Senate Bill No. 437-Senators O'Donnell, Rawson, Augustine, Coffin, Jacobsen, Mathews, McGinness, Neal, Regan, Shaffer and Washington
May 30, 1997
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Referred to Committee on Finance
SUMMARY--Revises provisions governing payment of certain fees and expenses for college for dependent children of certain peace officers and firemen killed in line of duty. (BDR 34-1389)
FISCAL NOTE: Effect on Local Government: No.
Effect on the State or on Industrial Insurance: Yes.
EXPLANATION - Matter in italics is new; matter in brackets [ ] is material to be omitted.
AN ACT relating to education; revising the provisions governing the payment of certain fees and expenses for educational classes taken by dependent children of certain peace officers and firemen killed in the line of duty; and providing other matters properly relating thereto.
THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEVADA, REPRESENTED IN SENATE AND ASSEMBLY, DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:
Section 1 NRS 396.545 is hereby amended to read as follows:
396.5451. To the extent of legislative appropriation, the board of regents shall pay all tuition, room, board, registration fees, laboratory fees and expenses for required textbooks and course materials assessed against or incurred by a dependent child of a police officer, correctional officer, fireman or officer of the Nevada highway patrol who was killed in the line of duty for classes taken towards satisfying the requirements of an undergraduate degree at a school within the University and Community College System of Nevada. No such payment may be made for any fee assessed after the child reaches the age of 23 years.
2. There is hereby created in the state treasury a trust fund for the education of dependent children. The board of regents shall administer the trust fund. The board of regents may accept gifts and grants for deposit in the trust fund. All money held by the state treasurer or received by the board of regents for that purpose must be deposited in the trust fund. The money in the trust fund must be invested as the money in other state funds is invested. After deducting all applicable charges, all interest and income earned on the money in the trust fund must be credited to the trust fund.
3. As used in this section:
(a) "Correctional officer" means an employee of the state or a local government who has the powers of a peace officer to provide correctional services and whose duties require daily contact with prisoners during a majority of his work. The term includes, without limitation, the superintendents and correctional officers of the department of prisons and local jailers.
(b) "Fireman" means a person who is a salaried employee or volunteer member of a fire prevention or suppression unit organized by a local government and whose principal duty is to control and extinguish fires.
[(b)] (c) "Local government" means a county, city, unincorporated town or metropolitan police department.
[(c)] (d) "Police officer" means a person who is a salaried employee of a police department or other law enforcement agency organized or operated by a local government and whose principal duty is to enforce the law.
Sec. 2 This act becomes effective on July 1, 1997.