Oklahoma House Bill HB2961

Oklahoma 2026 Regular Session

• Introduced: 2/2/26
• Refer: 2/3/26
• Report Pass: 3/5/26
• Engrossed: 3/12/26
• Refer: 4/1/26
• Report Pass: 4/14/26
• Refer: 4/14/26
• Enrolled: 5/6/26

Caption

Higher education; TSgt Marshal Dakota Roberts Gold Star Survivor Act; career and technology education; waiver of tuition and fees for the spouse and children of a Gold Star recipient; effective date.

Summary

HB2961 creates the “TSgt Marshal Dakota Roberts Gold Star Survivor Act” and expands education benefits for surviving family members of a Gold Star recipient killed in the line of duty in any branch of the U.S. Armed Forces. The bill waives resident and nonresident tuition within the Oklahoma State System of Higher Education for the spouse or children of an eligible Gold Star recipient, so long as the deceased service member was an Oklahoma resident at the time of death or the surviving spouse/child maintains Oklahoma residency during enrollment. The bill also amends existing Oklahoma law to extend related waivers in both higher education and career technology districts. In addition to tuition relief, it expands the current fee and room-and-board waiver provisions to include the spouse or children of a Gold Star recipient, and it adds the same family members to the career tech tuition and fee waiver statutes. The waivers are limited to five years and are incorporated into the state’s education code with an effective date of November 1, 2026.

Impact

HB2961 changes Title 70 of the Oklahoma Statutes by adding a new tuition waiver section and amending existing provisions governing higher education and career technology districts. It broadens eligibility for state-funded educational benefits beyond the families of certain public safety personnel to include surviving spouses and children of military service members killed in the line of duty, subject to residency requirements. The bill affects Oklahoma public colleges, universities, and career tech districts by prohibiting the charging of tuition, fees, and in some cases room and board to qualifying beneficiaries for up to five years.

Sentiment

The bill appears to have received strong bipartisan support and little visible opposition. It passed the House and Senate with unanimous or near-unanimous votes at each stage, including committee and floor consideration, indicating broad agreement with the policy of extending educational benefits to Gold Star families. The absence of recorded dissent or committee controversy suggests the measure was viewed favorably as a recognition and support benefit for surviving family members of fallen service members.

Contention

No major contention is evident in the available record. The main policy details are the scope of eligibility and the residency conditions: benefits apply only if the deceased Gold Star recipient was an Oklahoma resident at death or if the spouse or child remains an Oklahoma resident during enrollment. The bill also limits the waivers to five years, which may reflect a balancing of benefit generosity with fiscal constraints, but no opposition or debate is documented in the provided materials.