Bill updating the Tulsa Reconciliation Education and Scholarship Program wins unanimous Senate approval

OKLAHOMA CITY – Legislation updating the Tulsa Reconciliation Education and Scholarship Program has received unanimous, bipartisan support by the full Senate. Senate Bill 1054, by Sen. Regina Goodwin, D-Tulsa, modifies the scholarship program, which was first created nearly a quarter of a century ago.

“Twenty-four years ago, Representative Don Ross, Senator Maxine Horner, and Senate President Pro Tem Stratton Taylor sought to address the generational impact of the Tulsa Race Massacre with a scholarship opportunity for descendants and other seniors in Tulsa Public Schools,” Goodwin said. “SB 1054 strengthens the program and its mission by improving access, helping create a brighter future for qualifying recipients through education.”

Goodwin said the qualifying income limit of $70,000 had not been changed since the scholarship was originally created. SB 1054 increases the qualifying family income limit to $125,000, the equivalent amount in today’s dollars, with no cap for descendants. The measure would also extend eligibility to qualified students from other states who are direct lineal descendants of those living in the Greenwood area of Tulsa between April 30, 1921, and June 1, 1921. The scholarship could be used at any college, university or CareerTech in Oklahoma.

“This is a transformational opportunity for young people to expand their horizons, and I am grateful to my fellow members for their unanimous support in the Senate,” Goodwin said.

The bill now moves to the House of Representatives for further consideration. Rep. Jason Lowe, D-Oklahoma City, is the House principal author of SB 1054.

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For more information, contact: Sen. Regina Goodwin at 405-521-5598 or Regina.Goodwin@oksenate.gov