Rep. Cody Maynard
I passed a bill in the House this week that would remove the ability of an individual who is not lawfully present in the United States to qualify for in-state tuition rates and other financial benefits at Oklahoma colleges and universities.
Senate Bill 1633 has been sent to the governor’s desk.
This would bring Oklahoma statute into alignment with federal law following the recent consent judgment on resident tuition eligibility. Prior to this, students were able to use applications for U.S. citizenship or an affidavit saying the student would complete an application at their earliest opportunity in order to gain in-state tuition rates, scholarships and other financial benefits at our state higher education institutes. A 2025 federal consent judgment in United States v. State of Oklahoma declared that Oklahoma’s policy allowing undocumented immigrants to pay in-state tuition is unconstitutional.
This bill clarifies state law to match federal law on this issue.
I also was able to pass a floor amendment to Senate Bill 2063 this week as an attempt to keep my “Lemonade Stand Law” moving forward.
The floor amendment mirrors the language from House Bill 3548, which was not heard in the Senate. That bill, and now SB2063, would create the Oklahoma Youth Entrepreneurs Promotion and Development Act, or as I like to refer to it, the Lemonade Stand Law. This would allow youth to operate small businesses, such as lemonade stands, lawn-cutting services or more, without being buried in taxes and government red tape. This would give our youth real-world experience. As I advocated on the House floor, let’s hand them an opportunity not a permit!
The Senate chose to adjourn early May 6 without finishing much of their work to hear remaining House bills or House amendments on remaining Senate bills. This means much of our legislation is in danger of dying this year, forcing us to start from scratch next session.
Amending Senate bills on the House floor is the only tool we had left to try to save our remaining bills this session. This will still require Senate approval. I’m hopeful they will decide to reconvene next week to finish their legislative work. If they do nothing, the Legislature will stand adjourned sine die for this session at 5 p.m. Thursday, May 14.