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SB0212 • 2026

Higher Education - Nonresident Tuition - Exemption for Spouses and Dependents of State or Local Public Safety Employees (Maryland Fallen Heroes Tuition Benefits Act)

Higher Education - Nonresident Tuition - Exemption for Spouses and Dependents of State or Local Public Safety Employees (Maryland Fallen Heroes Tuition Benefits Act)

Children Education Labor
Passed Legislature

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

Sponsor
Senator Corderman
Last action
2026-03-30
Official status
In the House - Third Reading Passed with Amendments (137-0)
Effective date
2026-07-01

Plain English Breakdown

Using official source text because the generated explanation was unavailable or could not be confirmed against the official bill text.

Higher Education - Nonresident Tuition - Exemption for Spouses and Dependents of State or Local Public Safety Employees (Maryland Fallen Heroes Tuition Benefits Act)

Exempting spouses and financially dependent children of State or local public safety employees who die as a result of or in the course of performance of duties from paying out-of-state or out-of-county tuition at a public institution of higher education in the State.

What This Bill Does

  • Exempting spouses and financially dependent children of State or local public safety employees who die as a result of or in the course of performance of duties from paying out-of-state or out-of-county tuition at a public institution of higher education in the State.

Limits and Unknowns

  • This entry is temporarily using official source text because the generated explanation could not be confirmed against the official bill text during the last sync.

Amendments

These notes stay tied to the official amendment files and metadata from the legislature.

503325/1

None

Favorable with Amendments { 503325/1 Adopted

Plain English: AMENDMENTS TO SENATE BILL 212 (Third Reading File Bill) AMENDMENT NO.

  • AMENDMENTS TO SENATE BILL 212 (Third Reading File Bill) AMENDMENT NO.
  • 1 On page 1, in line 2, strike “ Nonresident Tuition” and substitute “ Student Financial Assistance”; in the same line, strike “ Exemption for Spouses and”; in line 7, after “State;” insert “ altering the method for allocating funds for the Edward T.
  • and Mary A.
  • Conroy Memorial Scholarship Program and the Jean B.
603025/1

None

Favorable with Amendments { 603025/1 Adopted

Plain English: AMENDMENTS TO SENATE BILL 212 (First Reading File Bill) AMENDMENT NO.

  • AMENDMENTS TO SENATE BILL 212 (First Reading File Bill) AMENDMENT NO.
  • 1 On page 1, in line 2, after “for” insert “Spouses and”; in line 5, after “exempting” insert “spouses and”; and in line 8, after “for” insert “spouses and”.
  • AMENDMENT NO.
  • 2 On page 2, in line 3, after “WHICH” insert “THE SPOUSE OR”; and in line 4, after the comma insert “A SPOUSE OR”.

Bill History

  1. 2026-04-10 House

    Favorable with Amendments Report by Appropriations

  2. 2026-03-30 House

    Third Reading Passed (137-0)

  3. 2026-03-26 House

    Hearing 4/08 at 1:00 p.m.

  4. 2026-03-25 House

    Favorable with Amendments { 503325/1 Adopted

  5. 2026-03-25 House

    Second Reading Passed with Amendments

  6. 2026-03-19 Senate

    Favorable with Amendments Report by Education, Energy, and the Environment

  7. 2026-03-09 House

    Referred Appropriations

  8. 2026-03-05 Senate

    Third Reading Passed (41-0)

  9. 2026-03-03 Senate

    Favorable with Amendments { 603025/1 Adopted

  10. 2026-03-03 Senate

    Second Reading Passed with Amendments

  11. 2026-01-21 Senate

    Hearing canceled

  12. 2026-01-21 Senate

    Hearing 1/28 at 10:00 a.m.

  13. 2026-01-16 Senate

    Hearing 1/28 at 11:00 a.m.

  14. 2026-01-14 Senate

    First Reading Education, Energy, and the Environment

  15. 2025-09-04 Senate

    Pre-filed

  16. Maryland General Assembly

    Text - First - Higher Education - Nonresident Tuition - Exemption for Dependents of State or Local Public Safety Employees (Maryland Fallen Heroes Tuition Benefits Act)

  17. Maryland General Assembly

    Vote - Senate - Committee - Education, Energy, and the Environment

  18. Maryland General Assembly

    Text - Third - Higher Education - Nonresident Tuition - Exemption for Spouses and Dependents of State or Local Public Safety Employees (Maryland Fallen Heroes Tuition Benefits Act)

  19. Maryland General Assembly

    Vote - House - Committee - Appropriations

Official Summary Text

Exempting spouses and financially dependent children of State or local public safety employees who die as a result of or in the course of performance of duties from paying out-of-state or out-of-county tuition at a public institution of higher education in the State.

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text 
EXPLANATION: CAPITALS INDICATE MATTER ADDED TO EXISTING LAW.
[Brackets] indicate matter deleted from existing law.
Underlining indicates amendments to bill.
Strike out indicates matter stricken from the bill by amendment or deleted from the law by
amendment.
*sb0212*

SENATE BILL 212
F2 6lr0763
SB 1024/25 – EEE (PRE–FILED) CF HB 3
By: Senator Corderman
Requested: September 4, 2025
Introduced and read first time: January 14, 2026
Assigned to: Education, Energy, and the Environment
Committee Report: Favorable with amendments
Senate action: Adopted
Read second time: March 3, 2026

CHAPTER ______

AN ACT concerning 1

Higher Education – Nonresident Tuition – Exemption for Spouses and 2
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; and generally relating to 7
nonresident tuition exemptions for spouses and financially dependent children of 8
State or local public safety employees. 9

BY adding to 10
Article – Education 11
Section 15–106.12 12
Annotated Code of Maryland 13
(2022 Replacement Volume and 2025 Supplement) 14

BY repealing and reenacting, without amendments, 15
Article – Education 16
Section 18–601(a)(1) and (5) 17
Annotated Code of Maryland 18
(2022 Replacement Volume and 2025 Supplement) 19

SECTION 1. BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF MARYLAND, 20
That the Laws of Maryland read as follows: 21
2 SENATE BILL 212

Article – Education 1

15–106.12. 2

(A) IN THIS SECTION , “STATE OR LOCAL PUBLIC SAFETY EMPLOYEE” HAS 3
THE MEANING STATED IN § 18–601 OF THIS ARTICLE. 4

(B) NOTWITHSTANDING THE STATE OR COUNTY IN WH ICH THE SPOUSE OR 5
THE CHILD RESIDES, A SPOUSE OR A FINANCIALLY DEPENDENT CHILD OF A STATE 6
OR LOCAL PUBLIC SAFETY EMPLOYEE WHO DIES AS A RESULT OF OR IN THE COURSE 7
OF PERFORMANCE OF DU TIES IS EXEMPT FROM PAYING OUT –OF–STATE OR 8
OUT–OF–COUNTY TUITION AT A PUBLIC INSTITUTION OF HIGHER EDUCATION IN THE 9
STATE. 10

(C) THE COMMISSION SHALL ADOP T REGULATIONS TO IMP LEMENT THIS 11
SECTION. 12

18–601. 13

(a) (1) In this section the following words have the meanings indicated. 14

(5) “State or local public safety employee” means a person who is employed 15
in the State as: 16

(i) A career or volunteer member of a: 17

1. Fire department; 18

2. Ambulance company or squad; or 19

3. Rescue company or squad; 20

(ii) A law enforcement officer; 21

(iii) A correctional officer; or 22

(iv) A member of the Maryland National Guard who was a resident 23
of this State at the time of death. 24

SECTION 2. AND BE IT FURTHER ENACTED, That this Act shall take effect July 25
1, 2026. 26