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STATE OF OKLAHOMA
2nd Session of the 58th Legislature (2022)
SENATE BILL 1614 By: David
AS INTRODUCED
An Act relating to the Oklahoma Highway Patrol;
providing definitions; creating the Okl ahoma Highway
Patrol Educational Assi stance Program to provide
tuition to certain eligible officers; providing for
amount of assistance subject to avail ability of
funding; limiting assistance to certain number of
credit hours; providing eligibility require ments;
providing eligibility retention requirement s;
providing application process; allo wing denial of
continued assistance for failure to meet certain
requirements; creating the Oklahoma Highway Patrol
Educational Assistance Revolving Fund; specifying
source of fund; providing for expenditures; providing
purpose of fund; providing for codification; and
providing an effective date .
BE IT ENACTED BY THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF OKLAHOMA:
SECTION 1. NEW LAW A new section of law to be codified
in the Oklahoma Statutes as Sec tion 2-105C of Title 47, unless there
is created a duplication in numb ering, reads as follo ws:
A. As used in this act:
1. “Oklahoma educational inst itution” means an institution of
higher education within The Oklahoma State System of Higher
Education;
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2. “Eligible Oklahoma Highway Patrol officer” means a current
officer in good standing who has either an associate’s degree or a
minimum of sixty-two (62) successfully completed semester hours from
an accredited college or university and whose hours are tra nsferable
between recognized i nstitutions;
3. “Program” means the Oklahoma Highway Patrol Educa tional
Assistance Program established pursuant to the provisions of this
section; and
4. “Undergraduate program” means a program offered b y an
Oklahoma educational institution that leads to the award of a
baccalaureate degree.
B. There is hereby created the Oklahoma Highway Pat rol
Educational Assistance Program to provide assistance to eligible
Highway Patrol officers who enroll in an Oklahoma educational
institution. Subject to availabilit y of funds, the amount of
assistance shall be equivalent to the a mount of resident tu ition for
courses in which the eligible Highway Patrol officer is enrolled,
not to exceed a maximum of eighteen (18) credit hours each semester.
1. The amount of assistan ce provided to an eligible Highway
Patrol officer in an undergrad uate program shall not exceed a
maximum of sixty (60) credit hours in pursuit of a baccalaureate
degree.
2. Assistance provided pursuant to this section shall be
granted without limitation other than the amount of funds available
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for the Program and the number of eligible Highw ay Patrol officers
who apply.
3. Assistance allowed by this section shall not be allow ed for
courses taken in excess of the requirements for completion of an
undergraduate program for the eligible Highway Patro l officer.
C. Assistance provided pursuant to this section shall be
allocated to the Oklahoma education insti tution from the Oklaho ma
Highway Patrol Education al Assistance Revolving Fund created
pursuant to Section 2 of this act.
D. 1. To be eligible to apply for the Program, an eligible
Highway Patrol officer shall agree in writing to continue in service
as a Highway Patrol off icer in good standing for not less than
twenty-four (24) months after completion o f the last semester for
which the officer receives assistance pursuant to this section.
2. To retain eligibility for the Program, an eligible Highway
Patrol officer shall:
a. maintain good academic standing and sati sfactory
academic progress according to standards of the
Oklahoma educational institution in which the officer
is enrolled,
b. maintain the requirements for ret ention and degree
completion as established by the Oklahom a educational
institution in which the member is enrolled,
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c. maintain a minimum grade point average of 2.0 on a 4.0
scale, and
d. maintain satisfactory performance in the Oklahoma
Highway Patrol.
E. An eligible Oklahoma Highway Patrol officer see king
assistance pursuant to the provisions of this section shall submit
an application on a form prescribed by the Oklahoma Highway Patrol
prior to the semester for which assistance is sought. The Chief of
the Oklahoma Highway Patrol, or his or her designee, shall confirm a
member’s standing and eligibility to the Oklahoma education al
institution in which the student is enrolled.
F. The Chief of the Highway Patrol may deny an application
submitted by an eligible Highway Patrol officer for con tinued
Program assistance if he or she fails to comply with the provisi ons
of this section.
G. An eligible Highway P atrol officer who has received Program
assistance pursuant to th e provisions of this section and who fails
to comply with the provisions of this section shall b e required to
repay an amount to be determined by rules promulgated by the
Department of Public Safety.
H. The Department of Public Safety shall promulgate rules to
implement the provisions of this act.
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SECTION 2. NEW LAW A new sec tion of law to be codified
in the Oklahoma Statute s as Section 2-105D of Title 47, unless there
is created a duplication in numb ering, reads as follo ws:
There is hereby created in the State Treasury a revolving fund
for the Oklahoma Highway Patrol to be designated the “Oklahoma
Highway Patrol Educational Assistance Revolving Fund”. The fund
shall be a continuing fund, not subject to fiscal year limitat ions,
and shall consist of all monies received by the Department of Public
Safety from state appropriations. All monies accruing to the credit
of the fund are hereby appropriated and may be budgeted and expended
by the Department of Public Safety for the purpose of providing
assistance to eligible Highway Patrol officers pur suant to the
provisions of Section 1 of this act. Expenditures from the fund
shall be made upon warrants issued by the State Treasurer against
claims filed as prescribed by law with the Director of the Office of
Management and Enterprise Services for approval and payment.
SECTION 3. This act shall become effective Novembe r 1, 2022.
58-2-2384 BG 1/20/2022 2:31:05 PM