SB178 Summary

• Expands educational benefits eligibility under Alabama Code Section 31-6-5 to include spouses of service members killed while on state active duty status.

• Extends eligibility to spouses whose spouse's death results proximately and within three years of an injury sustained while on state active duty status.

• Entitled spouses and widows may receive up to 45 months of training at qualifying schools, with undergraduate courses limited to in-state tuition rates and private school benefits capped at Department of Defense Tuition Assistance rates plus $1,000 per semester for books and fees.

• Restricts benefits to spouses who have not remarried prior to application; any remarriage during attendance requires the spouse to pay their own tuition and fees from that point forward.

• Effective on the first day of the third month following passage and gubernatorial approval.