Maryland waives extra tuition for families of fallen safety workers

The commission allocates scholarship money among colleges using a formula it determines. This applies to colleges receiving money for the Edward T. and Mary A. Conroy Memorial Scholarship Program and the Jean B. Cryor Memorial Scholarship Program. The formula may consider prior-year enrollment, eligible recipients, and tuition and fees. The commission allocates money only when it is available under the state budget. Colleges may award scholarships only within the commission’s allocation. The law takes effect July 1, 2026.

A spouse or financially dependent child is exempt from out-of-state or out-of-county tuition at a Maryland public college. Covered workers include career or volunteer firefighters, ambulance or rescue workers, law enforcement officers, correctional officers, and Maryland National Guard members who lived in Maryland when they died. The worker must die as a result of, or while performing, their duties. The law takes effect July 1, 2026.