1 STATE OF OKLAHOMA
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2 2nd Session of the 59th Legislature (2024)
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3 SENATE BILL 1328 By: Gollihare
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6 AS INTRODUCED
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7 An Act relating to the Oklahoma Higher Learning
7 Access Program; amending 70 O.S. 2021, Section 2603,
8 which relates to eligibility; providing eligibility
8 for students who complete certain core curriculum;
9 updating statutory language; providing an effective
9 date; and declaring an emergency.
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12 BE IT ENACTED BY THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF OKLAHOMA:
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13 SECTION 1. AMENDATORY 70 O.S. 2021, Section 2603, is
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14 amended to read as follows:
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15 Section 2603. A. Except as otherwise provided for in
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16 subsection B of this section and elsewhere in this section, to be
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17 eligible to participate in the Oklahoma Higher Learning Access
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18 Program and to qualify for an award which includes payment of an
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19 amount equivalent to resident tuition or other tuition pursuant to
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20 Section 2604 of this title for the first semester or other academic
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21 unit of postsecondary enrollment, a student shall:
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22 1. Be a resident of this state or be enrolled in a school
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23 district located in this state that serves students who reside in
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 1 both this state and an adjacent state pursuant to a contract as
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2 authorized in Section 5-117.1 of this title;
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3 2. Be a United States citizen or lawfully present in the United
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4 States. A student who is not a United States citizen or lawfully
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5 present in the United States shall not be eligible to participate in
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6 the Oklahoma Higher Learning Access Program and to qualify for an
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7 award notwithstanding the provisions of Section 3242 of this title.
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8 The provisions of this paragraph shall not apply to any student who
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9 was enrolled in the Oklahoma Higher Learning Access Program prior to
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10 the end of the 2006-2007 school year;
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11 3. Have a record of satisfactory compliance with agreements
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12 executed pursuant to Section 2605 of this title;
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13 4. a. have graduated within the previous three (3) years
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14 from a high school accredited by the State Board of
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15 Education, or the Oklahoma School of Science and
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16 Mathematics with a minimum 2.5 cumulative grade point
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17 average on a 4.0 scale for all work attempted in
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18 grades nine through twelve,
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19 b. have graduated within the previous three (3) years
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20 from a high school not accredited by the State Board
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21 of Education with a minimum 2.5 cumulative grade point
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22 average on a 4.0 scale for all work attempted in
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23 grades nine through twelve and have achieved a
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24 composite score of 22 or higher on the ACT test, or
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 1 c. have satisfactorily completed within the previous
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2 three (3) years an educational program that was
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3 provided through a means other than a public or
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4 private school and have achieved a composite score of
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5 22 or higher on the ACT test;
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6 5. Have completed the curricular requirements for admission to
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7 an institution within The Oklahoma State System of Higher Education
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8 and one additional unit or set of competencies in a course that
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9 meets college admission requirements; or have completed the core
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10 curriculum and be seeking admission to a technology center school
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11 overseen by the State Board of Career and Technology Education. The
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12 curriculum requirements for admission to an institution within The
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13 Oklahoma State System of Higher Education shall include two units or
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14 sets of competencies in foreign or non-English language or
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15 technology courses that meet the college admission requirements and
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16 one unit or set of competencies of a fine arts course. Students
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17 shall also have attained a 2.5 grade point average in the core
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18 curriculum courses. Students who attended a high school which did
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19 not offer all the core curriculum courses or students who were
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20 educated by other means and were not offered all the core curriculum
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21 courses shall be allowed to satisfy this curriculum requirement by
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22 participating in a program approved by the Oklahoma State Regents
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23 for Higher Education for remediation of high school curricular
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24 deficiencies;
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 1 6. Have satisfied admission standards as determined by the
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2 Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education for first-time-entering
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3 students for the appropriate type of institution, or, if attending a
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4 private institution, have satisfied admission standards as
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5 determined by the private institution. No student participating in
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6 the Oklahoma Higher Learning Access Program shall be admitted into
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7 an institution of higher education by special admission standards;
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8 7. Have secured admission to, and enrolled in, an institution
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9 which is a member of The Oklahoma State System of Higher Education,
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10 a postsecondary vocational-technical program offered by a technology
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11 center school that meets the requirements to be eligible for federal
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12 student financial aid, or a private institution of higher learning
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13 located within this state and accredited pursuant to Section 4103 of
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14 this title; and
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15 8. a. have established financial need according to the
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16 provisions of subsection D of Section 2605 of this
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17 title and standards and provisions promulgated by the
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18 Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education,
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19 b. if the student was adopted between birth and twelve
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20 (12) years of age while in the permanent custody of
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21 the Department of Human Services, in the court-ordered
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22 custody of a licensed private nonprofit child-placing
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23 agency, or federally recognized Indian tribe, as
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24 defined by the federal Indian Child Welfare Act, have
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 1 established financial need according to the provisions
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2 of paragraph 1 of subsection E of Section 2605 of this
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3 title and standards and provisions promulgated by the
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4 Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education, or
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5 c. if the student was adopted between thirteen (13) and
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6 seventeen (17) years of age while in the permanent
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7 custody of the Department of Human Services, in the
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8 court-ordered custody of a licensed private nonprofit
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9 child-placing agency, or federally recognized Indian
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10 tribe, as defined by the federal Indian Child Welfare
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11 Act, have established financial need according to the
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12 provisions of paragraph 2 of subsection E of Section
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13 2605 of this title and standards and provisions
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14 promulgated by the Oklahoma State Regents for Higher
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15 Education.
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16 B. 1. A student shall be eligible to participate in the
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17 Oklahoma Higher Learning Access Program and to qualify for an award
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18 which includes payment of an amount equivalent to resident tuition
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19 or other tuition pursuant to Section 2604 of this title for the
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20 first semester or other academic unit of postsecondary enrollment if
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21 the student meets all of the following criteria:
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22 a. is a child of any person killed after January 1, 2000,
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23 in the line of duty in any branch of the United States
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24 Armed Forces or who died after January 1, 2000, as a
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 1 result of an injury sustained while in the line of
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2 duty in any branch of the United States Armed Forces
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3 and the person who was killed or died filed an
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4 individual or joint Oklahoma income tax return for the
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5 tax year prior to the year during which the person was
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6 killed or died,
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7 b. is a resident of this state or is enrolled in a school
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8 district located in this state that serves students
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9 who reside in both this state and an adjacent state
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10 pursuant to a contract as authorized in Section 5-
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11 117.1 of this title,
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12 c. enrolls in an institution within The Oklahoma State
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13 System of Higher Education prior to reaching the age
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14 of twenty-one (21),
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15 d. has satisfied admission standards as determined by the
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16 Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education for first-
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17 time-entering students for the appropriate type of
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18 institution, or, if attending a private institution,
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19 has satisfied admission standards as determined by the
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20 private institution. No student participating in the
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21 Oklahoma Higher Learning Access Program shall be
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22 admitted into an institution of higher education by
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23 special admission standards,
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 1 e. has secured admission to, and enrolled in, an
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2 institution which is a member of The Oklahoma State
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3 System of Higher Education, a postsecondary
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4 vocational-technical program offered by a technology
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5 center school that meets the requirements to be
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6 eligible for federal student financial aid, or a
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7 private institution of higher learning located within
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8 this state and accredited pursuant to Section 4103 of
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9 this title, and
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10 f. executes an agreement pursuant to subsection C of
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11 Section 2605 of this title.
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12 2. A student who is eligible to participate in the program
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13 pursuant to this subsection shall not be required to meet the
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14 eligibility requirements set forth in subsection A of this section.
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15 C. To retain eligibility while pursuing the program of higher
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16 learning in which enrolled, the student shall:
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17 1. Meet the requirements for retention and degree completion as
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18 established by the institution in which the student is enrolled;
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19 2. Maintain good academic standing and satisfactory academic
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20 progress according to standards of the Oklahoma State Regents for
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21 Higher Education;
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22 3. Maintain satisfactory academic progress as required for
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23 eligibility for federal Title IV student financial aid programs.
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 1 The provisions of this paragraph shall become effective for the
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2 2012-2013 school year;
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3 4. Comply with the standards related to maintenance of
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4 eligibility as promulgated by the Oklahoma State Regents for Higher
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5 Education; and
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6 5. Refrain from conduct that leads to expulsion or suspension
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7 of more than one semester from an institution of higher education.
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8 A student who violates the provisions of this paragraph shall
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9 permanently lose eligibility for program benefits. The provisions
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10 of this paragraph shall become effective January 1, 2008.
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11 D. The Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education and the
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12 State Board of Career and Technology Education shall promulgate
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13 rules relating to maintenance of eligibility under the Oklahoma
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14 Higher Learning Access Act by a student.
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15 E. It is the intent of the Legislature that students in the
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16 ninth grade for the 1992-93 school year who are determined to be
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17 eligible Oklahoma Higher Learning Access students pursuant to the
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18 Oklahoma Higher Learning Access Act shall be the first students
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19 eligible for benefits from the Oklahoma Higher Learning Access Trust
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20 Fund.
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21 F. The Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education are
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22 authorized to study, develop, and propose criteria for determining
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23 award eligibility based upon the completion of seven semesters of
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24 high school coursework by a student.
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 1 SECTION 2. This act shall become effective July 1, 2024.
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2 SECTION 3. It being immediately necessary for the preservation
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3 of the public peace, health, or safety, an emergency is hereby
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4 declared to exist, by reason whereof this act shall take effect and
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5 be in full force from and after its passage and approval.
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7 59-2-3265 EB 12/14/2023 12:35:59 PM
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