ENROLLED SENATE
BILL NO. 1579 By: Paxton of the Senate
and
Hilbert
of the House
An Act relating to school employees; allowing a school district
board of education to approve certain leave of absence request; requiring
requesting employee to provide certain proof; requiring leave of absence to
have certain beginning and end dates; providing for type of leave to be
granted; prohibiting the maintenance of certain benefits during certain leave;
allowing certain employee position to be maintained without accrual of certain
leave or accumulation of certain service credit; prohibiting certain employee
from accessing certain school district space; directing an association that
serves as certain organization that fails to comply with certain provisions to
no longer be recognized; and providing for codification.
SUBJECT: School employees
BE IT
ENACTED BY THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF OKLAHOMA:
SECTION 1.
NEW LAW A new section of law
to be codified in the Oklahoma Statutes as Section 509.12 of Title 70, unless
there is created a duplication in numbering, reads as follows:
A.
A school district board of education may approve a request from a school
district employee for a leave of absence to hold office as an officer,
director, trustee, or agent of a national, statewide, or school district
employee association. The employee
requesting the leave shall provide the school district superintendent with
proof of election and proof of the term of office for the national, statewide,
or school district employee association. Proof of election shall include but not be
limited to certification by the national, statewide, or school district employee
association of the date of the election and the results of the election. Board of education approval for leave
requested pursuant to this section shall have definitive beginning and end
dates.
B. Leave granted pursuant to this section shall
be leave without pay. The school employee
on leave shall not be entitled to maintain any benefits granted by the school
district regardless of whether the benefit is paid by the employee on leave or
the association for which the person is serving as an officer, director,
trustee, or agent.
C. During the leave period, the school employee's
position with the school district shall be maintained without advancement on
the minimum salary schedule adopted pursuant to Section 5-141 of Title 70 of
the Oklahoma Statutes and with no accrual of sick leave, personal business
leave, or personal leave. The employee
on leave shall not accumulate service credit within the Teachers' Retirement
System of Oklahoma. Following the term
of leave granted pursuant to the provisions of this section, the employee granted
leave may return to his or her former position or a comparable position.
D. A school district employee granted leave
pursuant to the provisions of this section shall be prohibited from accessing
school district office space.
E. If a national, statewide, or school district
employee association that serves as a school district employee organization
established pursuant to Section 509.2 of Title 70 of the Oklahoma Statutes fails
to comply with the provisions of this section, the school district board of education
shall no longer recognize the organization as a representative of employees.
Passed the Senate the 7th day of March, 2022.
Presiding Officer of the Senate
Passed the House of Representatives the 26th day of April, 2022.
Presiding Officer of the House
of Representatives
OFFICE OF THE GOVERNOR
Received
by the Office of the Governor this ____________________ day of
___________________, 20_______, at _______ o'clock _______ M.
By: _________________________________
Approved
by the Governor of the State of Oklahoma this _________ day of
___________________, 20_______, at _______ o'clock _______ M.
_________________________________
Governor of the State of Oklahoma
OFFICE OF THE SECRETARY OF STATE
Received
by the Office of the Secretary of State this __________ day of
__________________, 20 _______, at _______ o'clock _______ M.
By: _________________________________