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HB88 • 2026

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.

Children Education
Passed Legislature

This bill passed both chambers and reached final enrollment, even if later executive action is not shown here.

Sponsor
REPRESENTATIVE EISCHEID
Last action
2025-03-21
Official status
(H) EDC
Effective date
Not listed

Plain English Breakdown

The official text states the law takes effect immediately upon passage under AS 01.10.070(c), but does not provide a specific calendar date in this excerpt.

Tuition Waivers for Families of Service Members and First Responders

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 This Bill 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 Names or 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.

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.

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.

Bill History

  1. 2025-03-21 Min

    (H) Minutes (HEDC)

  2. 2025-03-21 Text

    (H) <Bill Hearing Canceled>

  3. 2025-03-21 Text

    (H) EDUCATION at 08:00 AM DAVIS 106

  4. 2025-02-10 160

    (H) REFERRED TO EDUCATION

  5. 2025-02-10 160

    (H) EDC, FIN

  6. 2025-02-10 160

    (H) READ THE FIRST TIME - REFERRALS

Official Summary Text

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.

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text 
HB0088a -1- HB 88
New Text Underlined [DELETED TEXT BRACKETED]

34-LS0512\A

HOUSE BILL NO. 88

IN THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF ALASKA

THIRTY-FOURTH LEGISLATURE - FIRST SESSION

BY REPRESENTATIVE EISCHEID

Introduced: 2/10/25
Referred: Education, Finance

A BILL

FOR AN ACT ENTITLED

"An Act relating to tuition waivers for spouses and dependents of certain peace officers, 1
firefighters, and members of the armed services; and providing for an effective date." 2
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF ALASKA: 3
* Section 1. AS 14.43.085(a) is amended to read: 4
(a) A person enrolled as a student in good standing in a state-supported 5
[STATE SUPPORTED] educational institution in this state is enti tled to a waiver of 6
undergraduate tuition and fees if 7
(1) the person was the spouse or dependent child of a bona fide 8
resident of the state who was 9
(A) [(1)] a member of the armed services and who died in the 10
line of duty or who died as a result of injuries sustained whil e in the line of 11
duty for the state or federal government or who was listed by t he United States 12
Department of Defense as a prisoner of war or as missing in action; or 13
(B) [(2)] a peace officer or a member of a fire department who 14
34-LS0512\A
HB 88 -2- HB0088a
New Text Underlined [DELETED TEXT BRACKETED]

died from an act arising out of and in the course of 1
(i) [(A)] employment as a peace officer or a firefighter; 2
or 3
(ii) [(B)] duties as a volunteer firefighter; or 4
(2) the person is the spouse or dependent child of a bona fide 5
resident of the state who 6
(A) was a member of the armed services and received a 7
rating of permanently and totally disabled from the federal government as 8
a result of injuries sustained while in the line of duty for th e federal 9
government; or 10
(B) has been determined under AS 23.30.180 to have a 11
permanent total disability as a result of 12
(i) an act arising out of and in the course of 13
employment as a peace officer or a firefighter; 14
(ii) an act arising out of and in the course of duties 15
as a volunteer firefighter; or 16
(iii) injuries sustained while in the line of duty for 17
the state government while serving as a member of the armed 18
services. 19
* Sec. 2. AS 14.43.085(b)(2) is amended to read: 20
(2) "dependent child" means a person who was a dependent of a peace 21
officer or of a member of the armed services or a fire departme nt at the time of the 22
peace officer's or member's death or at the time of the incident that resulted in the 23
peace officer's or member's permanent total disability, and who is 24
(A) the peace officer's or member's natural or adopted child; 25
(B) a child in relation to whom the deceased or disabled armed 26
services member, firefighter, or peace officer stood in loco pa rentis for at least 27
three years before the peace officer's or member's death or disability; 28
(C) the peace officer's or member's stepchild; or 29
(D) the peace officer's or member's acknowledged illegitimate 30
child; 31
34-LS0512\A
HB0088a -3- HB 88
New Text Underlined [DELETED TEXT BRACKETED]

* Sec. 3. AS 14.43.085(b)(7) is amended to read: 1
(7) "spouse" means a person who was married to a peace officer or to a 2
member of the armed services or a fire department at the time o f the peace officer's or 3
member's death or at the time of the incident that resulted in the peace offic er's or 4
member's permanent total disability. 5
* Sec. 4. The uncodified law of the State of Alaska is amended by adding a new section to 6
read: 7
APPLICABILITY. A waiver of undergraduate tuition and fees for a person permitted 8
under AS 14.43.085(a), as amended by sec. 1 of this Act, AS 14. 43.085(b)(2), as amended by 9
sec. 2 of this Act, and AS 14.43.085(b)(7), as amended by sec. 3 of this Act, applies to tuition 10
and fees accrued by the person for an academic term beginning o n or after the effective date 11
of this Act. 12
* Sec. 5. This Act takes effect immediately under AS 01.10.070(c). 13