Back to New Jersey

A108 • 2026

Provides free tuition at public institutions of higher education for surviving spouses and dependent children of military personnel killed in performance of duties.

Provides free tuition at public institutions of higher education for surviving spouses and dependent children of military personnel killed in performance of duties.

Children Education
Passed Legislature

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

Sponsor
Barlas, Al
Last action
2026-01-13
Official status
Introduced, Referred to Assembly Higher Education Committee
Effective date
Not listed

Plain English Breakdown

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

Provides free tuition at public institutions of higher education for surviving spouses and dependent children of military personnel killed in performance of duties.

Provides free tuition at public institutions of higher education for surviving spouses and dependent children of military personnel killed in performance of duties.

What This Bill Does

  • Provides free tuition at public institutions of higher education for surviving spouses and dependent children of military personnel killed in performance of duties.
  • Topic: Higher Education Fiscal note: This bill has been certified by OLS for a fiscal note.

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.

Bill History

  1. 2026-01-13 New Jersey Legislature

    Introduced, Referred to Assembly Higher Education Committee

Official Summary Text

Provides free tuition at public institutions of higher education for surviving spouses and dependent children of military personnel killed in performance of duties.
Topic:
Higher Education
Fiscal note:
This bill has been certified by OLS for a fiscal note.

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text
A108

ASSEMBLY, No. 108

STATE OF NEW JERSEY

222nd LEGISLATURE

�

PRE-FILED FOR INTRODUCTION IN THE 2026 SESSION

Sponsored by:

Assemblyman AL BARLAS

District 40 (Bergen, Essex and Passaic)

SYNOPSIS

���� Provides free tuition at public institutions of
higher education for surviving spouses and dependent children of military
personnel killed in performance of duties.

CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT

���� Introduced Pending Technical Review by Legislative
Counsel.

��

An Act

providing scholarships for dependent children and surviving spouses of military
personnel and supplementing chapter 71B of Title 18A of the New Jersey
Statutes.

����
Be It Enacted

by the Senate and General Assembly of
the State of New Jersey:

���� 1.��� a.� Any resident of New
Jersey who is a dependent child or surviving spouse of a member of the United
States Armed Forces who is killed in the performances of his duties, upon being
accepted to pursue a course of undergraduate study in a State college or
university created pursuant to chapter 64 of Title 18A of the New Jersey
Statutes, the New Jersey Institute of Technology, Rutgers, The State
University, Rowan University, or a county college shall, while enrolled as an
undergraduate student in good standing at the institution, have his tuition
paid by the State.� The amount of the scholarship shall not exceed an amount
equal to the portion of tuition costs at the institution that is not otherwise
covered by any other scholarship, tuition aid grant, benefit or other
assistance awarded to the recipient under the "Higher Education Student
Assistance Authority Law," N.J.S.18A:71A-1 et seq.

���� b.��� Eligibility for a
scholarship, in the case of a surviving spouse, shall be limited to a period of
eight years from the date of death of the person for initial receipt of the
benefits under the program. In the case of a dependent child, eligibility shall
be limited to a period of eight years following graduation from high school.

���� 2.��� The Higher Education
Student Assistance Authority shall adopt rules and regulations pursuant to the
"Administrative Procedure Act," P.L.1968, c.410 (C.52:14B-1 et seq.),
necessary to carry out the provisions of this act.

���� 3.��� There shall be annually
appropriated to the Higher Education Student Assistance Authority such sums as
shall be necessary to carry out the provisions of P.L.� , c.� (C.� ) (pending
before the Legislature as this bill).

���� 4.��� This act shall take
effect immediately and shall first apply to the 2020-2021 academic year.

STATEMENT

���� This bill provides that any
resident of New Jersey who is a dependent child or surviving spouse of a member
of the United States Armed Forces who is killed in the performances of his
duties, upon being accepted to pursue a course of undergraduate study in a
State college or university created pursuant to chapter 64 of Title 18A of the
New Jersey Statutes, the New Jersey Institute of Technology, Rutgers, The State
University, Rowan University, or a county college will, while enrolled as an
undergraduate student in good standing at the institution, have his tuition
paid by the State.� The amount of the scholarship may not exceed an amount
equal to the portion of tuition costs at the institution that is not otherwise
covered by any other State scholarship, tuition aid grant, benefit or other
assistance awarded to the recipient.

���� The bill also provides that,
in the case of a dependent child, eligibility for the scholarship will be
limited to eight years following graduation from high school.� A surviving
spouse will be eligible for initial receipt of the scholarship for a period of
eight years from the date of death of the person.