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STATE OF OKLAHOMA
2nd Session of the 60th Legislature (2026)
HOUSE BILL 3051 By: Stewart
AS INTRODUCED
An Act relating to the Tulsa Reconciliation Education
and Scholarship Act; amending 70 O.S. 2021, Section
2621, which relates to the Tulsa Reconciliation
Education and Scholarship Program; replacing resident
with student; modifying computation of scholarship
amount; amending 70 O.S. 2021, Section 2622, which
relates to definitions; striking resident definition;
amending 70 O.S. 2021, Section 2623, which relates to
qualifications to apply for the program; replacing
resident with student; increasing income threshold;
removing certain limitations for eligibility;
striking requirement that the Oklahoma Historical
Society verify certain documentation; requiring
submission of an attestation; directing the State
Regents for Higher Education to create attestation
form; barring a student who is twenty-one years of
age or older to be eligible to apply for the program;
striking annual award scholarships to two students at
each high school in the Tulsa Public School District;
permitting the State Regents to contract with the
Tulsa Public School District for administration of
the program; amending 70 O.S. 2021, Section 2624,
which relates to eligibility to participate in the
program; replacing resident with student; amending 70
O.S. 2021, Section 2625, which relates to amount of
awards; modifying computation of scholarship award;
striking certain option to use award for fees, books,
and room and board; amending 70 O.S. 2021, Section
2626, which relates to the Tulsa Reconciliation
Education and Scholarship Trust Fund; updating
citation; permitting adoption of rules instead of
requiring; providing an effective date; and declaring
an emergency.
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BE IT ENACTED BY THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF OKLAHOMA:
SECTION 1. AMENDATORY 70 O.S. 2021, Section 2621, is
amended to read as follows:
Section 2621. There is hereby created the Tulsa Reconciliation
Education and Scholarship Program. The purpose of the program is to
provide a scholarship award to residents students of the Tulsa
School District, which was greatly impacted both socially and
economically by the civil unrest that occurred in the City of Tulsa
during 1921. Beginning with the 2002-2003 school year, or as soon
thereafter as practicable, and subject to the availability of funds,
the program shall each year make scholarships available to qualified
residents students of the Tulsa School District, who meet the
criteria set forth in Sections 2623 and 2624 of this title, and who
are intending to pursue studies at an institution of higher
education in The Oklahoma State System of Higher Education or a
private institution of higher education, or who are intending to
pursue studies in a postsecondary career technology education
program. The scholarship shall be an amount of not more than the
equivalent of the average amount of resident tuition for which an
eligible Tulsa Reconciliation Education and Scholarship Program
participant enrolled at an institution in The Oklahoma State System
of Higher Education or a postsecondary career technology education
program, whichever is applicable, is obligated to pay. The
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scholarship shall be paid as provided for in Section 2625 of this
title. The further purpose of this program is to establish and
maintain a variety of educational support services whereby residents
students who qualify for the program will be prepared for success in
postsecondary endeavors.
SECTION 2. AMENDATORY 70 O.S. 2021, Section 2622, is
amended to read as follows:
Section 2622. As used in the Tulsa Reconciliation Education and
Scholarship Act:
1. "Resident" means a person of any age who has resided within
the Tulsa School District for not less than two (2) years prior to
applying for participation in the Tulsa Reconciliation Education and
Scholarship Program;
2. "Private institution" means a private institution of higher
learning located within this state which is accredited pursuant to
Section 4103 of this title; and
3. 2. "Postsecondary career technology education program" means
a postsecondary vocational-technical program or course that is
eligible for Title IV federal student aid and is offered through a
technology center school.
SECTION 3. AMENDATORY 70 O.S. 2021, Section 2623, is
amended to read as follows:
Section 2623. A. Subject to the availability of funds, the
Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education may annually award a
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maximum of three hundred full-time-equivalent scholarships for the
Tulsa Reconciliation Education and Scholarship Program to residents
students of the Tulsa Public School District.
B. To initially qualify for a scholarship, an applicant shall
satisfy the following criteria:
1. The family income of the applicant from taxable sources is
not more than Seventy Thousand Dollars ($70,000.00) One Hundred and
Twenty-Five Thousand Dollars ($125,000.00) per year; and
2. The applicant attended a Tulsa public school where seventy-
five percent (75%) or more of the students enrolled in the school
qualify for the free and reduced lunch program; and
3. The applicant resides in a census block area within the
Tulsa School District where thirty percent (30%) or more of the
residents are at or below the poverty level established by the
United States Bureau of the Census.
C. The State Regents may consider as a factor, when determining
the order of preference of applicants, whether an applicant is a
direct lineal descendant of a person who resided in the Greenwood
Area in the City of Tulsa between April 30, 1921, and June 1, 1921.
If the State Regents use descent as a preference factor, it shall be
applied to all applicants regardless of race. The applicants shall
be required to present verifiable documentation of their lineage.
The Oklahoma Historical Society shall verify the authenticity and
accuracy of the documentation submitted by an applicant and shall
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establish the boundaries of the Greenwood Area. Verifiable
documentation shall include, but not be limited to the following:
1. Family records including family bibles, vital records,
correspondence, memoirs, journals, diaries, unrecorded deeds,
diplomas, certificates, or testimonials;
2. Public records including censuses, government records,
military records, pensions, land bounty records, passport
applications, passenger lists, original grants, naturalization or
immigration records, records of entry, or state, province, or local
records; or
3. Institutional records including church records, cemetery
records and inscriptions, education institutions, insurance records,
or societies and fraternal organizations.
With the submission of the verifiable documentation, the
applicant shall also submit an attestation stating that the
applicant swears under oath that the verifiable documentation is, to
the best of the applicant's knowledge, true and correct. The State
Regents shall create a standard attestation form for applicants to
use.
D. The In addition to the requirements in subsection C of this
section, the State Regents shall may promulgate rules establishing
the application requirements for the program and the system for
evaluating applications based on the preference factors.
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E. Applicants shall also meet the eligibility criteria
established in Section 2624 of this title. However, a student who
is twenty-one (21) years of age or older shall not be eligible to
apply for initial participation in the program regardless of whether
the student meets the eligibility criteria.
F. The Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education shall also
be authorized to annually award scholarships for the Tulsa
Reconciliation Education and Scholarship Program to two students at
each of the high schools in the Tulsa School District for the
purpose of preserving awareness of the history and meaning of the
civil unrest that occurred in Tulsa in 1921. The following
provisions shall apply to the scholarship provided in this
subsection:
1. Notwithstanding the provisions of subsection B of this
section, eligibility for the scholarships awarded pursuant to this
subsection shall be:
a. enrollment in the appropriate high school,
b. family income of the applicant from taxable sources
not to exceed Seventy Thousand Dollars ($70,000.00)
per year,
c. satisfaction of the criteria specified in Section 2624
of this title, and
d. any other relevant criteria determined by the Oklahoma
State Regents for Higher Education;
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2. The State Regents shall involve the administration of the
Tulsa School District in the selection process;
3. The award shall be limited to a one-year full-time-
equivalent period. Following successful completion of such award,
recipients who meet the criteria provided in subsection B of this
section shall be eligible to apply and be considered for continued
participation in the full Tulsa Reconciliation Education and
Scholarship Program. Any student subsequently awarded such
scholarship shall have the duration of the scholarship provided
pursuant to this subsection deducted from the limits set in
subsection D of Section 2625 of this title;
4. The award may only be funded with state funds appropriated
to the Tulsa Reconciliation Education and Scholarship Trust Fund and
income therefrom, and shall be made subject to the availability of
such funds; and
5. The awards made pursuant to this subsection shall be
included within the maximum number of scholarships specified in
subsection A of this section The State Regents may contract with
Tulsa Public School District for the administration of the Tulsa
Reconciliation Education and Scholarship Program.
SECTION 4. AMENDATORY 70 O.S. 2021, Section 2624, is
amended to read as follows:
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Section 2624. A. To be eligible to participate in the Tulsa
Reconciliation Education and Scholarship Program and to qualify for
an award, a resident student shall:
1. Have satisfied admission standards as determined by the
Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education for the appropriate type
of institution or, if attending a private institution of higher
education, have satisfied admission standards as determined by the
private institution. No resident student participating in the Tulsa
Reconciliation Education and Scholarship Program shall be admitted
into an institution of higher education by special admission
standards; and
2. Have secured admission to, and enrolled in, an institution
which is a member of The Oklahoma State System of Higher Education,
a private institution of higher education, or a postsecondary career
technology education program.
B. To retain eligibility while pursuing the program of higher
learning in which enrolled, the participant shall:
1. Maintain good academic standing and satisfactory academic
progress according to standards of the Oklahoma State Regents for
Higher Education; and
2. Comply with the standards related to maintenance of
eligibility as promulgated by the Oklahoma State Regents for Higher
Education or the State Board of Career and Technology Education.
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C. The Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education shall may
promulgate rules relating to maintenance of eligibility under this
act by a participant.
SECTION 5. AMENDATORY 70 O.S. 2021, Section 2625, is
amended to read as follows:
Section 2625. A. Subject to the availability of funds, an
amount of not more than the equivalent of the average amount of
resident tuition for which an eligible Tulsa Reconciliation
Education and Scholarship Program participant enrolled in an
institution in The Oklahoma State System of Higher Education, or
enrolled in a postsecondary career technology education program,
whichever is applicable, is obligated to pay shall be awarded by
allocation from the Tulsa Reconciliation Education and Scholarship
Trust Fund.
B. Subject to the availability of funds, for each eligible
Tulsa Reconciliation Education and Scholarship Program participant
enrolled at a private institution of higher education, the Oklahoma
State Regents for Higher Education shall award from the Tulsa
Reconciliation Education and Scholarship Trust Fund an amount of not
more than the equivalent of the average amount of resident tuition
for which the participant would be eligible if the participant were
enrolled in a program at an institution of The Oklahoma State System
of Higher Education of comparable type which has the highest general
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enrollment fees of its type of institution in the State System as
determined annually by the State Regents.
C. Subject to the availability of funds, an amount of not more
than the equivalent of the average amount of tuition for which an
eligible Tulsa Reconciliation Education and Scholarship Program
participant enrolled in a postsecondary career technology education
program is obligated to pay shall be awarded by allocation from the
Tulsa Reconciliation Education and Scholarship Trust Fund. The
allocation shall not exceed the amount a participant would have
received for enrollment at a two-year institution within The
Oklahoma State System of Higher Education.
D. Benefits awarded under the Tulsa Reconciliation Education
and Scholarship Program shall not be allowed for courses or other
postsecondary units taken in excess of the requirements for
completion of a baccalaureate program or taken more than five (5)
years after the student's first semester of participation in the
program. The Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education may award
the Tulsa Reconciliation Education and Scholarship Program benefits
for courses of postsecondary units taken more than five (5) years
after the student's first semester of participation in the program
only in hardship circumstances. No Tulsa Reconciliation Education
and Scholarship Program participant may receive benefits beyond a
cumulative time period of five (5) years. The Oklahoma State
Regents for Higher Education may establish a maximum limit on the
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number of courses or other postsecondary units to which Tulsa
Reconciliation Education and Scholarship Program benefits will
apply. An award to an eligible Tulsa Reconciliation Education and
Scholarship Program participant who is enrolled in a postsecondary
career technology education program may be used to pay for both
career technology education and college work if both are required by
the program.
E. Benefits awarded under the Tulsa Reconciliation Education
and Scholarship Program shall be awarded to not more than 300 three
hundred (300) eligible participants annually, subject to the amount
of funds available for the program and the number of eligible
participants. Subject to the provisions of subsection F of this
section, if funds are not sufficient to provide awards for the
maximum number of eligible participants each year, the Oklahoma
State Regents for Higher Education shall make awards on the basis of
need. The Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education shall may
take into consideration other grants and scholarships received by an
eligible student when making awards. If an eligible student
receives other grants and scholarships, the benefits awarded under
the Tulsa Reconciliation Education and Scholarship Program may cover
any additional educational costs not covered by the other grants and
scholarships. If the family of an eligible Tulsa Reconciliation
Education and Scholarship Program participant may qualify for the
federal Hope Scholarship or Lifetime Learning tax credit as provided
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for in the Taxpayer Relief Act of 1997, P.L. No. 105-34, the
participant may elect to use the award allowed by this section to
pay for fees, required textbooks or materials and, if any funds
remain, to pay for room and board instead of resident tuition.
F. The Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education may, at the
time an award is made on behalf of a Tulsa Reconciliation Education
and Scholarship Program participant, set aside in the Tulsa
Reconciliation Education and Scholarship Trust Fund funds for the
full commitment made to such Tulsa Reconciliation Education and
Scholarship Program participant. For all academic years,
participants who have previously received awards under the
provisions of the Tulsa Reconciliation Education and Scholarship Act
and who have continued at all times to fulfill the requirements for
eligibility to receive awards provided pursuant to this program
shall be given an absolute priority for continued financial support
by the Tulsa Reconciliation Education and Scholarship Program
superior to any residents students who are applying for such
benefits for the first time.
SECTION 6. AMENDATORY 70 O.S. 2021, Section 2626, is
amended to read as follows:
Section 2626. A. There is hereby created a trust fund to be
known as the "Tulsa Reconciliation Education and Scholarship Trust
Fund". The trust fund shall be managed and controlled by a board of
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trustees. The Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education shall
constitute the board of trustees of the Trust Fund.
B. The State Regents shall utilize said Trust Fund to implement
the provisions of the Tulsa Reconciliation Education and Scholarship
Act.
C. The Trust Fund capital shall consist of monies the
Legislature appropriates or transfers to the Oklahoma State Regents
for Higher Education for the Trust Fund, monies transferred from the
donations from taxpayers pursuant to Section 12 2627 of this act
title, and any monies or assets contributed to the Trust Fund from
any other source, public or private.
D. The board of trustees shall invest the trust capital in a
reasonable and prudent manner which, consistent with any long-term
investment needs, will produce the greatest trust income over the
term of the investment while preserving the trust capital. All
trust income shall be reinvested into the trust fund except for the
purposes of awarding scholarships pursuant to the Tulsa
Reconciliation Education and Scholarship Act.
E. The State Regents shall may adopt rules for accomplishing
transfer of funds from the Tulsa Reconciliation Education and
Scholarship Trust Fund to the appropriate institutional Educational
and General Operations Revolving Funds, as provided in Section 3901
of this title, to private institutions of higher education, and to
the appropriate technology center school. Allocations from the
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Trust Fund may be made only for the purpose of covering the
scholarship award of eligible participants. No portion of the Trust
Fund may be used or allocated for administrative or operating
expenses of any higher education institution or technology center
school.
SECTION 7. This act shall become effective July 1, 2026.
SECTION 8. 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.
60-2-15705 AQH 12/18/25