85-2610.

Terms, defined.

For purposes of the First Responder Recruitment and Retention Act:

(1) Associate degree program means a degree program at a community college, state college, or state university which typically requires completion of an organized program of study of at least sixty semester credit hours or an equivalent that can be shown to accomplish the same goal. Associate degree program does not include a baccalaureate degree program;

(2) Baccalaureate degree program means a degree program at a community college, state college, or state university which typically requires completion of an organized program of study of at least one hundred twenty semester credit hours or an equivalent that can be shown to accomplish the same goal;

(3) Community college means a public postsecondary educational institution which is part of the community college system and includes all branches and campuses of such institution located within the State of Nebraska;

(4) Correctional officer means an individual who is employed full-time by a jail or by the Department of Correctional Services and who is responsible for the supervision, safety, and security of an adult correctional facility's population through daily direct contact and interactions with incarcerated individuals;

(5) Eligible disabled person means an individual who was employed as a first responder but who, due to injury or illness that resulted from or is connected to such employment, is no longer able to maintain employment as a first responder;

(6) First responder means a law enforcement officer, professional firefighter, correctional officer, or youth detention officer;

(7) Law enforcement officer means any individual who is a law enforcement officer as defined in section 81-1401;

(8) Legal dependent has the same meaning as it is used for purposes of the Free Application for Federal Student Aid;

(9) Line of duty means any action that a first responder is authorized or obligated by law, rule, or regulation to perform, related to or as a condition of employment or service;

(10) Professional firefighter means an individual who is a firefighter or firefighter-paramedic as a full-time career and who is a member of a paid fire department of any of the following entities within Nebraska:

(a) A municipality, including a municipality having a home rule charter or a municipal authority created pursuant to a home rule charter that has its own paid fire department;

(b) A rural or suburban fire protection district; or

(c) A fire service providing fire protection to federal or state military installations;

(11) Qualifying child means:

(a) A legal dependent; or

(b) A person who is a nondependent child of a first responder or an eligible disabled person and who is a legal dependent of another parent. To be considered a qualifying child under this subdivision, the maternity or paternity of the child shall be verified through a birth certificate or other means approved by the admission or financial aid office of the state university, state college, or community college;

(12) Qualifying degree means:

(a) For a law enforcement officer, a degree that relates to a career in law enforcement;

(b) For a professional firefighter, a degree that relates to a career in professional firefighting; and

(c) For a correctional officer or youth detention officer, a degree that relates to a career in corrections, youth detention, or law enforcement;

(13) State college means a public postsecondary educational institution which is part of the Nebraska state college system and includes all branches and campuses of such institution located within the State of Nebraska;

(14) State university means a public postsecondary educational institution which is part of the University of Nebraska and includes all branches and campuses of such institution located within the State of Nebraska;

(15) Superior officer means:

(a) For a law enforcement officer, such officer's superior law enforcement officer;

(b) For a professional firefighter, the fire chief of such professional firefighter's fire department; and

(c) For a correctional officer or youth detention officer, such officer's superior;

(16) Tuition means the charges and cost of tuition as set by the governing body of a state university, state college, or community college; and

(17) Youth detention officer means an individual who is employed full-time by a juvenile detention facility, as defined in section 83-4,125, and who is responsible for the secure detention and treatment of a juvenile detention facility's population through daily direct contact and interactions with detained juveniles.