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*hb0003*
HOUSE BILL 3
F2 (6lr0766)
ENROLLED BILL
— Appropriations/Education, Energy, and the Environment —
Introduced by Delegates Schindler, Beauchamp, Miller, Pasteur, Ziegler, and
Woorman
Read and Examined by Proofreaders:
_______________________________________________
Proofreader.
_______________________________________________
Proofreader.
Sealed with the Great Se al and presented to the Governor, for his approval this
_______ day of _______________ at ________________________ o’clock, ________M.
______________________________________________
Speaker.
CHAPTER ______
AN ACT concerning 1
Higher Education – Nonresident Tuition Student Financial Assistance – 2
Exemption for Dependents of State or Local Public Safety Employees 3
(Maryland Fallen Heroes Tuition Benefits Act) 4
FOR the purpose of exempting spouses and financially dependent children of certain State 5
or local public safety employees from paying out–of–state or out–of–county tuition at 6
a public institution of higher education in the State; altering the method for 7
allocating funds for the Edward T. and Mar y A. Conroy Memorial Scholarship 8
Program and the Jean B. Cryor Memorial Scholarship Program; and generally 9
relating to nonresident tuition exemptions for student financial assistance for 10
spouses and financially dependent children of State or local public safety employees. 11
BY adding to 12
Article – Education 13
2 HOUSE BILL 3
Section 15–106.12 1
Annotated Code of Maryland 2
(2022 Replacement Volume and 2025 Supplement) 3
BY repealing and reenacting, without amendments, 4
Article – Education 5
Section 18–601(a)(1) and (5) 6
Annotated Code of Maryland 7
(2022 Replacement Volume and 2025 Supplement) 8
BY repealing and reenacting, with amendments, 9
Article – Education 10
Section 18–601 11
Annotated Code of Maryland 12
(2022 Replacement Volume and 2025 Supplement) 13
SECTION 1. BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF MARYLAND, 14
That the Laws of Maryland read as follows: 15
Article – Education 16
15–106.12. 17
(A) IN THIS SECTION , “STATE OR LOCAL PUBLIC SAFETY EMPLOYEE” HAS 18
THE MEANING STATED IN § 18–601 OF THIS ARTICLE. 19
(B) NOTWITHSTANDING THE STATE OR COUNTY IN WHICH THE SPOUSE OR 20
THE CHILD RESIDES, A SPOUSE OR A FINANCIALLY DEPENDENT CHILD OF A STATE 21
OR LOCAL PUBLIC SAFETY EMPLOYEE WHO DIES AS A RESULT OF OR IN THE COURSE 22
OF PERFORMANCE OF DU TIES IS EXEMPT FROM PAYING OUT –OF–STATE OR 23
OUT–OF–COUNTY TUITION AT A PUBLIC INSTITUTION OF HIGHER EDUCATION IN THE 24
STATE. 25
(C) THE COMMISSION SHALL ADOP T REGULATIONS TO IMP LEMENT THIS 26
SECTION. 27
18–601. 28
(a) (1) In this section the following words have the meanings indicated. 29
(5) “State or local public safety employee” means a person who is employed 30
in the State as: 31
(i) A career or volunteer member of a: 32
HOUSE BILL 3 3
1. Fire department; 1
2. Ambulance company or squad; or 2
3. Rescue company or squad; 3
(ii) A law enforcement officer; 4
(iii) A correctional officer; or 5
(iv) A member of the Maryland National Guard who was a resident 6
of this State at the time of death. 7
(a) (1) In this section the following words have the meanings indicated. 8
(2) “Disabled public safety employee” means a Sta te or local public safety 9
employee who sustains an injury in the line of duty that: 10
(i) Precludes the individual from continuing to serve or be employed 11
as a State or local public safety employee; and 12
(ii) In the case of a volunteer member of a fir e department or 13
ambulance or rescue company or squad, precludes the member from continuing to be 14
employed in the nonpublic safety occupation in which the member is engaged at the time of 15
the injury. 16
(3) “Fund” means the Edward T. Conroy and Jean B. Cryor Scholarship 17
Fund. 18
(4) “School employee” includes an employee of a public or nonpublic school 19
in the State. 20
(5) “State or local public safety employee” means a person who is employed 21
in the State as: 22
(i) A career or volunteer member of a: 23
1. Fire department; 24
2. Ambulance company or squad; or 25
3. Rescue company or squad; 26
(ii) A law enforcement officer; 27
(iii) A correctional officer; or 28
4 HOUSE BILL 3
(iv) A member of the Maryland National Guard who was a resident 1
of this State at the time of death. 2
(6) “Surviving spouse” means a person who has not remarried. 3
(7) “Victim of the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks” means a Maryland 4
resident who was killed as a result of the attacks on the World Trade Center in New York 5
City, the attack on the Pentagon in Virginia, or the crash of United Airlines Flight 93 in 6
Pennsylvania. 7
(b) There is a program of scholarships that are awarded by eligible postsecondary 8
institutions under this section. 9
(c) (1) The program for uniformed service s and public safety personnel and 10
their eligible dependents is the Edward T. and Mary A. Conroy Memorial Scholarship 11
Program. 12
(2) The program for eligible dependents of public and nonpublic school 13
employees is the Jean B. Cryor Memorial Scholarship Program. 14
(d) (1) A person may apply to an eligible postsecondary institution for a 15
scholarship under this section if the person: 16
(i) 1. Is accepted for admission or enrolled in the regular 17
undergraduate, graduate or professional program at an eligible institution; 18
2. Is enrolled in a 2 –year terminal certificate program in 19
which the course work is acceptable for transfer credit for an accredited baccalaureate 20
program in an eligible institution; or 21
3. Is enrolled in a private career school; 22
(ii) Is at least 16 years old; and 23
(iii) Meets the other eligibility criteria specified in this section. 24
(2) To apply for a scholarship under this section, the following persons are 25
required to be a resident of Maryland at the time of application or at the time of the disabling 26
or fatal event: 27
(i) A son, daughter, stepson, stepdaughter, or the surviving spouse of 28
a member of the uniformed services who: 29
1. Died as a result of service after December 7, 1941; 30
2. Suffered a service connecte d 100% permanent disability 31
after December 7, 1941; or 32
HOUSE BILL 3 5
3. Was declared to be a prisoner of war or missing in action, 1
if that occurred on or after January 1, 1960, as a result of the Vietnam conflict, and if the 2
child was born prior to or while the parent was a prisoner of war or missing in action; 3
(ii) A prisoner of war or missing in action, if that occurred on or after 4
January 1, 1960, as a result of the Vietnam conflict and was a resident of this State at the 5
time the person was declared to be a prisoner of war or missing in action; 6
(iii) A veteran who: 7
1. Suffers a service connected disability of 25% or greater; and 8
2. Has exhausted or is no longer eligible for federal veterans’ 9
educational benefits; 10
(iv) A son, daughter, stepson, or stepdaughter of or the surviving 11
spouse of a victim of the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks; 12
(v) A son, daughter, stepson, or stepdaughter of a school employee 13
who, as a result of an act of violence: 14
1. Died in the line of duty; or 15
2. Sustained an injury in the line of duty that rendered the 16
school employee 100% disabled; or 17
(vi) The surviving spouse of a school employee who, as a result of an 18
act of violence: 19
1. Died in the line of duty; or 20
2. Sustained an inju ry in the line of duty that rendered the 21
school employee 100% disabled. 22
(3) To apply for a scholarship under this section, the following persons are 23
not required to be a resident of Maryland at the time of application or at the time of the 24
disabling or fatal event: 25
(i) 1. A son, daughter, stepson, or stepdaughter of any State or 26
local public safety employee killed in the line of duty; or 27
2. The surviving spouse of any State or local public safety 28
employee killed in the line of duty; or 29
(ii) 1. A disabled public safety employee; 30
6 HOUSE BILL 3
2. A son, daughter, stepson, or stepdaughter of a disabled 1
public safety employee who sustains an injury in the line of duty that renders the public 2
safety employee 100% disabled; or 3
3. The surviving spouse o f a disabled public safety employee 4
who sustains an injury in the line of duty that renders the public safety employee 100% 5
disabled. 6
(e) A scholarship awarded under this section: 7
(1) May be used for the tuition and mandatory fees at any eligible 8
institution; and 9
(2) May not: 10
(i) Exceed the equivalent annual tuition and mandatory fees of a 11
resident undergraduate student at the 4 –year public institution of higher education within 12
the University System of Maryland, other than the University of Maryland Global Campus 13
and University of Maryland, Baltimore Campus, with the highest annual expenses for a 14
full–time resident undergraduate; and 15
(ii) Be less than the lesser of: 16
1. $3,000; or 17
2. The equivalent annual tuition and mandatory fees of a 18
resident of the institution attended by the recipient of the scholarship. 19
(f) (1) Each postsecondary institution shall determine the eligibility of persons 20
who apply to the institution for the Edward T. and Mary A. Conroy Memorial Scholarship 21
Program and the Jean B. Cryor Memorial Scholarship Program. 22
(2) Funds for the Edward T. and Mary A. Conroy Memorial Scholarship 23
Program and the Jean B. Cryor Memorial Scholarship Program shall be allocated by the 24
Commission to each postsecondary institut ion based on [the number of eligible recipients 25
attending each institution] A FORMULA DETERMINED BY THE COMMISSION, WHICH MAY 26
INCLUDE PRIOR YEAR E NROLLMENT, ELIGIBLE RECIPIENTS, AND INSTITUTIONAL 27
TUITION AND FEES. 28
(3) In October and February of each yea r, each postsecondary institution 29
shall report to the Commission the number of eligible recipients attending the institution. 30
(4) (I) The Commission shall allocate funds for awards to postsecondary 31
institutions [upon verification of eligible recipients attending the institutions] SUBJECT TO 32
THE AVAILABILITY OF FUNDS AS PROVIDED IN THE STATE BUDGET. 33
HOUSE BILL 3 7
(II) EACH POSTSECONDARY IN STITUTION MAY MAKE A WARDS 1
TO ELIGIBLE STUDENTS SUBJECT TO THE ALLOC ATION OF FUNDS FROM THE 2
COMMISSION UNDER SUBPARAGRAPH (I) OF THIS PARAGRAPH. 3
(5) [If funds cannot be allocated in the fiscal year in which awards are 4
made, priority shall be given to allocating funds for those awards in the following fiscal 5
year] THE COMMISSION SHALL ADOP T GUIDELINES TO IMPL EMENT THIS 6
SUBSECTION. 7
(g) (1) Each recipient of a scholarship under this section may hold the award 8
for 5 years of full–time study or 8 years of part–time study. 9
(2) The number of eligible recipients under subsection (d)(2)(iii) of this 10
section shall be limited to 15 each year. 11
(3) An award provided under subsection (d)(2)(iv) of this section may not 12
exceed the amount specified in subsection (e)(2) of this section when combined with any other 13
scholarship received by a student based on the student’s status as a child or spouse of a 14
victim of the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. 15
(4) SUBJECT TO A RECIPIEN T’S CONTINUED ELIGIBIL ITY UNDER 16
SUBSECTION (D) OF THIS SECTION AND THE AVAILABILITY OF FUNDS UNDER 17
SUBSECTION (F) OF THIS SECTION, AN AWARDING AUTHORITY SHALL GIVE PRIORITY 18
TO A RECIPIENT OF A SCHOLARSHIP BEFORE AWARDING FUNDS TO NEW APPLICANTS. 19
(h) (1) There is an Edward T. Conroy and Jean B. Cryor Scholarship Fund. 20
(2) The Commission shall administer the Fund. 21
(3) The Fund is a special, nonlapsing fund that is not subject to § 7–302 of 22
the State Finance and Procurement Article. 23
(4) The State Treasurer shall hold the Fund and the Comptroller shall 24
account for the Fund. 25
(5) The Commission: 26
(i) May accept any gift or grant from any person for the Fund; 27
(ii) Shall use any gift or grant that it receives for a scholarship from 28
the programs; and 29
(iii) Shall deposit any gift or grant that it receives for the programs 30
with the State Treasurer. 31
8 HOUSE BILL 3
(i) For fiscal year 2024 and each fiscal year thereafter, the Governor shall include 1
in the annual budget bill an appropriation of at least $4,000,000 to the Fund. 2
SECTION 2. AND BE IT FURTHER ENACTED, That this Act shall take effect July 3
1, 2026. 4
Approved:
________________________________________________________________________________
Governor.
________________________________________________________________________________
Speaker of the House of Delegates.
________________________________________________________________________________
President of the Senate.