New Jersey A 1293: Establishes Office of Inspector General for Veterans' Facilities.

Bill Text

A1293 

ASSEMBLY, No. 1293 

STATE OF NEW JERSEY

222nd LEGISLATURE

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PRE-FILED FOR INTRODUCTION IN THE 2026 SESSION

Sponsored by:

Assemblyman CODY D. MILLER

District 4 (Atlantic, Camden and Gloucester)

Co-Sponsored by:

Assemblyman Scharfenberger

SYNOPSIS

���� Provides that former law enforcement officers who 
retired due to disability are eligible to receive tuition assistance to attend 
public institution of higher education or proprietary institution licensed to 
confer academic degrees.

CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT 

���� Introduced Pending Technical Review by Legislative 
Counsel.

�� 

An Act concerning tuition assistance for certain 
retired law enforcement officers and supplementing chapter 71B 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.� As used in this act:

���� �Public institution of higher 
education� means Rutgers, The State University, the New Jersey Institute of 
Technology, Rowan University, Montclair State University, the State colleges or 
universities established pursuant to chapter 64 of Title 18A of the New Jersey 
Statutes, the county colleges and any other public university or college now or 
hereafter established or authorized by State law.

���� �Retired law enforcement 
officer� means a New Jersey resident who was employed as a permanent full-time 
member of any federal, State, county or municipal law enforcement agency, 
department, or division of those governments who was statutorily empowered to 
act for the detection, investigation, arrest, conviction, detention, or 
rehabilitation of persons violating criminal laws of this State or of the 
United States and was statutorily required to successfully complete a training 
course approved by the Police Training Commission pursuant to P.L.1961, c.56 
(C.52:17B-66 et seq.), or certified by the commission as substantially 
equivalent to an approved course.

���� b.��� A retired law 
enforcement officer who retired in good standing shall be permitted to attend 
regularly-scheduled courses at a public institution of higher education or a 
proprietary institution licensed to confer academic degrees for certain 
programs by the Secretary of Higher Education and receive up to 16 credits per 
semester tuition-free provided that:

���� (1)�� the officer retired 
because of a disability pursuant to section 6 of P.L.1944, c.255 (C.43:16A-6), 
section 7 of P.L.1944, c.255 (C.43:16A-7), section 1 of P.L.1989, c.103 
(C.43:16A-6.1), or any substantially similar statute governing the disability 
retirement of federal law enforcement officers, provided that the officer was a 
regularly employed, full-time law enforcement officer for an aggregate of four 
or more years prior to his disability retirement;

���� (2)�� the retired 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, 
or has been accepted to pursue a course of study in an academic �degree-granting 
program at a proprietary institution which has been licensed to confer academic 
degrees by the secretary and is enrolled in good standing at that institution; 
and

���� (3)�� the retired officer has 
applied for all available State student grants and scholarships and all 
available federal student grants and scholarships for which the retired officer 
is eligible.

���� c.���� The State shall 
reimburse a public institution of higher education or a proprietary institution 
for the tuition of each eligible retired law enforcement officer who enrolls in 
the institution pursuant to the provisions of this section to the extent that the 
tuition cost is not paid through the State student grants and scholarships and 
the federal student grants and scholarships for which the retired law 
enforcement officer is eligible.

���� 2.��� This act shall take 
effect immediately.

STATEMENT

���� This bill provides that 
retired law enforcement officers who retired in good standing due to a 
disability are eligible to receive tuition assistance to attend a public 
institution of higher education or a proprietary institution which has been 
licensed to confer academic degrees for certain programs by the Secretary of 
Higher Education. In addition to academic degrees, proprietary institutions 
also offer certificates and other credentials in various professional trades 
and occupations. Under the bill, eligible retired law enforcement officers are 
permitted to attend regularly-scheduled courses at public institutions of 
higher education or proprietary institutions and receive up to 16 credits per 
semester tuition-free provided that:

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the officer retired because of a disability pursuant to section 6 
of P.L.1944, c.255 (C.43:16A-6), section 7 of P.L.1944, c.255 (C.43:16A-7), 
section 1 of P.L.1989