1|ENGROSSED SENATE |
|BILL NO. 27 By: Pemberton and Bullard of |
2| the Senate |
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3| and |
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4| Luttrell of the House |
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5| |
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6| |
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7| An Act relating to the Oklahoma Higher Learning |
| Access Program; amending 70 O.S. 2021, Section 2603, |
8| which relates to eligibility; modifying eligibility |
| to include certain SAT score; providing eligibility |
9| for students who complete certain core curriculum; |
| updating statutory language; providing an effective |
10| date; and declaring an emergency. |
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11| |
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12| |
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13|BE IT ENACTED BY THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF OKLAHOMA: |
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14| SECTION 1. AMENDATORY 70 O.S. 2021, Section 2603, is |
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15|amended to read as follows: |
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16| Section 2603. A. Except as otherwise provided for in |
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17|subsection B of this section and elsewhere in this section, to be |
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18|eligible to participate in the Oklahoma Higher Learning Access |
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19|Program and to qualify for an award which includes payment of an |
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20|amount equivalent to resident tuition or other tuition pursuant to |
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21|Section 2604 of this title for the first semester or other academic |
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22|unit of postsecondary enrollment, a student shall: |
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23| 1. Be a resident of this state or be enrolled in a school |
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24|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| |
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1| composite score of 22 or higher on the ACT test or a |
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2| composite score of 1110 or higher on the SAT, or |
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3| c. have satisfactorily completed within the previous |
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4| three (3) years an educational program that was |
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5| provided through a means other than a public or |
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6| private school and have achieved a composite score of |
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7| 22 or higher on the ACT test or a composite score of |
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8| 1110 or higher on the SAT; |
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9| 5. Have completed the curricular requirements for admission to |
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10|an institution within The Oklahoma State System of Higher Education |
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11|and one additional unit or set of competencies in a course that |
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12|meets college admission requirements; or have completed the core |
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13|curriculum and is seeking admission to a technology center school |
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14|overseen by the State Board of Career and Technology Education. The |
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15|curriculum requirements for admission to an institution within The |
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16|Oklahoma State System of Higher Education shall include two units or |
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17|sets of competencies in foreign or non-English language or |
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18|technology courses that meet the college admission requirements and |
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19|one unit or set of competencies of a fine arts course. Students |
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20|shall also have attained a 2.5 grade point average in the core |
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21|curriculum courses. Students who attended a high school which did |
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22|not offer all the core curriculum courses or students who were |
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23|educated by other means and were not offered all the core curriculum |
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24|courses shall be allowed to satisfy this curriculum requirement by |
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1|participating in a program approved by the Oklahoma State Regents |
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2|for Higher Education for remediation of high school curricular |
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3|deficiencies; |
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4| 6. Have satisfied admission standards as determined by the |
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5|Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education for first-time-entering |
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6|students for the appropriate type of institution, or, if attending a |
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7|private institution, have satisfied admission standards as |
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8|determined by the private institution. No student participating in |
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9|the Oklahoma Higher Learning Access Program shall be admitted into |
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10|an institution of higher education by special admission standards; |
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11| 7. Have secured admission to, and enrolled in, an institution |
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12|which is a member of The Oklahoma State System of Higher Education, |
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13|a postsecondary vocational-technical program offered by a technology |
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14|center school that meets the requirements to be eligible for federal |
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15|student financial aid, or a private institution of higher learning |
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16|located within this state and accredited pursuant to Section 4103 of |
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17|this title; and |
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18| 8. a. have established financial need according to the |
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19| provisions of subsection D of Section 2605 of this |
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20| title and standards and provisions promulgated by the |
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21| Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education, |
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22| b. if the student was adopted between birth and twelve |
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23| (12) years of age while in the permanent custody of |
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24| the Department of Human Services, in the court-ordered |
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1| custody of a licensed private nonprofit child-placing |
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2| agency, or federally recognized Indian tribe, as |
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3| defined by the federal Indian Child Welfare Act, have |
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4| established financial need according to the provisions |
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5| of paragraph 1 of subsection E of Section 2605 of this |
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6| title and standards and provisions promulgated by the |
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7| Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education, or |
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8| c. if the student was adopted between thirteen (13) and |
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9| seventeen (17) years of age while in the permanent |
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10| custody of the Department of Human Services, in the |
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11| court-ordered custody of a licensed private nonprofit |
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12| child-placing agency, or federally recognized Indian |
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13| tribe, as defined by the federal Indian Child Welfare |
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14| Act, have established financial need according to the |
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15| provisions of paragraph 2 of subsection E of Section |
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16| 2605 of this title and standards and provisions |
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17| promulgated by the Oklahoma State Regents for Higher |
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18| Education. |
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19| B. 1. A student shall be eligible to participate in the |
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20|Oklahoma Higher Learning Access Program and to qualify for an award |
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21|which includes payment of an amount equivalent to resident tuition |
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22|or other tuition pursuant to Section 2604 of this title for the |
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23|first semester or other academic unit of postsecondary enrollment if |
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24|the student meets all of the following criteria: |
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1| a. is a child of any person killed after January 1, |
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2| 2000, in the line of duty in any branch of the United |
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3| States Armed Forces or who died after January 1, 2000, |
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4| as a result of an injury sustained while in the line |
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5| of duty in any branch of the United States Armed |
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6| Forces and the person who was killed or died filed an |
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7| individual or joint Oklahoma income tax return for the |
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8| tax year prior to the year during which the person was |
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9| killed or died, |
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10| b. is a resident of this state or is enrolled in a |
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11| school district located in this state that serves |
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12| students who reside in both this state and an adjacent |
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13| state pursuant to a contract as authorized in Section |
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14| 5-117.1 of this title, |
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15| c. enrolls in an institution within The Oklahoma State |
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16| System of Higher Education prior to reaching the age |
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17| of twenty-one (21), |
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18| d. has satisfied admission standards as determined by |
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19| the Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education for |
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20| first-time-entering students for the appropriate type |
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21| of institution, or, if attending a private |
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22| institution, has satisfied admission standards as |
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23| determined by the private institution. No student |
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24| participating in the Oklahoma Higher Learning Access |
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1| Program shall be admitted into an institution of |
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2| higher education by special admission standards, |
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3| e. has secured admission to, and enrolled in, an |
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4| institution which is a member of The Oklahoma State |
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5| System of Higher Education, a postsecondary |
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6| vocational-technical program offered by a technology |
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7| center school that meets the requirements to be |
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8| eligible for federal student financial aid, or a |
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9| private institution of higher learning located within |
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10| this state and accredited pursuant to Section 4103 of |
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11| this title, and |
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12| f. executes an agreement pursuant to subsection C of |
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13| Section 2605 of this title. |
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14| 2. A student who is eligible to participate in the program |
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15|pursuant to this subsection shall not be required to meet the |
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16|eligibility requirements set forth in subsection A of this section. |
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17| C. To retain eligibility while pursuing the program of higher |
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18|learning in which enrolled, the student shall: |
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19| 1. Meet the requirements for retention and degree completion as |
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20|established by the institution in which the student is enrolled; |
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21| 2. Maintain good academic standing and satisfactory academic |
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22|progress according to standards of the Oklahoma State Regents for |
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23|Higher Education; |
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1| 3. Maintain satisfactory academic progress as required for |
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2|eligibility for federal Title IV student financial aid programs. |
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3|The provisions of this paragraph shall become effective for the |
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4|2012-2013 school year; |
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5| 4. Comply with the standards related to maintenance of |
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6|eligibility as promulgated by the Oklahoma State Regents for Higher |
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7|Education; and |
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8| 5. Refrain from conduct that leads to expulsion or suspension |
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9|of more than one semester from an institution of higher education. |
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10|A student who violates the provisions of this paragraph shall |
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11|permanently lose eligibility for program benefits. The provisions |
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12|of this paragraph shall become effective January 1, 2008. |
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13| D. The Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education and the |
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14|State Board of Career and Technology Education shall promulgate |
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15|rules relating to maintenance of eligibility under the Oklahoma |
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16|Higher Learning Access Act by a student. |
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17| E. It is the intent of the Legislature that students in the |
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18|ninth grade for the 1992-93 school year who are determined to be |
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19|eligible Oklahoma Higher Learning Access students pursuant to the |
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20|Oklahoma Higher Learning Access Act shall be the first students |
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21|eligible for benefits from the Oklahoma Higher Learning Access Trust |
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22|Fund. |
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23| F. The Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education are |
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24|authorized to study, develop, and propose criteria for determining |
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1|award eligibility based upon the completion of seven semesters of |
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2|high school coursework by a student. |
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3| SECTION 2. This act shall become effective July 1, 2023. |
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4| SECTION 3. It being immediately necessary for the preservation |
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5|of the public peace, health, or safety, an emergency is hereby |
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6|declared to exist, by reason whereof this act shall take effect and |
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7|be in full force from and after its passage and approval. |
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8| Passed the Senate the 2nd day of March, 2023. |
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| Presiding Officer of the Senate |
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12| Passed the House of Representatives the ____ day of __________, |
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13|2023. |
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| Presiding Officer of the House |
16| of Representatives |
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