1 STATE OF OKLAHOMA
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2 2nd Session of the 59th Legislature (2024)
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3 HOUSE BILL 3669 By: Miller
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6 AS INTRODUCED
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7 An Act relating to higher education; creating the
7 Oklahoma Department of Transportation Educational
8 Assistance Act; providing definitions; establishing
8 assistance program for eligible students; clarifying
9 details of assistance; providing criteria for
9 eligibility; requiring repayment under certain
10 circumstances; permitting both public and private
10 funding of program; directing the Department of
11 Transportation to promulgate rules; creating the
11 Oklahoma Department of Transportation Educational
12 Assistance Revolving Fund; providing for
12 codification; and providing an effective date.
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16 BE IT ENACTED BY THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF OKLAHOMA:
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17 SECTION 1. NEW LAW A new section of law to be codified
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18 in the Oklahoma Statutes as Section 3234 of Title 70, unless there
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19 is created a duplication in numbering, reads as follows:
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20 A. This act shall be known and may be cited as the “Oklahoma
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21 Department of Transportation Educational Assistance Act”.
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22 B. As used in this act:
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 1 1. "Conditional grant program" means the Oklahoma Department of
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2 Transportation Educational Assistance Program established pursuant
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3 to the provisions of this section;
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4 2. "Department" means the Oklahoma Department of
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5 Transportation;
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6 3. "Eligible degree" means a baccalaureate degree from an
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7 institution in a field of study that satisfies the Department's
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8 minimum education requirement for an eligible profession;
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9 4. "Eligible profession" means the profession of engineering or
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10 another profession as defined by Department rule for which the
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11 Department determines there is a need in the Department's workforce;
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12 5. "Eligible Student" means a student who has a high school
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13 diploma or who has completed General Educational Development (GED)
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14 requirements and who:
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15 a. has completed and filed with the Department, on forms
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16 prescribed by the Department, a conditional grant
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17 application and a declaration of intent to become a
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18 member of an eligible profession and work for the
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19 Department for the five (5) academic years immediately
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20 following the date of the student's receipt of an
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21 eligible degree,
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22 b. has enrolled in an Oklahoma educational institution,
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23 and
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24 c. is an Oklahoma resident;
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 1 6. "Graduate program" means a program offered by an Oklahoma
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2 educational institution that leads to the award of a master’s
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3 degree;
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4 7. "Oklahoma educational institution" means an institution of
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5 higher education within the Oklahoma State System of Higher
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6 Education;
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7 8. "Profession" means a state position for which the minimum
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8 requirements include a baccalaureate degree; and
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9 9. "Undergraduate program" means a program offered by an
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10 Oklahoma educational institution that leads to the award of an
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11 associate’s degree or a baccalaureate degree.
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12 C. There is hereby created the Oklahoma Department of
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13 Transportation Educational Assistance Program to provide assistance
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14 to eligible students who enroll in an Oklahoma educational
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15 institution and who agree to work for the Department in an eligible
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16 profession for the five (5) academic years immediately following the
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17 date of the student's receipt of an eligible degree. The
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18 Department, by rule, shall prescribe criteria for the selection of
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19 applicants under this act. Subject to the availability of funds,
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20 the amount of assistance shall be equivalent to the amount of
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21 resident tuition, mandatory fees, and academic service fees for
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22 courses in which the eligible student is enrolled, not to exceed a
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23 maximum of eighteen (18) credit hours each semester.
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 1 1. The amount of assistance provided to an eligible student
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2 enrolled in an undergraduate program shall not exceed a maximum of
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3 one hundred twenty (120) credit hours in pursuit of an associate’s
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4 degree and/or a baccalaureate degree;
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5 2. Subject to the assistance for eligible students enrolled in
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6 undergraduate programs being fully funded, assistance shall be
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7 provided to an eligible student with a baccalaureate degree enrolled
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8 in a graduate program. The amount of assistance provided to an
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9 eligible student enrolled in a graduate program shall not exceed a
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10 maximum of forty (40) credit hours in pursuit of a master’s degree;
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11 3. Assistance provided pursuant to this section shall be
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12 granted without any limitation other than the amount of funds
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13 available for the program and the number of eligible students who
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14 apply;
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15 4. Assistance allowed by this section shall not be allowed for
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16 courses taken in excess of the requirements for completion of an
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17 undergraduate program or a graduate program, whichever is applicable
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18 for the eligible student;
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19 D. 1. To be eligible to apply for the conditional grant
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20 program, an eligible student shall:
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21 a. complete and file with the Department, on forms
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22 prescribed by the Department, a conditional grant
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23 application and a declaration of intent to become a
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24 member of an eligible profession and work for the
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 1 Department for the five (5) academic years immediately
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2 following the date of the student's receipt of an
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3 eligible degree,
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4 b. be enrolled in an Oklahoma educational institution,
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5 and
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6 c. be an Oklahoma resident;
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7 2. To retain eligibility for the Program, an eligible student
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8 shall:
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9 a. maintain good academic standing and satisfactory
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10 academic progress according to standards of the
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11 Oklahoma educational institution in which the member
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12 is enrolled,
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13 b. maintain the requirements for retention and degree
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14 completion as established by the Oklahoma educational
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15 institution in which the member is enrolled, and
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16 c. maintain a minimum grade point average of 2.0 on a 4.0
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17 scale;
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18 3. An eligible student seeking assistance pursuant to the
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19 provisions of this section shall submit an application on a form
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20 prescribed by the Department prior to the semester for which
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21 assistance is sought; and
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22 4. The eligible student may be denied continued assistance if
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23 he or she fails to comply with the provisions of this act.
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24 E. Repayment of Conditional Grant:
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 1 1. The Department, by rule, may establish conditions under
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2 which a student who has received a conditional grant may be required
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3 to repay all or part of the grant because the student has withdrawn
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4 from or dropped out of the student’s institution or has otherwise
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5 failed to maintain eligibility for the grant;
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6 2. A student who does not become a member of an eligible
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7 profession and work for the Department for the five (5) academic
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8 years immediately following the date of the student’s receipt of an
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9 eligible degree must repay all conditional grants received by the
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10 student;
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11 3. An eligible student who has received assistance pursuant to
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12 the provisions of this conditional grant program and who fails to
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13 comply with the provisions of this act due to hardship circumstances
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14 may request a waiver from repayment;
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15 4. Repayments shall be deposited into the Oklahoma Department
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16 of Transportation Educational Assistance Revolving Fund created
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17 pursuant to Section 2 of this act; and
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18 5. The Department shall establish a schedule for installment
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19 payments under this section.
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20 F. The Department may accept gifts and grants from any public
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21 or private source for the conditional grant program under this
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22 subchapter and may also use for that purpose available money
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23 credited to the state highway program. All funding received by the
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 1 Department for this purpose shall be transferred to the Oklahoma
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2 Department of Transportation Educational Assistance Revolving Fund.
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3 G. The Oklahoma Department of Transportation shall promulgate
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4 rules to implement the provisions of this act.
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5 SECTION 2. NEW LAW A new section of law to be codified
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6 in the Oklahoma Statutes as Section 3235 of Title 70, unless there
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7 is created a duplication in numbering, reads as follows:
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8 There is hereby created in the State Treasury a revolving fund
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9 to be designated the "Oklahoma Department of Transportation
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10 Educational Assistance Revolving Fund". The fund shall be a
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11 continuing fund, not subject to fiscal year limitations, and shall
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12 consist of monies received by the Department and allocated for the
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13 conditional grant program. All monies accruing to the credit of the
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14 fund are hereby appropriated and may be budgeted and expended by the
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15 Oklahoma Department of Transportation for the purpose of providing
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16 assistance to eligible students pursuant to the provisions of
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17 Section 1 of this act. Expenditures from the fund shall be made
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18 upon warrants issued by the State Treasurer against claims filed as
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19 prescribed by law with the Director of the Office of Management and
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20 Enterprise Services for approval and payment.
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21 SECTION 3. This act shall become effective November 1, 2024.
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23 59-2-9577 MJ 01/11/24
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