SB 105: Lindsey Nicole Henry Scholarships for Students with Disabilities Program; removing prior public school enrollment requirement; modifying eligibility requirements. Effective date. Emergency. - Oklahoma

Floor (House) → Floor (Senate) · 7 edits

MODERATE

This bill version transitions from the House to Senate floor, incorporating substantive changes to the Lindsey Nicole Henry Scholarships for Students with Disabilities Program. The Senate version reorganizes the bill structure, adds an emergency provision, and modifies eligibility criteria to expand access for students with special needs. Key changes include removing the requirement for prior public school enrollment and adding exemptions for military families, foster care, and homeless students.

Scope change

The bill's scope expanded to include additional student populations beyond those previously eligible, including military families, foster care students, and homeless students, while removing the requirement that students must have attended public school in the prior year.

TIMELINE

Added an emergency provision declaring the bill effective immediately, allowing for faster implementation of scholarship programs.

ELIGIBILITY

Removed the requirement that students must have spent the prior school year in public school attendance to qualify for scholarships.

Added eligibility exemptions for children of military members transferring due to permanent change of station orders.

Added eligibility for students who were in out-of-home placement with the Department of Human Services or Office of Juvenile Affairs.

Added eligibility for students enrolling in schools that exclusively serve homeless students.

REQUIREMENT

Changed the IEP requirement to allow students with individualized service plans under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act or those meeting special education service eligibility standards.

DEFINITION

Added clarification that 'prior school year in attendance' includes students counted for funding purposes regardless of whether they had an IEP at the time.

House Committee Substitute for Senate Bill → Floor (House) · 3 edits

MINOR

The bill was revised from a Senate Committee Substitute to the House Floor version, primarily changing the document header and formatting. The substantive policy content regarding the Lindsey Nicole Henry Scholarships for Students with Disabilities Program remains unchanged, with no modifications to eligibility criteria, funding amounts, or program requirements.

Scope change

No substantive change to the bill's scope or applicability; changes are limited to document formatting and version identification.

TECHNICAL

Changed document header from 'STATE OF OKLAHOMA' to 'HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES - FLOOR VERSION' to reflect the bill's current legislative stage.

Updated page footer references from 'Req. No. 13550' to 'SB105 HFLR' to indicate the House Floor version of the bill.

Adjusted line spacing and formatting throughout the document to match House Floor version standards.

Proposed Committee Substitute (full committee) 1 → House Committee Substitute for Senate Bill · 7 edits

MODERATE

This bill amends the Lindsey Nicole Henry Scholarships for Students with Disabilities Program by removing the requirement that students must have previously attended public school and replacing references to 'disability' with 'special need.' The changes expand eligibility to include students with special needs who may not have had an Individualized Education Program (IEP) in place, while maintaining exemptions for military families, foster care, homeless students, and those in juvenile justice placement.

Scope change

The bill's scope expanded from only public school students to include private school students with special needs, regardless of prior public school enrollment.

ELIGIBILITY

Removed the requirement that students must have spent the prior school year in attendance at a public school in Oklahoma.

Added eligibility for students who have an individualized service plan pursuant to Section 1-4-704 of Title 10A of the Oklahoma Statutes, even without a traditional IEP.

Added eligibility for students who transferred to Oklahoma from out-of-state or foreign countries due to military permanent change of station orders.

Added eligibility for students who were in out-of-home placement with the Office of Juvenile Affairs.

Added eligibility for students who were adopted while in the permanent custody of the Department of Human Services.

Added eligibility for students enrolling in schools that exclusively serve students experiencing homelessness.

DEFINITION

Replaced references to 'disability' with 'special need' throughout the statute.

Enrolled (final version) → Proposed Committee Substitute (full committee) 1 · 5 edits

MODERATE

The bill text was replaced with a committee substitute version that makes substantive changes to the Lindsey Nicole Henry Scholarships for Students with Disabilities Program. The primary changes involve replacing 'disability' with 'special need' throughout the legislation, removing the requirement that students must have attended public school in the prior year, and clarifying eligibility criteria for various student populations including military families, foster care, and homeless students.

Scope change

The bill's scope expanded by removing the public school attendance requirement, allowing more students with special needs to qualify for scholarships regardless of their prior school enrollment history.

ELIGIBILITY

Removed the requirement that students must have spent the prior school year in attendance at a public school in Oklahoma to qualify for the scholarship.

Modified eligibility criteria to include exemptions for military families, foster care, and homeless students without requiring prior public school attendance.

DEFINITION

Changed references from 'disability' to 'special need' throughout the legislation to broaden the program's language and applicability.

REQUIREMENT

Added clarification that students must have an IEP or individualized service plan developed before notifying the State Department of Education of intent to participate.

TECHNICAL

Added committee amendment metadata including sponsor information, adoption date, and legislative session details.

Engrossed → Enrolled (final version) · 3 edits · May 20, 2025

MINOR

The bill was finalized as an enrolled version with minor formatting corrections and an updated sponsor list. The substantive policy content of the Lindsey Nicole Henry Scholarships for Students with Disabilities Program remains unchanged, maintaining eligibility criteria for private school scholarships for students with disabilities.

TECHNICAL

Added additional House sponsors (Ford, Banning, and Lepak) to the bill author list in the enrolled version.

Corrected formatting inconsistencies and line breaks throughout the document to match standard enrolled bill format.

Added a formal subject line describing the bill's purpose and amendments.

Amended And Engrossed → Engrossed · 7 edits · May 13, 2025

MODERATE

This bill amends the Lindsey Nicole Henry Scholarships for Students with Disabilities Program by clarifying eligibility criteria, expanding exemptions for military families and foster care students, and updating procedural requirements for scholarship requests. The changes ensure students with disabilities who have individualized education plans or service plans qualify for scholarships, while maintaining requirements for regular contact with private school teachers.

Scope change

The bill's scope remains focused on providing scholarships to private schools for students with disabilities, but eligibility criteria and exemptions have been refined to better serve specific populations including military families, foster care students, and homeless students.

ELIGIBILITY

Clarified that students must have an IEP or individualized service plan developed prior to notifying the State Department of Education of intent to participate in the program.

Added exemption for students who are children of U.S. Armed Forces members transferring to Oklahoma from out of state or foreign countries pursuant to permanent change of station orders.

Added exemption for students in out-of-home placement with the Department of Human Services or Office of Juvenile Affairs.

Added eligibility for students enrolling in schools that exclusively serve homeless students.

REQUIREMENT

Added requirement that students must have regular and direct contact with private school teachers at the physical location of the private school.

Added requirement for school districts to notify parents of available scholarship options and program information through the State Department of Education.

TIMELINE

Maintained scholarship availability beginning with the 2010-2011 school year and requests made after December 1 are not funded until the next school year.

Introduced → Amended And Engrossed · 4 edits · May 13, 2025

MODERATE

The bill was amended to clarify the title and authorship, add co-authors, and update the summary description to reflect expanded eligibility criteria. The core statutory language regarding scholarship eligibility remains substantially unchanged, though some formatting and numbering were adjusted during the amendment process.

Scope change

The scope of the bill remains focused on the Lindsey Nicole Henry Scholarships for Students with Disabilities Program, with no substantive changes to the program's purpose or overall structure.

TECHNICAL

Added House co-authors (Ford, Banning, and Lepak) to the bill's authorship section.

Updated the bill's summary description to reflect modifications to eligibility requirements and removal of references to public schools.

Adjusted formatting and numbering in the statutory text, including renumbering subsections and correcting some line breaks and spacing.

Removed the original 'AS INTRODUCED' header and replaced it with 'ENGROSSED HOUSE AMENDMENT' and 'ENGR. H. A. to ENGR. S. B. NO. 105' headers.

Lindsey Nicole Henry Scholarships for Students with Disabilities Program; removing prior public school enrollment requirement; modifying eligibility requirements. Effective date. Emergency.

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