Bill Text: NJ A223 | 2010-2011 | Regular Session | Introduced
Bill Title: Provides tuition-free enrollment at New Jersey public colleges to certain members of the State Police.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 3-0)
Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2010-01-12 - Introduced, Referred to Assembly Higher Education Committee [A223 Detail]
Download: New_Jersey-2010-A223-Introduced.html
STATE OF NEW JERSEY
214th LEGISLATURE
PRE-FILED FOR INTRODUCTION IN THE 2010 SESSION
Sponsored by:
Assemblywoman JOAN M. QUIGLEY
District 32 (Bergen and Hudson)
Assemblyman FREDERICK SCALERA
District 36 (Bergen, Essex and Passaic)
Assemblyman VINCENT PRIETO
District 32 (Bergen and Hudson)
SYNOPSIS
Provides tuition-free enrollment at New Jersey public colleges to certain members of the State Police.
CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT
Introduced Pending Technical Review by Legislative Counsel
An Act concerning higher education tuition assistance for the State Police and supplementing chapter 62 of Title 18A of the New Jersey Statutes.
Be It Enacted by the Senate and General Assembly of the State of New Jersey:
1. a. Any uniformed officer of the Division of State Police shall be permitted to attend regularly-scheduled courses at any public institution of higher education in this State enumerated in N.J.S.18A:62-1 and receive up to 15 credits per semester tuition-free provided that:
(1) the individual is in good standing as a uniformed officer of the Division of State Police;
(2) the officer has been accepted to pursue a course of undergraduate study and is enrolled as an undergraduate student in good standing at that institution or a course of graduate study and is enrolled as a graduate student in good standing at that institution; and
(3) the officer has applied for all available State and federal student grants and scholarships for which he is eligible.
b. The financial aid office of the public institution shall advise the officer of any available State and federal student grants and scholarships for which he may be eligible.
2. a. No public institution of higher education in this State shall impose a nonresident tuition rate or differential fee on a person who enrolls in the institution pursuant to the provisions of this act.
b. Nothing in this act shall preclude a public institution of higher education from requiring the payment of other fees, subject to approval by the State Treasurer, for individuals attending courses pursuant to the provisions of this act.
3. The State Treasurer shall adopt, pursuant to the "Administrative Procedure Act," P.L.1968, c.410 (C.52:14B-1 et seq.), rules and regulations necessary to implement the provisions of this act.
4. This act shall take effect immediately and shall first apply to the 2007-2008 academic year.
STATEMENT
This bill provides that a uniformed officer of the Division of State Police may receive up to 15 credits per semester tuition free upon enrollment in a public institution of higher education in the State. An individual is eligible to receive the tuition benefit provided that he is in good standing as a State Police trooper, has been accepted to pursue a course of undergraduate study at a public institution and is enrolled as an undergraduate student in good standing, or a course of graduate study and is enrolled as a graduate student in good standing, and has applied for all available State and federal student grants and scholarships for which he is eligible.
The bill provides to uniformed officers of the Division of State Police, a critical component of New Jersey's security and law enforcement efforts, a tuition benefit which is comparable to the tuition benefit provided to members of the New Jersey National Guard.
Division of State Police policy regarding promotions requires that troopers who were enlisted in the Division of State Police after February 1975 have a minimum of 120 college credits to be considered for promotion to the rank of Lieutenant, a bachelor's degree to be considered for promotion to the rank of Captain and above, and a master's degree to be considered for promotion to the rank of Major and above. The bill will provide enlisted members of the New Jersey State Police with the opportunity to meet the above requirements for promotion on a tuition-free basis.
