HB 213 — Relating to the Volunteer Rescue Squad Tuition Reimbursement Act of 2018; to amend Sections 22-18-60, 22-18-61, 22-18-63, and 22-18-64, Code of Alabama 1975, to decrease the required contracted for service time after graduation and licensing from three years to two years; to expand the program to include students who contract and provide service to ambulance services; to provide exclusions from reimbursement; and to increase the amount of operational expenses reimbursed to the Alabama Community College System; and to add Section 22-18-61.1 to the Code of Alabama 1975, to provide for the retroactive reimbursement of certain fees and expenses.

HB213 ENGROSSEDENROLLED 5LJ8M3-25LJ8M3-3 By Representative Lovvorn RFD:

23-Mar-23 2023 Regular Session Page 0 HB213 EngrossedEnrolled 2Enrolled, 4An 6Act, A3 BILL TO BE ENTITLED AN ACT Relating to the Volunteer Rescue Squad Tuition Reimbursement Act of 2018;

Page 1 HB213 Engrossed (1) ACCS.

The Alabama Association of Rescue Squads or, the Alabama Association of Volunteer Fire Page 1 HB213 Enrolled Departments, or the Alabama Association of Ambulance Services.

A volunteer fire Page 2 HB213 Engrossed department located in the State of Alabama and is a member of the Alabama Association of Volunteer Fire Departments this state." "§22-18-61 (a) The Alabama Community College System ACCS, the Alabama Fire College fire college, and the University of South Page 2 HB213 Enrolled Alabama, in consultation with the associations, shall jointly develop and administer a student tuition reimbursement program for students that agree in the form of an enforceable who contract agreement, to provide two years of emergency medical services for volunteer rescue squads or, volunteer fire departments in Alabama, or ambulance services after becoming a licensed EMSP subject to the student agreeing to provide three years of service to a volunteer rescue squad or volunteer fire department.

(2) Tuition reimbursement under this article shall not include any tuition costs covered by grants or other monetary awards provided to a student including, but not limited to, federal education grants and scholarships, as determined by Page 3 HB213 Engrossed the ACCS.

(3) Tuition costs shall not be reimbursed until the student provides ACCS and the associations with documentation that he or she has successfully completed the approved course of instruction, proof of passing the certification exam, production of a valid EMSP license from the Alabama Department Page 3 HB213 Enrolled of Public Health and a contractual agreement to comply with the service requirements.

(c) In the event that a tuition reimbursement recipient fails to meet the service requirements for any reason other 95 than extreme hardship as defined within the joint agreement required in Section 22-18-64(b), the individual shall be deemed to have breached the underlying contract and shall be liable in the form of monetary damages to the state for the immediate repayment of the total tuition amount costs reimbursed, plus interest at the rate of eight percent.

The 95 associations shall notify ACCS of recipients who fail to meet the service requirements.

Notwithstanding the foregoing, priority shall be given to volunteer fire departments, rescue squads, and nonprofit ambulance services." Page 4 HB213 Engrossed "§22-18-63 (a) The tuition reimbursement program is subject to direct appropriations from the Education Trust Fund.

(b) Any monies appropriated for the program that are unexpended at the end of a fiscal year shall not revert, but shall be carried forward for use of the program in the next Page 4 HB213 Enrolled fiscal year.

Page 5 HB213 Engrossed (b) The ACCS, the Fire College fire college, and the University of South Alabama shall enter into a joint agreement to implement and administer the tuition reimbursement program, which shall include provisions for ensuring that operational expenses for the program in a fiscal year do not exceed two 10 percent of the funding for the program in that fiscal year.

Page 5 HB213 Enrolled The joint agreement shall provide for limiting the acceptance of applications for the program or limiting tuition reimbursements when necessary, or both.

Page 6 HB213 EngrossedEnrolled House________________________________________________ Speaker of Representativesthe ReadHouse forof theRepresentatives first________________________________________________ timePresident and referredPresiding ................23-Mar-23Officer toof the Senate House of Representatives committeeI onhereby Wayscertify andthat Meansthe Educationwithin ReadAct fororiginated thein second time and placedwas ................27-Apr-23passed onby the calendar:House 02-May-23, as amended.

amendments Read for the third time and passed ................02-May-23 as amended Yeas 105 Nays 0 Abstains 0 John Treadwell Clerk Senate 24-May-23 Passed Page 7