Scholarship Program Expansion Wins OK from Senate Appropriations Committee

The Senate Appropriations Committee voted Wednesday to send a measure that expands the merit-based Oklahoma Higher Learning Access Program to the Senate floor for a vote.

Senate Bill 1993, authored by Senate President Pro Tempore Mike Morgan, calls for raising the maximum income level under which students are eligible to take part in OHLAP from $50,000 to $75,000. The measure would increase the number of students eligible to take part in the program by 20 percent, making 75 percent of the high school students in the state eligible to earn a tuition scholarship.

SB 1993 was reported “do pass” out of the full Appropriations Committee Wednesday morning and continues on a fast track. Morgan announced February 1 that he plans to send the bill to the House before the end of the first month of the Legislative session. The Senate Leader said Wednesday a vote on the measure by the full Senate is likely next week.

“We’re sending a signal to next generation of Oklahomans. We’re telling them that we are going to invest in their future because they are the future of our state. I want to make it clear that I believe this session has to be about more than just the next election. It must be about the next generation,” Morgan said.

High school students who sign up with OHLAP can earn a scholarship that pays their tuition by completing a specific college-preparatory curriculum, making good grades and staying out of trouble.

“It’s all about personal responsibility. Senate Democrats are focusing on programs that help create a greater culture of personal responsibility in our state. OHLAP does that by asking students to make a pact with the state and then rewarding them when they keep their end of the deal,” Morgan said.

Morgan said he understands the concerns of those who fear expanding the program would increase the cost beyond what the state can afford.

Expanding the program to include students with family incomes of $75,000 or less would first have a fiscal impact in FY 2010. The Senate leader said, however, that appropriating money for OHLAP scholarships is really an investment.

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

Morgan, who spent two years as Appropriations Chairman before being elected President Pro Tempore, noted that to date the Legislature has always made sure OHLAP was fully funded.

“This should be among our top priorities every year. I’m not completely opposed to the idea of a dedicated funding source, but with or without a dedicated revenue source, the Legislature should proudly step up and fund OHLAP early and fully in each Legislative session,” Morgan said.

He noted that the number of college graduates in the state is increasing and credited OHLAP, in part, for making that happen.

“We want to continue that trend. We have a responsibility to offer our young people the greatest number of educational opportunities possible. Doing otherwise would be disastrous for our state.

“Of course we have to be concerned about the cost of expanding OHLAP but we also need to consider the cost of not funding the program or reducing eligibility. That might just cost us the next generation of Oklahomans,” Morgan said.