Higher Education - Nonresident Tuition - Exemption for Dependents of State or Local Public Safety Employees (Maryland Fallen Heroes Tuition Benefits Act)

SB 1024 (Maryland Fallen Heroes Tuition Benefits Act) exempts financially dependent children of state or local public safety employees who died while on duty from paying out-of-state or out-of-county tuition fees at Maryland's public colleges and universities. It directly affects the children of firefighters, EMTs, police officers, correctional officers, and Maryland National Guard members who died in the line of duty. The bill amends Maryland law to create this tuition exemption, defining "public safety employee" to include those roles and requiring the State Education Commission to establish implementing regulations. The policy change takes effect July 1, 2025, providing financial assistance for higher education to these dependent children.