Alabama 2023 Regular Session

Alabama Senate Bill SB203 Compare Versions

Only one version of the bill is available at this time.

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1	1	SB203INTRODUCED
2	2	Page 0
3	3	KZWEAU-1
4	4	By Senator Waggoner
5	5	RFD: County and Municipal Government
6	6	First Read: 12-Apr-23
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11	11	5 KZWEAU-1 04/04/2023 FC (L) ma 2023-1130
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13	13	SYNOPSIS:
14	14	This bill would authorize any county,
15	15	municipality, or governmental entity subject to a
16	16	countywide civil service system to elect by a majority
17	17	vote of the governing body to opt out of the countywide
18	18	civil service system.
19	19	This bill would also require the county,
20	20	municipality, or governmental entity to adopt a human
21	21	resources policy and procedures manual and to provide
22	22	written notification to the director of the countywide
23	23	civil service system.
24	24	A BILL
25	25	TO BE ENACTED
26	26	AN ACT
27	27	To authorize any county, municipality, or governmental
28	28	entity subject to a countywide civil service system to elect
29	29	by a majority vote of the county or municipal governing body
30	30	to opt out of the countywide civil service system; to require
31	31	the county, municipality, or governmental entity to adopt a
32	32	human resources policy and procedures manual; and to require
33	33	the county, municipality, or governmental entity to notify the
34	34	director of the countywide civil service system of its
35	35	decision to withdraw from the system.
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65	65	BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF ALABAMA:
66	66	Section 1. (a) For the purposes of this section, the
67	67	term "countywide civil service system" means a civil service
68	68	system established by a general or local law that applies to a
69	69	county and any municipality in the county.
70	70	(b) Any county, municipality, or governmental entity
71	71	subject to a countywide civil service system by majority vote
72	72	of the county commission, city, or town council or the
73	73	governing body of the governmental entity may elect to
74	74	withdraw from a countywide civil service system
75	75	notwithstanding any other provision of law to the contrary,
76	76	whether in a general or local law. If any county,
77	77	municipality, or governmental entity elects to withdraw from a
78	78	countywide civil service system under this subsection, the
79	79	countywide civil service system shall then exercise no
80	80	authority or jurisdiction over the county, municipality, or
81	81	governmental entity.
82	82	(c) Any county, municipality, or governmental entity
83	83	making the election pursuant to this section shall provide
84	84	written notice to the director of the countywide civil service
85	85	system of its decision to withdraw from the countywide civil
86	86	service system. Prior to the notice, the county, municipality,
87	87	or governmental entity shall hold a public hearing on its
88	88	decision to withdraw.
89	89	(d) Any county, municipality, or governmental entity
90	90	making the election authorized by subsection (b), prior to the
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118	118	effective date of the withdrawal, shall adopt a human
119	119	resources policy and procedures manual, which shall include
120	120	personnel policy guidelines; operational standards; employee
121	121	management, recruitment, hiring, and due process termination
122	122	procedures; equal employment opportunities policies; grievance
123	123	resolution procedures; and workplace harassment policies. The
124	124	policies and procedures adopted by the county, municipality,
125	125	or governmental entity under this subsection shall include an
126	126	independent appeal and review process to consider employee
127	127	terminations, suspensions, and demotions, and may also include
128	128	a merit system for employees. The policies and procedures
129	129	adopted by the county, municipality, or governmental entity
130	130	shall ensure that its existing employees continue to enjoy any
131	131	employment rights, interest, or privileges that are vested or
132	132	vesting under the applicable countywide civil service system
133	133	rules as of the effective date of the withdrawal. After
134	134	withdrawal, all required employment due process procedures,
135	135	outlined in the county, municipality, or governmental entity's
136	136	human resources policy and procedures manual shall govern
137	137	future employees.
138	138	Section 2. (a)(1) All current employees of any county,
139	139	municipality, or governmental entity making the election
140	140	authorized by Section 1(b) to withdraw from a countywide civil
141	141	service system shall remain eligible to participate in any
142	142	pension plan or other retirement benefit plan if that current
143	143	employee was eligible to participate in this plan before the
144	144	date of withdrawal.
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173	173	(2) Any future employees of any county, municipality, or
174	174	governmental entity making the election authorized by Section
175	175	1(b) to withdraw from a countywide civil service system shall
176	176	be eligible to participate in any pension plan or retirement
177	177	benefit plan if that future employee would have been eligible
178	178	to participate before the effective date of withdrawal by
179	179	virtue of his or her employment with the county, municipality,
180	180	or governmental entity.
181	181	(3) Any current or future employee of any county,
182	182	municipality, or governmental entity affected by this act that
183	183	was previously eligible or would have been eligible for and
184	184	subject to mandatory membership in any pension plan or other
185	185	retirement benefit plan by virtue of being a member of the
186	186	classified service in the county, municipality, or
187	187	governmental entity before the effective date of the
188	188	withdrawal shall remain subject to mandatory membership in
189	189	that pension plan or other retirement benefit plan.
190	190	(4) Any eligibility determinations for any benefits
191	191	previously made by reference to information provided by a
192	192	county civil service system shall be made by reference to
193	193	information furnished by the county, municipality, or
194	194	governmental entity employing the employee.
195	195	(b) The withdrawal of any county, municipality, or
196	196	governmental entity from any countywide civil service system
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222	222	shall not affect the service credit for pension benefits or
223	223	other retirement benefits for any employee of the county,
224	224	municipality, or governmental entity. Any employee who is a
225	225	member of a pension plan or other retirement benefits plan or
226	226	eligible to be a member of a pension plan or other retirement
227	227	benefits plan shall have prior and future service credited for
228	228	pension benefit purposes as though the withdrawal had not
229	229	occurred. The withdrawal of any county, municipality, or
230	230	governmental entity from any countywide civil service system
231	231	shall not be deemed a break in service for pension benefit
232	232	service crediting purposes or a termination of employment for
233	233	distribution purposes.
234	234	(c) In the event a county, municipality, or governmental
235	235	entity exercises their rights under Section 1(b) to withdraw
236	236	from any countywide civil service system, any appointing
237	237	authority exercised by the countywide civil service system on
238	238	any county pension board, retirement benefit plan, or other
239	239	government retirement system shall revert to the respective
240	240	county, municipality, or governmental entity that sponsors the
241	241	pension plan, retirement benefit plan, or other government
242	242	retirement system. Nothing in this subsection, however, shall
243	243	apply if the withdrawing county, municipality, or other
244	244	governmental entity participates in any retirement system
245	245	administered by the State of Alabama.
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271	271	(d) This section shall apply notwithstanding any specific
272	272	provision or section of any prior act or provision of law to
273	273	the contrary, whether in a general or local law.
274	274	Section 3. This act shall become effective immediately
275	275	following its passage and approval by the Governor, or its
276	276	otherwise becoming law.
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