Subject to available appropriations, this bill authorizes the military department to administer a critical skills retention bonus program to be used to award retention bonuses to enlisted service members in the Tennessee national guard in addition to any other retention bonus the service members may receive. However, a retention bonus awarded from the program must not exceed $10,000. The adjutant general must adopt written policies to implement the critical skills retention bonus program.
SPECIAL LEAVE FOR EXECUTIVE BRANCH EMPLOYEES CALLED TO ACTIVE DUTY
This bill provides that a state employee who is ordered to active duty, or retained on active duty, by the president of the United States, or under the authority of the governor, as a member of a reserve component of the armed forces of the United States or the national guard during a war or during a national emergency declared by the president or congress is entitled, while on such active military duty, to special leave with partial pay during the period of active duty. As used in this bill, "partial pay" means the difference, if any, between the employee's regular state salary and the employee's full-time active duty military pay, with a minimum monthly amount sufficient to keep in full force and effect all state benefits that the employee had on the date of the call to active military duty. However, that leave must not exceed one year.
As used in this bill, a "state employee" means an employee employed with the following entities:
(1) The executive branch and all boards, commissions, and agencies of state government;
(2) The judicial branch of state government, including the administrative office of the courts;
(3) The office of the secretary of state;
(4) The office of the comptroller of the treasury;
(5) The office of the attorney general;
(6) The offices of the district attorneys general and the district public defenders;
(7) The Tennessee higher education commission; and
(8) The Tennessee advisory commission on intergovernmental relations;
This bill authorizes the commissioner of human resources and the commissioner of finance and administration to establish such policies as are necessary to implement and administer these provisions.