Provides that former law enforcement officers who retired due to disability are eligible to receive tuition assistance to attend public institution of higher education or proprietary institution licensed to confer academic degrees.

S3300

SENATE, No. 3300

STATE OF NEW JERSEY

222nd LEGISLATURE

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INTRODUCED FEBRUARY 2, 2026

Sponsored by:

Senator� KRISTIN M. CORRADO

District 40 (Bergen, Essex and Passaic)

SYNOPSIS

���� Provides that former law enforcement officers who
retired due to disability are eligible to receive tuition assistance to attend
public institution of higher education or proprietary institution licensed to
confer academic degrees.

CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT

���� As introduced.

��

An Act

concerning tuition assistance for certain
retired law enforcement officers 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.� As used in this act:

���� �Public institution of higher
education� means Rutgers, The State University, the New Jersey Institute of
Technology, Rowan University, Montclair State University, Kean University, the
State colleges or universities established pursuant to chapter 64 of Title 18A
of the New Jersey Statutes, the county colleges and any other public university
or college now or hereafter established or authorized by State law.

���� �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.

���� b.��� A retired law
enforcement officer who retired in good standing shall be permitted to attend
regularly-scheduled courses at a public institution of higher education or a
proprietary institution licensed to confer academic degrees for certain
programs by the Secretary of Higher Education and receive up to 16 credits per
semester tuition-free provided that:

���� (1)�� the officer retired
because of a 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), or any substantially similar statute governing the disability
retirement of federal law enforcement officers, provided that the officer was a
regularly employed, full-time law enforcement officer for an aggregate of four
or more years prior to his disability retirement;

���� (2)�� the retired officer 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 pursue a course of study in an academic �degree-granting
program at a proprietary institution which has been licensed to confer academic
degrees by the secretary and is enrolled in good standing at that institution;
and

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

���� c.���� The State shall
reimburse a public institution of higher education or a proprietary institution
for the tuition of each eligible retired law enforcement officer 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 is eligible.

���� 2.��� This act shall take
effect immediately.

STATEMENT

���� This bill provides that
retired law enforcement officers who retired in good standing due to a
disability are eligible to receive tuition assistance to attend a public
institution of higher education or a proprietary institution which has been
licensed to confer academic degrees for certain programs by the Secretary of
Higher Education. In addition to academic degrees, proprietary institutions
also offer certificates and other credentials in various professional trades
and occupations. Under the bill, eligible retired law enforcement officers are
permitted to attend regularly-scheduled courses at public institutions of
higher education or proprietary institutions and receive up to 16 credits per
semester tuition-free provided that:

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the officer retired because of a 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), or any substantially similar
statute governing the disability retirement of federal law enforcement
officers;

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the retired officer is enrolled an as 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 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 a public institution of higher education or proprietary institution
for the tuition of each eligible retired law enforcement officer who enrolls in
the institution to the extent that the tuition cost is not paid through federal
and State student grants and scholarships.

���� Under P.L.1999, c.46, members
of the New Jersey National Guard who have been accepted to pursue a course of
study at a public institution of higher education and who are in good standing
and apply for all available tuition benefits for which they are eligible are
permitted to attend regularly-scheduled courses at the institution and receive
up to 16 credits per semester tuition-free. This bill models that law and
provides the same tuition benefits to former law enforcement officers who
retired due to disability. ��