BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – A bill providing scholarships to spouses and children of long-serving law enforcement officers passed the House unanimously on Thursday, and supporters are now urging the Senate to take it up.
House Bill 98, sponsored by Rep. Allen Treadaway, R-Morris, is known as the Alabama Law Enforcement Officers’ Family Scholarship Program. It would provide up to $3,000 scholarships for each academic period for college and workforce training at participating public or private institutions in Alabama.
The Alabama Commission on Higher Education will administer the scholarships, which will cover tuition, fees and educational materials after other financial aid is applied. The commission currently administers a similar scholarship for dependents and eligible spouses of Alabama police officers and firefighters killed in the line of duty.
If passed, the scholarship law becomes effective Oct. 1.
Gov. Kay Ivey’s proposed fiscal year 2027 education budget includes an $8 million appropriation for the scholarships.
The bill also establishes a distinctive blackout license plate – a plate with a black background and white text – with proceeds supporting the scholarship fund. The license plate would be available for the 2027 calendar year.
The measure previously stalled in the Legislature. It was originally filed as part of last session’s Safe Alabama Package of bills supporting law enforcement officers but did not reach the Senate floor for a vote.
Treadaway, a retired police officer with over 30 years of experience, said the measure addresses both police workforce shortages and recognition of families’ sacrifices.
“We’re critically short in the state of Alabama,” he said on the House floor Thursday prior to approval in the House.
In a statement released after passage, Treadaway said the legislation is a “well-deserved and long overdue thank you” to the family members of law enforcement officers for the daily sacrifices they make.
“People tend to forget that behind every badge is a family that depends on the man or woman who wears it,” he said.
House Speaker Nathaniel Ledbetter, R-Rainsville, in a statement said Alabama is “one of the most pro-law enforcement states in the nation.”
“Our police officers, sheriff’s deputies, state troopers, and every other law enforcement professional deserve nothing less than our full support, and I urge the Alabama State Senate to get this bill passed,” Ledbetter said.