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 converted from the House version to the Senate floor version, incorporating specific amendments to the Oklahoma State Regents' Academic Rising Scholars Award Act. The most significant change is the addition of a new eligibility category for 'Institutional Nominees,' allowing students with high scores (95.0-99.49 percentile) or exceptional academic achievement to qualify, whereas the House version only included top-tier students (99.5-100.0 percentile). The Senate version also clarifies that scholarship awards for these nominees become effective once documentation is verified by the State Regents.

Scope change

The bill's scope was expanded to include a broader range of high-achieving students through the new 'Institutional Nominee' category, moving beyond only the top 0.5% of test-takers.

ELIGIBILITY

Added a new eligibility category called 'Institutional Nominee' for students with ACT/SAT scores between 95.0 and 99.49 percentile or those showing exceptional academic achievement based on GPA, honors, and overcoming obstacles.

Refined the definition of 'Individual Applicant Qualified Student' to explicitly require scores in the 99.5 to 100.0 percentile range.

REQUIREMENT

Added a requirement that scholarship awards for Institutional Nominees become effective only after the State Regents verify the supporting documentation.

DEFINITION

Added a new definition for 'Institutional Nominee' to the list of qualifying student types.

House Committee Substitute → Floor (House) · 3 edits

MINOR

The bill text was updated from the Committee Substitute version to the House Floor version, incorporating amendments made by the Senate. The substantive policy content regarding scholarship eligibility, funding amounts, and program administration remains consistent with the previous version, though the formatting and page numbering were adjusted to reflect the new legislative stage.

Scope change

The scope of the scholarship program and its eligibility criteria remain unchanged; the update reflects the bill's progression through the legislative process.

TECHNICAL

The header was updated to indicate this is the 'House of Representatives - Floor Version' rather than just the 'Committee Substitute'.

Page footers and headers were updated to reflect the new page numbers and the inclusion of Senate amendments (e.g., adding 'Rader of the Senate').

Text formatting was adjusted to align with standard floor version conventions, including the removal of specific committee markup indicators like 'Req. No.'.

Proposed Committee Substitute (sub committee) 1 → House Committee Substitute · 3 edits

MINOR

The bill was amended to rename the scholarship program from the 'Oklahoma State Regents' Academic Scholars Act' to the 'Oklahoma Rising Scholars Award Act' and updated the program name in all related sections. The eligibility criteria for 'Institutional Nominees' were expanded to include students with SAT/ACT scores in the 95.0 to 99.49 percentile range or those showing exceptional academic achievement and promise, broadening the pool of students who can be nominated by institutions.

Scope change

The bill's scope was updated to reflect a new official name for the scholarship program, and its applicability was broadened by expanding the eligibility criteria for institutional nominees to include a wider range of high-achieving students.

DEFINITION

The official name of the scholarship program was changed from 'Oklahoma State Regents' Academic Scholars Act' to 'Oklahoma Rising Scholars Award Act'.

ELIGIBILITY

The definition of an 'Institutional Nominee' was expanded to include students with SAT or ACT scores between the 95.0 and 99.49 percentile levels, in addition to those showing exceptional academic achievement and promise.

REQUIREMENT

The requirement for the State Regents to document high academic ability standards for Institutional Nominees was retained and clarified.

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

MINOR

The bill was completely rewritten by the committee, replacing the original 'Enrolled' version with a new 'Proposed Committee Substitute' that retains the exact same text and policy provisions. No substantive changes were made to the scholarship amounts, eligibility criteria, or program rules; the update appears to be a procedural re-submission for further legislative review.

Scope change

The scope of the bill remains unchanged as the text is identical to the previous version.

TECHNICAL

The entire bill text was replaced with a new version containing identical policy language, likely to correct formatting or re-introduce the bill for a new committee round.

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

MINOR

The bill was finalized from its Engrossed version to the Enrolled version, primarily changing the title page format to indicate it has passed both houses. The substantive policy text regarding scholarship eligibility, funding amounts, and program administration remains identical between the two versions.

Scope change

No change in scope or applicability; the bill covers the same Oklahoma State Regents' Academic Rising Scholars Award Program.

TECHNICAL

The document header was updated from 'ENGROSSED HOUSE' to 'ENROLLED HOUSE' to reflect the final legislative status, while the page numbering and footer text were adjusted to match standard enrolled bill formatting.

A new summary paragraph was added at the beginning of the Enrolled version to describe the bill's contents, which was not present in the Engrossed version.

The page numbering sequence was reorganized, with the Enrolled version starting with a title page and then continuing with the numbered sections, whereas the Engrossed version began directly with the first page of text.

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

MINOR

The bill was amended to clarify scholarship funding limits by explicitly excluding internship costs from the cap and establishing a specific formula for calculating award amounts at private institutions based on public university fees. This change ensures that private school students receive a standardized benefit tied to public rates while preventing the scholarship cap from being inflated by non-tuition internship expenses.

Scope change

The scope of the funding calculation was expanded to explicitly include private institutions and refined to exclude internship costs from the total funding cap.

FISCAL

Added a specific provision stating that scholarship funding for private institutions must be calculated based on the highest general enrollment fees of a comparable public institution type.

Added an explicit exclusion of internship costs when calculating the maximum scholarship amount, ensuring the cap applies only to standard educational expenses.

Modified the funding structure to provide a clearer, two-part calculation method distinguishing between public and private institution attendance.

Introduced → Amended And Engrossed · 4 edits · May 28, 2025

MODERATE

The bill was amended to rename the program from 'Distinguished Oklahoma Scholars Award' to 'Oklahoma State Regents' Academic Rising Scholars Award' and significantly expanded eligibility. The new version replaces the strict requirement of being in the top 0.5% of national test-takers with a broader category including top 0.5% students, Presidential Scholars, National Merit Scholars, National Merit Finalists, and Institutional Nominees (top 5% of Oklahoma test-takers).

Scope change

The bill's scope expanded from a highly exclusive program for the top 0.5% of national test-takers to a more inclusive program serving top-ranked Oklahoma students across multiple achievement categories.

ELIGIBILITY

Replaced the single eligibility criterion of being in the top 0.5% of national test-takers with five distinct categories, including the top 0.5% nationally, Presidential Scholars, National Merit Scholars, National Merit Finalists, and Oklahoma Institutional Nominees (top 5% of state test-takers).

DEFINITION

Added specific definitions for 'Individual Applicant Qualified Student', 'Presidential Scholar', 'National Merit Scholar', 'National Merit Finalist', and 'Institutional Nominee' to clarify who qualifies under the new categories.

SCOPE

Renamed the program from 'Distinguished Oklahoma Scholars Award Program' to 'Oklahoma State Regents' Academic Rising Scholars Award Program' to reflect the broader eligibility criteria.

REQUIREMENT

Removed the specific requirement that students must have graduated from a high school accredited by the State Board of Education or completed a specific core curriculum, replacing it with a general requirement to comply with State Regents rules.

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

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