HB 1282: Scholarships; Oklahoma Rising Scholars Award; renaming; eligibility; awards; waivers; effective date; emergency. - Oklahoma

Floor (House) → Floor (Senate) · 4 edits

MODERATE

The bill was amended to transition from a House floor version to a Senate floor version, incorporating committee amendments that clarify and expand eligibility criteria for the Oklahoma State Regents' Academic Rising Scholars Award Program. The changes primarily affect how students qualify for scholarships, particularly by adding a new category for Institutional Nominees with adjusted academic thresholds and expanded documentation requirements.

Scope change

The bill's scope remains focused on the Oklahoma State Regents' Academic Rising Scholars Award Program, but eligibility criteria were modified to include additional student categories and adjusted academic performance thresholds.

ELIGIBILITY

Added a new eligibility category called 'Institutional Nominee' for students nominated by Oklahoma State System of Higher Education institutions, with adjusted SAT/ACT score requirements (95.0 to 99.49 percentile) or exceptional academic achievement documentation.

Expanded documentation requirements for Institutional Nominees to include evidence of overcoming economic and social obstacles as determined by the State Regents.

DEFINITION

Reorganized and clarified the definitions of different student categories including Individual Applicant Qualified Students, Presidential Scholars, National Merit Scholars, and National Merit Finalists.

TECHNICAL

Changed document header from House Floor Version to Senate Floor Version with updated date and page numbering.

House Committee Substitute → Floor (House) · 4 edits

MODERATE

The bill text was updated from the House Committee Substitute version to the Floor version, incorporating the Senate's amendments. The most significant change is the addition of a new subsection (C) that clarifies funding amounts for students who qualify under specific eligibility categories, ensuring scholarship amounts do not exceed average costs for enrollment fees, tuition, room and board, and textbooks for up to five years of study.

Scope change

The bill's scope remains focused on creating the Oklahoma State Regents' Academic Rising Scholars Award Program, but the Floor version includes additional clarifying language about scholarship funding limits that was added during the legislative process.

FISCAL

Added new subsection C to Section 2403 clarifying that scholarship amounts for qualifying students shall not exceed average costs for enrollment fees, tuition, room and board, and textbooks for up to five years of undergraduate and/or graduate study.

TECHNICAL

Added header information indicating this is the Floor version of the bill with Senate amendments incorporated.

Updated page headers and formatting to reflect the Floor version rather than the Committee Substitute version.

DEFINITION

Reorganized and clarified eligibility definitions for various scholarship categories including Individual Applicant Qualified Students, Presidential Scholars, National Merit Scholars, and Institutional Nominees.

Proposed Committee Substitute (sub committee) 1 → House Committee Substitute · 5 edits

MODERATE

The bill was amended to rename the scholarship program from the 'Oklahoma State Regents' Academic Scholars Act' to the 'Oklahoma State Regents' Academic Rising Scholars Award Act' and updated eligibility criteria for institutional nominees to include students with ACT/SAT scores in the 95.0 to 99.49 percentile range or those demonstrating exceptional academic achievement. The changes clarify program naming and broaden eligibility for institutional nominees while maintaining scholarship funding limits tied to Oklahoma State System of Higher Education costs.

Scope change

The bill's scope was modified to rename the scholarship program and expand eligibility criteria for institutional nominees to include a broader range of high-achieving students beyond the top 0.5 percentile.

DEFINITION

Program name changed from 'Oklahoma State Regents' Academic Scholars Act' to 'Oklahoma State Regents' Academic Rising Scholars Award Act' throughout the statute.

ELIGIBILITY

Eligibility for Institutional Nominees expanded to include students with ACT/SAT scores in the 95.0 to 99.49 percentile range, in addition to those in the 99.5 to 100.0 percentile range.

Added criteria for Institutional Nominees to include students showing exceptional academic achievement based on GPA, class rank, national awards, honors, and evidence of overcoming economic and social obstacles.

REQUIREMENT

Added requirement that the State Regents must ensure standards of high academic ability are documented for Institutional Nominee scholarship awards.

TECHNICAL

Page numbering and request numbers were updated from Req. No. 12246 to Req. No. 13243.

Enrolled (final version) → Proposed Committee Substitute (sub committee) 1 · 1 edit

MINOR

The committee substitute replaced the entire bill text with a nearly identical version, making only minor formatting adjustments. The substantive policy content regarding scholarship eligibility, funding amounts, and program administration remains unchanged from the enrolled version.

Scope change

No substantive change to the bill's scope or applicability; the legislative intent and coverage remain the same.

TECHNICAL

Minor formatting and layout adjustments throughout the document, including header information and page numbering, without altering the actual legislative language.

Engrossed → Enrolled (final version) · 3 edits · May 30, 2025

MINOR

The bill was finalized from its engrossed version to the enrolled version with primarily formatting and structural changes. The substantive policy content regarding scholarship eligibility, funding amounts, and program requirements remained unchanged between the two versions.

TECHNICAL

Header formatting changed from 'ENGROSSED HOUSE' to 'ENROLLED HOUSE' indicating the bill has passed both chambers and is ready for signing into law.

Added a formal subject line summarizing the bill's purpose and all sections it amends, which is standard for enrolled legislation.

Removed bracketed editorial notes and page numbers that were used during the legislative process but are not part of the final law.

Amended And Engrossed → Engrossed · 3 edits · May 28, 2025

MINOR

The amendment clarifies scholarship funding limits for students attending Oklahoma State System of Higher Education institutions versus private institutions. It establishes that public institution students receive funding based on actual costs at their attended institution, while private institution students receive funding based on the highest comparable public institution fees. This change standardizes how scholarship amounts are calculated across different institution types.

Scope change

The bill's scope now explicitly differentiates between public and private institution students for scholarship funding calculations, whereas the previous version did not clearly distinguish these funding mechanisms.

FISCAL

Added specific funding caps for students at Oklahoma State System of Higher Education institutions based on actual annual costs determined by the Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education.

Added specific funding caps for students at private institutions based on the highest comparable public institution fees in the Oklahoma State System of Higher Education.

TECHNICAL

Removed the 'ENGROSSED SENATE AMENDMENT' header and replaced it with 'ENGROSSED HOUSE' designation, indicating the amendment's origin and current status.

Introduced → Amended And Engrossed · 5 edits · May 28, 2025

MODERATE

The bill was amended to rename the program from 'Distinguished Oklahoma Scholars Award Program' to 'Oklahoma State Regents' Academic Rising Scholars Award Program' and significantly expanded eligibility criteria to include multiple categories of high-achieving students beyond just top 0.5% SAT/ACT scorers. The amendment also broadened funding provisions to cover up to five years of undergraduate and graduate study including room and board, and added specific definitions for different types of qualifying students including Presidential Scholars and National Merit recipients.

Scope change

The bill's scope expanded from a single narrowly-defined eligibility category to multiple categories of high-achieving students, and the program now covers both undergraduate and graduate study at accredited institutions in Oklahoma.

DEFINITION

Program name changed from 'Distinguished Oklahoma Scholars Award Program' to 'Oklahoma State Regents' Academic Rising Scholars Award Program'

Added new definitions for different student categories including Individual Applicant Qualified Student, Presidential Scholar, National Merit Scholar, National Merit Finalist, and Institutional Nominee

ELIGIBILITY

Expanded eligibility from only top 0.5% SAT/ACT scorers to include multiple categories: Individual Applicant Qualified Students (99.5-100% percentile), Presidential Scholars, National Merit Scholars, National Merit Finalists, and Institutional Nominees (95-99.49% percentile or exceptional achievement)

FISCAL

Funding expanded to cover up to five years of undergraduate and/or graduate study including enrollment fees, tuition, other fees, room and board, and required textbooks or materials

REQUIREMENT

Added specific requirements for students to maintain eligibility including compliance with State Regents rules and documentation of high academic ability

Scholarships; Oklahoma Rising Scholars Award; renaming; eligibility; awards; waivers; effective date; emergency.

What changed between versions

How they voted

Actions timeline

Sponsors