HB377 Alabama 2024 Session

Summary

Primary Sponsor

Allen TreadawayRepresentative

Republican

Session

Regular Session 2024

Title

Spouses and Dependents of Law Enforcement Officers Tuition Scholarship Fund created, Alabama Commission on Higher Education required to administer and adopt rules

Summary

HB377 creates a state scholarship fund to provide tuition aid to spouses and certain dependents of law enforcement officers, administered by ACHE.

What This Bill Does

HB377 establishes the Spouses and Dependents of Law Enforcement Officers Tuition Scholarship Fund in the State Treasury and tasks ACHE with administering it. It sets up an application process and eligibility criteria, and scholarships are awarded on a first-come, first-served basis based on fund availability. The scholarships cover tuition and mandatory fees at approved Alabama institutions, reduced by other federal aid or gifts, with private schools capped to the remaining amount of the public in-state tuition average. ACHE must adopt rules, verify officer status, limit awards to up to four academic years (eight semesters), and issue an annual expenditures report to the Governor and legislative committee chairs, with the act taking effect on October 1, 2024.

Who It Affects

• Spouses of Alabama law enforcement officers and their dependents who meet the age and relationship criteria (under 27 or dependent) and enroll in an approved Alabama institution, who would be eligible for tuition scholarships.
• ACHE and Alabama-approved higher education institutions (public and private) that administer and participate in the fund, including implementing the application process, determining eligibility, awarding funds, and reporting expenditures.

Key Provisions

• Establishes the Spouses and Dependents of Law Enforcement Officers Tuition Scholarship Fund in the State Treasury to provide scholarships to eligible individuals.
• Administered by the Alabama Commission on Higher Education (ACHE); funding is subject to legislative appropriations and Budget Management Act rules.
• Eligibility includes enrollment or acceptance to an approved Alabama institution and a relationship to a law enforcement officer (spouse or under-27 dependent) with officer status verified by commission card or employer verification.
• Scholarships equal the institution's tuition and mandatory fees minus other federal aid or aid gifts; private institutions may not exceed the remainder of the average in-state public tuition and fees after other aid, as determined by ACHE.
• Awards are limited to no more than four academic years (eight semesters), for certificates, licenses, associate degrees, or bachelor degrees, and cover tuition/mandatory fees at an approved institution.
• Awards are first-come, first-served based on fund availability; if a recipient no longer meets requirements, no further scholarship may be awarded until proper documentation is provided.
• ACHE shall adopt rules to implement the fund and must submit an annual report by March 1 each year to the Governor and the chairs of the Senate Finance and Taxation Education Committee and the House Ways and Means Education Committee, including enrollment, amounts, graduations, and employing agencies.

AI-generated summary using openai/gpt-5-nano on Feb 22, 2026. May contain errors — refer to the official bill text for accuracy.

Subjects

Education