[Oasfaa] Scholarship/Grant Bills in the Oklahoma Legislature

[Fair, Bryce]

Following are bills that have been introduced this session related to
scholarship/grant programs.  If you are interested in tracking the weekly
progress of any of the bills, you can view reports posted each Friday on the
State Regents website at:
http://www.okhighered.org/legislative_updates/2001/index.html


You can read the text of the bill by using the hotlink at the end of the
bill description.

*	SB 149 (Wilcoxson) - Tuition Scholarship REVOLVING FUND.  Changing
the name of the Oklahoma Tuition Scholarship Revolving Fund to the Oklahoma
Scholarship Revolving Fund; allowing monies to be used only for payment
authorized by the Academic Scholars Act, the Oklahoma Higher Learning Access
Program Act and the Oklahoma Tuition Scholarship Act.  (62 § 41.29e)
<http://www.lsb.state.ok.us/2001-02SB/SB149_int.rtf>    [Note:  This is the
fund that was created two years ago to receive a portion of the oil tax.
Last year, monies in the fund were appropriated for general higher education
operating purposes, not specifically for scholarship expenses.]

*	SB 351 (Wilcoxson/Coleman) - OKLAHOMA TUITION SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAM.
Limiting the Oklahoma Tuition Scholarship Program to freshman and junior
years of enrollment; requiring students to achieve at least a 3.25 grade
point average in high school; providing that payment of scholarships begins
during the 2003-2004 academic year.  (70 §§ 2611, 2612)
<http://www.lsb.state.ok.us/2001-02SB/SB351_int.rtf>     [Note:  This is the
program, passed last session for 2003 high school graduates with a 26ACT,
3.25 GPA, top 15% of class, family income under $70,000, etc.]

*	SB 586 (Henry) - Tuition Equalization Grant PROGRAM.  Creating an
Oklahoma Tuition Equalization Grant Program to provide the maximum possible
use of existing educational resources and facilities within the state, both
public and private; authorizing the State Regents to award tuition
equalization grants of $2,000 to Oklahoma residents enrolled as
undergraduate students in any approved private or independent higher
education institution in the state.  (70 §§ 2620/2622)
<http://www.lsb.state.ok.us/2001-02SB/SB586_int.rtf>

*	SB 809 (Henry) - HOPE SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAM.  Creating the Oklahoma
Quality Education Initiative Act; creating the Helping Oklahoma People Excel
(HOPE) Scholarship program; creating the Educational Facilities Grant
program.  (70 §§ 2620/2623)
<http://www.lsb.state.ok.us/2001-02SB/SB809_int.rtf>     [Note:  This bill
is tied to a state question to create a lottery.  See SJR 24 below.]

*	SJR 24 (Henry) - LOTTERY.  Enacting the Oklahoma Lottery Act;
earmarking revenues for Quality Education Initiative; creating Oklahoma
Lottery Commission and Oklahoma Lottery; providing for vote of the people.
<http://www.lsb.state.ok.us/2001-02SB/SJR24_int.rtf>

*	HB 1080 (Coleman/Wilcoxson) - TUITION SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAM.  Removing
the requirement for participation in the Oklahoma Tuition Scholarship
Program that students must have a standard high school diploma; requiring
that the two-year scholarship be paid the during the first and third years
of enrollment at a higher education institution or the first two years of
enrollment in a two-year vocational-technical program; increasing state
residency requirement from two years to four years prior to completion of a
high school curriculum; removing the requirement that a participant must
have a graduate ranking in the top 15 percent of the student's high school
class; requiring that the participant have earned at least a 3.25
grade-point average on a 4.0 scale in the core curriculum.  (70 §§ 2611,
2612)  <http://www.lsb.state.ok.us/2001-02HB/HB1080_int.rtf>

*	HB 1645 (Deutschendorf) - TULSA RACE RIOT MINORITY SCHOLARSHIP.
Creating the Tulsa Race Riot Minority Scholarship Trust Fund; requiring
certain percent of the Trust Fund be provided to minorities in certain
priority; authorizing certain percent of the Trust Fund be provided to other
persons; providing for a credit against certain tax.  (68 § 2357.85, 70 §
3953.4)  <http://www.lsb.state.ok.us/2001-02HB/HB1645_int.rtf>

*	HB 1896 (Blackburn/Henry) - INCOME TAX DEDUCTION FOR college
SAVINGS.  Establishing a state income tax deduction for contributions to
Oklahoma College Savings Plan accounts, not to exceed $2,500 per year per
account.  (68 § 2358)  <http://www.lsb.state.ok.us/2001-02HB/HB1896_int.rtf>

*	HB 1901 (Ross) - GREENWOOD AREA SCHOLARSHIP.  Creating the Greenwood
Area Education and Scholarship Program to provide an award to descendants of
the victims and survivors of the 1921 Tulsa Race Riot D0isaster who meet
certain criteria.  (70 § 2620)
<http://www.lsb.state.ok.us/2001-02HB/HB1901_int.rtf>



Bryce Fair
Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education
State Capitol Complex
500 Education Building
Oklahoma City, OK  73105-4500
Phone: 	(405) 524-9162
FAX:	(405) 524-9230
e-mail:	bfair at osrhe.edu