[Oasfaa] State Legislative Update

[Fair, Bryce]

Following are updates of action this week on a few bills we are
tracking:

 

*         SB 610 (Sen. John Ford, R - Bartlesville) - changes the income
counted for the 2nd income limit applied at the time the OKPromise
student begins college from all "taxable and nontaxable" income to
"federal adjusted gross income."  Bill text:
http://webserver1.lsb.state.ok.us/2011-12SB/SB610_int.rtf 
The bill passed both the Senate Education Committee and the Senate
Appropriations Subcommittee on Education (the bill was double-assigned
to two committees) and will next go to the full Senate Appropriations
Committee.  Sen. Ford has also indicated that he plans to add language
to this bill that would delay the implementation of statutory OKPromise
college GPA requirements (which include a 2.5 GPA requirement for
courses taken as a junior and above that we project could eliminate the
award for about 18% of OKPromise college juniors) until 2012 so that the
requirements don't apply to students that were already enrolled in the
program before this new law was passed.

*         SB 825 (Sen. Susan Paddack, D - Ada) - would allow students
living in a licensed, nonprofit residential child care facility (like
the Tipton children's home, Baptist children's homes, etc.) to enroll in
the OKPromise program in the 8th-10th grades without determination of
financial qualification.  Bill text:
http://webserver1.lsb.state.ok.us/2011-12SB/SB825_int.rtf
This bill passed both the Senate Education Committee and the Senate
Appropriations Subcommittee on Education (the bill was double-assigned
to two committees) and will next go to the full Senate Appropriations
Committee.  

 

*         Undocumented immigrant students - two bills both passed in
committee this week that would repeal the eligibility for certain
undocumented immigrant students to qualify for resident tuition at state
system institutions (currently, students must live in Oklahoma with
their parents or guardians for at least two years prior to graduating
high school to qualify for resident tuition) [SB 575 (Sen. Ralph
Shortey, R - Oklahoma City)  Bill text:
http://webserver1.lsb.state.ok.us/2011-12SB/SB575_int.rtf; SB 683 (Sen.
Anthony Sykes, R - Moore)  Bill text:
http://webserver1.lsb.state.ok.us/2011-12SB/SB683_int.rtf ] .  SB 683
will also have to be considered further in the full Senate
Appropriations Committee.

*         Resident tuition for nonresident grandchildren:  SB 55 (Sen.
Anthony Sykes, R - Moore) - would allow a nonresident student to qualify
for resident tuition at a state system institution if the student is a
US citizen and has a grandparent that is a resident of Oklahoma (and US
citizen) who has filed a tax return with the Oklahoma Tax Commission for
the ten (10) years prior to the student's application.   Bill text:
http://webserver1.lsb.state.ok.us/cf/2011-12%20INT/SB/SB55%20INT.DOC
The bill passed the Senate Appropriations Committee and will next be
heard on the Senate floor.

 

 

We are continuing to have discussions with the authors of the following
OKPromise bills and hope to have updates related to these bills next
week.

*         HB 1421 (Rep. Dennis Casey, R - Morrison) - would require
OKPromise college students to repay awards for courses from which the
student withdraws after the add/drop deadline or if the student receives
a failing grade.   Bill text:
http://webserver1.lsb.state.ok.us/2011-12HB/HB1421_int.rtf 

*         HB 1618 - (Rep. Gary Banz, R - Midwest City) - would not allow
an OKPromise award for remedial courses in college.  Bill text:
http://webserver1.lsb.state.ok.us/2011-12HB/HB1618_int.rtf 

*         HB 1663 - (Rep. Leslie Osborn, R - Tuttle) - would lower the
second income limit applied at the time the OKPromise student enters
college (which is scheduled to first go into effect for 2012 OKPromise
high school graduates) from $100,000 to $75,000; would require OKPromise
college students to submit annually a federal financial aid application
to be used to determine their financial qualification.  Bill text:
http://webserver1.lsb.state.ok.us/2011-12HB/HB1663_int.rtf

 

 

 

Bryce Fair

Associate Vice Chancellor for Scholarships & Grants

Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education

Phone:  405-225-9162

Fax:  405-225-9392

e-mail:  bfair at osrhe.edu <mailto: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

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