The bill amends Section 16-22-9 of the Code of Alabama 1975 to redefine "education authority" and implement new sick leave policies for public education employees. Key provisions include the requirement for the State Board of Education to adopt a model sick leave policy that facilitates direct sick leave donations between employees and mandates educational authorities to implement this policy. The bill introduces a sick leave bank system, allowing employees to deposit sick leave days to be loaned to colleagues in need, and establishes the responsibilities of sick leave bank committees, which will consist of authority representatives and participating members.

Significant legal changes include the insertion of terms such as "participating member" and "catastrophic illness," while outdated terms are deleted. The bill outlines that sick leave banks must be established upon request from a percentage of employees and that the sick leave bank committee will oversee their operation, subject to educational authority approval. It also allows educational authorities to create their own rules for sick leave banks, limits the amount of sick leave days an employee can owe, and requires repayment of borrowed days upon termination. Notably, the bill removes previous guidelines on sick leave banks, such as the maximum donation limits for catastrophic leave, and allows employees to directly donate sick leave to others without needing a sick leave bank, effective from the 2027-2028 school year. The bill is set to take effect on July 1, 2026.

Statutes affected:
Introduced: 16-22-9
Engrossed: 16-22-9
Enrolled: 16-22-9