Gov. Kevin Stitt signed a pair of bills aimed at helping National Guard service members enrolled in Oklahoma colleges who have a permanent address out of state or moved to the state too recently to establish residence.
Senate Bills 1416 and 1418 were authored by Porter Republican Senator Kim David.
“It’s really for recruitment and retainment of our National Guard members,” said in a news release.
The bills make all members of the Oklahoma National Guard eligible for in-state tuition and creates a revolving fund to support college fee costs.
Right now, if a guard member has an out-of-state address but attends an Oklahoma college, they pay non-resident tuition. That’s especially an issue for veterans who might be from another state but were stationed in Oklahoma and decided to stay and join the Guard.
The bills go into effect July 1.
