Shown verbatim: the complete text as captured from the official PDF posted by the Oklahoma Legislature, fetched 2026-07-23. Page and line markers are part of the official record; nothing is edited or removed. The official bill page.
1 STATE OF OKLAHOMA
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2 1st Session of the 60th Legislature (2025)
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3 SENATE BILL 185 By: Haste
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7 AS INTRODUCED
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8 An Act relating to higher education; creating the
8 Oklahoma Department of Transportation Educational
9 Assistance Act; providing short title; defining
9 terms; creating the Oklahoma Department of
10 Transportation Educational Assistance Program to
10 provide tuition and fee assistance to certain
11 eligible students; providing for amount of
11 assistance, subject to availability of funding;
12 providing limitation on amount of assistance;
12 directing assistance to be provided based on certain
13 factors; prohibiting assistance for courses taken in
13 excess of certain requirements; prohibiting
14 assistance for certain courses; providing for
14 eligibility retention; requiring submission of
15 application prescribed by certain agency; allowing
15 continued assistance to be denied under certain
16 circumstances; providing for promulgation of rules;
16 establishing requirements for assistance repayment;
17 requiring deposit of repayments in certain fund;
17 directing the Transportation Commission to establish
18 certain schedule; allowing repayment waiver under
18 certain circumstances; providing for submission of
19 waiver request; allowing the Department of
19 Transportation to accept certain gifts and grants;
20 directing funds to be transferred to certain fund;
20 providing for promulgation of rules; creating the
21 Oklahoma Department of Transportation Educational
21 Assistance Revolving Fund; specifying sources of
22 fund; providing for expenditures; providing purpose
22 of fund; providing for codification; providing an
23 effective date; and declaring an emergency.
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5 BE IT ENACTED BY THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF OKLAHOMA:
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6 SECTION 1. NEW LAW A new section of law to be codified
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7 in the Oklahoma Statutes as Section 3234 of Title 70, unless there
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8 is created a duplication in numbering, reads as follows:
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9 A. This act shall be known and may be cited as the "Oklahoma
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10 Department of Transportation Educational Assistance Act".
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11 B. As used in this act:
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12 1. "Commission" means the Transportation Commission;
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13 2. "Department" means the Department of Transportation;
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14 3. "Eligible degree" means a baccalaureate degree from an
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15 Oklahoma educational institution in a field of study that satisfies
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16 the Department's minimum education requirements for an eligible
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17 profession;
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18 4. "Eligible profession" means an engineer, a land surveyor, or
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19 an accountant;
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20 5. "Eligible student" means a student who has a high school
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21 diploma or who has completed General Educational Development (GED)
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22 requirements and who:
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23 a. has completed and filed with the Department, on forms
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24 prescribed by the Department, an application and a
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1 declaration of intent to become a member of an
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2 eligible profession and work for the Department for
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3 five (5) years immediately following the date of the
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4 student's receipt of an eligible degree,
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5 b. has enrolled in an Oklahoma educational institution,
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6 c. is an Oklahoma resident, and
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7 d. is age eighteen (18) or older;
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8 6. "Graduate program" means a program offered by an Oklahoma
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9 educational institution that leads to the award of a master's degree
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10 or higher;
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11 7. "Oklahoma educational institution" means an institution of
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12 higher education within The Oklahoma State System of Higher
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13 Education;
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14 8. "Program" means the Oklahoma Department of Transportation
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15 Educational Assistance Program; and
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16 9. "Undergraduate program" means a program offered by an
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17 Oklahoma educational institution that leads to the award of a
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18 baccalaureate degree.
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19 C. There is hereby created the Oklahoma Department of
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20 Transportation Educational Assistance Program to provide assistance
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21 to eligible students who enroll in an Oklahoma educational
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22 institution and who agree to work for the Department in an eligible
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23 profession for the five (5) years immediately following the date of
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24 the student's receipt of an eligible degree. The Commission shall
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1 promulgate rules prescribing the criteria for the selection of
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2 applicants pursuant to this act. Subject to the availability of
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3 funding, the amount of assistance shall be equivalent to the amount
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4 of resident tuition, mandatory fees, and academic service fees for
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5 courses in which the eligible student is enrolled, not to exceed a
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6 maximum of eighteen (18) credit hours each semester.
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7 1. The amount of assistance provided to an eligible student
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8 enrolled in an undergraduate program shall not exceed the number of
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9 hours required for completion of an undergraduate program in pursuit
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10 of a baccalaureate degree.
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11 2. Subject to the assistance for eligible students enrolled in
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12 undergraduate programs being fully funded, assistance shall be
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13 provided to an eligible student with a baccalaureate degree enrolled
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14 in a graduate program. The amount of assistance provided to an
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15 eligible student enrolled in a graduate program shall not exceed the
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16 number of hours required for completion of a master's degree.
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17 3. Assistance provided pursuant to this act shall be granted
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18 without any limitation other than the amount of funds available for
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19 the program and the number of eligible students who apply.
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20 4. Assistance allowed by this act shall not be allowed for
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21 courses taken in excess of the requirements for completion of an
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22 undergraduate program or a graduate program, whichever is applicable
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23 for the eligible student.
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1 5. Assistance allowed by this act shall not be allowed for
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2 courses in which the eligible student earns a failing grade.
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3 D. 1. To retain eligibility for the program, an eligible
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4 student shall:
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5 a. maintain good academic standing and satisfactory
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6 academic progress according to standards of the
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7 Oklahoma educational institution in which the eligible
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8 student is enrolled,
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9 b. maintain the requirements for retention and degree
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10 completion as established by the Oklahoma educational
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11 institution in which the eligible student is enrolled,
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12 and
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13 c. maintain a minimum grade point average of 2.0 on a 4.0
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14 scale.
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15 2. An eligible student seeking assistance pursuant to the
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16 provisions of this act shall submit an application on a form
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17 prescribed by the Department prior to the semester for which
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18 assistance is sought.
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19 3. An eligible student may be denied continued assistance if he
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20 or she fails to comply with the provisions of this act.
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21 E. 1. The Commission shall promulgate rules establishing
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22 conditions under which an eligible student who has received
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23 assistance pursuant to this act may be required to repay all or part
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24 of the assistance because the eligible student has withdrawn from
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1 the Oklahoma educational institution or has failed to meet the
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2 requirements of paragraph 1 of subsection D of this section.
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3 2. An eligible student who does not become a member of an
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4 eligible profession and work for the Department for the five (5)
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5 years immediately following the date of the student's receipt of an
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6 eligible degree shall repay all assistance received by the eligible
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7 student.
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8 3. Repayments shall be deposited into the Oklahoma Department
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9 of Transportation Educational Assistance Revolving Fund created
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10 pursuant to Section 2 of this act.
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11 4. The Commission shall establish a schedule for installment
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12 repayments under this act.
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13 5. An eligible student who has received program assistance
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14 pursuant to the provisions of this act and who fails to comply with
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15 the provisions of this act due to hardship circumstances may request
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16 a waiver from repayment. A waiver request shall be submitted in
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17 writing to the Director of the Department of Transportation.
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18 F. The Department may accept gifts and grants from any public
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19 or private source for the program and may also use any state funds
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20 that have been specifically appropriated or apportioned for the
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21 program created pursuant to this act. All funding received by the
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22 Department for this purpose shall be transferred to the Oklahoma
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23 Department of Transportation Educational Assistance Revolving Fund
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24 created pursuant to Section 2 of this act.
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1 G. The Commission shall promulgate rules to implement the
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2 provisions of this act.
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3 SECTION 2. NEW LAW A new section of law to be codified
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4 in the Oklahoma Statutes as Section 3235 of Title 70, unless there
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5 is created a duplication in numbering, reads as follows:
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6 There is hereby created in the State Treasury a revolving fund
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7 to be designated the "Oklahoma Department of Transportation
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8 Educational Assistance Revolving Fund". The fund shall be a
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9 continuing fund, not subject to fiscal year limitations, and shall
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10 consist of monies received by the Department of Transportation
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11 pursuant to paragraph 3 of subsection E of Section 1 of this act and
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12 subsection F of Section 1 of this act provided for the purpose of
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13 funding the Oklahoma Department of Transportation Educational
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14 Assistance Program. All monies accruing to the credit of the fund
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15 are hereby appropriated and may be budgeted and expended by the
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16 Department of Transportation for the purpose provided for in this
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17 section. Expenditures from the fund shall be made upon warrants
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18 issued by the State Treasurer against claims filed as prescribed by
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19 law with the Director of the Office of Management and Enterprise
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20 Services for approval and payment.
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21 SECTION 3. This act shall become effective July 1, 2025.
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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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Req. No. 931 Page 8Every fact on this page links to its source, starting with the official bill record.