House Bill 1727, also known as Senate Bill 2060, 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 introduces new definitions for terms such as "family member" and "serious health condition," and mandates that the leave policy must allow employees to begin utilizing FMLA leave if they become eligible while on leave granted under this new policy. Additionally, it clarifies that the provisions do not apply to counties with populations over 800,000 or those that have adopted a metropolitan form of government. The amendments include the deletion of existing language in certain sections and the insertion of new definitions and requirements to ensure clarity and compliance with the updated leave policies.

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