HB392 Alabama 2020 Session

Under existing law, the Alabama Commission on Higher Education (ACHE) or the Examiners of Public Accounts is required to perform certain functions related to resident and non-resident tuition practices

This bill would require ACHE to annually collect tuition and fee information and post the results on its website

Under existing law, the Police Officer's and Firefighter's Survivor Educational Assistance Program provides scholarships for spouses and dependants of police officers, firefighters, and rescue squad members who were either killed or permanently disabled in the line of duty

Under existing law, any dependent child, natural or adopted, under 21 years of age at the time of death or total disability of the law enforcement officer, firefighter, or rescue squad member is eligible for a scholarship

The bill would allow a dependant natural child under the age of 21 born after death or any dependant natural child under the age of 21 who is adopted after total disability was declared to be eligible for a scholarship

Relating to education; to amend Section 16-64-6, Code of Alabama 1975, relating to public institution tuition practices, to require annual reports tuition practices be posted on the website of the Alabama Commission on Higher Education; and to amend Section 36-21-102, Code of Alabama 1975, relating to the administration of the Police Officer's and Firefighter's Survivors Educational Assistance Program, to include any dependant natural child of a law enforcement officer, firefighter, or rescue squad member born after the death of, or any dependent child born or adopted after the total disability of, the law enforcement officer, firefighter, or rescue squad member.

Section 1

Section 16-64-6, Code of Alabama 1975, is amended to read as follows:

§16-64-6. The out-of-state tuition practices of each institution, and particularly decisions regarding resident and nonresident status and reporting thereof, shall be audited collected annually by the Alabama Commission on Higher Education or by the Examiners of Public Accounts. An annual report of institutional tuition policies shall be posted on the Alabama Commission on Higher Education's website."

Section 2

Section 36-21-102, Code of Alabama 1975, is amended to read as follows:

§36-21-102.

When a full-time law enforcement officer or full-time firefighter employed by the state, by any county, or by any municipality, a volunteer firefighter, or a rescue squad member is or was killed or becomes totally disabled in the line of duty, free tuition for undergraduate study at any state college, state community college, state junior college, state technical college, in the State of Alabama, and other costs officially prescribed for the classes in the course of study, shall be paid for the following:

(1) Any dependent child, natural or adopted, under ears of age at the time of death or total disability, or any dependent natural child under the age of 21 born after the death of the law enforcement officer, firefighter, or rescue squad member, or any dependant child, natural or adopted, under 21 years of age who is born or adopted after the total disability of the law enforcement officer, firefighter, or rescue squad member.

(2) A spouse who has not remarried, provided initial enrollment is within five years of the death or total disability of the law enforcement officer, firefighter, volunteer firefighter, or rescue squad member."

Section 3

This act shall become effective on the first day of the third month following its passage and approval by the Governor, or its otherwise becoming law.