ENROLLED HOUSE
BILL NO. 1421	By:	Casey, Osborn, Hickman and Billy of the House

				and

		Halligan and Fields of the Senate

An Act relating to higher education; amending 70 O.S. 2001, Section 2603, as last amended by Section 32, Chapter 2, O.S.L. 2009 (70 O.S. Supp. 2010, Section 2603), which relates to eligibility requirements for the Oklahoma Higher Learning Access Program; and adding certain requirement to retain eligibility.

SUBJECT:  Oklahoma Higher Learning Access Program

BE IT ENACTED BY THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF OKLAHOMA:

SECTION 1.     AMENDATORY     70 O.S. 2001, Section 2603, as last amended by Section 32, Chapter 2, O.S.L. 2009 (70 O.S. Supp. 2010, Section 2603), is amended to read as follows:

Section 2603.  A.  Except as otherwise provided for in this section, to be eligible to participate in the Oklahoma Higher Learning Access Program and to qualify for an award which includes payment of an amount equivalent to resident tuition or other tuition pursuant to Section 2604 of this title for the first semester or other academic unit of postsecondary enrollment, a student shall:

1.  Be a resident of this state or be enrolled in a school district located in this state that serves students who reside in both this state and an adjacent state pursuant to a contract as authorized in Section 5-117.1 of this title;

2.  Be a United States citizen or lawfully present in the United States.  A student who is not a United States citizen or lawfully present in the United States shall not be eligible to participate in the Oklahoma Higher Learning Access Program and to qualify for an award notwithstanding the provisions of Section 3242 of this title.  The provisions of this paragraph shall not apply to any student who was enrolled in the Oklahoma Higher Learning Access Program prior to the end of the 2006-2007 school year;

3.  Have a record of satisfactory compliance with agreements executed pursuant to Section 2605 of this title;

4.	a.	have graduated within the previous three (3) years from a high school accredited by the State Board of Education, or the Oklahoma School of Science and Mathematics with a minimum 2.5 cumulative grade point average on a 4.0 scale for all work attempted in grades nine through twelve,

b.	have graduated within the previous three (3) years from a high school not accredited by the State Board of Education with a minimum 2.5 cumulative grade point average on a 4.0 scale for all work attempted in grades nine through twelve and have achieved a composite score of 22 or higher on the ACT test, or

c.	have satisfactorily completed within the previous three (3) years an educational program that was provided through a means other than a public or private school and have achieved a composite score of 22 or higher on the ACT test;

5.  Have completed the curricular requirements for admission to an institution within The Oklahoma State System of Higher Education and one additional unit or set of competencies in a course that meets college admission requirements.  The curriculum requirements shall include two units or sets of competencies in foreign or non-English language or technology courses that meet the college admission requirements and one unit or set of competencies of a fine arts course.  Students shall also have attained a 2.5 grade point average in the core curriculum courses.  Students who attended a high school which did not offer all the core curriculum courses or students who were educated by other means and were not offered all the core curriculum courses shall be allowed to satisfy this curriculum requirement by participating in a program approved by the State Regents for remediation of high school curricular deficiencies;

6.  Have satisfied admission standards as determined by the Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education for first-time-entering students for the appropriate type of institution, or, if attending a private institution, have satisfied admission standards as determined by the private institution.  No student participating in the Oklahoma Higher Learning Access Program shall be admitted into an institution of higher education by special admission standards;

7.  Have secured admission to, and enrolled in, an institution which is a member of The Oklahoma State System of Higher Education, a postsecondary vocational-technical program offered pursuant to a duly approved cooperative agreement between a technology center school and an institution of The Oklahoma State System of Higher Education, or a private institution of higher learning located within this state and accredited pursuant to Section 4103 of this title; and

8.	a.	have established financial need according to the provisions of subsection D of Section 2605 of this title and standards and provisions promulgated by the Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education,

b.	if the student was adopted between birth and twelve (12) years of age while in the permanent custody of the Department of Human Services, in the court-ordered custody of a licensed private nonprofit child-placing agency, or federally recognized Indian tribe, as defined by the federal Indian Child Welfare Act, have established financial need according to the provisions of paragraph 1 of subsection E of Section 2605 of this title and standards and provisions promulgated by the Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education, or

c.	if the student was adopted between thirteen (13) and seventeen (17) years of age while in the permanent custody of the Department of Human Services, in the court-ordered custody of a licensed private nonprofit child-placing agency, or federally recognized Indian tribe, as defined by the federal Indian Child Welfare Act, have established financial need according to the provisions of paragraph 2 of subsection E of Section 2605 of this title and standards and provisions promulgated by the Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education.

B.  To retain eligibility while pursuing the program of higher learning in which enrolled, the student shall:

1.  Achieve a minimum cumulative grade point average of 2.0 on a 4.0 scale or its equivalent for courses taken through the student's sophomore year and achieve a minimum grade point average of 2.5 on a 4.0 scale or its equivalent for courses taken during the student's junior year and thereafter.  The provisions of this paragraph shall not apply to any student who has received an Oklahoma Higher Learning Access Program benefit award prior to the 2010-2011 school year;

2.  Maintain good academic standing and satisfactory academic progress according to standards of the Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education;

3.  Maintain satisfactory academic progress as required for eligibility for federal Title IV student financial aid programs.  The provisions of this paragraph shall become effective for the 2012-2013 school year;

4.  Comply with the standards related to maintenance of eligibility as promulgated by the Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education; and

4. 5.  Refrain from conduct that leads to expulsion or suspension of more than one semester from an institution of higher education.  A student who violates the provisions of this paragraph shall permanently lose eligibility for program benefits.  The provisions of this paragraph shall become effective January 1, 2008.

C.  The Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education and the State Board of Career and Technology Education shall promulgate rules relating to maintenance of eligibility under this act by a student.

D.  It is the intent of the Legislature that students in the ninth grade for the 1992-93 school year who are determined to be eligible Oklahoma Higher Learning Access students pursuant to this act shall be the first students eligible for benefits from the Oklahoma Higher Learning Access Trust Fund.

E.  The Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education are authorized to study, develop and propose criteria for determining award eligibility based upon the completion of seven (7) semesters of high school coursework by a student.

Passed the House of Representatives the 10th day of March, 2011.

	
Presiding Officer of the House of
	Representatives

Passed the Senate the 14th day of April, 2011.

	
Presiding Officer of the Senate