Morgan Announces Plans to Fast-track OHLAP Expansion Legislation

Senate President Pro Tempore Mike Morgan announced Wednesday that intends to fast-track through the Senate a measure that would expand college scholarship opportunities for high school students in Oklahoma.

Morgan’s plan calls for raising the maximum income level under which students are eligible to take part in the Oklahoma Higher Learning Access Program from $50,000 to $75,000. The measure would increase the number of students eligible to take part in the program by 20 percent.

“Senate Democrats want to send a signal to Oklahoma that we are looking beyond the fall campaigns and focusing, instead, on the future. This session needs to be about more than just the next election. It must be about the next generation,” Morgan said.

Under the OHLAP program students who complete a specific college-preparatory curriculum, made good grades and don’t get into trouble are rewarded with a scholarship that pays their tuition.

“OHLAP puts a premium on personal responsibility and Senate Democrats intend this year to focus on programs that help create a greater culture of personal responsibility in our state,” Morgan said.

The program would first have a fiscal impact in FY 2010, increasing the cost of the OHLAP program by $10 million in that year. In future years, the program will call for an even larger investment.

Morgan said some lawmakers may try to insist that expanding the OHLAP program is too expensive but those people are only looking at half of the equation.

A study last year by Oklahoma State University economist Kent Olson indicates that the state earns a 7.1% increase on every dollar it invests in higher education. In other states, merit-based scholarship programs like OHLAP have a return of 4.18 percent.

Mr. Olson found that over their lifetime, college graduates in Oklahoma earn - in today's dollars - $832,000 more than people with just a high school diploma.

Most people agree that Oklahoma needs more college graduates, the Stillwater Democrat said.
He pointed to the 2003 EDGE report that said:

“There is a very clear relationship between educational attainment and per capita income: More education results in better jobs. Better jobs mean better pay. Better pay means both workers and employers have more money for investing.

"Better paid workers and more successful businesses result in increased tax revenues so Oklahoma can offer a better quality life for all of its citizens. A highly educated workforce will be much more attractive to businesses considering relocating to Oklahoma and, even more importantly, will enable existing and new Oklahoma businesses to hire high-quality employees and be more productive.”

Morgan said some in the Legislature may actually try to reduce the number of students who qualify for OHLAP by increasing the academic requirements or lowering the maximum income eligibility level.

“That’s the wrong approach. We need to expand the opportunities to earn a college degree to more students, not fewer. This is an investment in our future, an investment in the next generation of Oklahomans,” Morgan said.