Oklahoma 2025 Regular Session

Oklahoma House Bill HB2273 Compare Versions

Only one version of the bill is available at this time.

Old	New	Differences
1	1	Req. No. 10195 Page 1
2	2	STATE OF OKLAHOMA
3	3
4	4	1st Session of the 60th Legislature (2025)
5	5
6	6	HOUSE BILL 2273 By: Miller
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12	12	AS INTRODUCED
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14	14	An Act relating to higher education; creating the
15	15	Oklahoma Department of Transportation Educational
16	16	Assistance Act; defining terms; establishing grant
17	17	program for eligible students; providing criteria for
18	18	eligibility; providing criteria to maintain
19	19	eligibility; requiring repayment under certain
20	20	circumstances; permitting both public and private
21	21	funding of program; directing the Oklahoma
22	22	Transportation Commission to promulgate rules;
23	23	creating the Oklahoma Department of Transportation
24	24	Educational Assistance Revolving Fund; providing for
25	25	codification; providing an effective date ; and
26	26	declaring an emergency .
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32	32	BE IT ENACTED BY THE PEOPL E OF THE STATE OF OKLAHOMA:
33	33	SECTION 1. NEW LAW A new section of law to be codified
34	34	in the Oklahoma Statutes as Section 3234 of Title 70, unless there
35	35	is created a duplication in numbering, reads as follows:
36	36	A. This act shall be kno wn and may be cited as the "Oklahoma
37	37	Department of Transportation Educational Assistance Act".
38	38	B. As used in this act:
39	39	1. "Commission" means the Oklahoma Transportation Commission;
40	40	2. "Department" means the Oklahoma Department of Transportation; Req. No. 10195 Page 2
41	41	3. "Eligible degree" means a baccalaureate degree from an
42	42	institution in a field of study that satisfies the Department's
43	43	minimum education requirement for an eligible profession ;
44	44	4. "Eligible profession" means a line of work as defined by
45	45	rule for which the Depar tment determines there is a need in the
46	46	Department's workforce ;
47	47	5. "Eligible Student" means a person who:
48	48	a. is at least eighteen years of age,
49	49	b. has a high school diploma or who has completed General
50	50	Educational Development (GED) requirements,
51	51	c. is an Oklahoma resident, and
52	52	d. is enrolled in an Oklahoma educational institution ;
53	53	6. "Graduate program" means a program offered by an Oklahoma
54	54	educational institution that leads to the award of a master's or
55	55	doctorate degree;
56	56	7. "Oklahoma educational institu tion" means an institution of
57	57	higher education within The Oklahoma State Syste m of Higher
58	58	Education;
59	59	8. "Undergraduate program" means a program offered by an
60	60	Oklahoma educational institution that leads to the award of a n
61	61	associate's or baccalaureate degree;
62	62	9. "Workforce development g rant program" means the Oklahoma
63	63	Department of Transportation Educational Assistance Program
64	64	established pursuant to the provisions of this section . Req. No. 10195 Page 3
65	65	C. There is hereby created the Oklahoma Department of
66	66	Transportation Educat ional Assistance Program to provide assistance
67	67	to eligible students who enroll in an Oklahoma educational
68	68	institution and who agree to work for the Department in an eligible
69	69	profession for the five (5) years immediately following the date of
70	70	the eligible student's receipt of an eligible degree. The
71	71	Commission shall prescribe criteria for the selection of applicants
72	72	under this act. Subject to the availability of funds, the amount of
73	73	assistance shall be equivalent to the amount of resident tuition,
74	74	mandatory fees, and academic service fees for courses in which the
75	75	eligible student is enrolled, not to exceed a maximum of eighteen
76	76	(18) credit hours each semester.
77	77	1. The total amount of assistance provided to an eligible
78	78	student enrolled in an undergraduate pr ogram shall not exceed a
79	79	maximum of one hundred twenty (120) credit hours in pursuit of a n
80	80	associate's or baccalaureate degree ;
81	81	2. Subject to the assistance for eligible students enrolled in
82	82	undergraduate programs being fully funded, assistance shall be
83	83	provided to an eligible student with a baccalaureate degree enrolled
84	84	in a graduate program. The total amount of assistance provided to
85	85	an eligible student enrolled in a graduate program shall not exceed
86	86	the number of hours required for the completion of a master's
87	87	degree; Req. No. 10195 Page 4
88	88	3. Assistance provided pursuant to this section shall be
89	89	granted without any limitation other than the amount of funds
90	90	available for the workforce development grant program and the number
91	91	of eligible students who apply and are selected;
92	92	4. No assistance or reimbursement will be provided by the
93	93	Department for faile d course.
94	94	D. 1. To be eligible to apply for the workforce development
95	95	grant program, an eligible student shall complete and file with the
96	96	Department, on forms prescribed by the Department, a workforce
97	97	development grant program application and a declaration of intent to
98	98	obtain an eligible degree and work for the Department for the five
99	99	(5) years immediately following the date of the eligible student's
100	100	receipt of an eligible degre e;
101	101	2. To retain eligibility for the grant program, an eligible
102	102	student shall:
103	103	a. maintain good academic standing and satisfactory
104	104	academic progress according to standards of the
105	105	Oklahoma educational institution in which the eligible
106	106	student is enrolled,
107	107	b. maintain the requirements for retention and degree
108	108	completion as established by the Oklahoma educational
109	109	institution in which the eligible student is enrolled,
110	110	and Req. No. 10195 Page 5
111	111	c. maintain a minimum grade point average of 2.0 on a 4.0
112	112	scale;
113	113	3. An eligible student s eeking assistance pursuant to the
114	114	provisions of this section shall submit an a pplication on a form
115	115	prescribed by the Department prior to each semester for which
116	116	assistance is sought; and
117	117	4. The eligible student may be denied continued assistance if
118	118	the eligible student fails to comply with the provisions of this
119	119	act.
120	120	E. Repayment of a workforce development grant.
121	121	1. The Commission may establish conditions under which a n
122	122	eligible student who has received a grant may be required to repay
123	123	all or part of the grant because the student has withdrawn from or
124	124	dropped out of the student 's institution or has otherwise failed to
125	125	maintain eligibility for the grant ;
126	126	2. A student who does not obtain an eligible degree and work
127	127	for the Department for the five (5) years immediately following the
128	128	date of the eligible student's receipt of an eligible degree must
129	129	repay all grants received by the eligible student under this
130	130	section;
131	131	3. An eligible student who has received assistance pursuant to
132	132	the provisions of this workforce development grant program and who
133	133	fails to comply with the provisions of t his act due to hardship
134	134	circumstances may request a waiver from repayment ; Req. No. 10195 Page 6
135	135	4. Repayments shall be deposited into the Oklahoma Department
136	136	of Transportation Educational Assistance Revolving Fund created
137	137	pursuant to Section 2 of this act ; and
138	138	5. The Commission shall establish a schedule for installment
139	139	payments under this section .
140	140	F. The Department may accept gifts and grants from any public
141	141	or private source for the grant program and may also use for that
142	142	purpose available money credited to the state highw ay program. All
143	143	funding received by the Department for this purpose shall be
144	144	transferred to the Oklahoma Department of Transportation Educational
145	145	Assistance Revolving Fund.
146	146	G. The Oklahoma Transportation Commission shall promulgate
147	147	rules to implement the provisions of this act.
148	148	SECTION 2. NEW LAW A new section of law to be codified
149	149	in the Oklahoma Statutes as Section 3235 of Title 70, unless there
150	150	is created a duplication in numbering, reads as follows:
151	151	There is hereby created in t he State Treasury a revolving fund
152	152	to be designated the "Oklahoma Department of Transportation
153	153	Educational Assistance Revolving Fund ". The fund shall be a
154	154	continuing fund, not s ubject to fiscal year limitations, and shall
155	155	consist of monies received by the Department and allocated for the
156	156	grant program. All monies accruing to the credit of the fund are
157	157	hereby appropriated and may be budgeted and expended by the Oklahoma
158	158	Department of Transportation for the purpose of providing assistance Req. No. 10195 Page 7
159	159	to eligible students pursuant to the provisions of Section 1 of this
160	160	act. Expenditures from the fund shall be made upon warrants issued
161	161	by the State Treasurer against claims filed as prescribed b y law
162	162	with the Director of the Office of Management and Enterprise
163	163	Services for approval and payment.
164	164	SECTION 3. This act shall become effective July 1, 2025.
165	165	SECTION 4. It being immediately necessary for the preservation
166	166	of the public peace, health or safety, an emergency is hereby
167	167	declared to exist, by reason whereof this act shall take effect and
168	168	be in full force from and after its passage and approval.
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170	170	60-1-10195 AQH 12/10/24