[Oasfaa] Bills Signed by Governor Henry

[Fair, Bryce]

Last week Governor Henry finished his consideration of bills sent to him the last few days of the legislative session.  He signed the three bills we noted in an e-mail on May 25.  You can now view the final, signed versions of those bills online.

SB 820 - Oklahoma's Promise-Oklahoma Higher Learning Access Program - You can view the final version of the bill at http://www.sos.state.ok.us/documents/Legislation/51st/2007/1R/SB/820.pdf.  The bill makes several significant changes to the program including:
*	Providing a stable, dedicated funding source.  This is a very big deal.  Beginning in FY2008-09, Oklahoma's Promise will get "first dibs" on the state's General Revenue Fund.  We shouldn't have to ever worry again about funds intended for the program not fully materializing and thus forcing the need for a supplemental appropriation to finish the year.  See section 4 starting on p. 17.
*	Requiring for a second income "screen" at $100,000 when OKPromise students start college.  This requirement will become effective for students starting college in 2009-10 and thereafter.  The income screen will apply to the student's parents if the student is dependent status.  If the student is independent, or if the student was in DHS or tribal custody at the time they enrolled in OKPromise, then the screen will apply to the student's income.  We are trying to get clarification from legislative sources about whether this is a one-time screen or an annual screen.  You can read this new provision at the top of page 24.
*	New minimum college GPA requirement.  Effective for OKPromise students receiving the award for the first time in 2009-10, they will be required to earn at least a 2.0 for courses taken during their sophomore year and a 2.5 for courses taken during the junior year and thereafter.  As written in the bill, these are not overall cumulative GPA's but GPA's of just the specified periods, so their calculation may be a bit tricky.  See page 21.
*	College conduct requirement.  Effective January 1, 2008, any OKPromise college student that is suspended for more than one semester from an institution will permanently lose the scholarship.  We will probably need your help publicizing this new requirement since it becomes effective sooner than the others.  See page 21.
*	Provides eligibility for homeschool students.  Homeschool students will have the three-year period between the ages of 13 to 15 to enroll in OKPromise.  Like students attending non-accredited high schools, homeschool students must complete all the regular curricular requirements of the program and also achieve at least a score of 22 on the ACT test.  Statutory changes related to homeschool eligibility are spread over several sections; see pages 20, 22, & 23.  In the text of the bill, homeschool students are formally referred to as students "educated by other means" which is a phrase derived from the compulsory school attendance section of Oklahoma's state constitution.
*	Prohibits students without lawful immigration status from participating in the program.  Beginning in 2007-08, students must be U.S. citizens or lawfully present in the U.S. to participate in the program and to qualify for the award.  Students already enrolled in the program by the end of 2006-07 are "grandfathered" into the program.  See page 19.


HB 2103 - Tuition "Guarantee" or "Lock"  - This bill provides for guaranteed tuition rates for periods of 2 years or 4 years at state system institutions beginning in 2008-09.  The bill anticipates that there will be both guaranteed and nonguaranteed tuition rates offered to each entering freshmen class.  Consequently, after a few years, there could potentially be many different tuition rates being administered by a single institution.  Students choosing the guaranteed rates must remain enrolled full-time to retain the guaranteed rate.  The bill also contains two sections addressing the costs of college textbooks.  Governor Henry signed the bill somewhat reluctantly and took the unusual step of putting his reservations in writing as part of the official record of the bill.  You can see Governor Henry's comments and the text of the bill at: http://www.sos.state.ok.us/documents/Legislation/51st/2007/1R/HB/2103.pdf


HB 1762 - Oklahoma's Promise - This bill relates to the unusual situation in Texhoma, OK, a town in the panhandle that is literally split by the OK/TX state border.  Based on the authorization of an Oklahoma statute, the Oklahoma school district operates in contractual cooperation with the adjoining school district in Texas.  All students in both districts go to elementary school through grade 4 on the Texas side and then go to grades 5-12 on the Oklahoma side and graduate from Texhoma, OK High School.  The changes in HB 1762 allow students living on the Texas side of the town to participate in OKPromise.  The bill text is available at: http://www.sos.state.ok.us/documents/Legislation/51st/2007/1R/HB/1762.pdf



Bryce Fair 
Assoc. Vice Chancellor for Scholarships & Grants 
Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education 
Phone:  (405) 225-9162 
Fax:  (405) 225-9230 
E-mail:  bfair at osrhe.edu 

Mailing Address: 
P.O. Box 108850 
Oklahoma City, OK  73101-8850 

Street Address: 
655 Research Parkway, Suite 200 
Oklahoma City, OK  73104