At a state capitol news conference today, Governor Henry announced he would seek a permanent, dedicated funding source for the Oklahoma Higher Learning Access Program, otherwise known as Oklahoma’s Promise-OHLAP. Henry will ask the Oklahoma Legislature to earmark a percentage of one of Oklahoma’s largest revenue sources, the income tax, specifically for the college scholarship program. “Because of its growing popularity, Oklahoma’s Promise needs more financial support,” said Gov. Henry. “The program has attracted more and more students each year, but it has never had a permanent, dedicated revenue source large enough to accommodate its growth. We need to keep the promise we made to students and designate a large funding source for the scholarship program.” OHLAP allows students with family incomes of less than $50,000 to earn free tuition for college or career technology schools if they take a college curriculum in high school, make good grades and stay out of trouble. Gov. Henry wants to earmark 1.25 percent of state income tax receipts as a permanent funding source for OHLAP. Ken Miller, vice chair of the House Appropriations and Budget Committee, issued the following statement today regarding the governor's announced plan to earmark 1.25 percent of state income tax receipts to fund the Oklahoma Higher Learning Access Program (OHLAP): "This announcement today demonstrates a fundamental difference between House Republicans and the governor. House Republicans will continue to ratchet down the income tax to boost economic growth and opportunity, while the governor proposes to tie spending to this harmful tax. We all want to find ways to make college more affordable for all Oklahomans. And while OHLAP is a good program, it's never a good idea to tie spending to the income tax. Earmarking the tax that hurts job creation the most is not the way to build Oklahoma's future." Posted at 1/24/2007 07:30:00 PM