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 242 By: Pugh
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5 AS INTRODUCED
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6 An Act relating to higher education; creating the
6 Veterans Entering Teaching (VET) Act; providing short
7 title; defining terms; creating the Veterans Entering
7 Teaching (VET) Program to provide tuition and
8 mandatory fee assistance to certain eligible
8 students; providing for eligibility; requiring
9 eligible students to execute certain agreement;
9 providing contents of agreement; providing
10 eligibility retention requirements; providing for
10 amount of assistance; prohibiting assistance for
11 certain courses or units; directing assistance to be
11 allocated from certain fund; prohibiting individuals
12 who accept certain assistance from also being
12 eligible for certain program; directing certain
13 federal benefits to be exhausted first; establishing
13 assistance cap for each academic year; allowing funds
14 to be set aside for full commitment; requiring
14 repayment of assistance for failure to meet certain
15 requirement; providing for calculation of repayment
15 amount; providing for deposit of repayment amounts in
16 certain fund; allowing for application of hardship
16 waiver; providing for promulgation of rules; creating
17 the Veterans Entering Teaching (VET) Revolving Fund;
17 specifying source of fund; providing for
18 expenditures; providing purpose of fund; providing
18 for codification; providing an effective date; and
19 declaring an emergency.
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21 BE IT ENACTED BY THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF OKLAHOMA:
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22 SECTION 1. NEW LAW A new section of law to be codified
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23 in the Oklahoma Statutes as Section 3234 of Title 70, unless there
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24 is created a duplication in numbering, reads as follows:
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Req. No. 187 Page 1
1 A. This act shall be known and may be cited as the "Veterans
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2 Entering Teaching (VET) Act".
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3 B. As used in this act:
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4 1. "Eligible student" means a student who was discharged under
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5 honorable conditions from the United States Armed Forces who enrolls
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6 in an Oklahoma educational institution regardless of the home of
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7 record for the student;
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8 2. "Home of record" means the place where a student was living
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9 when he or she enlisted or was commissioned into the United States
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10 Armed Forces or reenlisted in the United States Armed Forces;
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11 3. "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; and
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14 4. "Program" means the Veterans Entering Teaching (VET)
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15 Program.
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16 C. There is hereby created the Veterans Entering Teaching (VET)
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17 Program to provide tuition and mandatory fee assistance to eligible
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18 students to earn a degree from an approved teacher preparation
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19 program at an Oklahoma educational institution if they agree to
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20 teach in a school district in this state for three (3) consecutive
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21 years.
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22 D. To be eligible to participate in the program during the
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23 2025-2026 academic year and thereafter, an individual shall:
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24 1. Enroll in an Oklahoma educational institution;
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1 2. Submit an application on a form prescribed by the Oklahoma
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2 State Regents for Higher Education;
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3 3. Declare a major in an approved Oklahoma teacher preparation
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4 program leading to a standard teaching certificate; and
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5 4. Execute an agreement pursuant to subsection E of this
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6 section.
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7 E. An eligible student who meets the criteria of subsection D
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8 of this section shall execute an agreement stating that he or she
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9 shall:
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10 1. Agree to earn a bachelor's degree from an approved teacher
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11 preparation program at an Oklahoma educational institution leading
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12 to a standard teaching certificate;
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13 2. Agree to meet the requirements of Section 6-187 of Title 70
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14 of the Oklahoma Statutes to earn a standard teaching certificate;
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15 and
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16 3. Agree to teach in a school district in this state for three
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17 (3) consecutive years. The individual shall not be required to
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18 teach at the same school district for three (3) consecutive years.
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19 F. To retain eligibility for the program, an eligible student
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20 shall:
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21 1. Maintain good academic standing and satisfactory academic
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22 progress while enrolled in an Oklahoma educational institution
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23 according to the institution's standards; and
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1 2. After earning a bachelor's degree from an approved Oklahoma
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2 teacher preparation program, submit annual proof of employment with
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3 a school district in this state to the Oklahoma State Regents for
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4 Higher Education.
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5 G. 1. The amount of assistance shall be equivalent to the
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6 amount of tuition and mandatory fees for courses in which the
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7 eligible student enrolls for completion of a bachelor's degree from
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8 an approved Oklahoma teacher preparation program. Assistance shall
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9 not be allowed for courses or other postsecondary units taken in
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10 excess of the requirements for completion of a bachelor's degree or
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11 taken more than five (5) years after the individual's first semester
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12 of enrollment in an Oklahoma educational institution.
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13 2. Assistance provided pursuant to this subsection shall be
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14 allocated to the Oklahoma educational institution from the Veterans
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15 Entering Teaching (VET) Revolving Fund created pursuant to Section 2
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16 of this act.
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17 H. An eligible student who accepts assistance pursuant to this
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18 section shall not also be eligible for the Inspired to Teach Program
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19 created in Section 698.1 of Title 70 of the Oklahoma Statutes.
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20 I. An eligible student seeking tuition and fee assistance
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21 pursuant to this section who is eligible for federal education
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22 benefits shall exhaust all available federal benefits first.
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23 J. Subject to the availability of funding, the amount of
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24 assistance provided to eligible students shall not exceed Two
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1 Million Dollars ($2,000,000.00) for the 2025-2026 academic year and
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2 every academic year thereafter. Assistance shall be provided on a
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3 first-come, first-served basis and shall be granted without any
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4 limitation other than the amount of funds available for the program
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5 and the number of eligible students who apply. The State Regents
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6 may, at the time assistance is provided on behalf of an eligible
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7 student, set aside funds in the Veterans Entering Teaching (VET)
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8 Revolving Fund created pursuant to Section 2 of this act for the
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9 full commitment made to the student.
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10 K. An individual who has received program assistance pursuant
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11 to this section and who fails to comply with the agreement executed
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12 pursuant to subsection E of this section shall be required to repay
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13 an amount to be calculated as follows:
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14 1. Determine the total amount of program assistance provided
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15 pursuant to the provisions of this section;
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16 2. Divide the amount determined in paragraph 1 of this
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17 subsection by twelve (12); and
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18 3. Multiply the amount determined in paragraph 2 of this
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19 subsection by the number of months the individual did not fulfill
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20 the requirements of the agreement executed pursuant to subsection E
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21 of this section. Repayments shall be deposited into the Veterans
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22 Entering Teaching (VET) Revolving Fund created pursuant to Section 2
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23 of this act.
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1 L. An individual who has received program assistance pursuant
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2 to this section and who fails to comply with the agreement executed
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3 pursuant to subsection E of this section due to hardship
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4 circumstances may request a waiver from repayment from the Oklahoma
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5 State Regents for Higher Education.
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6 M. The Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education shall
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7 promulgate rules to implement the provisions of this section.
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8 SECTION 2. NEW LAW A new section of law to be codified
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9 in the Oklahoma Statutes as Section 3235 of Title 70, unless there
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10 is created a duplication in numbering, reads as follows:
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11 There is hereby created in the State Treasury a revolving fund
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12 for the Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education to be designated
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13 the "Veterans Entering Teaching (VET) Revolving Fund". The fund
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14 shall be a continuing fund, not subject to fiscal year limitations,
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15 and shall consist of all monies received by the State Regents from
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16 legislative appropriations provided for the purpose of implementing
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17 the Veterans Entering Teaching (VET) Program created in Section 1 of
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18 this act. All monies accruing to the credit of the fund are hereby
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19 appropriated and may be budgeted and expended by the State Regents
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20 for the purpose provided for in this section. Expenditures from the
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21 fund shall be made upon warrants issued by the State Treasurer
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22 against claims filed as prescribed by law with the Director of the
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23 Office of Management and Enterprise Services for approval and
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24 payment.
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1 SECTION 3. This act shall become effective July 1, 2025.
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2 SECTION 4. It being immediately necessary for the preservation
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3 of the public peace, health, or safety, an emergency is hereby
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4 declared to exist, by reason whereof this act shall take effect and
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5 be in full force from and after its passage and approval.
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Req. No. 187 Page 7Every fact on this page links to its source, starting with the official bill record.