[Oasfaa] FW: Legislative Update – April 8, 2016

Fri Apr 8 16:45:00 CDT 2016

Following is this week’s legislative update.  Yesterday was a deadline for committee action.  Most bills on the list were passed in committee, including the remaining OKPromise bill, HB 2823.  The next deadline is April 21 for action on the floor in the house opposite of where the bill started.
Bryce Fair

OKLAHOMA STATE REGENTS FOR HIGHER EDUCATION

Memo

To:                  Legislative Network
From:             Chancellor Glen D. Johnson
Date:               Friday, April 8, 2016
Subject:          Legislative Update – April 8, 2016

The update below reflects the current status of major legislation concerning Higher Education during the week of April 4, 2016 – April 8, 2016.

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

Legislative Report
April 8, 2016

Governance

No pending legislation.

Appropriations/funding/bonds

SB 1353// Senator Patrick Anderson and Representative Jason Murphey // The legislation requires the Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education to submit the master lease list to every member of the Legislature, not just the Governor, Pro Tem, and Speaker.
UPDATE:  The bill passed out of the House Higher Education and CareerTech Committee on Wednesday, March 30, 2016.

HB 3058// Representative Tom Newell and Senator Greg Treat// The bill directs the Office of Management and Enterprise Services (OMES) to reconcile all state agency revolving funds following the reconciliation criteria created by the Director of OMES by the first Monday of August each year. Proceeds realized by the reconciliation are to be deposited in the Special Cash Fund for the certification by the State Board of Equalization for expenditure authority in the following fiscal year. The measure allows state agency directors to file reconciliation protests with the Legislative Oversight Committee by the second Friday in August each year. The measure authorizes the Oversight Committee to convene by the first Friday in December to consider the protest.
UPDATE:  The bill passed out of the Senate Appropriations Committee on Wednesday, March 30, 2016.  Senator Treat amended the bill to exclude higher education institutions’ revolving funds.

Consolidation

SB 1265// Senator Clark Jolley and Representative Scott Martin // The legislation deletes the language regarding the course offerings at Cameron University in Duncan, Connors State College in Muskogee, Eastern Oklahoma State College in McAlester, Southeastern Oklahoma State University in McCurtain County, Northwestern Oklahoma State University in Woodward, Northern Oklahoma College in Enid, and Carl Albert State College in Sallisaw.
UPDATE:  The legislation passed out of the House Appropriations Committee on Wednesday, April 6, 2016.

State Ballot Questions

HJR 1009 // Representative Dan Fisher and Senator Joseph Silk // The ballot question would affirm the second amendment as a fundamental right.  Regulations by the state on the right to keep and bear arms would be subject to strict scrutiny.
UPDATE:  The legislation passed out of the Senate Rules Committee on Wednesday, April 6, 2016.

OKPromise

HB 2823// Representative Lee Denney and Senator Jim Halligan// The legislation authorizes the OKPromise scholarship to be used for a career technology program eligible for federal student financial aid offered by a technology center school supervised by the State Board of Career and Technology Education.
UPDATE:  The bill passed out of the Senate Education Committee on Monday, March 28, 2016.  The legislation passed out of the Senate Appropriations Committee on Wednesday, April 6, 2016.

Scholarships and Financial Aid

HB 2676 // Representative Corey Williams and Senator Corey Brooks// The legislation allows certain military personnel and their dependents to receive in-state status.
UPDATE:  The bill passed out of the Senate Education Committee on Monday, March 28, 2016.  The legislation passed out of the Senate Appropriations Committee on Wednesday, March 30, 2016.

Shell Bills

No pending legislation.

Repealer Bills

No pending legislation.

Energy Conservation

HB 3116// Representative Scott Martin and Senator Jason Smalley// The legislation clarifies the exemption for the State Facilities Energy Conservation Program. Upon notification by a state agency, the Director shall consider any organizational behavior-based or performance-based energy conservation programs under contract with a state agency prior to August 24, 2012.
UPDATE: The bill passed out of the Senate Energy Committee on April 7, 2016.

Weapons on Campus/ Campus Safety

HB 2931// Representative Mark McCullough and Senator Joseph Silk //  The legislation requires that each school district and institution of higher learning in the state have certain building safety plans and procedures in place and make specified annual reports. Further, the safety plans will follow a standard response protocol for emergency situations developed by a nationally recognized organization and be based on nationally recognized practices. Each plan will consist of four specific actions and include specific measures.
UPDATE:  The bill passed out of the Senate Appropriations Committee on Wednesday, April 6, 2016.  Senator Silk offered a committee substitute that deletes references to higher education.

Housing

No pending legislation.

Telecommunications/ IT

HB 2616// Representative Todd Thomsen and Senator Eddie Fields// The legislation is a shell bill related to the “Oklahoma Telecommunications Act of 1997.”
UPDATE:  The bill passed out of the Senate Energy Committee on Thursday, March 31, 2016.  The bill passed out of the Senate Appropriations on Wednesday, April 6, 2016.

Data and Reporting

SB 1117// Senator Nathan Dahm and Jason Murphey// The legislation allows a public body to maintain a quorum of members for the duration of a meeting whether the members are present at the meeting site or via videoconference.

UPDATE:  The legislation passed out of the House Government Oversight and Accountability Committee.  The bill passed out of the House on Thursday, March 31, 2016 with a vote of 80-2.

HB 2155// Representative Jon Echols and Senator Clark Jolley// The legislation creates the Transparency in Private Attorney Contingency-Fee Contracts Act which requires the Attorney General (AG) to make a written determination, prior to the state entering into a contingency-fee contract with a private attorney, whether the decision is both cost-effective and in the public interest.

UPDATE:  The bill passed out of the Senate Judiciary Committee on Tuesday, March 29, 2016 and passed out of the Senate Appropriations Committee on Wednesday, March 30, 2016.

HB 3028// Representative John Paul Jordan and Senator Jim Halligan//  The legislation requires the Oklahoma State Regents, in conjunction with the Oklahoma Department of Commerce, to annually prepare an economic security employment report of employment and earning outcomes for degrees earned at colleges and universities.  Beginning January 31, 2018, each institution will need to provide the report to students electronically.
UPDATE:  The bill passed out of the Senate Education Committee on Monday, April 4, 2016.

HB 3166// Representative Jeff Hickman and Senator Marty Quinn// The legislation requires additional information to be included in the State Regents’ annual report to the legislature.  The legislation would now require the report to include:

  1.  The budget prepared by the State Regents setting out in detail the necessary expenses of the State Regents for the next fiscal year;
  2.  The budget requests or proposals submitted by each institution to the State Regents for the next fiscal year;
  3.  The funding formula or allotment system used by the State Regents to allocate money to each institution, including a description of the functional goals of the formula or system for distributing funds to each institution;
  4.  A calculation of any differences in the budget requests amounts for each institution and the actual amounts allocated to each institution, including an explanation for any differences; and
  5.  Any other data considered relevant by the State Regents.
Additionally, by January 1 of each year, each institution of The Oklahoma State System of Higher Education shall submit a report to the Governor, the President Pro Tempore of the Senate, the Speaker of the House of Representatives, and the minority floor leaders and education committee chairs of both houses of the Oklahoma Legislature, which includes:

  1.  A copy of reports submitted to the State Regents, which itemizes the tuition and fees for each institution by campus or location; and
  2.  The total budget of each institution for the previous fiscal year, including the amount of revenue received from tuition and fee and other sources and expenses for each campus or location.
UPDATE:  The bill passed out of the Senate Education Committee on Monday, April 4, 2016.  The bill passed out of the Senate Appropriations Committee on Wednesday, April 6, 2016.

SB 1342// Senator Greg Treat and Representative Tom Newell// The legislation changes the definition of the term “expenditure of state funds” to the term “expenditure of funds” in the Taxpayer Transparency Act.  The bill requires the Open Books website to include data which tracks the expenditures of federal funds by FY 2017.
UPDATE:  The bill has been sent to Governor Fallin for her consideration.

State Authorization

SB 1157// Senator Stephanie Bice and Representative Katie Henke// The legislation requires all private and out-of-state public degree granting institutions to abide by policies and procedures that are established by the Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education.
UPDATE:  The bill passed out of the House Higher Education and CareerTech Committee on Wednesday, March 30, 2016.

Colleges of Education/ Academics

HB 2551// Representative Ann Coody and Senator Gary Stanislawski// The legislation requires the State Regents to enter into a contract with a nonprofit education center for the purposes of establishing a comprehensive dyslexia teacher training program.  The legislation establishes an advisory committee and requires the program to be implemented within 90 days of the effective date of the act.
UPDATE:  The bill passed out of the Senate Education Committee on Monday, April 4, 2016.  The bill passed out of the Senate Appropriations Committee on Wednesday, April 6, 2016.

HB 2951// Representative Michael Rogers and Senator Stephanie Bice //  The legislation requires the State Department of Education and the Oklahoma State Regents to identify and recruit students into the teaching profession.  The legislation directs the Department to develop materials to distribute and emphasize the importance of teaching.
UPDATE:  The bill passed out of the Senate Education Committee on Monday, April 4, 2016.  The bill passed out of the Senate Appropriations Committee on Wednesday, April 6, 2016.

SB 1380// Senator John Ford and Representative Jadine Nollan//  The legislation relates to requirements for graduation.  The bill would modify the description of laboratory science units, reduce the number of required art units or sets of competencies and add a computer education unit or set of competencies to the requirements.
UPDATE:  The bill passed out of the House Common Education Committee on Monday, March 28, 2016.

HB 2527// Representative Dennis Casey and Senator Jason Smalley// The legislation brings the Oklahoma School Testing Program Act into compliance with the federal Every Student Succeeds Act. It allows school districts to use local assessments that are nationally recognized for students at the secondary level in place of a state-mandated assessment. Local assessments approved by the State Board of Education and used in place of a state assessment will be considered state-mandated assessments. Results of the assessments will be reported to districts no later than June 1 of each year.  The legislation repeals the language that created the End of Instruction exams.
UPDATE:  The bill passed out of the Senate Education Committee on Monday, April 4, 2016.  The bill passed out of the Senate Appropriations Committee on Wednesday, April 6, 2016.

SB 1170// Senator John Ford and Representative Dennis Casey// The bill repeals End of Instruction testing. School districts will certify and award a standard diploma to students that master state curriculum requirements. The State Board of Education, in consultation with the State Regents and the Board of Career and Technology Education, must adopt an assessment or assessments that measure mastery of English, math and science.
UPDATE:  The legislation passed out of the House Appropriations Committee on Wednesdasy, April 6, 2016.

Immigration

No pending legislation.

Athletics

HB 2615// Representative Todd Thomsen and Senator Jim Halligan// The legislation prohibits the giving of money or a thing of value to a student-athlete or family member for the purpose of recruitment, and it prohibits any transaction between a person and a student-athlete that would likely cause the student-athlete to permanently or temporarily lose athletic scholarship and participation eligibility.  A violation of the measure would result in a misdemeanor for the donor and the person would be subject to a fine or imprisonment or both.
UPDATE:  The legislation was signed into law by Governor Fallin on Thursday, April 7, 2016.

Employment/Retirement

HB 3164// Representative Jeff Hickman and Senator Dan Newberry//  The legislation provides that when an employee begins work for an employer, and both know the end date of employment is within 9 months, for purposes of the Employment Security Act the worker is considered to have voluntarily quit at that end date.
UPDATE:  The legislation passed out of the House on Tuesday, March 1, 2016 with a vote of 70-12.  The bill passed out of the Senate Business and Commerce Committee on Thursday, March 31, 2016.

Thank you.

Glen D. Johnson
Chancellor
Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education
655 Research Parkway, Suite 200
Oklahoma City, Oklahoma 73104
405.225.9122
gjohnson at osrhe.edu<mailto:gjohnson at osrhe.edu>

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