Fiscal Note
BILL # HB 2336 TITLE: tuition; family; posttraumatic stress; suicide
SPONSOR: Shah STATUS: As Introduced
PREPARED BY: Cameron Mortensen
Description
HB 2336 provides university and community college tuition waivers to surviving spouses and children of Arizona military
service members, veterans, peace officers, and firefighters with documented post-traumatic stress injuries who died by
suicide.
Estimated Impact
We estimate that individuals affected by HB 2336 would receive approximately $331,000 each year in tuition waivers to
Arizona public universities and community colleges.
The Arizona Board of Regents was unable to estimate impacts due to a lack of data. The Arizona Community College
Coordinating Council had not provided an estimate to the JLBC Staff at time of publication. The Council did not produce an
estimate for a similar bill in FY 2023.
Analysis
Table 1 displays the estimated number of persons affected by HB 2336. Based on September 2022 Department of Defense
data, 2020 Census Bureau data and May 2022 data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, there are currently 17,482
military service members, 454,375 veterans, 12,740 peace officers, and 7,180 firefighters in Arizona. These numbers do
not include former peace officers and firefighters. To the extent that spouses and children of former peace officers and
firefighters seek tuition waivers under the bill, the impact of the bill may be higher.
Table 1
Estimated Number of Persons Under HB 2336
Population
Death by
Suicide Rate
(Per 100,000)
Estimated #
Estimated
# Spouses
Estimated
# Children
Military 17,482 24.3 4 2 0
Veterans 454,375 31.7 144 72 5
Peace Officers 12,740 17.0 2 1 0
Firefighters 7,180 18.0 1 1 0
Total 491,777 151 76 5
Estimated # of Persons Under HB 2336
81
(Continued) - 2 -
According to the U.S. Department of Defense CY 2021 Annual Suicide Report, the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs
2022 National Veteran Suicide Prevention Annual Report, and the Ruderman Family Foundation (a disability inclusion
advocacy group) White Paper on Mental Health and Suicide of First Responders, rates of death by suicide for these groups
are 24.3, 31.7, 17, and 18 per 100,000, respectively. Roughly 50% of military service members are married and 3% have
children between the ages of 19 and 22. Assuming that these percentages are similar for veterans, peace officers, and
firefighters, we estimate that there are approximately 81 spouses and children that may receive tuition waivers under HB
2336.
For these individuals, the bill would provide tuition waivers at any Arizona public university or community college. Based
on the distribution of FY 2022 full-time student equivalent enrollment in the Arizona higher education system, we
estimate about 63% of individuals would attend universities with the rest attending community colleges.
Before financial aid, annual tuition ranges from $1,305 (Santa Cruz) to $11,525 (UA). Assuming that the tuition waivers
are applied after federal grants, we estimate that students would receive approximately $331,000 in annual tuition
waivers at public universities under HB 2336. We estimate federal financial aid grants for most qualifying individuals
would be sufficient at community colleges to not require additional tuition waivers and total waiver costs at community
colleges would be minimal.
Local Government Impact
None
1/30/23