| 41 | 64 | | |
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| 42 | 65 | | An Act relating to higher education; creating the |
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| 43 | 66 | | Veterans Entering Teaching (VET) Act; providing short |
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| 44 | 67 | | title; defining terms; creating th e Veterans Entering |
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| 45 | 68 | | Teaching (VET) Program to provide tuition and |
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| 46 | 69 | | mandatory fee assistance to certain eligible |
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| 47 | 70 | | students; providing for eligibility; requiring |
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| 48 | 71 | | eligible students to execute certain agreement; |
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| 49 | 72 | | providing contents of agreement; providing |
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| 50 | 73 | | eligibility retention requirements; providing for |
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| 51 | 74 | | amount of assistance ; prohibiting assistance for |
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| 52 | 75 | | certain courses or un its; directing assistance to be |
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| 53 | 76 | | allocated from certain fund; prohibiting individuals |
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| 54 | 77 | | who accept certain assistance from also being |
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| 55 | 78 | | eligible for certain program; directing certain |
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| 59 | 80 | | repayment of assistance for failure to meet certain |
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| 60 | 81 | | requirement; providing for calculation of repayment |
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| 61 | 82 | | amount; providing for deposit of repayment amounts in |
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| 62 | 83 | | certain fund; allowing for application of hardship |
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| 63 | 84 | | waiver; providing for promulgation of ru les; creating |
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| 64 | 85 | | the Veterans Entering Teaching (VET) Revolving Fund; |
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| 65 | 86 | | specifying source of fund; providing for |
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| 66 | 87 | | expenditures; providing purpose of fund; providing |
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| 67 | 88 | | for codification; providing an effective date; and |
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| 68 | 89 | | declaring an emergency. |
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| 72 | 93 | | |
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| 73 | 94 | | |
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| 74 | 95 | | BE IT ENACTED BY THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF OKLAHOMA: |
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| 75 | 96 | | |
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| 111 | 157 | | 2. “Home of record” means the place where a student was living |
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| 112 | 158 | | when he or she enlisted or was commissioned into the United States |
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| 113 | 159 | | Armed Forces or reenlisted in the United States Armed Forces ; |
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| 114 | 160 | | 3. “Oklahoma educational ins titution” means an institution of |
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| 115 | 161 | | higher education within The Oklahoma State System of Higher |
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| 116 | 162 | | Education; and |
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| 117 | 163 | | 4. “Program” means the Veterans Entering Teaching (VET) |
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| 118 | 164 | | Program. |
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| 119 | 165 | | C. There is hereby created the Veterans Entering Teaching (VET) |
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| 120 | 166 | | Program to provide tuition and mandatory fee assistance to eligible |
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| 121 | 167 | | students to earn a degree from an approved teach er preparation |
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| 122 | 168 | | program at an Oklahoma educational institution if they agree to |
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| 123 | 169 | | teach in a school district in this state for three (3) consecutive |
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| 124 | 170 | | years. |
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| 150 | 221 | | |
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| 151 | 222 | | D. To be eligible to participate in the Program during the |
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| 152 | 223 | | 2024-2025 academic year and thereafter, an individual shall: |
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| 153 | 224 | | 1. Enroll in an Oklahoma educational institution; |
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| 154 | 225 | | 2. Submit an application on a form prescribed by the Oklahoma |
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| 155 | 226 | | State Regents for Higher Education; |
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| 156 | 227 | | 3. Declare a major in an approved Oklahoma teacher preparation |
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| 157 | 228 | | program leading to a standard teaching certificate; and |
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| 158 | 229 | | 4. Execute an agreement pursuant to subsection E of this |
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| 159 | 230 | | section. |
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| 160 | 231 | | E. An eligible student who meets the criteria of subsection D |
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| 161 | 232 | | of this section shall execu te an agreement stating that he or she |
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| 162 | 233 | | shall: |
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| 163 | 234 | | 1. Agree to earn a bachelor’s degree from an approved teacher |
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| 164 | 235 | | preparation program at an O klahoma educational institution leading |
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| 165 | 236 | | to a standard teaching certifi cate; |
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| 166 | 237 | | 2. Agree to meet the requirements of Section 6-187 of Title 70 |
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| 167 | 238 | | of the Oklahoma Statutes to earn a standard tea ching certificate; |
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| 168 | 239 | | and |
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| 169 | 240 | | 3. Agree to teach in a school district in this state fo r three |
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| 170 | 241 | | (3) consecutive years. The ind ividual shall not be required to |
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| 171 | 242 | | teach at the same school district for three (3) consecutive years. |
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| 172 | 243 | | F. To retain eligibility for the Program, an eligible student |
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| 173 | 244 | | shall: |
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| 200 | 296 | | 1. Maintain good academic standing and satisfactory acad emic |
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| 201 | 297 | | progress while enrolled in an Oklahoma educational institution |
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| 202 | 298 | | according to the institution ’s standards; and |
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| 203 | 299 | | 2. After earning a bachelor ’s degree from an approved Oklahoma |
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| 204 | 300 | | teacher preparation program, submit annual proof of employment with |
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| 205 | 301 | | a school district in this state to the Oklahoma State Regents for |
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| 206 | 302 | | Higher Education. |
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| 207 | 303 | | G. 1. The amount of assistance shall be equivalent to the |
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| 208 | 304 | | amount of tuition and mandatory fees for courses in which the |
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| 209 | 305 | | eligible student enrolls for completion of a bachelor ’s degree from |
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| 210 | 306 | | an approved Oklahoma teacher preparation p rogram. Assistance shall |
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| 211 | 307 | | not be allowed for courses or other postsecondary units taken in |
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| 212 | 308 | | excess of the requirements for completion of a bachelor ’s degree or |
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| 213 | 309 | | taken more than five (5) years after the individual’s first semester |
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| 214 | 310 | | of enrollment in an Oklahoma educational institution. |
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| 215 | 311 | | 2. Assistance provided pursuant to this s ubsection shall be |
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| 216 | 312 | | allocated to the Oklahoma e ducational institution from the Veterans |
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| 217 | 313 | | Entering Teaching (VET) Revolving Fund created pursuant to Section 2 |
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| 218 | 314 | | of this act. |
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| 219 | 315 | | H. An eligible student who a ccepts assistance pursuant to this |
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| 220 | 316 | | section shall not also be eligible for the Inspired to Teach Program |
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| 221 | 317 | | created in Section 698.1 of Title 70 of the Oklahoma Statutes. |
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| 222 | 318 | | |
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| 251 | | - | J. Subject to the availability of funding, t he amount of |
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| 252 | | - | assistance provided to eligible students shall not ex ceed Five |
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| 253 | | - | Million Dollars ($5,000,000.00) for the 2024 -2025 academic year and |
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| 254 | | - | every academic year thereafter. Assistance shall be prov ided on a |
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| 255 | | - | first-come, first-served basis and shall be granted without any |
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| 256 | | - | limitation other than the amount of funds a vailable for the Program |
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| 257 | | - | and the number of eligible students w ho apply. The State Regents |
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| 258 | | - | may, at the time assistance is provided on behalf of an eligible |
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| 259 | | - | student, set aside fun ds in the Veterans Entering Teaching (VET) |
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| 260 | | - | Revolving Fund created pursuant to Section 2 of this act for the |
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| 261 | | - | full commitment made to the stud ent. |
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| 372 | + | J. Assistance provided pursuant to this section shall b e |
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| 373 | + | granted without any limitation other than the amount of funds |
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| 374 | + | available for the Program and the number of eligible students who |
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| 375 | + | apply. |
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| 262 | 376 | | K. An individual who has received Program assistance pursuant |
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| 263 | 377 | | to this section and who fails to comply with the agreement execu ted |
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| 264 | 378 | | pursuant to subsection E of this section shall b e required to repay |
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| 265 | 379 | | an amount to be calculated as follows: |
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| 266 | 380 | | 1. Determine the total amount of Program assistance provided |
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| 267 | 381 | | pursuant to the provisions of this section; |
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| 268 | 382 | | 2. Divide the amount determine d in paragraph 1 of this |
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| 269 | 383 | | subsection by twelve (12); and |
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| 270 | 384 | | 3. Multiply the amount determined in paragraph 2 of this |
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| 271 | 385 | | subsection by the number of months the individual did not fulfill |
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| 305 | 444 | | circumstances may request a waiver from repayment from the O klahoma |
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| 306 | 445 | | State Regents for Higher E ducation. |
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| 307 | 446 | | M. The Oklahoma State Regents for Hi gher Education shall |
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| 308 | 447 | | promulgate rules to implement the provisions of this section. |
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| 309 | 448 | | SECTION 2. NEW LAW A new section of law to be codified |
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| 310 | 449 | | in the Oklahoma Statutes as Section 3235 of Title 70, unless there |
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| 311 | 450 | | is created a duplication in numbering, reads as follows: |
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| 312 | 451 | | There is hereby created in the State Treasury a revolving fund |
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| 313 | 452 | | for the Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education to be designated |
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| 314 | 453 | | the “Veterans Entering Teaching (VET) Revolving Fund”. The fund |
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| 315 | 454 | | shall be a continuing fund, n ot subject to fiscal year limitations, |
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| 316 | 455 | | and shall consist of all monies received by the State Regents from |
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| 317 | 456 | | legislative appropriations provided for the purpose of implementing |
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| 318 | 457 | | the Veterans Entering Teaching (VET) Program created in Section 1 of |
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| 319 | 458 | | this act. All monies accruing to the credit of the fund are hereby |
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| 320 | 459 | | appropriated and may be budgeted and expended by the State Regents |
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| 321 | 460 | | for the purpose provided for in this section . Expenditures from the |
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