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<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:12.0pt"><span style="font-size:14.0pt">Today, Governor Fallin signed into law SB 529 (by Sen. Jason Smalley and Rep. Katie Henke), the bill making significant changes to the Oklahoma’s Promise scholarship program. 
 The bill will become effective July 1, 2017.  The text of the final version of the bill is available at
<a href="http://webserver1.lsb.state.ok.us/cf_pdf/2017-18%20ENR/SB/SB529%20ENR.PDF">
<span style="color:windowtext">http://webserver1.lsb.state.ok.us/cf_pdf/2017-18%20ENR/SB/SB529%20ENR.PDF</span></a> (the official signed version of the bill is not yet available electronically).   <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:12.0pt"><span style="font-size:14.0pt">As a reminder, the bill contains the following changes:<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-top-alt:0in;margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:12.0pt;margin-left:.5in;text-indent:-.25in;mso-list:l1 level1 lfo3">
<![if !supportLists]><span style="font-size:14.0pt;font-family:Symbol"><span style="mso-list:Ignore">·<span style="font:7.0pt "Times New Roman"">      
</span></span></span><![endif]><u><span style="font-size:14.0pt">Increasing the application family income limit to $55,000 AGI beginning in 2017-18</span></u><span style="font-size:14.0pt">:  The current $50,000 limit has not been adjusted since 2000.  The
 adjustment to $55,000 based on Adjusted Gross Income (AGI) applies to 8<sup>th</sup>, 9<sup>th</sup>, and 10<sup>th</sup>-grade applicants beginning in the 2017-18 school year. The bill also further adjusts the income limit to $60,000 for 8<sup>th</sup>, 9<sup>th</sup>,
 and 10<sup>th</sup>-grade applicants beginning in 2021-22.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-top-alt:0in;margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:12.0pt;margin-left:.5in;text-indent:-.25in;mso-list:l1 level1 lfo3">
<![if !supportLists]><span style="font-size:14.0pt;font-family:Symbol"><span style="mso-list:Ignore">·<span style="font:7.0pt "Times New Roman"">      
</span></span></span><![endif]><u><span style="font-size:14.0pt">Authorizing more postsecondary career technology certificate programs</span></u><span style="font-size:14.0pt">:  Currently, only career technology courses that qualify for college credit are
 eligible for the use of the scholarship.  For enrollment periods beginning after July 1, 2017, this change allows the OKPromise scholarship to be used for any certificate program at a career technology center that qualifies for federal financial aid.  This
 change is consistent with other state and federal financial aid policy. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-top-alt:0in;margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:12.0pt;margin-left:.5in;text-indent:-.25in;mso-list:l1 level1 lfo3">
<![if !supportLists]><span style="font-size:14.0pt;font-family:Symbol"><span style="mso-list:Ignore">·<span style="font:7.0pt "Times New Roman"">      
</span></span></span><![endif]><u><span style="font-size:14.0pt">Aligning scholarship retention requirements with college degree-completion standards</span></u><span style="font-size:14.0pt">:  To maximize college degree-completion, the scholarship retention
 requirements will be aligned with the college or university’s degree-completion standards.  This change becomes effective July 1, 2017.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:12.0pt"><span style="font-size:14.0pt">The bill also contains several important reforms to help ensure that the scholarship expenditures are effective and efficient.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-top-alt:0in;margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:12.0pt;margin-left:.5in;text-indent:-.25in;mso-list:l1 level1 lfo3">
<![if !supportLists]><span style="font-size:14.0pt;font-family:Symbol"><span style="mso-list:Ignore">·<span style="font:7.0pt "Times New Roman"">      
</span></span></span><![endif]><u><span style="font-size:14.0pt">Beginning in 2018-19, the OKPromise scholarship will no longer pay for zero-credit college remedial courses</span></u><span style="font-size:14.0pt">:  Many colleges are in the process of reforming
 remediation to provide supplemental academic support within credit-earning courses.  In addition, many high school seniors will soon have access to College Career Math Ready courses that are designed to address math remediation needs during the student’s senior
 year of high school.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-top-alt:0in;margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:12.0pt;margin-left:.5in;text-indent:-.25in;mso-list:l1 level1 lfo3">
<![if !supportLists]><span style="font-size:14.0pt;font-family:Symbol"><span style="mso-list:Ignore">·<span style="font:7.0pt "Times New Roman"">      
</span></span></span><![endif]><u><span style="font-size:14.0pt">Beginning in 2018-19, the second family income check at $100,000 will be applied every year in college</span></u><span style="font-size:14.0pt">:  Currently, the second income check at $100,000
 is conducted only one time when the student starts college.  Under the change, a student will not be eligible for the scholarship in any year that their family income exceeds $100,000.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-top-alt:0in;margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:12.0pt;margin-left:.5in;text-indent:-.25in;mso-list:l1 level1 lfo3">
<![if !supportLists]><span style="font-size:14.0pt;font-family:Symbol"><span style="mso-list:Ignore">·<span style="font:7.0pt "Times New Roman"">      
</span></span></span><![endif]><u><span style="font-size:14.0pt">Cap the number of credit hours paid by the scholarship in college</span></u><span style="font-size:14.0pt">:  The bill requires the Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education to establish a maximum
 limit on the number of credit hours for which the scholarship will pay during the student’s five years of scholarship eligibility.  This limit has not been set yet, but will likely become effective for students entering college in fall 2018.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:12.0pt"><span style="font-size:14.0pt"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:14.0pt"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Bryce Fair<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Associate Vice Chancellor for Scholarships & Grants<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">P.O. Box 108850<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Oklahoma City, OK 73101-8850<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Phone: 405-225-9162<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Email: <a href="mailto:bfair@osrhe.edu"><span style="color:windowtext">bfair@osrhe.edu</span></a><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Fax:  405-225-9230<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
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