When Chris Lesser walks into a burning building, he wants to know his three children could receive a college education if he was killed.

“It’s something in the back of your mind,” the Kanwaka Township fire chief said. “I want my children to have the opportunity to do post-high school work and don’t want the burden to be that strong.”

Lesser is supporting legislation, introduced by Rep. Tom Sloan, that would give children of volunteer firefighters killed in the line of duty free tuition at state colleges and universities. But the bill is expected to face opposition from higher education officials, who say it would be an unfunded mandate during tight budget times.

“It’s hard to argue with the merits of a bill like this,” said Janet Murguia, executive vice chancellor at Kansas University. “It’s a very worthy cause. The concern we have if we’re asked to provide services and education, we need to see a funding source tied to that.”

Tuition waivers already are provided to children of police, paid firefighters and EMS workers killed in the line of duty. Sloan, a Republican from Lawrence who chairs the House Higher Education Committee, said he introduced the bill including volunteers to “provide equity” and help volunteer departments recruit firefighters.

“It’s like requiring insurance to cover different types of drugs or treatments. It’s always a (financial) burden,” he said. “But we don’t pay police, firefighters or emergency personnel what their value is. This is a small benefit. That’s a small price to pay.”

Information on how many children of dead police, fire or EMS personnel currently receive tuition waivers wasn’t available Friday. Sloan said only a handful of volunteer firefighters have died in recent memory, though state officials are trying to compile the exact number.

Lesser said he thought the benefit would help volunteer departments recruit members.

“As a volunteer, you’re risking life and limb to help your neighbor out,” he said. “You’d hope there would be some sort of compensation, if something bad did happen.”

Reggie Robinson, president and CEO of the Kansas Board of Regents, said he supported the idea — but only if legislators find a funding source. No such source exists for the current waiver programs.

“Those have been absorbed by the universities,” he said. “It shouldn’t be handed down as some sort of unfunded mandate.”

Dick Carter, external relations director for the regents, said the bill could open the door for other groups to apply for waivers.

“Where do you draw the line?” he said. “This is not an uncommon item we deal with at the Capitol. … Now more than ever, given the budget situation, universities cannot continue to accept unfunded budget mandates.”

Murguia said the issue could set a precedent for future discussions on tuition waivers.

“It’s not about this particular group; it’s about what other groups could be potentially added and continue to be added,” she said. “We want to make sure there is a policy guiding this.”