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ENGROSSED HOUSE
BILL NO. 3669 By: Miller and Alonso-Sandoval
of the House
and
Haste of the Senate
An Act relating to higher education; creating the
Oklahoma Department of Transportation Educational
Assistance Act; providing definiti ons; establishing
assistance program for eligible students; clarifying
details of assistance; providing criteria for
eligibility; requiring repayment under certain
circumstances; permitting both public and priva te
funding of program; directing the Department of
Transportation to promulgate rules; creating the
Oklahoma Department of Transportation Educational
Assistance Revolving Fund; providing for
codification; and providing an effective date .
BE IT ENACTED BY THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF OKLAHOM A:
SECTION 1. NEW LAW A new section of la w to be codified
in the Oklahoma Statutes as Section 3234 of Title 70, unless there
is created a duplication in numbering, reads as follows:
A. This act shall be known and may be cited as th e "Oklahoma
Department of Transportation Educational Assistance A ct".
B. As used in this act:
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1. "Conditional grant program " means the Oklahoma Department of
Transportation Educational A ssistance Program established pursuant
to the provisions of this sec tion;
2. "Department" means the Oklahoma Department of
Transportation;
3. "Eligible degree" means a baccalaureate degree from an
institution in a field of study that satisfies the Department's
minimum education requirement for an eligible profession;
4. "Eligible profession" means the profession of engineering or
another profession as defined by Department rule for which the
Department determines there is a need in the Department's workforce;
5. "Eligible Student" means a student who has a high school
diploma or who has completed General Educational Development (GED)
requirements and who:
a. has completed and filed with the Department, on forms
prescribed by the Department, a conditional grant
application and a declaration of intent to become a
member of an eligible profession and work for the
Department for the five (5) academic years immediately
following the date of the student's receipt of an
eligible degree,
b. has enrolled in an Oklahoma educational inst itution,
and
c. is an Oklahoma resident ;
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6. "Graduate program" means a program offered by an Oklahoma
educational institution that leads to the award of a master 's
degree;
7. "Oklahoma educational institution " means an institution of
higher education within the Oklahoma State System of Higher
Education;
8. "Profession" means a state position for which the minimu m
requirements include a baccalaureate degree ; and
9. "Undergraduate program " means a program offered by an
Oklahoma educational institution tha t leads to the award of an
associate's degree or a baccalaureate degree.
C. There is hereby created the Oklaho ma Department of
Transportation Educational Assistance Program to provide assistance
to eligible students who enroll in an Oklahoma educational
institution and who agree to work for the Department in an eligible
profession for the five (5) academic years i mmediately following the
date of the student's receipt of an eligible degree. The
Department, by rule, shall prescribe criteria for the selectio n of
applicants under this act. Subject to the availability of funds,
the amount of assistance shall be equiva lent to the amount of
resident tuition, mandatory fees, and academic service fees for
courses in which the eligible student is enrolled, not to e xceed a
maximum of eighteen (18) credit hours each semester.
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1. The amount of assistance provided to an eligib le student
enrolled in an undergraduate program shall not exceed a maximum of
one hundred twenty (120) credit hours in pursuit of an associate 's
degree and/or a baccalaureate degree;
2. Subject to the assistance for eligible students enrolled in
undergraduate programs being fully funded, assistance shall be
provided to an eligible student with a baccalaureate degree enrolled
in a graduate program. The amount of assistance provided to an
eligible student enrolled in a graduate program shall not exceed a
maximum of forty (40) credit hours in pursuit of a master 's degree;
3. Assistance provided pursuant to this section shall be
granted without any l imitation other than t he amount of funds
available for the program and the number of eligible students who
apply;
4. Assistance allowed by this section shall not be allowed for
courses taken in excess of the requirements for completion of an
undergraduate program or a graduate program, whichever is a pplicable
for the eligible student;
D. 1. To be eligible to app ly for the conditional grant
program, an eligible student shall:
a. complete and file with the Department, on forms
prescribed by the Department, a conditional grant
application and a declara tion of intent to become a
member of an eligible profession and w ork for the
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Department for the five (5) academic years immediately
following the date of the student's receipt of an
eligible degree,
b. be enrolled in an Oklahoma educational institution ,
and
c. be an Oklahoma resident;
2. To retain eligibility for the P rogram, an eligible student
shall:
a. maintain good academic standing and satisfactory
academic progress according to standards of the
Oklahoma educational institution in which the member
is enrolled,
b. maintain the requirements for retention and degree
completion as established by the Oklahoma educational
institution in which the member is enrolled , and
c. maintain a minimum grade point averag e of 2.0 on a 4.0
scale;
3. An eligible student seeking assistance pursuant to the
provisions of this section sha ll submit an application on a form
prescribed by the Department prior to the semester for which
assistance is sought ; and
4. The eligible student may be denied continu ed assistance if
he or she fails to comply with the provisions of this act.
E. Repayment of Conditional Grant:
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1. The Department, by rule, may establish conditions under
which a student who has received a conditional grant may b e required
to repay all or part of the grant bec ause the student has withdrawn
from or dropped out of the student 's institution or has other wise
failed to maintain eligibility for the grant ;
2. A student who does not become a member of an eligible
profession and work for the Department for the five (5) academic
years immediately following the date of the student 's receipt of an
eligible degree must repay all conditional grants received by the
student;
3. An eligible student who has received assistance purs uant to
the provisions of this conditional grant program and who fails to
comply with the provisions of this act due to hardship circumstances
may request a waiver from repayment ;
4. Repayments shall be deposited into the Oklahoma Department
of Transportation Educational Assistance R evolving Fund created
pursuant to Section 2 of this act; and
5. The Department shall establish a schedule for installment
payments under this section .
F. The Department may accept gifts and grants from any public
or private source for the conditional grant pr ogram under this
subchapter and may also use for that purpose available money
credited to the state highway program. All funding received by the
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Department for this purpose shall be transferred to the Oklahoma
Department of Transportation Educational Assi stance Revolving Fund.
G. The Oklahoma Department of Transportation shall pr omulgate
rules to implement the provisions of this act.
SECTION 2. NEW LAW A new section of law to be codified
in the Oklahoma Statutes as Section 3235 of Title 70, unless there
is created a duplication in numbering, reads as follo ws:
There is hereby created in the State Treasury a revolving fund
to be designated the "Oklahoma Department of Transportation
Educational Assistance Revolving Fund". The fund shall be a
continuing fund, not subject to fiscal year limitations, and shall
consist of monies received by the Department and allocated for the
conditional grant program. All monies accruing to the credit of the
fund are hereby appropriated and may be bud geted and expended by the
Oklahoma Department of Transportation for the purpos e of providing
assistance to eligible students pursuant to the provisions of
Section 1 of this act. Expenditures from the fund shall be made
upon warrants issued by the State Tr easurer against claims filed as
prescribed by law with the Director of the Off ice of Management and
Enterprise Services for approval and payment.
SECTION 3. This act shall become effective November 1, 2024.
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Passed the House of Representatives the 5th day of March, 2024.
Presiding Officer of the House
of Representatives
Passed the Senate the ___ day of __________, 2024.
Presiding Officer of the Senate