Alaska State Legislature
News from the House Majority

Jerry Ritter, House Majority Press Secretary
State Capitol
Juneau, AK 99801
Phone: (907) 465-3804
web site: http://www.akrepublicans.org
Actuality line: 1-800-478-6540

Caring for the Families of "Alaska's Finest"

Scholarships for Families of Slain Police and Firefighters

For Immediate Release April 27, 1998 Contact: Rep. Pete Kelly at (907) 465-2327.

Juneau -- The Alaska Senate has approved House Bill 334, which provides tuition and fees in the University of Alaska system for the spouses, sons, and daughters of Alaska police officers and firefighters slain in the line of duty. Currently, Alaska law provides tuition and fees at UA for the dependents of members of the armed services who are killed in the line of duty.

"With this bill we are adding to the fairly short list of youth for which we will provide tuition at our State University. The University plays an important role in all of our lives; it should be available for a youth whose parent made the ultimate sacrifice protecting our lives and freedoms," said Representative Pete Kelly (R-Fairbanks), sponsor of HB 334. "Nothing can replace a husband, a wife, a father or a mother, but for those men and women who will stand in harms way for us this bill is a small token of our appreciation," Kelly said.

Kelly’s bill amends the statute providing tuition and fees for spouses and dependents of slain members of the armed forces to include the spouses and dependents of slain state troopers, municipal police officers, and firefighters. Current law provides the benefit to those killed while on state or federal government duty or who are officially listed as prisoners of war or missing in action.

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Broadcasters note: Audio comments are on the House Majority Line at (800) 478-6540.
= Pete Kelly, 53 K