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1 STATE OF OKLAHOMA
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2 2nd Session of the 60th Legislature (2026)
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3 SENATE BILL 1735 By: Seifried
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6 AS INTRODUCED
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7 An Act relating to career and technology education;
7 amending 70 O.S. 2021, Section 14-108, as amended by
8 Section 1, Chapter 326, O.S.L. 2023 (70 O.S. Supp.
8 2025, Section 14-108), which relates to technology
9 center school districts and their boards of
9 education; directing technology center school
10 district schools to be subject to certain provisions
10 of the State Board of Career and Technology Education
11 rather than the State Board of Education; updating
11 statutory language; providing an effective date; and
12 declaring an emergency.
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15 BE IT ENACTED BY THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF OKLAHOMA:
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16 SECTION 1. AMENDATORY 70 O.S. 2021, Section 14-108, as
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17 amended by Section 1, Chapter 326, O.S.L. 2023 (70 O.S. Supp. 2025,
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18 Section 14-108), is amended to read as follows:
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19 Section 14-108. A. The State Board of Career and Technology
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20 Education shall prescribe criteria and procedures for the
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21 establishment and governance of technology center school districts,
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22 as provided by Section 9B of Article X of the Oklahoma Constitution,
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23 and such districts so established shall be operated in accordance
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Req. No. 2822 Page 1
1 with rules of the State Board of Career and Technology Education,
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2 except as otherwise provided in this title.
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3 B. A technology center school district shall be a body
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4 corporate and shall possess the usual powers of a corporation for
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5 public purposes. Its official name shall be designated by the State
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6 Board of Career and Technology Education, in which name it may sue
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7 and be sued, and be capable of contracting and being contracted
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8 with, and holding hold real and personal estate.
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9 C. The governing board of a technology center school district
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10 shall be a board of education consisting of not less fewer than five
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11 (5) nor more than seven (7) members. Except as otherwise provided
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12 for in subsections D and E of this section, all members of the board
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13 of education shall be elected in a manner prescribed by the State
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14 Board of Career and Technology Education. The State Board shall
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15 promulgate rules prescribing the manner in which the elections
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16 required by this subsection are held.
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17 D. In a technology center school district that serves seventy
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18 or more public school districts, the territory of the technology
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19 center school district shall be divided into district zones by the
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20 State Board of Career and Technology Education. Between August 1
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21 and December 31 of the year following the submission by the United
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22 States Department of Commerce to the President of the United States
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23 of the official Federal Decennial Census, the Board shall
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24 reapportion the territory of the technology center school district
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Req. No. 2822 Page 2
1 into district zones. All boundaries of district zones shall follow
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2 clearly visible, definable, and observable physical boundaries which
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3 are based upon criteria established and recognized by the Bureau of
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4 the Census of the United States Department of Commerce for purposes
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5 of defining census blocks for its decennial census and shall follow,
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6 as much as possible, precinct boundaries. District zones shall be
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7 compact, contiguous, and shall be as equal in population as
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8 practical with not more than a five-percent variance between the
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9 most populous and least populous district zones. The board of
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10 education of a technology center school district shall consist of
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11 one member elected from each of the district zones of the technology
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12 center school district created pursuant to this subsection. The
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13 electors of each district zone shall elect a person, who is a
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14 resident of the district zone, to represent the district zone on the
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15 school board. If during the term of office to which a person was
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16 elected, that member ceases to be a resident of the district zone
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17 for which the person was elected, the office shall become vacant and
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18 the vacancy shall be filled as provided in Section 13A-110 of Title
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19 26 of the Oklahoma Statutes. The State Board of Career and
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20 Technology Education shall promulgate rules prescribing the manner
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21 in which the elections required by this subsection are shall be
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22 held.
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23 E. In technology center school districts having a population of
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24 more than two hundred twenty-five thousand (225,000) electors, the
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Req. No. 2822 Page 3
1 territory of the technology center school district shall be divided
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2 into board zones by the State Board of Career and Technology
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3 Education. The board of education of the technology center school
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4 district shall consist of one member elected from each of the
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5 district zones. Beginning July 1, 2024, the board of education
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6 shall have the option, upon approval of a board resolution, of
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7 requiring that the electors of each district zone shall elect a
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8 person who is a resident of the district zone to represent the
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9 district zone on the school board and to not elect all board members
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10 at large, or the community continues to vote for the board members
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11 at large. If during the term of office to which a person was
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12 elected, that member ceases to be a resident of the district zone
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13 for which the person was elected, the office shall become vacant,
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14 and the vacancy shall be filled as provided for in Section 13A-110
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15 of Title 26 of the Oklahoma Statutes. The State Board of Career and
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16 Technology Education shall promulgate rules prescribing the manner
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17 in which the elections required by this subsection are shall be
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18 held.
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19 F. The board of education of a technology center school
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20 district shall have the same powers and duties that boards of
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21 education of independent school districts have. It may require
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22 nonresident students to pay reasonable tuition fees, which may be
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23 paid for a student by the independent or elementary school district
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24 in which the student resides.
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Req. No. 2822 Page 4
1 G. An election to vote on the question of making a levy of not
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2 to exceed five (5) mills on the dollar valuation of the taxable
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3 property in a technology center school district under the provisions
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4 of subsection A of Section 9B of Article X of the Oklahoma
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5 Constitution, shall be called by the board of education and
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6 conducted by the county election board of such district in the same
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7 manner that elections for emergency levies in school districts under
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8 the provisions of subsection (d) of Section 9 of Article X of the
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9 Oklahoma Constitution, are called and conducted. When such levy is
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10 approved by a majority of the electors of the technology center
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11 school district voting on the question at such election, the levy
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12 shall be made each fiscal year thereafter until repealed by a
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13 majority of the electors of the district voting on the question at
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14 an election called for such purpose. An election to vote on the
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15 question of making a local incentive levy of not to exceed five (5)
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16 mills on the dollar valuation of the taxable property in a
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17 technology center school district under the provisions of subsection
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18 B of Section 9B of Article X of the Oklahoma Constitution, may be
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19 called by the board of education; and elections on a levy for a
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20 building fund for an area school district under the provisions of
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21 Section 10 of Article X of the Oklahoma Constitution, shall be
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22 called by the board of education of such district and conducted by
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23 the county election board in the same manner that elections for
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1 similar levies are called and conducted in independent school
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2 districts.
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3 H. Annual estimates of needs of technology center school
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4 districts shall be made and approved in the same manner that those
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5 of independent school districts are made and approved. Provided,
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6 that the State Board of Career and Technology Education shall
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7 prescribe a list of appropriation accounts by which the funds of
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8 technology center school districts shall be budgeted, accounted for,
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9 and expended. Any such estimate of needs may include an estimate of
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10 federal funds as probable income from sources other than ad valorem
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11 tax of the district and other than any excise or other tax assessed
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12 by legislative enactment and distributed in lieu of ad valorem
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13 taxes. If a technology center school district lies in more than one
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14 county, the district's estimate of needs shall be filed with and
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15 approved by the county excise board of the county designated by the
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16 school district board of education.
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17 I. Territory may be annexed to or detached from a technology
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18 center school district, in accordance with rules prescribed by the
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19 State Board of Career and Technology Education. If the State Board
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20 of Career and Technology Education requires the submission of a
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21 petition in order for an election to be called for the purpose of
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22 annexation or deannexation of territory to a technology center
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23 school district, such petition shall not be required to bear a
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24 number of technology center school district electors' signatures
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Req. No. 2822 Page 6
1 which exceed fifty percent (50%) of the number of technology center
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2 school district electors who voted in the last school board election
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3 in the territory proposed to be annexed or deannexed. Provided, the
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4 period of time from which the petition is initiated to its time of
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5 filing with the State Board shall not exceed ninety (90) days.
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6 J. Schools of technology center school districts shall be
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7 subject to classification, inspection, and accreditation by the
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8 State Board of Career and Technology Education.
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9 K. The technology center school district board of education may
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10 designate a county treasurer to serve as treasurer of the school
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11 district or may appoint an independent treasurer.
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12 L. Within four (4) years after the creation of a technology
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13 center school district, such school district may, at its discretion,
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14 permit a teacher to transfer any or all accrued benefits upon
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15 employment including credit for years of service in the previous
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16 school district by the technology center school district, if the
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17 teacher at the time of hiring is employed as a teacher by an
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18 independent or elementary school district which is all or partly
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19 within the boundaries of the technology center school district or is
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20 employed as a teacher in a skills center within the boundaries of
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21 the school district.
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22 M. The board of education of a technology center school
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23 district may convey surplus personal property without consideration
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24 to:
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Req. No. 2822 Page 7
1 1. A school district that is within the boundary of the
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2 technology center school district;
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3 2. A public school offering secondary level education which was
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4 created and is operated by this state and that is within the
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5 boundary of the technology center school district;
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6 3. A technology center school district; or
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7 4. The Oklahoma Department of Career and Technology Education
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8 for the support or delivery of department initiatives.
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9 N. The board of education of a technology center school
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10 district may, without prior approval of the State Board of Career
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11 and Technology Education, approve all plans and specifications for
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12 technology center school buildings, additions, and major
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13 modifications to school buildings that are designed to provide for
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14 the offering of vocational-technical education programs and services
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15 when the cost of the building project is to be paid with local
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16 levies or state bond monies or both local levies and state bond
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17 monies.
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18 SECTION 2. This act shall become effective July 1, 2026.
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19 SECTION 3. It being immediately necessary for the preservation
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20 of the public peace, health, or safety, an emergency is hereby
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21 declared to exist, by reason whereof this act shall take effect and
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22 be in full force from and after its passage and approval.
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24 60-2-2822 EB 1/14/2026 2:14:16 PM
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Req. No. 2822 Page 8Every fact on this page links to its source, starting with the official bill record.