Provides tuition-free credits to certain institutions of higher education for certain law enforcement officers and firefighters and their spouses and dependents.

A227

ASSEMBLY, No. 227

STATE OF NEW JERSEY

222nd LEGISLATURE

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PRE-FILED FOR INTRODUCTION IN THE 2026 SESSION

Sponsored by:

Assemblyman JOHN V. AZZARITI JR., M.D.

District 39 (Bergen)

SYNOPSIS

���� Provides tuition-free credits to certain institutions
of higher education for certain law enforcement officers and firefighters and
their spouses and dependents.

CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT

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

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An Act
concerning tuition assistance for certain law
enforcement officers and firefighters and their spouses and dependents, 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.��� As used in this act:

���� �Firefighting unit� means a
municipal fire department, a fire district, or an agency of a county or the
State or a federal agency which is responsible for the control and
extinguishment of fires.

���� �Retired firefighter� means a
New Jersey resident who was employed as a permanent full-time member of a
firefighting unit.

���� �Retired law enforcement
officer� means a New Jersey resident who was employed as a permanent full-time
member of any federal, State, county or municipal law enforcement agency,
department, or division of those governments who was statutorily empowered to
act for the detection, investigation, arrest, conviction, detention, or
rehabilitation of persons violating criminal laws of this State or of the
United States and was statutorily required to successfully complete a training
course approved by the Police Training Commission pursuant to P.L.1961, c.56
(C.52:17B-66 et seq.), or certified by the commission as substantially
equivalent to an approved course.

���� 2.��� a.�� A retired law
enforcement officer or a retired firefighter who retired in good standing as a
result of a service-related injury or illness shall be permitted to attend
regularly-scheduled courses at a public institution of higher education or a
degree-granting proprietary institution and receive up to 16 credits per
semester tuition-free, for a maximum of eight semesters, provided that:

���� (1)� the officer or
firefighter retired because of a service-related disability pursuant to section
6 of P.L.1944, c.255 (C.43:16A-6), section 7 of P.L.1944, c.255 (C.43:16A-7),
section 1 of P.L.1989, c.103 (C.43:16A-6.1), section 9 of P.L.1965, c.89
(C.53:5A-9), section 10 of P.L.1965, c.89 (C.53:5A-10), or any substantially
similar statute governing the disability retirement of federal law enforcement
officers or federal firefighters, provided that the officer or firefighter was
a regularly employed, full-time law enforcement officer or firefighter for an
aggregate of four or more years prior to his disability retirement;

���� (2)� the retired officer or
firefighter has been accepted to pursue a course of undergraduate study and is
enrolled as an undergraduate student in good standing at that institution or a
course of graduate study and is enrolled as a graduate student in good standing
at that institution, or has been accepted to a degree-granting program at a
proprietary institution and is enrolled in good standing at that institution;
and

���� (3)� the retired officer or
firefighter has applied for all available State student grants and scholarships
and all available federal student grants and scholarships for which the retired
officer or firefighter is eligible.

���� b.��� The State shall
reimburse a public institution of higher education or a degree-granting
proprietary institution for the tuition of each eligible retired law
enforcement officer and retired firefighter who enrolls in the institution
pursuant to the provisions of this section to the extent that the tuition cost
is not paid through the State student grants and scholarships and the federal
student grants and scholarships for which the retired law enforcement officer
or retired firefighter is eligible.

���� 3.��� a.�� The dependent child
or spouse of a law enforcement officer or a firefighter who was a New Jersey
resident and who died in the line of duty shall be permitted to attend
regularly-scheduled courses at a public institution of higher education or a
degree-granting proprietary institution and receive up to 16 credits per
semester tuition-free, for a maximum of eight semesters, provided that the
dependent child or spouse:

���� (1)� is a New Jersey resident;

���� (2)� meets the grade point
average requirements of the institution�s satisfactory academic progress policy
in a degree program as determined by the institution�s financial aid policy;

���� (3)� is accepted to pursue a
course of undergraduate study and is enrolled as an undergraduate student in
good standing at that institution. In the event that the spouse has completed
an undergraduate degree program prior to the time of the law enforcement officer�s
or firefighter�s death, the spouse shall be entitled to enroll, tuition-free,
in a graduate degree program offered by a public institution of higher
education, excluding any medical, dental, or law programs; and

���� (4)� applies for all available
State student grants and scholarships and all available federal student grants
and scholarships for which the dependent child or spouse is eligible.

���� b.��� The State shall
reimburse each public institution of higher education or degree-granting
proprietary institution for the costs of waiving tuition pursuant to the
provisions of this section.�

���� 4.��� This act shall take
effect immediately and shall first be applicable in the first full academic
year next following the date of enactment.

STATEMENT

���� This bill provides that
retired law enforcement officers and retired firefighters are permitted to
attend regularly-scheduled courses at public institutions of higher education
or degree-granting proprietary institutions and receive up to 16 credits per semester
tuition-free, for a maximum of eight semesters, provided that:

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the officer or firefighter retired
because of a service-related injury or illness pursuant to certain enumerated
sections of State law or any substantially similar statute governing the
disability retirement of federal law enforcement officers or firefighters;

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the retired officer or firefighter
is enrolled as an undergraduate or graduate student at the institution in good
standing, or in a degree-granting program at a qualified proprietary
institution in good standing; and

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the retired officer or firefighter
has applied for all available federal and State student grants and scholarships
for which the officer is eligible.

���� Under the bill, the State will
reimburse an institution for the tuition of each eligible retired law
enforcement officer and firefighter who enrolls in the institution to the
extent that the tuition cost is not paid through federal and State student grants
and scholarships.

���� The bill also provides that
the dependent child or spouse of a law enforcement officer or a firefighter who
was a New Jersey resident and who died in the line of duty is permitted to
attend regularly-scheduled courses at a public institution of higher education
or a degree-granting proprietary institution and receive up to 16 credits per
semester tuition-free, for a maximum of eight semesters, provided that the
dependent child or spouse:

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is a New Jersey resident;

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meets the grade point average
requirements of the institution�s satisfactory academic progress policy in a
degree program as determined by the institution�s financial aid policy;

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is accepted to pursue a course of
undergraduate study and is enrolled as an undergraduate student in good
standing at that institution. In the event that the spouse has completed an
undergraduate degree program prior to the time of the law enforcement officer�s
or firefighter�s death, the spouse shall be entitled to enroll, tuition-free,
in a graduate degree program offered by a public institution of higher
education, excluding any medical, dental, or law programs; and

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applies for all available State
student grants and scholarships and all available federal student grants and
scholarships for which the dependent child or spouse is eligible.

���� Under the bill, the State will
reimburse each public institution of higher education or degree-granting
proprietary institution for the costs of waiving tuition pursuant to this act.