House Bill 1727 amends various sections of the Tennessee Code Annotated to establish a policy for unpaid job-protected leave for county, municipal, and metropolitan government employees in the event of a qualifying medical emergency, effective January 1, 2027. The bill defines "qualifying medical emergency" to include the birth or stillbirth of a child, caring for a family member with a serious health condition, or the employee's own serious health condition. It specifies that employees must have been employed for at least eleven months and three weeks, be eligible for leave under the federal Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA), and provide written notice of the need for leave. The bill also outlines that the leave policy must allow employees to transition to FMLA leave if they become eligible while on leave.

Additionally, the bill introduces new definitions for terms such as "family member" and "serious health condition," and it mandates that local education agencies and public charter schools include similar leave policies for eligible employees. The amendments also clarify that the new leave provisions will supersede any conflicting laws, with specific exemptions for counties with populations over 800,000 or those that have adopted a metropolitan form of government. The bill aims to enhance employee rights regarding medical leave while ensuring compliance with federal regulations.

Statutes affected:
Introduced: 5-23-112, 6-54-123, 8-50-814(a), 8-50-814, 8-50-814(c)