HB 1096: Public Health, Department of; provide that if certain employees of a county board of health become employees of such department such employees will retain accrued annual and sick leave

Some public health workers in Georgia counties are technically state employees only for retirement purposes, but otherwise work for their local county board of health. This bill addresses what happens to their accrued leave when they formally transition to being employees of the state Department of Public Health with no gap in employment. The bill adds a new section to Georgia law (O.C.G.A. § 31-2A-3.1) stating that these employees keep their built-up annual (vacation) and sick leave, and keep their seniority for purposes of how quickly they earn future leave. The county board of health is barred from paying out that accrued leave in cash when the employee switches to the state. The State Personnel Board is authorized to write rules to carry this out. The bill repeals any conflicting laws.

• Adds a new Code section (O.C.G.A. § 31-2A-3.1) letting county board of health employees keep accrued annual and sick leave when they become Department of Public Health employees without a break in service.
• Preserves those employees' seniority so their future leave continues to accrue at the same graduated rate instead of resetting.
• Prohibits the county board of health from cashing out an employee's accrued leave when that employee transitions to state employment.
• Authorizes the State Personnel Board to create, change, or eliminate rules to put this leave-transfer process into practice.

County board of health employees in Georgia who belong to the state retirement system covering certain public health workers, especially those who move into direct Department of Public Health employment. It also affects the county boards of health and the State Personnel Board, which gains new rulemaking authority.

Public health employees who switch from county to state employment would no longer lose their banked vacation and sick time or start over on seniority, which affects how quickly they build future leave and their pay if leave were otherwise cashed out.

• Section 1 creates new Code section 31-2A-3.1, applying to county board of health employees who are members of the retirement system under Chapter 2 of Title 47 and who become department employees with no break in service.
• Subsection (a) guarantees these employees retain accrued annual and sick leave and their seniority for graduated leave accrual, and bars the county board from paying out leave in cash upon transition.
• Subsection (b) authorizes the State Personnel Board to promulgate, amend, or repeal rules to implement the leave-retention process.
• Section 2 repeals any laws that conflict with the new provisions.

1. 2026-05-11Effective Date 2026-07-01
2. 2026-05-11Act 481
3. 2026-05-11House Date Signed by Governor (Cámara de Representantes)
4. 2026-04-06House Sent to Governor (Cámara de Representantes)
5. 2026-03-23Senate Passed/Adopted (Senado)
6. 2026-03-23Senate Third Read (Senado)
7. 2026-03-20Senate Read Second Time (Senado)
8. 2026-03-19Senate Committee Favorably Reported (Senado)

• Darlene Taylor (R, HD-173)Patrocinador principal
• James Hatchett (R, HD-155)
• Dexter Sharper (D, HD-177)
• Angie O'Steen (R, HD-169)
• Sharon Cooper (R, HD-045)
• Chuck Hufstetler (R, SD-052)

1. AprobadaVotación: Cámara de Representantes18 de febrero de 2026

   163 a favor, 0 en contra (6 sin votar, 6 ausentes)

   Passage: House Vote #525

2. AprobadaVotación: Senado23 de marzo de 2026

   50 a favor, 0 en contra (3 sin votar, 1 ausentes)

   Passage: Senate Vote #795

• public health employees
• state employee benefits
• sick and annual leave
• county boards of health
• government personnel rules