Alaska2026Passed Legislature
HB88
Tuition Waivers for Families of Service Members and First Responders
Last scannedSep 12, 2026, 4:46 AM
In one sentence
This law provides tuition waivers to spouses and dependent children in Alaska whose family member died or became permanently disabled while serving as a peace officer, firefighter, volunteer firefighter, or armed services member.
What it does
- Allows eligible students to have their undergraduate tuition and fees waived at state-supported educational institutions in the state.
- Includes eligibility for families of members listed by the U.S. Department of Defense as prisoners of war or missing in action.
- Covers spouses and dependent children of people with permanent total disabilities resulting from line-of-duty injuries, including volunteer firefighters.
- Defines 'dependent child' to include natural, adopted, stepchildren, acknowledged illegitimate children, and those for whom the member stood in loco parentis for at least three years.
- Sets a rule that waivers apply only to tuition costs accrued for academic terms beginning on or after the law's effective date.
Who it affects
- Spouses of peace officers, firefighters (including volunteers), or armed services members who died or were permanently disabled in the line of duty.
- Dependent children meeting specific legal definitions related to these service members at the time of death or disability incident.
- State-supported educational institutions that must process and grant these tuition waivers.
Limits and unknowns
- The waiver covers only undergraduate tuition and fees; it does not cover graduate school costs.
- Benefits apply only to academic terms that begin on or after the date this law takes effect.
- Eligibility requires the family member (peace officer, firefighter, or service member) to have been a bona fide resident of Alaska.
Plain language
Terms to know
- Line of duty
- Injuries or death happening while performing official work for the state, federal government, or military.
- Permanent total disability
- A condition where a person is rated as permanently and totally unable to work due to injuries from their job, determined by specific laws or federal ratings.
- In loco parentis
- When an adult acts in the place of a parent for at least three years before the member's death or disability incident.
Official record
Sources
Official summary
TUITION WAIVERS FOR FAMILY OF ARMED SVS An Act relating to tuition waivers for spouses and dependents of certain peace officers, firefighters, and members of the armed services; and providing for an effective date.
Official activity
Bill history
- (H) Minutes (HEDC)Min
- (H) <Bill Hearing Canceled>Text
- (H) EDUCATION at 08:00 AM DAVIS 106Text
- (H) REFERRED TO EDUCATION160
- (H) EDC, FIN160
- (H) READ THE FIRST TIME - REFERRALS160