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EXPLANATION-Matter enclosed in bold-faced brackets [thus] in this bill is not enacted
and is intended to be omitted in the law.
SECOND REGULAR SESSION
SENATE BILL NO. 1768
103RD GENERAL ASSEMBLY
INTRODUCED BY SENATOR BRATTIN.
7453S.01I KRISTINA MARTIN, Secretary
AN ACT
To repeal section 173.2655, RSMo, and to enact in lieu thereof one new section relating to college
tuition for fire service personnel.
Be it enacted by the General Assembly of the State of Missouri, as follows:
Section A. Section 173.2655, RSMo, is repealed and one 1
new section enacted in lieu thereof, to be known as section 2
173.2655, to read as follows:3
173.2655. 1. This section and section 173.2660 shall 1
be known and may be cited as the "Public Safety Recruitment 2
and Retention Act". 3
2. For purposes of this section and section 173.2660, 4
unless the context clearly indicates otherwise, the 5
following terms mean: 6
(1) "Advanced emergency medical technician", as such 7
term is defined in section 190.100; 8
(2) "Department", the department of higher education 9
and workforce development; 10
(3) "Emergency medical technician", as such term is 11
defined in section 190.100; 12
(4) "Firefighter", any officer, member, or employee of 13
a fire department, fire protection district, or other fire- 14
fighting organization of a political subdivision who is 15
employed for the purpose of fighting fires, [excluding 16
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volunteer firefighters] and anyone employed in a clerical or 17
other capacity not involving fire-fighting duties; 18
(5) "Institution of higher education", a public 19
community college, state college, or state university 20
located in Missouri; or an approved private institution, as 21
such term is defined in section 173.1102, that chooses to 22
accept any tuition award money pursuant to subdivision (2) 23
of subsection 7 of this section; or an emergency medical 24
services training entity accredited or certified by the 25
Missouri department of health and senior services pursuant 26
to the provisions of section 190.131; 27
(6) "Legal dependent", as such term is defined by the 28
United States Department of Education for purposes of the 29
Free Application for Federal Student Aid; 30
(7) "Line of duty", any action that public safety 31
personnel is authorized or obligated by law, rule, or 32
regulation to perform, related to or as a condition of 33
employment or service; 34
(8) "Open seat", a vacant position in a class, course, 35
or program that is available for enrollment, and which may 36
become available when a student drops out or transfers, or 37
when a class, course, or program has unused capacity, 38
allowing new students to register or enroll; 39
(9) "Paramedic", as such term is defined in section 40
190.100; 41
(10) "Police officer", any person who, by virtue of 42
office or public employment, is vested by law with the power 43
and duty to make arrests for violation of the laws of the 44
state of Missouri or ordinances of any municipality thereof, 45
while acting within the scope of his or her authority as an 46
employee of a public law enforcement agency, as such term is 47
defined in section 590.1040; 48
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(11) "Public safety personnel", includes any police 49
officer, firefighter, paramedic, telecommunicator first 50
responder, emergency medical technician, or advanced 51
emergency medical technician who is trained and authorized 52
by law or rule to render emergency medical assistance or 53
treatment; 54
(12) "Telecommunicator first responder", as such term 55
is defined in section 650.320; 56
(13) "Tuition", the charges and cost of tuition as set 57
by the governing body of an institution of higher education, 58
including fees such as course fees, activity fees, 59
technology fees, and mandatory fees charged by such 60
institution to all full-time students as a condition of 61
enrollment, but excluding the costs of room, board, books, 62
and any other educational materials, equipment, or supplies. 63
3. Subject to appropriation, public safety personnel 64
with at least six years of service shall be entitled to an 65
award worth up to one hundred percent of the resident 66
tuition charges of an institution of higher education if the 67
individual: 68
(1) Possesses one of the following: 69
(a) A current, valid license issued by the department 70
of health and senior services authorizing such person to 71
serve as an emergency medical technician, advanced emergency 72
medical technician, or paramedic; 73
(b) A current, valid license issued by the peace 74
officer standards and training commission authorizing such 75
person to serve as a peace officer pursuant to the 76
provisions of chapter 590; 77
(c) A current, valid certificate issued by the 78
division of fire safety authorizing such person to serve as 79
a firefighter; or 80
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(d) A current, valid certificate confirming successful 81
completion of any ongoing training requirements pursuant to 82
section 650.340; and 83
(e) For all public safety personnel, a certificate of 84
verification signed by the individual's supervisor or 85
employer verifying that such individual is currently 86
employed full-time as public safety personnel and trained 87
and authorized by law or rule to render emergency medical 88
assistance or treatment; 89
(2) Meets all admission requirements of the 90
institution of higher education; 91
(3) Has not already earned a baccalaureate degree; 92
(4) Pursues studies leading to a license or 93
certification issued by a training entity accredited or 94
certified pursuant to the provisions of section 190.131, an 95
associate degree or baccalaureate degree in one of the 96
following academic subject areas: 97
(a) For police officers, eligible subjects include 98
forensic science, fisheries and wildlife, political science, 99
psychology, history, philosophy, sociology, anthropology, 100
global studies, Spanish, journalism, advertising, public 101
relations, nutrition and health sciences, communication 102
sciences and disorders, and criminal justice; 103
(b) For firefighters, paramedics, emergency medical 104
technicians, and advanced emergency medical technicians, 105
eligible subjects include biology, chemistry, biochemistry, 106
microbiology, nutrition and health sciences, communication 107
sciences and disorders, Spanish, advertising, public 108
relations, paramedicine, fire science, fire technology, fire 109
administration, fire management, communications, homeland 110
security, emergency management, disaster management, and 111
crisis management; and 112
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(c) For telecommunicator first responders, eligible 113
subjects include any subject specified in paragraph (a) or 114
(b) of this subdivision; 115
(5) Submits verification of the professional license 116
or certificate and the certificate of verification required 117
by subdivision (1) of this subsection to the department, in 118
a form and manner as prescribed by the department; 119
(6) Files with the department documentation showing 120
proof of employment as public safety personnel and proof of 121
residence in Missouri each year such individual or such 122
individual's legal dependent applies for and receives the 123
tuition award; 124
(7) First applies for all other forms of federal and 125
state student financial aid before applying for a tuition 126
award, including, but not limited to, filing the United 127
States Department of Education Free Application for Federal 128
Student Aid and, if applicable, applying for financial 129
assistance pursuant to the provisions of 38 U.S.C. Section 130
3301, et seq.; and 131
(8) Submits a document to the department confirming 132
that the public safety personnel has satisfied the 133
provisions of subdivision (7) of this subsection, to be 134
submitted in a form and manner as prescribed by the 135
department. 136
4. Public safety personnel may receive the tuition 137
award pursuant to subsection 3 of this section for up to 138
five years if they otherwise continue to be eligible for the 139
tuition award. The five years of tuition award eligibility 140
starts once the individual applies for and receives the 141
tuition award for the first time and is available to such 142
individual for the next five consecutive years or the 143
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individual's achievement of one hundred twenty credit hours, 144
whichever occurs first. 145
5. Subject to appropriation, a legal dependent of 146
public safety personnel with at least ten years of service 147
shall be entitled to a tuition award worth up to one hundred 148
percent of the resident tuition charges of an institution of 149
higher education for an associate or baccalaureate degree 150
program if such public safety personnel satisfies the 151
provisions of subdivisions (1), (5), and (6) of subsection 3 152
of this section and the legal dependent: 153
(1) Executes an agreement with the department in 154
accordance with the provisions of section 173.2660; 155
(2) Has not previously earned a baccalaureate degree; 156
(3) Meets all admission requirements of the 157
institution of higher education; 158
(4) First applies for all other forms of federal and 159
state student financial aid before applying for a tuition 160
award, including, but not limited to, filing the United 161
States Department of Education Free Application for Federal 162
Student Aid and, if applicable, applying for financial 163
assistance pursuant to the provisions of 38 U.S.C. Section 164
3301, et seq.; 165
(5) Submits a document to the department confirming 166
that the legal dependent has satisfied subdivision (4) of 167
this subsection, to be submitted in a form and manner as 168
prescribed by the department; 169
(6) Submits the verification required pursuant to 170
subsection 8 of this section to the department; and 171
(7) Pursues studies leading to a license or 172
certification issued by a training entity accredited or 173
certified pursuant to the provisions of section 190.131, an 174
associate degree or baccalaureate degree in any one of the 175
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subject areas specified in paragraphs (a) to (c) of 176
subdivision (4) of subsection 3 of this section. 177
6. A legal dependent may receive the tuition award for 178
up to five years if the public safety personnel and the 179
legal dependent continue to be eligible for such tuition 180
award. The five years of tuition award eligibility starts 181
once the legal dependent applies for and receives the 182
tuition award for the first time and is available to such 183
legal dependent for the next five consecutive years or the 184
legal dependent's achievement of one hundred twenty credit 185
hours, whichever occurs first. 186
7. The tuition award shall be worth: 187
(1) Up to one hundred percent of the public safety 188
personnel's or the legal dependent's tuition remaining due 189
after subtracting awarded federal financial aid grants and 190
state scholarships and grants for the eligible public safety 191
personnel or legal dependent during the time the public 192
safety personnel or legal dependent is enrolled. To remain 193
eligible, the public safety personnel or legal dependent 194
shall comply with all requirements of the institution for 195
continued attendance and award of an associate degree or a 196
baccalaureate degree; or 197
(2) In the case of tuition at an approved private 198
institution, up to one hundred percent of the public safety 199
personnel's or the legal dependent's tuition remaining due 200
after subtracting awarded federal financial aid grants and 201
state scholarships and grants for the eligible public safety 202
personnel or legal dependent during the time the public 203
safety personnel or legal dependent is enrolled, up to a 204
maximum amount that is equal to the total cost of tuition 205
and mandatory fees charged to a Missouri resident at the 206
public community college, state college, or state university 207
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with the highest combined tuition and mandatory fee cost in 208
the state at the time a tuition grant is awarded, as 209
determined by the department. A private institution that 210
chooses to accept as a tuition payment any tuition award 211
money pursuant to this subdivision shall not charge the 212
recipient of the tuition award any tuition that exceeds the 213
maximum combined tuition and mandatory fee cost as 214
determined by the department prior to the application of the 215
tuition award. 216
8. (1) An application for a tuition award shall 217
include a verification of the public safety personnel's 218
satisfaction of the requirements of subdivisions (1), (5), 219
and (6) of subsection 3 of this section. The public safety 220
personnel shall include such verification when he or she or 221
his or her legal dependent is applying to the department for 222
a tuition waiver. 223
(2) The death of public safety personnel in the line 224
of duty which occurs after submission of an application for 225
a tuition award shall not disqualify such individual's 226
otherwise eligible legal dependent from receiving the 227
tuition award. In such case, in lieu of submitting the 228
certificate of verification provided for in subdivision (1) 229
of this subsection, the legal dependent shall submit a 230
statement attesting that: 231
(a) At the time of death, such public safety personnel 232
satisfied the requirements of subdivision (1) of this 233
subsection; and 234
(b) Such public safety personnel died in the line of 235
duty. 236
9. The department shall provide a tuition award to 237
public safety personnel and legal dependents who satisfy the 238
provisions of this section and section 173.2660, if 239
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applicable, and apply for an open seat at an institution of 240
higher education, but shall not provide a tuition award if 241
doing so would require the institution to create additional 242
seats exceeding class, course, or program capacity. 243
10. All applicants for a tuition award shall submit 244
their applications to the department no later than December 245
fifteenth annually. No later than March first annually, the 246
department shall send written notice of the applicant's 247
eligibility or ineligibility for the tuition award and state 248
whether the application has been approved or denied. If the 249
applicant is determined not to be eligible for the tuition 250
award, the notice shall include the reason or reasons for 251
such determination. If the application is denied, the 252
notice shall include the reason or reasons for the denial. 253
11. The department shall promulgate rules to implement 254
the provisions of this section and section 173.2660. Any 255
rule or portion of a rule, as that term is defined in 256
section 536.010, that is created under the authority 257
delegated in this section shall become effective only if it 258
complies with and is subject to all of the provisions of 259
chapter 536 and, if applicable, section 536.028. This 260
section and chapter 536 are nonseverable and if any of the 261
powers vested with the general assembly pursuant to chapter 262
536 to review, to delay the effective date, or to disapprove 263
and annul a rule are subsequently held unconstitutional, 264
then the grant of rulemaking authority and any rule proposed 265
or adopted after August 28, 2025, shall be invalid and void. 266
12. (1) There is hereby created in the state treasury 267
the "Public Safety Recruitment and Retention Fund", which 268
shall consist of moneys appropriated by the general assembly 269
or any gifts, donations, or bequests for the purpose of 270
implementing the provisions of this section and section 271
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173.2660. The state treasurer shall be custodian of the 272
fund. In accordance with sections 30.170 and 30.180, the 273
state treasurer may approve disbursements. The fund shall 274
be a dedicated fund and money in the fund shall be used 275
solely by the department of higher education and workforce 276
development for the purpose of granting tuition awards as 277
provided in this section and section 173.2660. 278
(2) Notwithstanding the provisions of section 33.080 279
to the contrary, any moneys remaining in the fund at the end 280
of the biennium shall not revert to the credit of the 281
general revenue fund. 282
(3) The state treasurer shall invest moneys in the 283
fund in the same manner as other funds are invested. Any 284
interest and moneys earned on such investments shall be 285
credited to the fund. 286
13. In any year in which moneys in the public safety 287
recruitment and retention fund are insufficient to fully 288
fund tuition awards for all eligible applicants, tuition 289
awards shall be awarded in the following order of priority; 290
provided that, in the event of a tie in eligibility, 291
available funds shall be distributed on a pro rata basis: 292
(1) Priority class one shall include public safety 293
personnel, in the following order: 294
(a) Public safety personnel in departments located 295
wholly or partially in counties or cities not within a 296
county with the highest crime rate per capita, as determined 297
by the most recent uniform crime reporting statistics from 298
the Federal Bureau of Investigation; and 299
(b) Public safety personnel with the most years of 300
service; and 301
(2) Priority class two shall include dependents of 302
public safety personnel, in the following order: 303
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(a) Dependents of public safety personnel in 304
departments located wholly or partially in counties or 305
cities not within a county with the highest crime rate per 306
capita, as determined by the most recent uniform crime 307
reporting statistics from the Federal Bureau of 308
Investigation; and 309
(b) Dependents of public safety personnel with the 310
most years of service. 311
14. The tuition awards provided for in this section 312
and section 173.2660 are subject to appropriation. If there 313
are no moneys in the fund established in subsection 12 of 314
this section, no tuition awards shall be granted. 315
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