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STATE OF OKLAHOMA
1st Session of the 60th Legislature (2025)
HOUSE BILL 1495 By: Rosecrants
AS INTRODUCED
An Act relating to higher education; creating the
College Fee Waiver for Children of Parents with
Disabilities Act; defining terms; providing for
waiver of fees for certain eligible children;
providing for eligibility; prohibiting discrimination
on the basis of a protected status; requiring
oversight by the State Regents for Higher Education;
requiring compliance by institutions of higher
education; requiring funding by Legislature;
providing for severability; providing for
codification; and declaring an emergency.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF OKLAHOMA:
SECTION 1. NEW LAW A new section of law to be codified
in the Oklahoma Statutes as Section 3218.7-2 of Title 70, unless
there is created a duplication in numbering, reads as follows:
This act shall be known and may be cited as the "College Fee
Waiver for Children of Parents with Disabilities Act".
SECTION 2. NEW LAW A new section of law to be codified
in the Oklahoma Statutes as Section 3218.7-3 of Title 70, unless
there is created a duplication in numbering, reads as follows:
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As used in the College Fee Waiver for Children of Parents with
Disabilities Act:
1. "Child" means a biological child, adopted child, or legal
ward of the parent(s) with a disability;
2. "Fees" means tuition fees, mandatory student fees,
registration fees, and any other required costs associated with
enrollment and attendance at an institution of higher education;
3. "Institution of higher education" means any institution
supported wholly or in part by direct legislative appropriations and
offering courses of education of any kind beyond or in addition to
the twelfth grade, or its equivalent, as such grade is generally
understood and accepted in the public school system of Oklahoma,
whether called a university, college, junior college, school, or
academy; and
4. "Parent with a disability" means a child's parent or legal
guardian who has a disability as defined under the Americans with
Disabilities Act (ADA).
SECTION 3. NEW LAW A new section of law to be codified
in the Oklahoma Statutes as Section 3218.7-4 of Title 70, unless
there is created a duplication in numbering, reads as follows:
A. Institutions of higher education shall waive all fees for an
eligible child for up to four (4) years of undergraduate study or
until the completion of a bachelor's degree, whichever occurs first,
as long as the child remains in good academic standing as defined by
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the institution of higher education. The waiver shall cover all
academic terms including fall, spring, and summer semesters.
B. To be eligible for waiver, a child must:
1. Be admitted to and enrolled in an institution of higher
education within this state; and
2. Provide proof of a parent with a disability through
documentation such as a Social Security Disability Insurance award
letter, a statement from a licensed medical professional, or other
valid documentation confirming the disability under the Americans
with Disabilities Act (ADA) criteria.
The child's eligibility for the waiver shall not be affected by
the child's living circumstances or whether the child was raised by
the parent with a disability.
C. No child shall be discriminated against in the application
or awarding of fee waivers under this act based on race, color,
religion, sex, national origin, disability, or any other protected
Status.
D. The Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education shall
oversee the implementation of this act and establish procedures for
verifying eligibility and processing fee waivers.
E. Institutions of higher education shall comply with the
procedures established by the State Regents and submit an annual
report to the State Regents on the number of students receiving the
fee waiver including the retention and graduation rates.
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F. The Legislature shall appropriate annual funds to cover the
cost of this waiver program. Additional funding may be provided
from private grants, donations, or federal assistance programs.
G. If any provision of this act or its application is held
invalid, the remainder of the act or the application of its
provisions to other persons or circumstances shall not be affected.
SECTION 4. It being immediately necessary for the preservation
of the public peace, health or safety, an emergency is hereby
declared to exist, by reason whereof this act shall take effect and
be in full force from and after its passage and approval.
60-1-11390 AQH 12/16/24