HB 2911

                                SECOND REGULAR SESSION
                   HOUSE BILL NO. 2911
                          103RD GENERAL ASSEMBLY
                          INTRODUCED BY REPRESENTATIVE KELLEY.
4296H.01I  JOSEPH ENGLER, Chief Clerk
                                           AN ACT
To repeal section 173.2655, RSMo, and to enact in lieu thereof one new section relating to
       public safety personnel recruitment and retention.
Be it enacted by the General Assembly of the state of Missouri, as follows:
        Section A. Section 173.2655, RSMo, is repealed and one new section enacted in lieu
2 thereof, to be known as section 173.2655, to read as follows:
        173.2655. 1. This section and section 173.2660 shall be known and may be cited as
2 the "Public Safety Recruitment and Retention Act".
32. For purposes of this section and section 173.2660, unless the context clearly
4 indicates otherwise, the following terms mean:
5(1) "Advanced emergency medical technician", as such term is defined in section
6 190.100;
7(2) "Department", the department of higher education and workforce development;
8(3) "Emergency medical technician", as such term is defined in section 190.100;
9(4) "Firefighter", any officer or employee of a fire department who is employed for
10 the purpose of fighting fires, excluding volunteer firefighters and anyone employed in a
11 clerical or other capacity not involving fire-fighting duties;
12(5) "Institution of higher education", a public community college, state college, or
13 state university located in Missouri; or an approved private institution, as such term is defined
14 in section 173.1102, that chooses to accept any tuition award money pursuant to subdivision
15 (2) of subsection 7 of this section; or an emergency medical services training entity accredited
16 or certified by the Missouri department of health and senior services pursuant to the
17 provisions of section 190.131;
EXPLANATION — Matter enclosed in bold-faced brackets [thus] in the above bill is not enacted and is
intended to be omitted from the law. Matter in bold-face type in the above bill is proposed language.
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18(6) "Jail or detention center personnel", as such term is defined in section
19 210.110;
20(7) "Juvenile officer", as such term is described in section 211.351;
21[(6)] (8) "Legal dependent", as such term is defined by the United States Department
22 of Education for purposes of the Free Application for Federal Student Aid;
23[(7)] (9) "Line of duty", any action that public safety personnel is authorized or
24 obligated by law, rule, or regulation to perform, related to or as a condition of employment or
25 service;
26[(8)] (10) "Open seat", a vacant position in a class, course, or program that is
27 available for enrollment, and which may become available when a student drops out or
28 transfers, or when a class, course, or program has unused capacity, allowing new students to
29 register or enroll;
30[(9)] (11) "Paramedic", as such term is defined in section 190.100;
31[(10)] (12) "Police officer", any person who, by virtue of office or public
32 employment, is vested by law with the power and duty to make arrests for violation of the
33 laws of the state of Missouri or ordinances of any municipality thereof, while acting within
34 the scope of his or her authority as an employee of a public law enforcement agency, as such
35 term is defined in section 590.1040;
36(13) "Probation officer", as such term is defined in section 589.415;
37[(11)] (14) "Public safety personnel", includes any police officer, jail or detention
38 center personnel, juvenile officer, probation officer, firefighter, paramedic,
39 telecommunicator first responder, emergency medical technician, or advanced emergency
40 medical technician who is trained and authorized by law or rule to render emergency medical
41 assistance or treatment;
42[(12)] (15) "Telecommunicator first responder", as such term is defined in section
43 650.320;
44[(13)] (16) "Tuition", the charges and cost of tuition as set by the governing body of
45 an institution of higher education, including fees such as course fees, activity fees, technology
46 fees, and mandatory fees charged by such institution to all full-time students as a condition of
47 enrollment, but excluding the costs of room, board, books, and any other educational
48 materials, equipment, or supplies.
493. Subject to appropriation, public safety personnel with at least six years of service
50 shall be entitled to an award worth up to one hundred percent of the resident tuition charges of
51 an institution of higher education if the individual:
52(1) Possesses one of the following:
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53(a) A current, valid license issued by the department of health and senior services
54 authorizing such person to serve as an emergency medical technician, advanced emergency
55 medical technician, or paramedic;
56(b) A current, valid license issued by the peace officer standards and training
57 commission authorizing such person to serve as a peace officer pursuant to the provisions of
58 chapter 590;
59(c) A current, valid certificate issued by the division of fire safety authorizing such
60 person to serve as a firefighter; or
61(d) A current, valid certificate confirming successful completion of any ongoing
62 training requirements pursuant to section 650.340; and
63(e) For all public safety personnel, a certificate of verification signed by the
64 individual's supervisor or employer verifying that such individual is currently employed full-
65 time as public safety personnel and trained and authorized by law or rule to render emergency
66 medical assistance or treatment;
67(2) Meets all admission requirements of the institution of higher education;
68(3) Has not already earned a baccalaureate degree;
69(4) Pursues studies leading to a license or certification issued by a training entity
70 accredited or certified pursuant to the provisions of section 190.131, an associate degree or
71 baccalaureate degree in one of the following academic subject areas:
72(a) For police officers, jail or detention center personnel, juvenile officers, and
73 probation officers, eligible subjects include forensic science, fisheries and wildlife, political
74 science, psychology, history, philosophy, sociology, anthropology, global studies, Spanish,
75 journalism, advertising, public relations, nutrition and health sciences, communication
76 sciences and disorders, and criminal justice;
77(b) For firefighters, paramedics, emergency medical technicians, and advanced
78 emergency medical technicians, eligible subjects include biology, chemistry, biochemistry,
79 microbiology, nutrition and health sciences, communication sciences and disorders, Spanish,
80 advertising, public relations, paramedicine, fire science, fire technology, fire administration,
81 fire management, communications, homeland security, emergency management, disaster
82 management, and crisis management; and
83(c) For telecommunicator first responders, eligible subjects include any subject
84 specified in paragraph (a) or (b) of this subdivision;
85(5) Submits verification of the professional license or certificate and the certificate of
86 verification required by subdivision (1) of this subsection to the department, in a form and
87 manner as prescribed by the department;
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88(6) Files with the department documentation showing proof of employment as public
89 safety personnel and proof of residence in Missouri each year such individual or such
90 individual's legal dependent applies for and receives the tuition award;
91(7) First applies for all other forms of federal and state student financial aid before
92 applying for a tuition award, including, but not limited to, filing the United States Department
93 of Education Free Application for Federal Student Aid and, if applicable, applying for
94 financial assistance pursuant to the provisions of 38 U.S.C. Section 3301, et seq.; and
95(8) Submits a document to the department confirming that the public safety personnel
96 has satisfied the provisions of subdivision (7) of this subsection, to be submitted in a form and
97 manner as prescribed by the department.
984. Public safety personnel may receive the tuition award pursuant to subsection 3 of
99 this section for up to five years if they otherwise continue to be eligible for the tuition award.
100 The five years of tuition award eligibility starts once the individual applies for and receives
101 the tuition award for the first time and is available to such individual for the next five
102 consecutive years or the individual's achievement of one hundred twenty credit hours,
103 whichever occurs first.
1045. Subject to appropriation, a legal dependent of public safety personnel with at least
105 ten years of service shall be entitled to a tuition award worth up to one hundred percent of the
106 resident tuition charges of an institution of higher education for an associate or baccalaureate
107 degree program if such public safety personnel satisfies the provisions of subdivisions (1),
108 (5), and (6) of subsection 3 of this section and the legal dependent:
109(1) Executes an agreement with the department in accordance with the provisions of
110 section 173.2660;
111(2) Has not previously earned a baccalaureate degree;
112(3) Meets all admission requirements of the institution of higher education;
113(4) First applies for all other forms of federal and state student financial aid before
114 applying for a tuition award, including, but not limited to, filing the United States Department
115 of Education Free Application for Federal Student Aid and, if applicable, applying for
116 financial assistance pursuant to the provisions of 38 U.S.C. Section 3301, et seq.;
117(5) Submits a document to the department confirming that the legal dependent has
118 satisfied subdivision (4) of this subsection, to be submitted in a form and manner as
119 prescribed by the department;
120(6) Submits the verification required pursuant to subsection 8 of this section to the
121 department; and
122(7) Pursues studies leading to a license or certification issued by a training entity
123 accredited or certified pursuant to the provisions of section 190.131, an associate degree or
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124 baccalaureate degree in any one of the subject areas specified in paragraphs (a) to (c) of
125 subdivision (4) of subsection 3 of this section.
1266. A legal dependent may receive the tuition award for up to five years if the public
127 safety personnel and the legal dependent continue to be eligible for such tuition award. The
128 five years of tuition award eligibility starts once the legal dependent applies for and receives
129 the tuition award for the first time and is available to such legal dependent for the next five
130 consecutive years or the legal dependent's achievement of one hundred twenty credit hours,
131 whichever occurs first.
1327. The tuition award shall be worth:
133(1) Up to one hundred percent of the public safety personnel's or the legal dependent's
134 tuition remaining due after subtracting awarded federal financial aid grants and state
135 scholarships and grants for the eligible public safety personnel or legal dependent during the
136 time the public safety personnel or legal dependent is enrolled. To remain eligible, the public
137 safety personnel or legal dependent shall comply with all requirements of the institution for
138 continued attendance and award of an associate degree or a baccalaureate degree; or
139(2) In the case of tuition at an approved private institution, up to one hundred percent
140 of the public safety personnel's or the legal dependent's tuition remaining due after subtracting
141 awarded federal financial aid grants and state scholarships and grants for the eligible public
142 safety personnel or legal dependent during the time the public safety personnel or legal
143 dependent is enrolled, up to a maximum amount that is equal to the total cost of tuition and
144 mandatory fees charged to a Missouri resident at the public community college, state college,
145 or state university with the highest combined tuition and mandatory fee cost in the state at the
146 time a tuition grant is awarded, as determined by the department. A private institution that
147 chooses to accept as a tuition payment any tuition award money pursuant to this subdivision
148 shall not charge the recipient of the tuition award any tuition that exceeds the maximum
149 combined tuition and mandatory fee cost as determined by the department prior to the
150 application of the tuition award.
1518. (1) An application for a tuition award shall include a verification of the public
152 safety personnel's satisfaction of the requirements of subdivisions (1), (5), and (6) of
153 subsection 3 of this section. The public safety personnel shall include such verification when
154 he or she or his or her legal dependent is applying to the department for a tuition waiver.
155(2) The death of public safety personnel in the line of duty which occurs after
156 submission of an application for a tuition award shall not disqualify such individual's
157 otherwise eligible legal dependent from receiving the tuition award. In such case, in lieu of
158 submitting the certificate of verification provided for in subdivision (1) of this subsection, the
159 legal dependent shall submit a statement attesting that:
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160(a) At the time of death, such public safety personnel satisfied the requirements of
161 subdivision (1) of this subsection; and
162(b) Such public safety personnel died in the line of duty.
1639. The department shall provide a tuition award to public safety personnel and legal
164 dependents who satisfy the provisions of this section and section 173.2660, if applicable, and
165 apply for an open seat at an institution of higher education, but shall not provide a tuition
166 award if doing so would require the institution to create additional seats exceeding class,
167 course, or program capacity.
16810. All applicants for a tuition award shall submit their applications to the department
169 no later than December fifteenth annually. No later than March first annually, the department
170 shall send written notice of the applicant's eligibility or ineligibility for the tuition award and
171 state whether the application has been approved or denied. If the applicant is determined not
172 to be eligible for the tuition award, the notice shall include the reason or reasons for such
173 determination. If the application is denied, the notice shall include the reason or reasons for
174 the denial.
17511. The department shall promulgate rules to implement the provisions of this section
176 and section 173.2660. Any rule or portion of a rule, as that term is defined in section 536.010,
177 that is created under the authority delegated in this section shall become effective only if it
178 complies with and is subject to all of the provisions of chapter 536 and, if applicable, section
179 536.028. This section and chapter 536 are nonseverable and if any of the powers vested with
180 the general assembly pursuant to chapter 536 to review, to delay the effective date, or to
181 disapprove and annul a rule are subsequently held unconstitutional, then the grant of
182 rulemaking authority and any rule proposed or adopted after August 28, 2025, shall be invalid
183 and void.
18412. (1) There is hereby created in the state treasury the "Public Safety Recruitment
185 and Retention Fund", which shall consist of moneys appropriated by the general assembly or
186 any gifts, donations, or bequests for the purpose of implementing the provisions of this
187 section and section 173.2660. The state treasurer shall be custodian of the fund. In
188 accordance with sections 30.170 and 30.180, the state treasurer may approve disbursements.
189 The fund shall be a dedicated fund and money in the fund shall be used solely by the
190 department of higher education and workforce development for the purpose of granting
191 tuition awards as provided in this section and section 173.2660.
192(2) Notwithstanding the provisions of section 33.080 to the contrary, any moneys
193 remaining in the fund at the end of the biennium shall not revert to the credit of the general
194 revenue fund.
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195(3) The state treasurer shall invest moneys in the fund in the same manner as other
196 funds are invested. Any interest and moneys earned on such investments shall be credited to
197 the fund.
19813. In any year in which moneys in the public safety recruitment and retention fund
199 are insufficient to fully fund tuition awards for all eligible applicants, tuition awards shall be
200 awarded in the following order of priority; provided that, in the event of a tie in eligibility,
201 available funds shall be distributed on a pro rata basis:
202(1) Priority class one shall include public safety personnel, in the following order:
203(a) Public safety personnel in departments located wholly or partially in counties or
204 cities not within a county with the highest crime rate per capita, as determined by the most
205 recent uniform crime reporting statistics from the Federal Bureau of Investigation; and
206(b) Public safety personnel with the most years of service; and
207(2) Priority class two shall include dependents of public safety personnel, in the
208 following order:
209(a) Dependents of public safety personnel in departments located wholly or partially
210 in counties or cities not within a county with the highest crime rate per capita, as determined
211 by the most recent uniform crime reporting statistics from the Federal Bureau of
212 Investigation; and
213(b) Dependents of public safety personnel with the most years of service.
21414. The tuition awards provided for in this section and section 173.2660 are subject to
215 appropriation. If there are no moneys in the fund established in subsection 12 of this section,
216 no tuition awards shall be granted.
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