First responder tuition waiver expanded

Correctional and youth detention officers will qualify for a tuition waiver under a bill passed by lawmakers May 30.

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.

Under LB608, sponsored by Lincoln Sen. Eliot Bostar, correctional and youth detention officers and their qualifying children also will qualify for waivers, beginning July 1, 2027.

Additionally, individuals who are disabled as a result of injury or illness that resulted from or is connected to employment as a first responder, as well as their qualifying children, now qualify for a waiver.

Civilian firefighters at Offutt Air Force Base also now are included in the program.

The waiver for correctional officers and youth detention officers, disabled individuals who served in those roles and their qualifying children is available only for attendance at the University of Nebraska.

Beginning July 1, 2028, the bill requires the Coordinating Commission for Postsecondary Education to reimburse the university for 50% of the tuition waivers granted in the preceding year to those individuals. If state appropriations are not enough to pay all submitted claims, the commission will prorate the university’s total reimbursement.

Senators voted 36-12 to pass LB608.