Bill > HB188

This bill establishes the Alabama Law Enforcement Officers' Family Scholarship Program, which creates a scholarship for dependents of long-term law enforcement officers. The scholarship will reimburse participating educational institutions up to $3,000 per academic period for required educational expenses (such as tuition, mandatory fees, and books) for eligible dependents, including natural or adopted children under 27 and current or surviving spouses of qualifying law enforcement officers who have lived in Alabama for at least two years. To qualify, the law enforcement officer must have been certified by the Alabama Peace Officers' Standards and Training Commission and worked full-time for at least seven years at a single agency or 12 continuous years across multiple agencies. The scholarship is available for up to eight semesters or 12 quarters and will be administered by the Alabama Commission on Higher Education, with funding limited to an annual appropriation of up to $10 million, which can be supplemented by private donations. The bill also introduces a new personalized blackout license plate with a $50 additional annual fee, with a portion of the proceeds dedicated to funding the scholarship program. The scholarship program will begin on October 1, 2025, and will require recipients to maintain satisfactory academic progress and state residency to remain eligible.