GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF NORTH CAROLINA

SESSION 1989

S	1 

SENATE BILL 333

Short Title:  Free Tuition/Certain Dependents.	(Public)
─────────────────────────────────────── 
Sponsors: Senator Johnson of Cabarrus.
─────────────────────────────────────── 
Referred to:  Higher Education.
─────────────────────────────────────── 

March 2, 1989

A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
AN ACT TO MAKE DEPENDENTS OF LAW ENFORCEMENT OFFICERS, RESCUE SQUAD WORKERS, AND FIREMEN, KILLED OR PERMANENTLY DISABLED IN THE LINE OF DUTY ELIGIBLE FOR FREE TUITION AT ANY OF THE CONSTITUENT INSTITUTIONS OF THE UNIVERSITY OF NORTH CAROLINA.
The General Assembly of North Carolina enacts:
Section 1.  Chapter 116 of the General Statutes is amended by adding a new section to read:
"§ 116-143.4.  Tuition of dependents of law enforcement officers, rescue squad workers, and firemen, killed or permanently disabled in the line of duty.
(a)	For purposes of this section, a law enforcement officer is a full-paid employee of an employer who is actively serving in a position with assigned primary duties and responsibilities for prevention and detection of crime or the general enforcement of the criminal laws of the State of North Carolina or serving civil processes, and who possesses the power of arrest by virtue of an oath administered under the authority of the State.
	For purposes of this section, a fireman is a fireman as defined by G.S. 118-38.
	For purposes of this section a rescue squad worker is a rescue squad worker as defined by G.S. 118-39.
	(b) Notwithstanding the prohibition against free tuition prescribed by G.S. 116-143, any minor dependent relative of a North Carolina law enforcement officer, fireman, or rescue squad worker, killed or permanently and totally disabled in the line of duty, if the dependent qualifies and is accepted for admission to a constituent institution of The University of North Carolina, is eligible for free tuition.  This eligibility extends for the five academic years beginning with the year of the dependent's admission.  Free tuition will be granted for a total of four years. The dependent may be receiving no other tuition grants while receiving the grant of free tuition provided by this section.
	(c)	Notwithstanding the provisions of subsection (b), if at the time of the death or permanent total disability of a law enforcement officer, rescue squad worker or fireman, said individual has a dependent attending and passing an accredited institution of learning above the high school level, the said dependent shall be entitled to a tuition grant, not to exceed the amount of tuition provided in subsection (b) and for not more than four years."
Sec. 2.  This act shall become effective July 1, 1989, and applies to academic years beginning with the 1989-90 academic year.