1| STATE OF OKLAHOMA |
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2| 1st Session of the 59th Legislature (2023) |
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3|HOUSE BILL 1626 By: Goodwin |
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6| AS INTRODUCED |
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7| An Act relating to the Tulsa Reconciliation Education |
| and Scholarship Trust; amending 70 O.S. 2021, |
8| Sections 2621 and 2623, which relate to |
| administration of the Trust; modifying provisions |
9| related to award of scholarships; modifying |
| qualifying income limit; modifying provisions related |
10| to number of scholarships; modifying organization for |
| verification; modifying parties involved in |
11| administration; providing an effective date; and |
| declaring an emergency. |
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13| |
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14|BE IT ENACTED BY THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF OKLAHOMA: |
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15| SECTION 1. AMENDATORY 70 O.S. 2021, Section 2621, is |
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16|amended to read as follows: |
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17| Section 2621. There is hereby created the Tulsa Reconciliation |
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18|Education and Scholarship Program. The purpose of the program is to |
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19|provide a scholarship award to residents of the Tulsa School |
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20|District, which was greatly impacted both socially and economically |
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21|by the civil unrest that occurred in the City of Tulsa during 1921. |
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22|Beginning with the 2002-2003 school year, or as soon thereafter as |
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23|practicable, and subject to the availability of funds, the program |
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24|shall each year make scholarships available to as many as feasible |
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1|up to three hundred scholarships to qualified residents of the Tulsa |
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2|School District, and to qualified residents of any other common |
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3|school district of the state who are direct lineal descendants as |
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4|defined in subsection C of Section 2623 of this title and who meet |
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5|the criteria set forth in Sections 2623 and 2624 of this title, and |
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6|who are intending to pursue studies at an institution of higher |
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7|education in The Oklahoma State System of Higher Education or a |
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8|private institution of higher education, or who are intending to |
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9|pursue studies in a postsecondary career technology education |
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10|program. The scholarship shall be an amount of not more than the |
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11|equivalent of the average amount of resident tuition for which an |
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12|eligible Tulsa Reconciliation Education and Scholarship Program |
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13|participant enrolled at an institution in The Oklahoma State System |
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14|of Higher Education or a postsecondary career technology education |
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15|program, whichever is applicable, is obligated to pay. The |
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16|scholarship shall be paid as provided for in Section 2625 of this |
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17|title. The further purpose of this program is to establish and |
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18|maintain a variety of educational support services whereby residents |
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19|who qualify for the program will be prepared for success in |
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20|postsecondary endeavors. |
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21| SECTION 2. AMENDATORY 70 O.S. 2021, Section 2623, is |
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22|amended to read as follows: |
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23| Section 2623. A. Subject to the availability of funds, the |
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24|Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education may annually award a |
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1|maximum of three hundred full-time-equivalent scholarships for the |
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2|Tulsa Reconciliation Education and Scholarship Program to residents |
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3|of the Tulsa School District. |
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4| B. To qualify for a scholarship, an applicant shall satisfy the |
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5|following criteria: |
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6| 1. The family income of the applicant from taxable sources is |
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7|not more than Seventy Thousand Dollars ($70,000.00) One Hundred |
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8|Twenty Thousand Dollars ($120,000.00) per year. The Free |
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9|Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) form may be used to |
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10|verify family income; |
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11| 2. The applicant attended a Tulsa public school where |
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12|seventy-five percent (75%) or more of the students enrolled in the |
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13|school qualify for the free and reduced lunch program; and |
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14| 3. The applicant resides in a census block area within the |
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15|Tulsa School District where thirty percent (30%) or more of the |
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16|residents are at or below the poverty level established by the |
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17|United States Bureau of the Census. |
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18| C. The Regents may consider as a and the selection process |
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19|shall factor in first, when determining the order of preference of |
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20|the applicant or applicants, whether an applicant is a direct |
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21|lineal descendant of a direct lineal descendant of a person who |
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22|resided in the Greenwood Area in the City of Tulsa between April |
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23|30, 1921, and June 1, 1921. If the Regents use descent as a |
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24|preference factor, it shall be applied to all applicants regardless |
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1|of race. The applicants shall be required to present verifiable |
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2|documentation of their lineage. The Oklahoma Historical Society An |
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3|organization or individual engaged in genealogy and research of |
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4|descendants and history of the Tulsa, Oklahoma, 1921 race massacre |
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5|and Greenwood area shall verify the authenticity and accuracy of |
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6|the documentation submitted by an applicant and shall establish |
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7|confirm the boundaries of the Greenwood Area. Verifiable |
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8|documentation shall include, but not be limited to the following: |
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9| 1. Family records including family Bibles, vital records, |
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10|correspondence, memoirs, journals, diaries, unrecorded deeds, |
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11|diplomas, certificates, or testimonials; |
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12| 2. Public records including censuses, government records, |
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13|military records, pensions, land bounty records, passport |
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14|applications, passenger lists, original grants, naturalization or |
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15|immigration records, records of entry, or state, province, or local |
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16|records; or |
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17| 3. Institutional records including church records, cemetery |
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18|records and inscriptions, education institutions, insurance records, |
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19|or societies and fraternal organizations. |
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20| D. The Regents shall promulgate rules establishing the |
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21|application requirements for the program and the system for |
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22|evaluating applications based on the preference factors. The |
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23|application form shall include a small outlined box graphic, |
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24|followed by language, "Mark the box, if you are a direct lineal |
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1|descendant of a person greatly impacted socially and economically |
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2|during the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre who resided in the Greenwood |
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3|area of Tulsa, Oklahoma between April 30, 1921 and June 1, 1921." |
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4| E. Applicants shall also meet the eligibility criteria |
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5|established in Section 2624 of this title. |
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6| F. The Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education shall also |
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7|be authorized to annually award scholarships for the Tulsa |
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8|Reconciliation Education and Scholarship Program to two students at |
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9|each of the high schools in the Tulsa School District for the |
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10|purpose of preserving awareness of the history and meaning of the |
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11|civil unrest that occurred in Tulsa in 1921. The following |
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12|provisions shall apply to the scholarship provided in this |
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13|subsection: |
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14| 1. Notwithstanding the provisions of subsection B of this |
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15|section, eligibility for the scholarships awarded pursuant to this |
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16|subsection shall be: |
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17| a. enrollment in the appropriate high school, |
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18| b. family income of the applicant from taxable sources |
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19| not to exceed Seventy Thousand Dollars ($70,000.00) |
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20| One Hundred Twenty Thousand Dollars ($120,000.00) per |
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21| year, |
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22| c. the awards made pursuant to this subsection shall be |
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23| as specified in subsection C of this section, |
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1| d. satisfaction of the criteria specified in Section |
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2| 2624 of this title, and |
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3| d. e. any other relevant criteria determined by the |
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4| Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education; |
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5|2. The State Regents shall involve the administration of the Tulsa |
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6|School District and a Community Advisory Committee in the selection |
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7|process. The Community Advisory Committee shall be comprised of |
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8|seven members appointed by the Oklahoma Chancellor for Higher |
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9|Education. The Community Advisory Committee shall combine seven |
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10|members comprised of the following list: |
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11| a. One - President of Langston University or Designee, |
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12| b. One - Superintendent of Tulsa Public Schools or |
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13| Designee, |
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14| c. Two - Members of the Oklahoma Legislature |
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15| representing the Greenwood area in the city of Tulsa, |
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16| Oklahoma or their Designee/s, |
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17| d. Two - Descendants of socially and economically, |
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18| adversely impacted persons who resided in the |
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19| Greenwood area in the city of Tulsa, Oklahoma between |
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20| April 30,1921 and June 1, 1921, |
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21| e. One - Citizen with ties to the historic Greenwood |
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22| community who may be engaged in faith based, |
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23| education, social, business or advocacy work. |
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1| The President of Langston University, or Designee, shall be |
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2|responsible for coordinating the advisory committee and shall submit |
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3|to the Chancellor for Higher Education a list of proposed committee |
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4|members for review and approval; |
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5| 3. The award shall be limited to a one-year |
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6|full-time-equivalent period. Following successful completion of |
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7|such award, recipients who meet the criteria provided in subsection |
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8|B of this section shall be eligible to apply and be considered for |
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9|continued participation in the full Tulsa Reconciliation Education |
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10|and Scholarship Program. Any student subsequently awarded such |
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11|scholarship shall have the duration of the scholarship provided |
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12|pursuant to this subsection deducted from the limits set in |
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13|subsection D of Section 2625 of this title; |
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14| 4. The award may only be funded with state funds appropriated |
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15|to the Tulsa Reconciliation Education and Scholarship Trust Fund and |
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16|income therefrom, and shall be made subject to the availability of |
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17|such funds; and |
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18| 5. The awards made pursuant to this subsection shall be |
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19|included within the maximum number of scholarships specified in |
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20|subsection A of this section. |
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21| SECTION 3. This act shall become effective July 1, 2023. |
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22| SECTION 4. It being immediately necessary for the preservation |
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23|of the public peace, health or safety, an emergency is hereby |
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1|declared to exist, by reason whereof this act shall take effect and |
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2|be in full force from and after its passage and approval. |
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4| 59-1-6829 MJ 01/17/23 |
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