered
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custody of a licensed private nonprofi t child-placing
agency, or federally recognized Indian tribe, as
defined by the feder al Indian Child Welfare Act, have
established financial need according to the provisions
of paragraph 1 of subs ection E of Section 2605 o f this
title and standards and pro visions promulgated by the
Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education, or
c. if the student was adopted between thirteen (13) and
seventeen (17) years of age while in the permanent
custody of the Department of Human Servi ces, in the
court-ordered custody of a licensed private nonpro fit
child-placing agency, or federally recognized Indian
tribe, as defined by the federal Indian Child Welfar e
Act, have established financial need according to the
provisions of paragraph 2 of subsection E of Section
2605 of this title and standards and p rovisions
promulgated by the Oklahoma State Regents for H igher
Education.
B. 1. A student shall be eligible to participate in the
Oklahoma Higher Learning Access Prog ram and to qualify for an award
which includes payment of an amount equivalent to reside nt tuition
or other tuition pursuant to Section 2604 of t his title for the
first semester or other academic u nit of postsecondary enrollment if
the student meets all of the following criteria:
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a. is a child of any person killed after January 1, 2000,
in the line of duty in any branch of the United States
Armed Forces or who died after January 1, 2000, as a
result of an injury sustained while in the line of
duty in any branch of the United States Armed Forces
and the person who wa s killed or died filed an
individual or joint Oklahoma income tax return for the
tax year prior to the year during which the person was
killed or died,
b. is a resident of this state or is enrolle d in a school
district located in this state that serves stu dents
who reside in both thi s state and an adjacent state
pursuant to a contract as a uthorized in Section 5-
117.1 of this title,
c. enrolls in an institution within The Oklahoma State
System of Higher Education prior to re aching the age
of twenty-one (21),
d. has satisfied admission standards as determined by the
Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education for first-
time-entering students for the appropriate type of
institution, or, if attending a private institution,
has satisfied admission standards as de termined by the
private institution. No student participating in the
Oklahoma Higher Learning Access Program shall be
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admitted into an institution of higher education by
special admission standar ds,
e. has secured admission to, and enrolled in, an
institution which is a member of Th e Oklahoma State
System of Higher Education, a postsecond ary
vocational-technical program offered by a techno logy
center school that meets the requirements to be
eligible for federal student fin ancial aid, or a
private institution of higher learning locate d within
this state and accredited pursuant to Section 41 03 of
this title, and
f. executes an agreement pursu ant to subsection C of
Section 2605 of this title.
2. A student who is eligible to p articipate in the program
pursuant to this subsection shall no t be required to meet the
eligibility requirements set fo rth in subsection A of this section.
C. To retain eligibility while pursuing the program of higher
learning in which enrolled, the stude nt shall:
1. Meet the requirement s for retention and degree c ompletion as
established by the institution in which the student is enrolled;
2. Maintain good academic stan ding and satisfactory academic
progress according to standa rds of the Oklahoma State Regents for
Higher Education;
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3. Maintain satisfactory academ ic progress as required for
eligibility for federal Title IV student financial aid programs.
The provisions of this paragraph shall become effective for the
2012-2013 school year;
4. Comply with the standards related to mainte nance of
eligibility as promulgated by the Oklahoma State Regents for Higher
Education; and
5. Refrain from conduct that leads to expuls ion or suspension
of more than one semester from an institu tion of higher education.
A student who violates the provis ions of this paragraph shall
permanently lose eligibility for program benefits. The provisions
of this paragraph shall become effective January 1, 2008.
D. The Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education and the
State Board of Career and Technology Educa tion shall promulgate
rules relating to maintenance of eligibility under the Oklahoma
Higher Learning Access Act by a student.
E. It is the intent of the Legislature that students in the
ninth grade for the 1992-93 school year who are determined to be
eligible Oklahoma Higher Learni ng Access students pursuant to the
Oklahoma Higher Learni ng Access Act shall be the first students
eligible for benefits from the Oklahoma Higher Learning Access Trust
Fund.
F. The Oklahoma Sta te Regents for Higher Education ar e
authorized to study, devel op and propose criteria for determining
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award eligibility based upon the completion of seven semesters of
high school coursework by a student.
SECTION 2. This act shall become e ffective November 1, 2022.
COMMITTEE REPORT BY: COMMITTEE ON EDUCATION
April 5, 2022 - DO PASS