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STATE OF OKLAHOMA
2nd Session of the 59th Legislature (2024)
COMMITTEE SUBSTITUTE
FOR
SENATE BILL 1311 By: Pugh
COMMITTEE SUBSTITUTE
An Act relating to higher education; creating the
Veterans Entering Teaching (VET) Act; providing short
title; defining terms; creating the Veterans Entering
Teaching (VET) Program to provide tuition and
mandatory fee assistance to certain eligible
students; providing for eligibility; requiring
eligible students to execute certain agreement;
providing contents of agreement; providing
eligibility retention requirements; providing for
amount of assistance ; prohibiting assistance for
certain courses or units; directing assistance to be
allocated from certain fund; prohibiting individuals
who accept certain assistance from also being
eligible for certain program; directing certain
federal benefits to be exhausted first; establishing
assistance cap for each academic year; allowing funds
to be set aside for full commitment; requiring
repayment of assistance for failur e to meet certain
requirement; providing for calculation of repayment
amount; providing for deposit of repayment amounts in
certain fund; allowing for application of hardship
waiver; providing for promulgation of ru les; creating
the Veterans Entering Teaching (VET) Revolving Fund;
specifying source of fund; providing for
expenditures; providing purpose of fund; providing
for codification; providing an effective date; and
declaring an emergency.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF OKLAHO MA:
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SECTION 1. NEW LAW A new section of law 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 t he “Veterans
Entering Teaching (VET) Act”.
B. As used in this act:
1. “Eligible student” means a student who was discharged under
honorable conditions from the United States Arm ed Forces who enrolls
in an Oklahoma educational institution regardless of the home of
record for the student ;
2. “Home of record” means the place where a student was living
when he or she enlisted or was commissioned into the United States
Armed Forces or reenlisted in the United States Armed Forces ;
3. “Oklahoma educational ins titution” means an institution of
higher education within The Oklahoma State System of Higher
Education; and
4. “Program” means the Veterans Entering Teaching (VET)
Program.
C. There is hereby creat ed the Veterans Entering Teaching (VET)
Program to provide tuition and mandatory fee assistance to eligible
students to earn a degree from an approved teacher pr eparation
program at an Oklahoma educational institution if they agree to
teach in a school district in this state for three (3) consecutive
years.
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D. To be eligible to participate in the Program during the
2024-2025 academic year and thereafter, an individual shall:
1. Enroll in an Oklahoma educational institution;
2. Submit an application on a form prescribed by the Oklahoma
State Regents for Higher Education;
3. Declare a major in an approved Oklahoma teacher preparation
program leading to a standard teaching certificate; and
4. Execute an agreement pursuant to subsection E of this
section.
E. An eligible student who meets the criteria of subsect ion D
of this section shall execu te an agreement stating that he or she
shall:
1. Agree to earn a bachelor’s degree from an approved teacher
preparation program at an O klahoma educational institution leading
to a standard teaching certifi cate;
2. Agree to meet the requirements of Section 6-187 of Title 70
of the Oklahoma Statutes to earn a standard teaching certificate;
and
3. Agree to teach in a school district in this state fo r three
(3) consecutive years. The ind ividual shall not be required to
teach at the same school district for three (3) consecutive years.
F. To retain eligibility for the Program, an eligible student
shall:
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1. Maintain good academic standing and satisfactory acad emic
progress while enrolled in an Oklahoma educational institution
according to the institution ’s standards; and
2. After earning a bachelor ’s degree from an approved Okl ahoma
teacher preparation program, submit annual proof of employment with
a school district in this state to the Oklahoma State Regents for
Higher Education.
G. 1. The amount of assistance shall be equivalent to the
amount of tuition and mandatory fees for courses in which the
eligible student enrolls for completion of a bachelor ’s degree from
an approved Oklahoma teacher preparation p rogram. Assistance shall
not be allowed for courses or other postsecondary units taken in
excess of the requirements for completion of a bachelor ’s degree or
taken more than five (5) years after the individual’s first semester
of enrollment in an Oklahoma educational inst itution.
2. Assistance provided pursuant to this s ubsection shall be
allocated to the Oklahoma e ducational institution from the Veterans
Entering Teaching (VET) Revolving Fund created pursuant to Sec tion 2
of this act.
H. An eligible student who a ccepts assistance pursuant to this
section shall not also be eligible for the Inspired to Teach Program
created in Section 698.1 of Title 70 of the Oklahoma Statutes.
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I. An eligible student seeking tuition and fee assistance
pursuant to this section who is eligi ble for federal education
benefits shall exhaust all available federal benefits first.
J. Subject to the availability of funding, t he amount of
assistance provided to eligible students shall not ex ceed Five
Million Dollars ($5,000,000.00) for the 2024 -2025 academic year and
every academic year thereafter. Assistance shall be prov ided on a
first-come, first-served basis and shall be granted without any
limitation other than the amount of funds a vailable for the Program
and the number of eligible students w ho apply. The State Regents
may, at the time assistance is provided on behalf of an eligible
student, set aside fun ds in the Veterans Entering Teaching (VET)
Revolving Fund created pursuant to Section 2 of this act for the
full commitment made to the stud ent.
K. An individual who has received Program assistance pursuant
to this section and who fails to comp ly with the agreement execu ted
pursuant to subsection E of this section shall b e required to repay
an amount to be calculated as follows:
1. Determine the total amount of Program assistance provided
pursuant to the provisions of this section;
2. Divide the amount determine d in paragraph 1 of this
subsection by twelve (12); and
3. Multiply the amount determined in paragraph 2 of this
subsection by the number of months the individual did not fulfill
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the requirements of the agreement executed pursuant to su bsection E
of this section. Repayments shall be deposi ted into the Veterans
Entering Teaching (VET) Revolving Fund created pursuant to Section 2
of this act.
L. An individual who has received Program assi stance pursuant
to this section and who fails to comply with the agre ement executed
pursuant to subsection E of this section due to hardship
circumstances may request a waiver from repayment from the O klahoma
State Regents for Higher E ducation.
M. The Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education shall
promulgate rules to implement the provisions of this section.
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 follows:
There is hereby created in the State Treasury a revolving fund
for the Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education to be designated
the “Veterans Entering Teaching (VET) Revolving Fund”. The fund
shall be a continuing fund, not subject to fiscal yea r limitations,
and shall consist of all monies received by the State Regents from
legislative appropriations provided for the purpose of implementing
the Veterans Entering Teaching (VET) Program created in Section 1 of
this act. All monies accruing to the credit of the fund are hereby
appropriated and may be budgeted and expended by the State Regents
for the purpose provided for in this section . Expenditures from the
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fund shall be made upon warrants issued by the State Treasurer
against claims filed as pr escribed by law with the Director of the
Office of Management and Enterprise Services for approval and
payment.
SECTION 3. This act shall become effective July 1, 2024.
SECTION 4. It being immediately necessary for the preservation
of the public peace, health, or safety, an emergency is hereby
declared to exist, by reason whereof thi s act shall take effect and
be in full force from and after its pas sage and approval.
59-2-3500 EB 2/13/2024 12:25:15 PM