<!DOCTYPE HTML PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.0 Transitional//EN">
<HTML><HEAD>
<META HTTP-EQUIV="Content-Type" CONTENT="text/html; charset=iso-8859-1">
<META content="MSHTML 6.00.2800.1528" name=GENERATOR></HEAD>
<BODY>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2><SPAN class=303584022-08022006>FYI - Below is the
text of a press release issued today by Senate President Pro Tempore Mike Morgan
about action by the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Education to
recommend a bill on OHLAP to the full Senate Appropriations
Committee. The bill would increase the family income limit for OHLAP from
$50,000 to $75,000 effective for students (8th, 9th,
10th-graders) enrolling in the program in 2006-07. Sen. Morgan
expressed his intent that the full Senate Appropriations Committee act on the
bill next week with possible Senate floor action by the 3rd week of session
(Feb. 23). The Senate leadership has put this bill on a "fast
track". At this point, the House leadership has not expressed a formal
position on the bill. </SPAN></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2><SPAN class=303584022-08022006></SPAN></FONT><FONT
face=Arial size=2><SPAN class=303584022-08022006></SPAN></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2><SPAN class=303584022-08022006>Following is some
information from our analysis of the higher income limit:</SPAN></FONT></DIV>
<UL>
<LI><FONT face=Arial size=2><SPAN class=303584022-08022006></SPAN></FONT><FONT
face=Arial size=2><SPAN class=303584022-08022006>The most current federal
census data (2004) indicates that about 56% of Oklahoma families have
incomes of $50,000 or less; at $75,000, that rises to about
76%.</SPAN></FONT></LI>
<LI><FONT face=Arial size=2><SPAN class=303584022-08022006>The first cost
impact related to the higher income limit would be in FY2010 when next year's
high school sophomores enter college. The change could mean an
additional 4,000 OHLAP students in 2009-10 at
a possible additional cost of $10 million above current projections,
with similar additional increases each year thereafter.</SPAN></FONT></LI></UL>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2><SPAN class=303584022-08022006>We will keep you
apprised of the developments with this bill.</SPAN></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2><SPAN
class=303584022-08022006></SPAN></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2><SPAN class=303584022-08022006>Bryce
Fair</SPAN></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2><SPAN
class=303584022-08022006></SPAN></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2><SPAN
class=303584022-08022006></SPAN></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=2><SPAN class=303584022-08022006>
<DIV><SPAN class=242440522-08022006><FONT
face=Arial>=========================<SPAN
class=303584022-08022006>==================================</SPAN></FONT></SPAN></DIV>
<DIV><SPAN class=242440522-08022006><FONT face=Arial></FONT></SPAN> </DIV>
<DIV><SPAN class=242440522-08022006><FONT size=2>
<TABLE width="80%" border=0>
<TBODY>
<TR>
<TD>
<DIV align=center>
<P><FONT face=Arial><FONT size=+3><FONT size=3><STRONG><FONT
size=+3>Oklahoma State Senate<BR></FONT></STRONG></FONT></FONT>Senator
Mike Morgan<BR>President Pro Tempore<BR>Senate District 21<BR>Lincoln,
Logan & Payne Counties</FONT><FONT size=-1><B><BR><BR><FONT
face=Arial>For Immediate Release: February 8,
2006</FONT></B></FONT><BR><STRONG><BR><FONT face=Arial>Senate
Sub-Committee OKs Increase In Eligibility for Scholarship
Program</FONT></STRONG></P></DIV>
<P align=left><FONT face=Arial>The Senate Appropriations Sub-Committee on
Education gave approval Wednesday to legislation that will make more
children from middle class homes eligible to participate in the Oklahoma
Higher Learning Access Program.<BR><BR>Senate Bill 1993 by Senate
President Pro Tempore </FONT><A
href="http://www.oksenate.gov/Senators/biographies/morgan_bio.html"><FONT
face=Arial>Mike Morgan</FONT></A><FONT face=Arial> raises the maximum
income eligibility for OHLAP from $50,000 to $75,000.<BR><BR>"OHLAP is one
of the best examples we have of legislation that encourages personal
responsibility. Students make a pact with the state to make good grades,
take the right classes and stay out of trouble and they are rewarded with
a tuition scholarship," Morgan said. <BR><BR>The Senate leaders said
Wednesday's vote was the first step in his plan to fast-track the OHLAP
eligibility expansion bill in an effort to send it to the House of
Representatives before the end of February.<BR><BR>"We should send the
signal early in this session that we intend to invest in Oklahoma's
future. We need to say to Oklahoma that we are looking beyond the fall
campaigns and focusing, instead, on the future," Morgan said.<BR><BR>"This
session needs to be about more than the next election. It must be about
the next generation and there's no better way to invest in the next
generation than offering greater educational opportunities to more of our
students."<BR><BR>Senate Bill 1993 now heads to the full Senate
Appropriations Committee where it is expected to be heard next Wednesday.
Morgan said the bill could make it to the floor of the full Senate in the
third week of the session.<BR></FONT><FONT
size=2><STRONG><BR></STRONG></FONT><FONT face=Arial><STRONG><FONT
size=2>For more information contact:</FONT></STRONG><BR>Senate President
Pro Tem's Office - (405)
521-5605</FONT></P></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE></FONT></SPAN></DIV>
<DIV><SPAN class=242440522-08022006><FONT face=Arial></FONT></SPAN> </DIV>
<DIV><SPAN class=242440522-08022006><FONT
face=Arial>=========================<SPAN
class=303584022-08022006>===============================</SPAN></FONT></SPAN></DIV></SPAN></FONT></DIV>
<P><FONT face=Arial size=2>Bryce Fair</FONT> <BR><FONT face=Arial size=2>Assoc.
Vice Chancellor for Scholarships & Grants</FONT> <BR><FONT face=Arial
size=2>Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education</FONT> <BR><FONT face=Arial
size=2>Phone: (405) 225-9162</FONT> <BR><FONT face=Arial size=2>Fax:
(405) 225-9230</FONT> <BR><FONT face=Arial size=2>E-mail:
bfair@osrhe.edu</FONT> </P>
<P><FONT face=Arial size=2>Mailing Address:</FONT> <BR><FONT face=Arial
size=2>P.O. Box 108850</FONT> <BR><FONT face=Arial size=2>Oklahoma City,
OK 73101-8850</FONT> </P>
<P><FONT face=Arial size=2>Street Address:</FONT> <BR><FONT face=Arial
size=2>655 Research Parkway, Suite 200</FONT> <BR><FONT face=Arial
size=2>Oklahoma City, OK 73104</FONT> </P>
<DIV> </DIV></BODY></HTML>