Tennessee 2025 2025-2026 Regular Session

Tennessee Senate Bill SB0938 Draft / Bill

Filed 02/05/2025

                     
HOUSE BILL 957 
 By Slater 
 
SENATE BILL 938 
By Rose 
 
 
SB0938 
002919 
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AN ACT to amend Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 8, 
Chapter 50, Part 8, relative to leave for state 
employees. 
 
BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF TENNESSEE: 
 SECTION 1.  Tennessee Code Annotated, Section 8-50-813(a), is amended by deleting 
the subsection and substituting: 
 (a)   
(1)  In addition to leave granted under §§ 8-50-801, 8-50-802, and 8-50-
806, an eligible employee must be granted absence from work with pay for a 
period of time equal to six (6) workweeks because of the birth of the employee's 
child, because of the placement of a child with the employee for adoption, or 
because the employee becomes the foster parent of a minor child, and upon the 
employee giving thirty-days' notice to the appropriate appointing authority.  If the 
eligible employee learns of the birth, adoption, or foster placement less than thirty 
(30) days in advance, the employee shall give the notice as soon as reasonably 
possible.  For the purpose of calculating service anniversary dates, this absence 
from work is considered full-time employment. 
 (2)  An employee who becomes the foster parent of a minor child must 
not continue to utilize leave granted under this subsection (a) once the minor 
child is no longer placed in the foster parent's home or custody. 
 SECTION 2.  Tennessee Code Annotated, Section 8-50-813, is amended by deleting 
subsections (d) and (e) and substituting:   
 
 
 	- 2 - 	002919 
 
 (d)  An eligible employee must not be granted more than six (6) workweeks of 
paid leave under subsection (a) during a twelve-month period, but the workweeks do not 
need to be taken consecutively.  An eligible employee may receive no more than six (6) 
workweeks of paid leave during a twelve-month period, even if there is more than one 
(1) qualifying birth, adoption, or foster placement under subsection (a).  If an eligible 
employee uses only a fraction of the leave granted under subsection (a), then the 
eligible employee may use the remaining balance of leave for any qualifying birth, 
adoption, or foster placement that occurs within the same twelve-month period.  Leave 
granted pursuant to this section must be used within twelve (12) months of the qualifying 
birth, adoption, or initial foster placement. 
 (e)  As used in this section: 
(1)  "Eligible employee" means: 
 (A)  An employee who has been employed full-time with the state 
for at least twelve (12) consecutive months with an entity described in §§ 
8-30-102(a), 8-30-102(b)(2), 8-30-102(b)(6)-(7), and 8-30-102(b)(10)-(13); 
or 
 (B)  An employee who has been employed full-time with the state 
for at least twelve (12) consecutive months with an entity described in § 
8-30-102(b)(9), except for an employee of any administrative board or 
commission that is attached to an entity described in § 8-30-102(b)(1) or 
§ 8-30-102(b)(3)-(5); and 
(2)  "Foster parent" has the same meaning as defined in § 37-2-414 
(a)(2). 
SECTION 3.  This act takes effect upon becoming a law, the public welfare requiring it.