SB 237 — Revises provisions relating to education. (BDR 34-542)

EXEMPT (Reprinted with amendments adopted on April 21, 2025) FIRST REPRINT S.B.

C RUZ -CRAWFORD , K RASNER , ROGICH , TONE AND T ITUS FEBRUARY 26, 2025 ____________ JOINTSJOINT PONSORSPONSOR :

ASSEMBLYMEMBER NNGUYEN GUYEN ____________ Referred to Committee on Education SUMMARY—Revises provisions relating to education.

prohibiting the Board of Regents of the University of Nevada from assessing tuition charges or certain fees against students who are a surviving spouse or child of a firstperson responderkilled whoin wasthe killedline whileof actingduty inas a member of the normalArmed courseForces of dutythe inUnited thisStates; State;

revising certain provisions relating to the waiver of certain fees for public safety officers who are killed in the line of duty;

Existing law authorizes the Board of Regents of the University of Nevada to assessgrant tuitiona charges,waiver whichof arecertain chargesfees thatfor arepersons inwith additiona connection to the Armed Forces of bill requires the Board of Regents to grant a waiver of registration fees and other fees assessedto againsta studentsperson who areis residentsa surviving spouse or child of thisa State,person forkilled studentsin atthe Nevada.line of duty while on active duty as a member of the Armed Forces.

Existing law alsoauthorizes the Board of Regents to assess tuition charges, which are charges that are in addition to registration fees and other fees assessed against students who are residents of this State, for students at all campuses of the Nevada prohibits the Board of Regents from assessing tuition charges against certain students.

(NRS 396.540) ThisSection 1.5 of this bill adds to this prohibition students - *SB237_R1* – 2 – who are a surviving spouse or child of a firstperson responderkilled whoin wasthe killedline of duty while actingon inactive theduty normalas coursea member of dutythe inArmed thisForces. State.

Existing law requires the Board of Regents, to the extent money is available, to school within the System by the dependent child of a public safety officer who was killed in the line of duty or any other public employee who was killed in the performance of his or her duties.

(NRS 396.545) Section 2 of this bill expands the applicability of this provision to include the surviving spouse of such a public safety officer or such a public employee.

Section 2 further revises the definition of who, under certain circumstances, dies as a result of injuries sustained whiley officer traveling to or from his or her place of employment.

Chapter 396 of NRS is hereby amended by adding thereto a new section to read as follows:

1.

The Board of Regents shall grant a waiver of the payment of registration fees, laboratory fees and any other mandatory fees assessed or incurred by a person who is a surviving spouse or child of a person killed in the line of duty while on active duty as a member of the Armed Forces of the United States.

2.

The waiver must be granted to a person who enrolls in any program offered by a school within the System, including, without limitation, a trade or vocational program, a graduate program or a professional program.

3.

For purposes of assessing fees and charges against a person to whom a waiver is granted pursuant to this section, including, without limitation, tuition charges pursuant to NRS 396.540, such a person shall be deemed to be a bona fide resident of this State.

4.

A child may use a waiver granted pursuant to this section for 10 years after the child attains 18 years of age or, if the child enrolls in the System before attaining 18 years of age, for 10 years after the date of such enrollment.

A surviving spouse may use a waiver granted pursuant to this section for 10 years after the date of the death of the member of the Armed Forces of the United States.

5.

The Board of Regents may request such documentation as it deems necessary to verify that a person is the surviving spouse or child of a person killed in the line of duty while on active duty as a member of the Armed Forces of the United States.

Sec.

1.5.

- *SB237**SB237_R1* – 23 – (a) “Bona fide resident” shall be construed in accordance with the provisions of subsections 5 and 6, NRS 10.155 and policies established by the Board of Regents, to the extent that those policies do not conflict with any statute.

- *SB237**SB237_R1* – 34 – (f) All full-time teachers in private elementary, secondary and postsecondary educational institutions in the State of Nevada whose curricula meet the requirements of chapter 394 of NRS;

(n) All students who are a surviving spouse or child of a firstperson responder,killed as defined in NRSthe 193.1678,line whoof wasduty killed while actingon active duty in the normalArmed courseForces of dutythe inUnited thisStates; State;

- *SB237**SB237_R1* – 45 – 3.

The Board of Regents shall not deny an exemption from tuition charges provided pursuant to subsection 2 to a student on the basis that the student is not lawfully present in the United States if the student has been granted temporary protected status by thetatesthe if United States Citizenship and Immigration Services of the United States Department of Homeland Security.

HSec. - *SB237*

2.

NRS 396.545 is hereby amended to read as follows:

396.545 1.

To the extent of money available for this purpose, the Board of Regents shall pay all registration fees, laboratory fees and expenses for required textbooks and course materials assessed against or incurred by a surviving spouse or dependent child of a public safety officer who was killed in the line of duty or any other public employee who was killed in the performance of his or her duties, for classes taken towards satisfying the requirements of an undergraduate degree at a school within the System.

No such payment may be made for any fee assessed against a child after the child reaches the age of 23 years [.] or for any fee assessed against a surviving spouse 10 years after the date of the death of the public safety officer or public employee.

2.

There is hereby created in the State General Fund a Trust Account for the Education of Dependent Children.

The Board of - *SB237_R1* – 6 – Regents shall administer the Account.

The Board of Regents may accept gifts and grants for deposit in the Account.