§ 36-21-102 — Tuition Benefits; Eligibility

When a full-time law enforcement officer or full-time firefighter employed by the state, by any county, or by any municipality, a volunteer firefighter, or a rescue squad member is or was killed or becomes totally disabled in the line of duty, free tuition for undergraduate study at any state college, state community college, state junior college, state technical college, in the State of Alabama, and other costs officially prescribed for the classes in the course of study, shall be paid for the following:
(1)a. Any dependent child, natural or adopted, under 21 years of age at the time of death or total disability; any dependent natural child under the age of 21 born after the death of the law enforcement officer, firefighter, or rescue squad member; or any dependant child, natural or adopted, under 21 years of age who is born or adopted after the total disability of the law enforcement officer, firefighter, or rescue squad member.
b. Notwithstanding paragraph a., to receive benefits under this section an adopted dependent shall have been adopted, and resided in the household of the law enforcement officer, firefighter, or rescue squad member, for at least five years prior to enrollment in undergraduate study.
(2) A spouse who has not remarried, provided initial enrollment is within five years of the death or total disability of the law enforcement officer, firefighter, volunteer firefighter, or rescue squad member.

Legislative History

(Acts 1987, No. 87-609, p. 1058, §3; Act 99-448, p. 1039, §1; Act 2000-808, p. 1920, §1; Act 2009-631, p. 1935, §1; Act 2016-385, p. 1026, §1; Act 2021-425, §1.)