A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
AN ACT TO MAKE TECHNICAL CORRECTIONS IN A 1997 LAW CONCERNING TUITION WAIVERS, AS RECOMMENDED BY THE GENERAL STATUTES COMMISSION.
The General Assembly of North Carolina enacts:
SECTION 1.  It is the intent of this act to codify the provisions of Section 6 of S.L. 1997‑505, which stated that the law became effective October 1, 1997, and applies to deaths or disabilities occurring on or after that date.
SECTION 2.  G.S. 115B‑2 reads as rewritten:
"§ 115B‑2.  Tuition waiver authorized.
State‑supported institutions of higher education, community colleges, industrial education centers and technical institutes, shall permit the following persons to attend classes for credit or noncredit purposes without the required payment of tuition; provided, however, that such persons meet admission and other standards deemed appropriate by the educational institution, and provided further that such persons shall be accepted by the constituent institutions of the University of North Carolina only on a spaces‑available basis:
(1)	Legal residents of North Carolina who have attained the age of 65.
(2)	Any person who is the survivor of a law enforcement officer, firefighter, volunteer firefighter, or rescue squad worker killed on or after October 1, 1997, as a direct result of a traumatic injury sustained in the line of duty.
(3)	The spouse of a law enforcement officer, firefighter, volunteer firefighter, or rescue squad worker who  becomes permanently and totally disabled on or after October 1, 1997, as a direct result of a traumatic injury sustained in the line of duty.
(4)	Any child, if the child is at least 17 years old but not yet 23 years old, whose parent is a law enforcement officer, firefighter, volunteer firefighter, or rescue squad worker who becomes permanently and totally disabled on or after October 1, 1997, as a direct result of a traumatic injury sustained in the line of duty. However, a child's eligibility for a waiver of tuition under this Chapter shall not exceed: (i) 48 months, if the child is seeking a baccalaureate degree, or (ii) if the child is not seeking a baccalaureate degree, the number of months required to complete the educational program to which the child is applying."
SECTION 3.  G.S. 115B‑5(b) reads as rewritten:
"(b)	The officials of the institutions charged with administration of this Chapter shall require the following proof to insure that a person applying to the institution and who requests a tuition waiver under G.S. 115B‑2(2), (3), or (4) is eligible for the benefits provided by this Chapter.
(1)	The parent‑child relationship shall be verified by a birth certificate, legal adoption papers, or other documentary evidence deemed appropriate by the institution.
(2)	The marital relationship shall be verified by a marriage certificate or other documentary evidence deemed appropriate by the institution.
(3)	The cause and date of death of the law enforcement officer, firefighter, volunteer firefighter, or rescue squad worker shall be verified by certification from the records of the Department of State Treasurer, the appropriate city or county law enforcement agency that employed the deceased, the administrative agency for the fire department or fire protection district recognized for funding under the Department of State Auditor, or the administrative agency having jurisdiction over any paid firefighters of all counties and cities.
(4)	The permanent and total disability and the date the disability occurred shall be verified by documentation deemed necessary by the institution from the North Carolina Industrial Commission."
SECTION 4.  This act is effective when it becomes law.