HB 2171
Initials CH Page 1 Education
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ARIZONA HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
Fifty-seventh Legislature
First Regular Session
HB 2171: law enforcement; families; tuition scholarships
Sponsor: Representative Gress, LD 4
Committee on Education
Overview
Places the Spouses and Dependents of Law Enforcement Officers Tuition Scholarship Fund
(Fund) in statute and repeals the statutory Fund on July 1, 2035. Appropriates $5,000,000
from the state General Fund (GF) in FY 2026 to the statutory Fund.
History
Laws 2023, Chapter 140 established, as session law, the Fund, which consists of legislative
appropriations. Fund monies are continuously appropriated and exempt from lapsing. The
Arizona Board of Regents (ABOR) is tasked with administering the Fund and may adopt
rules for Fund administration. Originally established for FYs 2024, 2025 and 2026, Laws
2024, Chapter 216 repeals the Fund on July 1, 2025, and transfers all remaining unexpended
and unencumbered monies to the state GF. Beginning March 1, 2024, and annually
thereafter, ABOR must submit a report that contains prescribed information relating to the
Fund.
ABOR, subject to available monies, must use Fund monies to award tuition scholarships to
any individual who applies and is either the spouse of a law enforcement officer (LEO) or the
dependent of a LEO and who is younger than 27 years old and who enrolls in: 1) an Arizona
public university; 2) a community college; 3) a career technical education (CTE) program
offered to adults or career technical education district (CTED) associate degree program; or
4) a licensed private postsecondary educational institution in Arizona.
A tuition scholarship is limited to either the amount of tuition and mandatory fees, minus
other gifts or aid received, if the person is enrolled in an Arizona public university,
community college or CTED, or the average in-state tuition and fees charged by Arizona
public universities, minus other gifts and aid received, if the person is enrolled in a private
postsecondary educational institution. A tuition scholarship may only be used for: 1) up to
four academic years or eight semesters; 2) a CTED program certificate or license, a vocational
program or an associate or baccalaureate degree; or 3) paying tuition and mandatory fees. If
there are insufficient Fund monies, ABOR may not award a tuition scholarship.
The session law defines a LEO as an individual currently employed as a peace officer or a
correctional officer and further details the documentation ABOR may rely on to establish
that an individual is a LEO.
The FY 2024 General Appropriations Act appropriated $2,000,000 from the state GF in FY
2024 to the session law Fund. HB 2171
Initials CH Page 2 Education
Provisions
1. Codifies the session law Fund as the statutory Fund and repeals the statutory Fund on
July 1, 2035. (Sec. 1, 2)
2. Appropriates $5,000,000 from the state GF in FY 2026 to the statutory Fund and from
the statutory Fund to ABOR. (Sec. 3)
3. Subjects statutory Fund monies to legislative appropriation. (Sec. 1)
4. Authorizes ABOR to use up to 3% of statutory Fund monies each year for administration
purposes. (Sec. 1)
5. Directs the State Treasurer, on notice from ABOR, to invest and divest statutory Fund
monies and credit monies earned from investment to the statutory Fund. (Sec. 1)
6. Adds that for a tuition scholarship to be awarded to an eligible individual, the community
college, CTED or private postsecondary educational institution must have entered into
an agreement with ABOR for the Fund. (Sec. 1)
7. Establishes the date by which ABOR must submit a report regarding the statutory Fund
as March 1, 2026, and annually thereafter. (Sec. 1)