H.F. 2654 Section 1. NEW SECTION . 261M.1 Short title. 1 This chapter shall be known and may be cited as the “First 2 Responder Dependent Education Act” . 3 Sec. 2. NEW SECTION . 261M.2 Definitions. 4 1. “Associate degree program” means a degree program offered 5 by a community college that requires completion of at least 6 sixty semester credit hours or an equivalent program of study. 7 “Associate degree program” does not include a baccalaureate 8 degree program. 9 2. “Dependent” means a child of a first responder who is 10 claimed as a dependent for state or federal tax purposes for 11 the most recent tax year. 12 3. “Emergency medical care provider” means an individual 13 certified pursuant to section 147A.6. 14 4. “Employ” or “employment” includes work as a volunteer. 15 5. “Fire fighter” means a paid or volunteer member of a fire 16 department who is certified under section 100B.6. 17 6. “First responder” means a law enforcement officer, fire 18 fighter, or emergency medical care provider. 19 7. “Law enforcement officer” means a person who is 20 responsible for the prevention or detection of crime or the 21 enforcement of the criminal, traffic, or highway laws of this 22 state or any political subdivision of this state for more than 23 one hundred hours per year, and who is authorized by law to 24 make arrests. 25 Sec. 3. NEW SECTION . 261M.3 Eligibility for tuition waiver. 26 A community college shall grant a dependent of a first 27 responder a waiver of resident tuition if the dependent does 28 all of the following: 29 1. Meets all admission requirements of the community 30 college. 31 2. Enrolls in the community college and pursues studies 32 leading to any of the following: 33 a. An associate degree related to a career in public safety 34 or emergency response. 35 -1- LSB 6882HV (2) 91 je/ns 1/ 4

H.F. 2654 b. A degree or credential in a high-demand job as determined 1 by the workforce development board pursuant to section 84A.1B, 2 subsection 3. 3 3. Submits verification that the dependent’s parent 4 or legal guardian was employed for at least six years as a 5 first responder and at the time of the dependent’s initial 6 application for a waiver is either an active first responder in 7 Iowa or is retired. Verification must include a certificate of 8 satisfactory performance from a supervisor within the agency 9 that employs or most recently employed the first responder. 10 Employment by multiple employers or in multiple first responder 11 occupations shall be counted for purposes of the six-year 12 period. 13 Sec. 4. NEW SECTION . 261M.4 Waiver amount and duration. 14 1. The amount of a waiver under this chapter shall be the 15 amount of the dependent’s resident tuition remaining after 16 subtracting all of the following received by the dependent: 17 a. Any federal grants. 18 b. Any state scholarships and grants. 19 c. Any awards from the future ready Iowa skilled workforce 20 last-dollar scholarship program under section 256.228. 21 2. An eligible dependent may receive the tuition waiver 22 for no more than two academic years, provided the dependent 23 continues to meet the requirements of this chapter and all 24 policies of the community college on continued enrollment and 25 progress toward completion of the applicable degree or program. 26 Sec. 5. NEW SECTION . 261M.5 In-state residency requirement. 27 1. As a condition of receiving a tuition waiver under this 28 chapter, a dependent shall remain a resident of the state 29 of Iowa for a period of not less than five years following 30 completion of the degree or program for which the waiver was 31 received. 32 2. A dependent who voluntarily relocates outside the state 33 before completing the required five-year period shall repay to 34 the community college the prorated amount of tuition waived on 35 -2- LSB 6882HV (2) 91 je/ns 2/ 4

H.F. 2654 the dependent’s behalf. The community college shall determine 1 the prorated repayment amount based on the portion of the 2 five-year residency obligation not completed. 3 3. Repayment under this section shall not be required if the 4 dependent’s relocation is due to death, permanent disability, 5 or other good cause as determined by the community college. 6 4. If a first responder dies in the line of duty after the 7 dependent’s initial application for a waiver is submitted, the 8 dependent shall remain eligible for the tuition waiver and 9 shall not be subject to subsection 1. 10 5. A community college shall adopt procedures for 11 monitoring compliance with this section and for administering 12 repayment obligations. 13 Sec. 6. IMPLEMENTATION OF ACT. Section 25B.2, subsection 14 3, shall not apply to this Act. 15 EXPLANATION 16 The inclusion of this explanation does not constitute agreement with 17 the explanation’s substance by the members of the general assembly. 18 This bill provides for a waiver of resident tuition at 19 community colleges for dependents of first responders. The 20 bill defines first responder as a law enforcement officer, fire 21 fighter, or emergency medical care provider. 22 The bill requires a community college to grant a dependent of 23 a first responder a waiver of resident tuition if the dependent 24 meets admission requirements, enrolls in the community 25 college and pursues studies leading to a specified degree or 26 credential, and submits verification that the dependent’s 27 parent or legal guardian was employed for at least six years 28 as a first responder and is either an active first responder 29 in Iowa or is retired at the time of the dependent’s initial 30 application for a waiver. 31 The amount of a waiver under the bill is the amount of 32 the dependent’s resident tuition remaining after subtracting 33 federal grants, state scholarships and grants, and awards from 34 the future ready Iowa skilled workforce last-dollar scholarship 35 -3- LSB 6882HV (2) 91 je/ns 3/ 4

H.F. 2654 program received by the dependent. The bill provides that 1 an eligible dependent may receive the tuition waiver for no 2 more than two academic years, provided the dependent continues 3 to meet the requirements of the bill and all policies of the 4 community college on continued enrollment and progress toward 5 completion of the applicable degree or program. 6 As a condition of receiving a tuition waiver, the bill 7 requires the dependent to remain a resident of Iowa for a 8 period of not less than five years following completion of the 9 degree or program for which the waiver was received. The bill 10 provides for repayment to a community college of the amount 11 waived if a dependent voluntarily relocates outside the state 12 and for exceptions to the repayment requirement. 13 The bill may include a state mandate as defined in Code 14 section 25B.3. The bill makes inapplicable Code section 25B.2, 15 subsection 3, which would relieve a political subdivision from 16 complying with a state mandate if funding for the cost of 17 the state mandate is not provided or specified. Therefore, 18 political subdivisions are required to comply with any state 19 mandate included in the bill. 20 -4- LSB 6882HV (2) 91 je/ns 4/ 4