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ENGROSSED 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 maint ained 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 or ganization that fails to comply
with certain provisions to no longer be recognized;
providing for codification; providing an effective
date; and declaring an emergency .
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 a s follows:
A. A school district board of education may approve a request
from a school distri ct 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
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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 begin ning and end
dates.
B. Leave granted pursuant to this section shall be leave
without pay. The school employee on leave shall not be enti tled 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 schedu le adopted pursuant to Section 5 -141 of Title
70 of the Oklahoma Statutes and with no accrual of s ick 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.
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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 Sect ion 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 long er recognize the
organization as a representative of employees .
SECTION 2. This act shall become effective July 1, 2022.
SECTION 3. It being immediately necessary for t he preservation
of the public peace, health or safety, an emergency is hereby
declared to exist, by reason whereof this act shall take effect and
be in full force from and after its passage and approval.
Passed the Senate the 7th day of March, 2022.
Presiding Officer of the Senate
Passed the House of Represen tatives the ____ day of __________,
2022.
Presiding Officer of the House
of Representatives