AN ACT CONCERNING FAMILY AND MEDICAL LEAVE FOR STATE EMPLOYEES FOR THE SERIOUS ILLNESS OF A CHILD.

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Assembly convened:

Section 1. Subsection (a) of section 5-248a of the general statutes is repealed and the following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective October 1, 2006):

(a) For purposes of this section, "child" means a biological, adopted or foster child, stepchild, child of whom a person has legal guardianship or custody, or child of a person standing in loco parentis. Each permanent employee, as defined in subdivision [(21)] (20) of section 5-196, shall be entitled to the following: (1) A maximum of twenty-four weeks of family leave of absence within any two-year period upon the birth or adoption of a child of such employee, or upon the serious illness of a child, spouse or parent of such employee; and (2) a maximum of twenty-four weeks of medical leave of absence within any two-year period upon the serious illness of such employee or in order for such employee to serve as an organ or bone marrow donor. Any such leave of absence shall be without pay. Upon the expiration of any such leave of absence, the employee shall be entitled (A) to return to the employee's original job from which the leave of absence was provided or, if not available, to an equivalent position with equivalent pay, except that in the case of a medical leave, if the employee is medically unable to perform the employee's original job upon the expiration of such leave, the Personnel Division of the Department of Administrative Services shall endeavor to find other suitable work for such employee in state service, and (B) to all accumulated seniority, retirement, fringe benefit and other service credits the employee had at the commencement of such leave. Such service credits shall not accrue during the period of the leave of absence.

Statement of Purpose:

To permit a state employee to take family and medical leave to care for an ill child who is in the care of the employee, such as a custodial grandparent.

[Proposed deletions are enclosed in brackets. Proposed additions are indicated by underline, except that when the entire text of a bill or resolution or a section of a bill or resolution is new, it is not underlined.]