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 7 By: Seifried
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6 AS INTRODUCED
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7 An Act relating to higher education; creating the
7 Oklahoma Teacher Recruitment Academy to be
8 administered by the Oklahoma State Regents for Higher
8 Education; providing purpose; defining term;
9 directing the State Department of Education to
9 identify and publish certain list by certain date;
10 providing eligibility criteria; requiring execution
10 of certain agreement; directing assistance amount to
11 be equivalent to certain tuition and fees;
11 prohibiting assistance for certain courses or units;
12 establishing assistance cap for each academic year;
12 allowing funds to be set aside for full commitment;
13 directing assistance to be allocated to certain
13 institution of higher education from certain fund;
14 directing certain benefits to be exhausted first;
14 providing for retention eligibility; requiring
15 repayment of assistance for failure to meet certain
15 agreement; providing for calculation of repayment
16 amount; allowing request for hardship waiver;
16 requiring certain institutions of higher education to
17 develop and promote, in certain coordination, certain
17 public awareness program; directing the State Regents
18 to submit certain report by certain date; providing
18 for contents of report; providing for promulgation of
19 rules; creating the Oklahoma Teacher Recruitment
19 Academy Revolving Fund; specifying source of fund;
20 providing for expenditures; providing purpose of
20 fund; providing for codification; providing an
21 effective date; and declaring an emergency.
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24 BE IT ENACTED BY THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF OKLAHOMA:
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Req. No. 192 Page 1
1 SECTION 1. NEW LAW A new section of law to be codified
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2 in the Oklahoma Statutes as Section 6-305 of Title 70, unless there
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3 is created a duplication in numbering, reads as follows:
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4 A. 1. There is hereby created the Oklahoma Teacher Recruitment
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5 Academy to be administered by the Oklahoma State Regents for Higher
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6 Education to provide tuition and mandatory fee assistance to
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7 individuals to earn a bachelor's degree from a teacher preparation
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8 program accredited by the Commission for Educational Quality and
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9 Accountability if the individuals commit to teach in one of the
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10 critical shortage subject areas identified pursuant to paragraph 2
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11 of this subsection in a public school in this state.
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12 2. For the purposes of this section, "critical shortage subject
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13 area" means a subject area identified by the State Department of
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14 Education that is in critical need of certified teachers. By July
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15 30, 2025, and by July 30 every three (3) years thereafter, the State
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16 Department of Education shall identify and publish on its website a
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17 list of the top five critical shortage subject areas taking into
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18 consideration the results of the educator supply-and-demand study
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19 conducted pursuant to Section 6-211 of Title 70 of the Oklahoma
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20 Statutes. The eligibility of an individual who has executed an
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21 agreement pursuant to subsection C of this section shall not be
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22 affected by the removal of a subject area from the Department's list
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23 of top five critical shortage subject areas.
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Req. No. 192 Page 2
1 B. To be eligible to participate in the Oklahoma Teacher
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2 Recruitment Academy during the 2025-2026 academic year and
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3 thereafter, an individual shall:
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4 1. Enroll in an institution of higher education within The
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5 Oklahoma State System of Higher Education. An individual may enroll
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6 first in a two-year institution and subsequently transfer to a four-
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7 year institution to complete the requirements for a degree from an
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8 approved teacher preparation program;
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9 2. Submit an application on a form prescribed by the Oklahoma
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10 State Regents for Higher Education; and
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11 3. Execute an agreement pursuant to subsection C of this
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12 section.
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13 C. An individual who meets the eligibility criteria set forth
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14 in subsection B of this section shall execute an agreement stating
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15 that he or she shall:
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16 1. Agree to earn a bachelor's degree from an approved teacher
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17 preparation degree program leading to a standard teaching
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18 certificate;
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19 2. Agree to meet the requirements of Section 6-187 of Title 70
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20 of the Oklahoma Statutes to earn a standard teaching certificate in
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21 a critical shortage subject area identified pursuant to subsection A
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22 of this section; and
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23 3. Agree to teach in a public school in this state in a
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24 critical shortage subject area identified pursuant to subsection A
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Req. No. 192 Page 3
1 of this section. The individual shall be required to teach for one
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2 school year in a public school for each academic year the individual
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3 received tuition and mandatory fee assistance pursuant to this
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4 section.
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5 D. 1. Subject to the availability of funding, the amount of
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6 assistance shall be equivalent to the amount of tuition and
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7 mandatory fees for courses in which the individual enrolls for
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8 completion of a bachelor's degree. Assistance shall not be allowed
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9 for courses or other postsecondary units taken in excess of the
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10 requirements for completion of a bachelor's degree or taken more
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11 than five (5) years after the individual's first semester of
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12 enrollment in an institution of higher education within The Oklahoma
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13 State System of Higher Education.
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14 2. The amount of assistance provided to eligible students shall
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15 not exceed Ten Million Dollars ($10,000,000.00) for the 2025-2026
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16 academic year and every academic year thereafter. Assistance shall
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17 be provided on a first-come, first-served basis and 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 Oklahoma Teacher Recruitment Academy and the number of eligible
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20 students who apply. The State Regents may, at the time assistance
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21 is provided on behalf of an eligible student, set aside funds in the
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22 Oklahoma Teacher Recruitment Academy Revolving Fund created pursuant
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23 to Section 2 of this act for the full commitment made to the
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24 eligible student.
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Req. No. 192 Page 4
1 3. Assistance provided pursuant to this subsection shall be
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2 allocated to the institution of higher education from the Oklahoma
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3 Teacher Recruitment Academy Revolving Fund created pursuant to
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4 Section 2 of this act.
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5 4. An eligible student seeking tuition and fee assistance
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6 pursuant to this section who is eligible for federal education
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7 benefits or Oklahoma Higher Learning Access Act benefits shall
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8 exhaust all such available benefits first.
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9 E. To retain eligibility for the Oklahoma Teacher Recruitment
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10 Academy, an individual shall:
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11 1. Maintain good academic standing and satisfactory academic
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12 progress while enrolled in an institution of higher education
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13 according to the institution's standards; and
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14 2. After earning a bachelor's degree, submit annual proof of
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15 employment with a public school in this state teaching in a critical
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16 shortage subject area identified pursuant to subsection A of this
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17 section. The proof shall be provided for a number of school years
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18 equal to the number of academic years for which the individual
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19 received tuition and mandatory fee assistance pursuant to this
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20 section. The individual shall not be required to teach at the same
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21 school for the number of school years required by this paragraph.
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22 F. An individual who has received Oklahoma Teacher Recruitment
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23 Academy assistance pursuant to this section and who fails to comply
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Req. No. 192 Page 5
1 with the agreement executed pursuant to subsection C of this section
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2 shall be required to repay an amount to be calculated as follows:
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3 1. Determine the total amount of assistance provided pursuant
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4 to the provisions of this section;
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5 2. Divide the amount determined in paragraph 1 of this
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6 subsection by the number of months assistance was provided; and
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7 3. Multiply the amount determined in paragraph 2 of this
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8 subsection by the number of months the individual did not fulfill
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9 the requirements of the agreement executed pursuant to subsection C
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10 of this section. Repayments shall be deposited into the Oklahoma
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11 Teacher Recruitment Academy Revolving Fund created pursuant to
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12 Section 2 of this act.
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13 G. An individual who has received Oklahoma Teacher Recruitment
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14 Academy assistance pursuant to this section and who fails to comply
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15 with the agreement executed pursuant to subsection C of this section
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16 due to hardship circumstances may request a waiver from repayment
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17 from the Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education.
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18 H. An institution of higher education within The Oklahoma State
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19 System of Higher Education that has enrolled students participating
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20 in the Oklahoma Teacher Recruitment Academy shall develop and
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21 promote, in coordination with surrounding public school districts, a
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22 public awareness program to make students and their parents or legal
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23 guardians aware of the Oklahoma Teacher Recruitment Academy.
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Req. No. 192 Page 6
1 I. On or before July 30, 2026, and each year thereafter, the
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2 Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education shall electronically
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3 submit a report to the Governor, the President Pro Tempore of the
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4 Senate, the Speaker of the House of Representatives, and the chairs
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5 of the committees with responsibility over higher education in both
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6 houses of the Legislature. The report shall include the following
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7 information:
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8 1. The number of Oklahoma Teacher Recruitment Academy
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9 participants enrolled in each institution of higher education by
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10 year of enrollment;
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11 2. The number of Oklahoma Teacher Recruitment Academy
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12 participants who graduate with a bachelor's degree from an approved
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13 teacher preparation program and the critical shortage subject area
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14 in which they are teaching in a public school in this state; and
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15 3. The number of Oklahoma Teacher Recruitment Academy
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16 participants who fail to comply with the agreement executed pursuant
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17 to subsection C of this section.
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18 J. The Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education may
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19 promulgate rules to implement the provisions of this section.
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20 SECTION 2. NEW LAW A new section of law to be codified
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21 in the Oklahoma Statutes as Section 6-306 of Title 70, unless there
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22 is created a duplication in numbering, reads as follows:
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23 There is hereby created in the State Treasury a revolving fund
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24 for the Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education to be designated
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Req. No. 192 Page 7
1 the "Oklahoma Teacher Recruitment Academy Revolving Fund". The fund
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2 shall be a continuing fund, not subject to fiscal year limitations,
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3 and shall consist of all monies received by the State Regents from
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4 legislative appropriations provided for the purpose of implementing
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5 the Oklahoma Teacher Recruitment Academy created in Section 1 of
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6 this act. All monies accruing to the credit of the fund are hereby
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7 appropriated and may be budgeted and expended by the State Regents
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8 for the purpose provided for in this act. Expenditures from the
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9 fund shall be made upon warrants issued by the State Treasurer
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10 against claims filed as prescribed by law with the Director of the
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11 Office of Management and Enterprise Services for approval and
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12 payment.
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13 SECTION 3. This act shall become effective July 1, 2025.
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14 SECTION 4. It being immediately necessary for the preservation
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15 of the public peace, health, or safety, an emergency is hereby
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16 declared to exist, by reason whereof this act shall take effect and
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17 be in full force from and after its passage and approval.
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Req. No. 192 Page 8Every fact on this page links to its source, starting with the official bill record.