SB84 Alabama 2013 Session

Updated Feb 25, 2026

Summary

Primary Sponsor: Trip Pittman
Republican
Co-Sponsors: Gerald O. Dial Jimmy Holley William “Bill” M. Beasley
Session: Regular Session 2013
Title: Veterans, family educational benefits, limited to tuition only for family members granted benefits for the first time after August 1, 2012, Secs. 31-6-2, 31-6-4, 31-6-5, 31-6-6, 31-6-15 am'd.
Summary: SB84 tightens and clarifies Alabama's veterans' dependents' education benefits by restricting some benefits to tuition only for first-time applicants after Jan 1, 2014 and specifying who is eligible and how long benefits last.
What This Bill Does
It defines who qualifies for the dependents' scholarship, including children and spouses of veterans, and sets conditions for receiving benefits at state colleges, universities, and trade schools. It preserves long, tuition-free options for certain dependents (up to five academic years or 45 months) but applies new limits for first-time beneficiaries after Jan 1, 2014, restricting those benefits to undergraduate courses and to tuition only. It also creates durations, age-start and completion windows for spouses and children of disabled or deceased veterans, including remarriage restrictions for spouses and a separate 27-month benefit for those with 20–90% disability, all to be completed within specific timeframes. Finally, it requires state reimbursement to institutions for waived tuition/fees and sets funding through the Education Trust Fund.

Who It Affects
Dependents of Alabama veterans (including children and spouses/widows) who may receive G.I. dependents' benefits, with changes to who is eligible and what is covered (tuition-only for new recipients after 2014 and undergraduate-only for those recipients).
Alabama state colleges, universities, and state trade schools (and the Education Trust Fund) that administer and fund the program, who will be reimbursed for waived tuition/fees and must implement the new eligibility and benefit rules.

Key Provisions
Amends definitions and terms (e.g., Armed Forces including women troops and Nurse Corps) and clarifies 'tuition' and 'tuition and fees' within the program.
For children of veterans who died, were disabled, or were killed in service: up to five standard academic years (45 months) of free tuition/fees/books at state institutions or a prescribed trade-school course, with rules on start dates (before 30th birthday) and completion (within eight years, with extensions for military service) and a limit on age (38th birthday).
For spouses, widows, or widowers of such veterans: similar five-year/45-month entitlement, with one program change allowed without counseling, eight-year completion window, and remarriage restrictions (remarriage before or during study affects eligibility or costs).
For spouses, children, and unmarried widows/widowers of veterans with 20–90% disability (or death with disability): up to 27 months of schooling (or 27 months part-time) at state institutions, to be completed within six years, with age limits and a provision that remaining time can be used at a state college/university if in its scope; benefits are in addition to federal benefits.
New recipients after Jan 1, 2014 are limited to undergraduate courses, and benefits are restricted to tuition only for those first-time applicants; existing beneficiaries may be affected differently by the changes, as implied by the reform.
A funding and reimbursement structure: the Education Trust Fund will reimburse institutions for waived tuition/fees at the end of each academic term, based on certified invoices and student beneficiary data, for residents who first receive benefits after Jan 1, 2014.

AI-generated summary using openai/gpt-5-nano on Feb 25, 2026. May contain errors — refer to the official bill text for accuracy.
Subjects: Veterans