[Oasfaa] State Legislative Update for March 26-30

[Fair, Bryce]

Following is the state legislative update for March 26-30.  A couple of
highlights related to financial aid are:

 

*         SB 1380, which would allow students whose parents died in the
student's 11th or 12th grade year to be eligible to enroll in OKPromise,
narrowly passed a vote in the House Appropriations and Budget
Subcommittee on Education on Monday.  The vote was 6-5.  The bill is
next scheduled to be heard before the full House Appropriations & Budget
Committee on Wednesday, April 4.  If you are interested in listening to
the subcommittee discussion, you can go to
http://www.okhouse.gov/CommitteeAudio/53/AP-EDU/AB%20Edu%203-26-2012.mp3
and fast forward to about the 3 minutes, 45 seconds mark.

 

*         HB 2679 (which would proportionately reduce the OKPromise
award based on the income of the student's parent at the time the
student enters college -- $50-60,000 = 90% award; $60-70,000 = 80%
award; etc.) and HB 3112 which would prohibit the OKPromise award from
being used for remedial courses are not expected to be heard in
committee in the Senate and have been removed from the list.

 

*         SB 1624, which was amended in the Senate to include language
that would prohibit undocumented immigrant students from being eligible
for resident tuition is scheduled to be heard in the House
Appropriations & Budget Subcommittee on Education on Monday.  However,
the House author of the bill has filed an amendment that would delete
the language related to undocumented students.

 

Bryce Fair

 

 

The update below reflects the current status of major legislation
concerning Higher Education during the week of March 26, 2012 -March 30,
2012.

 

If you have any questions, please contact Hollye Hunt at hhunt at osrhe.edu
or 405.225.9424.

 

Legislative Report

March 26, 2012- March 30, 2012  

 

Appropriations 

No pending legislation.  

 

Tuition/ Funding 

HB 2927// Representative Don Armes and Senator Bryce Marlatt// The
legislation creates a revolving fund for the Commissioners of the Land
Office to be designated the "Multiyear Education Distribution
Stabilization Revolving Fund".  The fund shall be a continuing fund, not
subject to fiscal year limitations, and shall consist of bonus and delay
rental income received by the Commission, and if it is determined by the
Commission to be in the best interest of the trust it may make
distributions of the income upon a five-year rolling average.  
UPDATE:  The bill has been referred to the Senate Appropriations
Subcommittee on Education.     
 
SB1649 // Senator Bryce Marlatt and Representative Don Armes// The
legislation creates a revolving fund for the Commissioners of the Land
Office to be designated the "Multiyear Education Distribution
Stabilization Revolving Fund".  The fund shall be a continuing fund, not
subject to fiscal year limitations, and shall consist of bonus and delay
rental income received by the Commission, and if it is determined by the
Commission to be in the best interest of the trust it may make
distributions of the income upon a five-year rolling average.  
UPDATE:  The bill has been referred to the House Appropriations
Committee.
 
 
Joint Resolutions 
HJR 1091// Representative Randy McDaniel and Senator Patrick Anderson//
The state question requires the Legislature to establish standards to
adequately fund the public retirement system.
UPDATE: The bill has been referred to the Senate Appropriations
Committee and the Senate Retirement and Insurance Committee.  The
legislation passed out of the Senate Retirement and Insurance Committee
on March 29, 2012.      
 
 
Concurrent Resolutions
SCR 30// Senator Patrick Anderson// The resolution disapproves the
Medical Examiner's Facility Project proposed by the University of
Central Oklahoma which appears on the Master Lease list submitted by the
Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education.
UPDATE:  The resolution has been referred to the Senate Rules Committee.

 
SCR 31// Senator Patrick Anderson// The resolution disapproves the
Medical Examiner's Facility Project proposed by the University of
Central Oklahoma which appears on the Master Lease list submitted by the
Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education.
UPATE:  The resolution was filed on March 13, 2012.  
 
 
CIO
No pending legislation.    
 
 
Consolidation/ Transparency/ Modernization   
HB2197// Representative Jason Murphey and Senator Josh Brecheen// The
legislation directs the State Purchasing Director to form an advisory
committee consisting of representatives from entities exempted from the
provisions of The Oklahoma Central Purchasing Act.  The purpose of the
committee is to allow committee members to provide input into the
development of shared state purchasing contracts, collaboratively
participate in the integration of their purchasing platforms or
electronic purchasing catalogs, analyze solutions that may be used by
state government to meet the purchasing needs of the entities, explore
joint purchases of general use items that result in mutual procurement
of quality goods and services at the lowest reasonable cost and explore
flexibility, administrative relief, and transformation changes through
utilization of procurement technology.
UPDATE:  The bill has been referred to the Senate Appropriations
Committee.
 
 
 OKPromise 
SB 1380// Senator Tom Ivester and Representative Paul Roan// The
legislation allows a student to still be eligible for the OK Promise
scholarship if their parent dies while the student is in the their 11th
or 12th grade year of high school.
UPDATE:  The bill passed out of the House Appropriations Subcommittee on
Education on March 26, 2012. 
 
 
 Governance 
HB 2443// Representative Dale DeWitt and Senator Eddie Fields// The
legislation creates a board of nine (9) trustees to be appointed by the
Governor and confirmed by the Senate to serve as the administrative
agency for the University Center at Ponca City.
UPDATE:  The bill pass out of the Senate on March 28, 2012 with a vote
of 41-0.  
 
SB 1111// Senator Eddie Fields and Representative Lee Denney// The
legislation creates a board of nine (9) trustees to be appointed by the
Governor and confirmed by the Senate to serve as the administrative
agency for the University Center at Ponca City.

UPDATE:  The bill passed of the House Higher Education Committee on
March 27, 2012.  

 

SB 1797// Senator Clark Jolley and Representative Lee Denney// Creates
Commission for Education, Instruction Quality and Accountability.  The
Secretary of Education will oversee the commission.
UPDATE:  The bill has been referred to the House Appropriations
Subcommittee on Education.  The legislation will be heard in committee
on April 2, 2012.  
 
 
 Faculty 
No pending legislation.  
 
 
Reporting 
SB 1819// Senator Jim Halligan and Representative Lee Denney// The
legislation directs the State Regents to provide information to the
legislature regarding graduation rates, debt loads, student employed by
specific disciplines, and information provided to students on employment
possibilities and debt.  

UPDATE:  The bill has been referred to the House Higher Education
Committee.

 

 

Legal Reform 
No pending legislation.  
 
 
Academic 
HB2970// Representative Todd Thomsen// The legislation requires students
to take high school, college, and job skills readiness exams.  Beginning
with the 2013-2014 school year, each school district shall ensure that
each student enrolled in grade eight is administered the ACT Explore
high school readiness assessment, each student enrolled in grade ten is
administered, by no later than April 1 of each year, the ACT Plan
college readiness assessment, and each student enrolled in grade eleven
is administered the ACT WorkKeys job skills assessment.  The results of
the assessments administered shall be reported to the State Department
of Education and the individual school districts.
UPDATE: The bill has been referred to the Senate Education Committee.
The legislation will be heard in committee on April 2, 2012.  
 
SB1565// Senator Susan Paddack and Representative Ann Coody// The
legislation directs the OSRHE to establish a dyslexia teacher training
pilot program.  The program should be designed to evaluate and
demonstrate the effectiveness of having trained teachers who can provide
assistance to children with risk factors for dyslexia.  

UPDATE: The bill passed out of the House Appropriations Subcommittee on
Education on March 26, 2012.  

 

SB1863// Senator Steve Russell and Representative Ann Coody// The
legislation authorizes institutions or career and technology centers to
award educational credits to a student enrolled in the institution or
career and technology center for courses that are part of the student's
military training or service and that meet the standards of the American
Council on Education (ACE) or equivalent standards for awarding academic
credit if the award of educational credit is based upon the
institution's or technical career center's admission standards and its
role, scope and mission.

UPDATE:  The bill has been referred to the House Veterans & Military
Affairs Committee.  The legislation will be heard in committee on April
2, 2012.  

 

 

Tuition Waivers
HB 2689// Representative Charlie Joyner and Senator Jerry Ellis// The
legislation allows students who are dependents of certain military
personnel be eligible for in-state residency status.

UPDATE:  The bill has been referred to the Senate Education Committee.

 
SB 1624// Senator John Sparks and Representative Emily Virgin// The
legislation directs the State Regents to adopt a policy which allows a
student to enroll in an institution within Oklahoma and be eligible for
resident tuition if the student was an Oklahoma resident at the time the
student received a high school diploma.

UPDATE:  The legislation was amended in committee to include language to
not allow unlawful residents to receive in-state tuition.  The bill has
been referred to the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Education.
The legislation will be heard in committee on April 2, 2012.  

 

 

Bond Issues 
SB 1134// Senator Patrick Anderson and Representative Jason Murphey//
The legislation requires the State Regents to provide an itemized list
of master lease projects to all members of the Legislature within the
first seven days of the legislative session.

UPDATE:  The legislation has been referred to the House Appropriations
Committee.     

 

 

Other 
SB 1280// Senator Mike Schulz and Representative Kris Steele// The
legislation creates the OK Hospital Residency Training Program.  

UPDATE:  The bill has been referred to the House Appropriations
Committee.      

 
SB 1218// Senator David Holt and Representative Randy McDaniel//  The
legislation authorizes beer and wine establishments that are licensed by
the  ABLE Commission to operate within 300 feet of a college or
university if the campus is located within an improvement district
created pursuant to Title 11, Section 39-103.1.  
UPDATE:  The bill passed out of the House Public Safety Committee on
March 28, 2012.  
 
HB 2967// Representative Todd Thomsen// The legislation relates to the
Uniform Athlete Agents Act and requires submission of a surety bond if
an athlete agent is charged with a violation and sets the amount of the
surety bond.
UPDATE:  The bill passed out of the Senate Judiciary Committee on March
27, 2012.
 
 
Energy  
HB2833// Representative Scott Martin and Senator Brian Bingman// The
legislation directs state agencies and higher education to reduce energy
costs for all state buildings.   The Office of State Finance will
oversee the implementation of an organizational behavior-based energy
conservation program.  The program will target a cumulative energy
savings of at least twenty percent (20%) by the year 2020 when compared
to the 2012 fiscal year utility expenditures. 
UPDATE:  The bill passed out of the Senate General Government Committee
on March 26, 2012.  
 
SB 1096// Senator Brian Bingman and Representative Scott Martin// The
legislation directs state agencies and higher education to reduce energy
costs for all state buildings.   The Office of State Finance will
oversee the implementation of an organizational behavior-based energy
conservation program.  The program will target a cumulative energy
savings of at least twenty percent (20%) by the year 2020 when compared
to the 2012 fiscal year utility expenditures.  
UPDATE:  The bill passed out of the House Energy & Utility Regulation
Committee on March 27, 2012.
 
Retirement/Health Insurance 
HB 2321// Representative Randy McDaniel and Senator Patrick Anderson//
The legislation modifies the number of unused sick days that can be used
for creditable service in the Teachers' Retirement System and the OK
Public Employees Retirement System. For members who join the System on
or after November 1, 2012, unused sick leave shall be credited at the
same rate but not used to round up to another year.  Instead, any
additional months of unused sick leave credit shall be added to other
service credit without rounding.
UPDATE:  The bill passed out of the Senate Retirement and Insurance
Committee on March 29, 2012.   
 
HB 3053// Representative Kris Steele// The legislation creates the
"Office of Enterprise and Management Services and the Capital Assets,
Human Capital Management, and Employee Benefits divisions.  
UPDATE: The bill has been referred to the Senate Appropriations
Committee.
 
 
Carry Over Bills from Last Legislative Session 
 
 Concealed Weapons/Open Carry 

 

HB 2522// Representative Steve Martin and Senator Greg Treat// The
legislation allows for unconcealed weapons in certain areas.  

UPDATE:  The bill passed out of the Senate Public Safety Committee on
March 29, 2012.

 

SB 1785// Senator Steve Russell and Representative Leslie Osborn// The
legislation allows out-of-state persons in compliance with the Oklahoma
Self-Defense Act to carry a concealed firearm in the State.

UPDATE:  The bill has been referred to the House Public Safety
Committee.  The legislation will be heard in committee on April 4, 2012.


 

SB 1733// Senator Anthony Sykes and Representative Jeff Hickman// The
legislation allows justices and judges to carry weapons in any
courthouse in Oklahoma. The legislation also allows for unconcealed
weapons in certain areas.  

UPDATE:  The bill has been referred to the House Public Safety
Committee.  The legislation will be heard in committee on April 4, 2012.


 

 

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