Expanded first responder tuition waiver clears first round

Correctional and youth detention officers would qualify for a tuition waiver under a bill advanced to the second round of debate April 24.

Under the First Responder Recruitment and Retention Act, law enforcement officers, professional firefighters and their legal dependents are entitled to a full tuition waiver at a Nebraska state university, state college or community college if they meet certain requirements.

Lincoln Sen. Eliot Bostar, sponsor of LB608, said the program has encouraged law enforcement officers and firefighters across Nebraska to stay on the job longer than they otherwise would have in order to provide the educational benefits to their families.

Extending this “powerful incentive” to correctional and youth detention officers would help ensure their long-term employment at state prisons, local jails and youth detention centers, he said.

“This is a commonsense step to combat the alarming rate of turnover these facilities have seen and prevent the hemorrhage of qualified and experienced staff,” Bostar said.

He said the bill also would extend waivers to civilian firefighters at Offutt Air Force Base, who inadvertently were left out of the original law.

To qualify for a waiver, an officer would have to maintain satisfactory job performance. An officer and their qualifying child — including a legal dependent — could receive a waiver for up to five years.

Bostar said a Revenue Committee amendment, adopted 33-0, would ensure that first responders who become disabled, as well as their qualifying children, do not lose their waiver.

He said the amendment also would reduce the original proposal’s cost by limiting tuition waivers for those newly eligible under LB608 to the University of Nebraska only.

Beginning July 1, 2026, the amendment would require the Coordinating Commission for Postsecondary Education to reimburse the university for 50% of the tuition waivers granted in the preceding year to those individuals and their qualifying children.

If state appropriations are not enough to pay all claims submitted, the commission would prorate the university’s total reimbursement.

Sen. Dave Wordekemper of Fremont supported LB608, saying it would help address “severe” staffing shortages at Nebraska’s prisons and juvenile detention centers.

“By expanding this program … we’re making a smart investment in public safety while also keeping educated young Nebraskans in our state for [the] long term,” he said.

Lawmakers voted 35-0 to advance LB608 to select file.