Oklahoma 2024 Regular Session

Oklahoma House Bill HB3792 Compare Versions

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1-An Act
2-ENROLLED HOUSE
3-BILL NO. 3792 By: Hefner, McBride, Deck,
4-Pittman, Schreiber, Swope
5-and Munson of the House
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3+ENGR. S. A. TO ENGR. H. B. NO. 3792 Page 1 1
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28+ENGROSSED SENATE AMENDMENT
29+TO
30+ENGROSSED HOUSE
31+BILL NO. 3792 By: Hefner, McBride, and Deck
32+of the House
633
734 and
835
9- Seifried and Kirt of the
10-Senate
36+ Seifried of the Senate
1137
1238
1339
14-An Act relating to higher education; creating th e
15-Oklahoma Access and Achievement Act; defining terms;
16-creating the Oklahoma Access and Achievement Program;
17-providing purpose of program; providing for award
18-amount; providing eligibility criteria for program;
19-providing retention eligibility criteria for program;
20-providing for promulgation of rules; providing for
21-calculation of scholarship program award to be
22-allocated from certain fund; dire cting benefits to be
23-awarded to certain eligible applicants subject to
24-availability of funding and the number of eligible
25-applicants; directing the Oklahoma State Regents for
26-Higher Education to make awards on a certain basis if
27-certain funds are insufficient; all owing the State
28-Regents to take into consideration certain grants and
29-scholarships; prohibiting award fro m being allowed
30-for certain courses or units taken after ce rtain
31-period of time; allowing award for certain courses or
32-units taken after certain period of time under
33-certain circumstances; allowing the State Regents to
34-set aside certain funds for certain full commitment;
35-directing priority to be given to certain continued
36-support; providing for calculation of financial need ;
37-amending 70 O.S. 2021, Section 3953.1 , which relates
38-to the Oklahoma Higher Learning Access T rust Fund;
39-updating statutory language; expanding use of fund
40-for certain purpose; providing for co dification;
41-providing an effective date; and declaring an
42-emergency.
40+[ higher education – Oklahoma Access and Achievement
41+Act – effective date –
42+ emergency ]
4343
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46- ENR. H. B. NO. 3792 Page 2
47-SUBJECT: Higher education
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47+AUTHOR: Add the following House Coauthors: Pittman, Schreiber, and
48+Swope
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50+AUTHOR: Add the following Senate Coauthor: Kirt
51+
52+AMENDMENT NO. 1. Page 1, restore the title
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55+Passed the Senate the 25th day of April, 2024.
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59+ Presiding Officer of the Senate
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62+Passed the House of Re presentatives the ____ day of __________,
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67+ Presiding Officer of the House
68+ of Representatives
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95+ENGROSSED HOUSE
96+BILL NO. 3792 By: Hefner, McBride, and Deck
97+of the House
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99+ and
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101+ Seifried of the Senate
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104+
105+
106+
107+[ higher education – Oklahoma Access and Achievement
108+Act – effective date –
109+ emergency ]
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48113
49114 BE IT ENACTED BY THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF OKLAHOMA:
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51115 SECTION 1. NEW LAW A new section of law to be codified
52116 in the Oklahoma Statutes as Section 2501 of Title 70, unless there
53117 is created a duplication in numbering, reads as follows:
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55118 A. This act shall be known and may be cited as the “Oklahoma
56119 Access and Achievement Act”.
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58120 B. As used in this act:
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60121 1. “CTP program” means a degree, certificate, or nondegree
61122 program that:
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63123 a. is offered by an institution of higher education or a
64124 technology center school,
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66151 b. is delivered to students ph ysically attending the
67152 institution of higher education or technology center
68153 school,
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70154 c. is designed to support students wi th intellectual
71155 disabilities who are seeking to continue academic,
72156 career and technical, and independent living
73157 instruction at an insti tution of higher education or
74158 technology center school to prepare for gainful
75159 employment,
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77160 d. includes an advising and cur riculum structure,
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79161 e. requires students with intellectual disabilities to
80162 participate on not less than a half-time basis as
81163 determined by the institution of higher education or
82164 technology center school , with participation focusi ng
83165 on academic components an d occurring through one or
84166 more of the following activities:
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86167 (1) regular enrollment in credit -bearing courses with
87168 nondisabled students offered by the institution
88169 of higher education or technology center school ,
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90170 (2) auditing or participating in courses wit h
91-nondisabled students offered by the institution ENR. H. B. NO. 3792 Page 3
171+nondisabled students offered by the institution
92172 for higher education or technology center school
93173 for which the student does not recei ve regular
94174 academic credit,
95175
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96201 (3) enrollment in noncredit-bearing, nondegree
97202 courses with nondisabled students, or
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99203 (4) participation in internship s or work-based
100204 training in settings with nondisabled persons,
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102205 f. requires students with intellectual disabiliti es to be
103206 socially and academically integra ted with nondisabled
104207 students to the maximum exten t possible, and
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106208 g. is approved by the United States Department of
107209 Education pursuant to Public Law 110-315, the Higher
108210 Education Opportunity Act, as amended ;
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110211 2. “Eligible student” means a student with an intellectual
111212 disability who is eligible for the sc holarship program;
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113213 3. “Scholarship program” means the Oklahoma Access and
114214 Achievement Program;
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116215 4. “State educational inst itution” means an institution of
117216 higher education or technology center school supported wholly or in
118217 part by direct legislative appropriati ons that provides a CTP
119218 program;
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121219 5. “State Regents” means the Oklahoma State Regents for Higher
122220 Education; and
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124221 6. “Student with an intellectual disability” means a student:
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126222 a. with a cognitive impairment, characterized by
127223 significant limitations in intel lectual and cognitive
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128250 functioning and adaptive behavior as expressed in
129251 conceptual, social, and practical adaptive sk ills, and
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131252 b. who is currently or was formerly eligible for a free
132253 appropriate public education under the Individuals
133254 with Disabilities Educ ation Act (IDEA), including a
134255 student who was determined eligible for special
135256 education or related services under IDE A but attended
136-a private school or was educated pursuant to the other ENR. H. B. NO. 3792 Page 4
257+a private school or was educated pursuant to the other
137258 means of education exception provided for in
138259 subsection A of Section 10-105 of Title 70 of the
139260 Oklahoma Statutes.
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141261 C. There is hereby created a program to be known a s the
142262 Oklahoma Access and Achievement Program. The purpose of the program
143263 is to provide an award to eligible st udents with intellectual
144264 disabilities who are p ursuing studies in thi s state at a CTP
145265 program. The award shall be an amount equal to the nonguaranteed
146266 resident tuition at an institution of higher education or the
147267 tuition at a technology center school .
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149268 D. A student with an intellectual disability shal l be eligible
150269 for the Oklahoma Access and Achievement Program if the student:
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152270 1. Is a resident of this state or enrol led in a school district
153271 located in this state that serves students who reside in both this
154272 state and an adjacent state pursuant to a contract authorized by
155273 Section 5-117.1 of Title 70 of the Oklahoma Statutes;
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157300 2. Is a United States citizen or lawfully present in the United
158301 States. A student who is not a United States citizen or lawfully
159302 present in the United States shall not be eligible to participate in
160303 the scholarship program and qualify for an award;
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162304 3. Has graduated within the previous six (6) years from a
163305 public high school accredited by t he State Board of Education or a
164306 private school, or has s atisfactorily completed , within the previous
165307 six (6) years, an educational program that was provided through a
166308 means other than a public or private school;
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168309 4. Has secured admission to and enrolled i n a CTP program at a
169310 state educational institution that meets the requirements to be
170311 eligible for federal student financial aid; and
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172312 5. Has established financial need according to the provisions
173313 of Section 3 of this act and standards and provisions promul gated by
174314 the State Regents.
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176315 E. To retain eligibility in the scholarship program, a student
177316 with an intellectual disability shall:
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179317 1. Meet the requirements for retention and completion as
180318 established by the state educational institution where the student
181-is enrolled; ENR. H. B. NO. 3792 Page 5
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319+is enrolled;
183320 2. Maintain satisfactory aca demic progress as re quired by the
184321 CTP program criteria;
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186322 3. Comply with the standards related to maintenance of
187323 eligibility as promulgated by the State Regents; and
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189350 4. Refrain from conduct that leads to expulsion or suspension
190351 of more than one semester from a state edu cational institution . A
191352 student who violates the provisions of thi s paragraph shall
192353 permanently lose eligibility for scholarship program benefits.
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194354 F. The State Regents shall promulgate rules relating to the
195355 establishment and maintenance of eligibility under th e scholarship
196356 program.
197-
198357 SECTION 2. NEW LAW A new section of law to be codified
199358 in the Oklahoma Statutes as Section 2502 of Title 70, unless there
200359 is created a duplication in numbering, reads as follows:
201-
202360 A. Subject to the availability of funds, an amount equivalent
203361 to the nonguaranteed resident tuition at an institution of higher
204362 education or the tuition at a technology center schoo l where the
205363 eligible student is enrolled in a CTP program shall be awarded by
206364 allocation from the Ok lahoma Higher Learning Access Trust Fund
207365 created pursuant to S ection 3953.1 of Title 70 of the Oklahoma
208366 Statutes.
209-
210367 B. Benefits awarded through the scholarsh ip program shall be
211368 awarded to all eligible student applicants without any limitation on
212369 the number of awards in any y ear other than the amount of funds
213370 available for the scholarship program and the number of eligible
214371 student applicants. Subject to the pr ovisions of subsection C of
215372 this section, if funds are not sufficient to provide awards for all
216373 eligible student applicants, the Oklahoma State Regents for Higher
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217400 Education shall make awards on the basis of need. Provided, the
218401 State Regents may take into consideration other grants and
219402 scholarships received by an eligible student applicant when making
220403 awards.
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222404 C. An award provided by this section shall not be allowed for
223405 courses or other postsecondary units taken more than five (5) years
224406 after the eligible student’s first semester of postse condary
225407 enrollment. The State Regents may award the scholarsh ip program
226-benefits for courses or other postsecondary units taken more than ENR. H. B. NO. 3792 Page 6
408+benefits for courses or other postsecondary units taken more than
227409 five (5) years after the eligible student’s first semester of
228410 postsecondary enrollm ent only in hardship circumstances; provided,
229411 however, no eligible student may receive benefits beyond a
230412 cumulative time period of five (5) years.
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232413 D. The State Regents may, at the time an award is made on
233414 behalf of an eligible student, set aside in the Oklahoma Higher
234415 Learning Access Trust Fund funds for the full commitment made to the
235416 student. For all academic years, students who have previously
236417 received awards under the provisions of the Oklahoma Access and
237418 Achievement Act and who have continued at all times to fulfill the
238419 requirements for elig ibility to receive awards provided p ursuant to
239420 the scholarship program shall be given an abso lute priority for
240421 continued financial support by the scholarship program above any
241422 students who are applying for an award for the first time.
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243449 SECTION 3. NEW LAW A new section of law to be codi fied
244450 in the Oklahoma Statutes as Section 2503 of Title 70, unless there
245451 is created a duplication in numbering, reads as follows:
246-
247452 A. Except as otherwise provided in subsection B of this
248453 section, a student with an intellectual disability shall not be
249454 found to be in financial need for purposes of the Oklahoma Access
250455 and Achievement Act if prior to receiving any scholarship program
251456 award for any year during which the student is enrolled in a CTP
252457 program at a state educational institution, the federal adju sted
253458 gross income of the student ’s parents or legal guardians exceeds One
254459 Hundred Thousand Dollars ($100,000.00) per year. The determination
255460 of financial qualificati on provided in this subsection shall be
256461 based on the income of the student, not the income of the parent s or
257462 legal guardians, if a student is determined to be independent of his
258463 or her parents or legal guardians for federal financial aid
259464 purposes.
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261465 B. 1. A student with an intellectual disability who was
262466 adopted between birth and tw elve (12) years of age while in t he
263467 permanent custody of the Department of Human Servic es, in the court-
264468 ordered custody of a licensed private nonprofit child -placing
265469 agency, or federally recognized Indian tribe, as defin ed by the
266470 federal Indian Child Welfare Act, shall not be found to be in
267471 financial need for purposes of the Oklahoma Access and Achievement
268472 Act if, prior to receiving any scholarship program award for any
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269499 year during which the student is enrolled in a CTP p rogram at a
270-state educational institution, the federal adjust ed gross income of ENR. H. B. NO. 3792 Page 7
500+state educational institution, the federal adjust ed gross income of
271501 the student’s parents exceeds One Hundred F ifty Thousand Dollars
272502 ($150,000.00) per year.
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274503 2. A student with an intellectual disability who was adopted
275504 between thirteen (13) and seventeen (17) years of age while in the
276505 permanent custody of the Departm ent of Human Services , in the court-
277506 ordered custody of a licensed private nonprofit child-placing
278507 agency, or federally recognized Indian tri be, as defined by the
279508 federal Indian Child Welfare Act, shall not be found t o be in
280509 financial need for purposes of the Oklahoma Access and Achievement
281510 Act if, prior to receiving any scholarship program award for any
282511 year during which the student is enrolled in a CTP program at a
283512 state educational institution, the federal adjusted gross income of
284513 the student’s parents exceeds Two Hundred Th ousand Dollars
285514 ($200,000.00) per year.
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287515 3. The determination of financial qualification provided for in
288516 this subsection shall be based on the income of the studen t, not the
289517 income of the student ’s parents, if the student is determin ed to be
290518 independent of the student’s parents for federal financial aid
291519 purposes.
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293520 SECTION 4. AMENDATORY 70 O.S. 2021, Section 3953.1, is
294521 amended to read as foll ows:
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295547
296548 Section 3953.1 A. There is hereby created a trust fund to be
297549 known as the “Oklahoma Higher Learning Access Trust Fun d”. The
298550 Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education shall be the trustees of
299551 said the Trust Fund.
300-
301552 B. The State Regents shall utiliz e said the Trust Fund to
302553 implement the provisions of Sections 2601 through 2605 of this t itle
303554 and Sections 1 through 3 of t his act.
304-
305555 C. The Trust Fund principal shall consist of monies the
306556 Legislature appropriates or transfers to the Oklahoma State Regents
307557 for Higher Education for the Trust Fund and any monies or assets
308558 contributed to the Trus t Fund from any other source, publ ic or
309559 private. All monies accruing to the credit of said the fund are
310560 hereby appropriated and may be budgeted and expended by the St ate
311561 Regents. Expenditures from said the fund shall be made upon
312562 warrants issued by the S tate Treasurer against claims file d as
313563 prescribed by law with the Director of the Office of Management and
314564 Enterprise Services for approval and payment.
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316565 D. Notwithstanding other provisions of law, income and
317566 investment return on Trus t Fund principal shall accrue to the Trust
318567 Fund for use as provided by authorization of the trustees for the
319568 purposes provided in Sections 2601 thr ough 2605 of this title and
320569 Sections 1 through 3 of this act. The State Regents may also
321570 utilize the Trust Fund principal for the purposes provided in
322571 Sections 2601 through 2605 of this title and Sections 1 through 3 of
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323598 this act. Except as otherwise prov ided by law, no such income or
324599 investment return or principal shall be used for administrative
325600 expenses; expenses incurred by the S tate Regents in the
326601 administration of the Trust Fund and of the Oklahoma Higher Learning
327602 Access Program established by the Ok lahoma Higher Learning Access
328603 Act and the Oklahoma Access and Achievement Program established by
329604 the Oklahoma Access and Achievement Act shall be paid from monies
330605 appropriated to the State Regents coordinating board for their
331606 general operating budget.
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333607 E. The State Regents shall adopt rules for accomplishing
334608 transfer of funds from the Oklahoma Higher Learning A ccess Trust
335609 Fund to the appropriate institutional Educational and General
336610 Operations Revolving Funds, as provided in Section 3901 of t his
337611 title, to private institutions, and to the appropriat e technology
338612 center school district to cover gene ral enrollment fees or tuition
339613 for eligible students pursuant to the Oklah oma Higher Learning
340614 Access Act and the Oklahoma Access and Achievement Act. Allocations
341615 from the Trust Fund may be made only for the purpose of covering the
342616 general enrollment fees or tuition of e ligible students. No portion
343617 of the Trust Fund may be use d or allocated for administrative or
344618 operating expenses of any higher education institution or technology
345619 center school.
620+SECTION 5. This act shall become effective July 1, 2024.
346621
347-SECTION 5. This act shall become effective July 1, 2024.
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349647 SECTION 6. It being immediately necessary fo r the preservation
350648 of the public peace, health, or safety, an emergency is hereby
351649 declared to exist, by reason whereof this act shall take effect and
352-be in full force from and after its pass age and approval. ENR. H. B. NO. 3792 Page 9
353-Passed the House of Representatives the 16th day of May, 2024.
650+be in full force from and after its passage and approval.
651+Passed the House of Representatives the 5th day of March, 2024.
354652
355653
356654
357655
358656 Presiding Officer of the House
359657 of Representatives
360658
361659
362-Passed the Senate the 25th day of April, 2024.
660+Passed the Senate the ___ day of __________, 2024.
363661
364662
365663
366664
367665 Presiding Officer of the Senate
368666
369-
370-OFFICE OF THE GOVERNOR
371-Received by the Office of the Governor this ____________________
372-day of ___________________, 20_______, at _______ o'clock _______ M.
373-By: _________________________________
374-Approved by the Governor of the State of Oklahoma this _____ ____
375-day of _________________ __, 20_______, at _______ o'clock _______ M.
376-
377-
378- _________________________________
379- Governor of the State of Oklahoma
380-
381-OFFICE OF THE SECRETARY OF STATE
382-Received by the Office of the Secretary of State this __________
383-day of ___________________, 20_______, a t _______ o'clock _______ M.
384-By: _________________________________
385-