H.F. _____ 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. “Fire fighter” means a paid or volunteer member of a fire 15 department who is certified under section 100B.6. 16 5. “First responder” means a law enforcement officer, fire 17 fighter, or emergency medical care provider. 18 6. “Law enforcement officer” means a person who is 19 responsible for the prevention or detection of crime or the 20 enforcement of the criminal, traffic, or highway laws of this 21 state or any political subdivision of this state for more than 22 one hundred hours per year, and who is authorized by law to 23 make arrests. 24 Sec. 3. NEW SECTION . 261M.3 Eligibility for tuition waiver. 25 A community college shall grant a dependent of a first 26 responder a waiver of resident tuition if the dependent does 27 all of the following: 28 1. Meets all admission requirements of the community 29 college. 30 2. Enrolls in the community college and pursues studies 31 leading to any of the following: 32 a. An associate degree related to a career in public safety 33 or emergency response. 34 b. A degree or credential in a high-demand job as determined 35 -1- LSB 6882YC (3) 91 je/ns 1/ 4

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

H.F. _____ or other good cause as determined by the community college. 1 4. If a first responder dies in the line of duty after the 2 dependent’s initial application for a waiver is submitted, the 3 dependent shall remain eligible for the tuition waiver and 4 shall not be subject to subsection 1. 5 5. A community college shall adopt procedures for 6 monitoring compliance with this section and for administering 7 repayment obligations. 8 Sec. 6. IMPLEMENTATION OF ACT. Section 25B.2, subsection 9 3, shall not apply to this Act. 10 EXPLANATION 11 The inclusion of this explanation does not constitute agreement with 12 the explanation’s substance by the members of the general assembly. 13 This bill provides for a waiver of resident tuition at 14 community colleges for dependents of first responders. The 15 bill defines first responder as a law enforcement officer, fire 16 fighter, or emergency medical care provider. 17 The bill requires a community college to grant a dependent of 18 a first responder a waiver of resident tuition if the dependent 19 meets admission requirements, enrolls in the community 20 college and pursues studies leading to a specified degree or 21 credential, and submits verification that the dependent’s 22 parent or legal guardian is an active first responder in Iowa 23 at the time of the dependent’s initial application for a 24 waiver. 25 The amount of a waiver under the bill is the amount of 26 the dependent’s resident tuition remaining after subtracting 27 federal grants, state scholarships and grants, and awards from 28 the future ready Iowa skilled workforce last-dollar scholarship 29 program received by the dependent. The bill provides that 30 an eligible dependent may receive the tuition waiver for no 31 more than two academic years, provided the dependent continues 32 to meet the requirements of the bill and all policies of the 33 community college on continued enrollment and progress toward 34 completion of the applicable degree or program. 35 -3- LSB 6882YC (3) 91 je/ns 3/ 4

H.F. _____ As a condition of receiving a tuition waiver, the bill 1 requires the dependent to remain a resident of Iowa for a 2 period of not less than five years following completion of the 3 degree or program for which the waiver was received. The bill 4 provides for repayment to a community college of the amount 5 waived if a dependent voluntarily relocates outside the state 6 and for exceptions to the repayment requirement. 7 The bill may include a state mandate as defined in Code 8 section 25B.3. The bill makes inapplicable Code section 25B.2, 9 subsection 3, which would relieve a political subdivision from 10 complying with a state mandate if funding for the cost of 11 the state mandate is not provided or specified. Therefore, 12 political subdivisions are required to comply with any state 13 mandate included in the bill. 14 -4- LSB 6882YC (3) 91 je/ns 4/ 4