Bill > HB98

This bill establishes the Alabama Law Enforcement Officers' Family Scholarship Program to provide financial assistance for college tuition and required educational expenses, such as books, for eligible dependents of qualifying law enforcement officers. An eligible dependent can be a child under 27 or a spouse who has resided in Alabama for at least two years and is not already covered by other survivor educational benefits. A qualifying law enforcement officer is defined as someone certified by the Alabama Peace Officers' Standards and Training Commission who has served full-time for at least seven years with one agency or 12 years across multiple agencies, and was not terminated for disciplinary reasons. The scholarship, administered by the Alabama Commission on Higher Education (ACHE), will cover up to eight semesters or 16 quarters of an approved postsecondary program, capped at $3,000 per academic period, and is applied after other financial aid. The program's funding is subject to an annual legislative appropriation not exceeding $10 million, which can be supplemented by private donations, and is also supported by an additional $50 annual fee for personalized "blackout" license plates, with the remainder of that fee after manufacturing and administrative costs going into the scholarship fund. To receive the scholarship, dependents must meet academic progress standards, maintain state residency, and complete their program within a specified timeframe, with the ACHE responsible for processing applications, determining eligibility, and managing contracts with participating institutions.

Budget and Finance

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