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H.B. 183 Enrolled

             1     

SCHOOL DISTRICT LEAVE POLICIES
             2      2011 GENERAL SESSION
             3      STATE OF UTAH
             4      Chief Sponsor: Keith Grover
             5      Senate Sponsor: Margaret Dayton
             6     
             7      LONG TITLE
             8      General Description:
             9          This bill amends provisions in the State System of Public Education code related to
             10      association leave.
             11      Highlighted Provisions:
             12          This bill:
             13          .    prohibits a local school board from granting paid association leave for certain
             14      employee association or union duties;
             15          .    for certain school districts, requires reimbursement to a school district of the costs
             16      for certain employees, including benefits, for the time that an employee is:
             17              .    unpaid association leave; or
             18              .    participating in certain paid association leave activities;
             19          .    for certain school districts, provides that the school district may allow up to 10 days
             20      of association leave under certain conditions;
             21          .    defines terms; and
             22          .    makes technical changes.
             23      Money Appropriated in this Bill:
             24          None
             25      Other Special Clauses:
             26          None
             27      Utah Code Sections Affected:
             28      AMENDS:
             29          53A-3-425, as enacted by Laws of Utah 2002, Chapter 312

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             30     
             31      Be it enacted by the Legislature of the state of Utah:
             32          Section 1. Section 53A-3-425 is amended to read:
             33           53A-3-425. Association leave -- District policy.
             34          (1) As used in this section[, "association leave"]:
             35          (a) "Association leave" means leave from a school district employee's regular school
             36      responsibilities granted for that employee to spend time for association, employee association,
             37      or union duties.
             38          (b) "Employee association" means an association that:
             39          (i) negotiates employee salaries, benefits, contracts, or other conditions of employment;
             40      or
             41          (ii) performs union duties.
             42          (2) Except as provided in Subsection (3), a local school board may not allow paid
             43      association leave for a school district employee to perform an employee association or union
             44      duty.
             45          (3) (a) A local school board may allow paid association leave for a school district
             46      employee to perform an employee association duty if:
             47          (i) the duty performed by the employee on paid association leave will directly benefit
             48      the school district, including representing the school district's licensed educators:
             49          (A) on a board or committee, such as the school district's foundation, a curriculum
             50      development board, insurance committee, or catastrophic leave committee;
             51          (B) at a school district leadership meeting; or
             52          (C) at a workshop or meeting conducted by the school district's local school board;
             53          (ii) the duty performed by the employee on paid association leave does not include
             54      political activity, including:
             55          (A) advocating for or against a candidate for public office in a partisan or nonpartisan
             56      election;
             57          (B) soliciting a contribution for a political action committee, a political issues

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             58      committee, a political party, or a candidate, as defined in Section 20A-11-101 ; or
             59          (C) initiating, drafting, soliciting signatures for, or advocating for or against a ballot
             60      proposition, as defined in Section 20A-1-102 ; and
             61          (iii) the local school board ensures compliance with the requirements of Subsections
             62      (4)(a) through (g).
             63          (b) Prior to [any] a school district employee's participation in paid or unpaid
             64      association leave, a local school board shall adopt a written policy that governs association
             65      leave.
             66          (c) Except as provided in Subsection (3)(d), a local school board policy that governs
             67      association leave shall require reimbursement to the school district of the costs for an
             68      employee, including benefits, for the time that the employee is:
             69          (i) on unpaid association leave; or
             70          (ii) participating in a paid association leave activity that does not provide a direct
             71      benefit to the school district.
             72          (d) For a school district that allowed association leave described in Subsections
             73      (3)(c)(i) and (ii) prior to January 1, 2011, the local school board policy that governs association
             74      leave may allow up to 10 days of association leave before requiring a reimbursement described
             75      in Subsection (3)(c).
             76          (e) A reimbursement required under Subsection (3)(c), (d), or (4)(g) may be provided
             77      by an employee, association, or union.
             78          [(3)] (4) If a local school board adopts a policy to allow paid association leave, the
             79      policy shall include procedures and controls to:
             80          (a) ensure that the duties performed by employees on paid association leave directly
             81      benefit [education within] the school district;
             82          (b) require the school district to document the use and approval of paid association
             83      leave;
             84          (c) require school district supervision of employees on paid association leave;
             85          (d) require the school district to account for the costs and expenses of paid association

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             86      leave;
             87          (e) ensure that during the hours of paid association leave a school district employee
             88      may not engage in political activity, including:
             89          (i) [actively campaigning for candidates] advocating for or against a candidate for
             90      public office in a partisan [and] or nonpartisan [elections] election; [and]
             91          [(ii) fundraising for political organizations, political parties, or candidates;]
             92          (ii) soliciting a contribution for a political action committee, a political issues
             93      committee, a political party, or a candidate, as defined in Section 20A-11-101 ; and
             94          (iii) initiating, drafting, soliciting signatures for, or advocating for or against a ballot
             95      proposition, as defined in Section 20A-1-102 ;
             96          (f) ensure that association leave is only paid out of school district funds when the paid
             97      association leave directly benefits [education within] the district; and
             98          (g) require the reimbursement to the school district of the cost of paid association leave
             99      activities that do not provide a direct benefit to education within the school district.
             100          [(4)] (5) If a local school board adopts a policy to allow paid association leave, that
             101      policy shall indicate that a willful violation of this section or of a policy adopted in accordance
             102      with Subsection [(2)] (3) or [(3)] (4) may be used for disciplinary action under Section
             103      53A-8-104 .

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