H 4891 General Bill, By Bales, Scott, Martin, Allen, Hayes, Howard and Maddox
 A BILL TO AMEND SECTIONS 9-1-1140 AND 9-11-50, BOTH AS AMENDED, CODE OF LAWS
 OF SOUTH CAROLINA, 1976, RELATING TO ESTABLISHING SERVICE CREDIT FOR PURPOSES
 OF THE SOUTH CAROLINA RETIREMENT SYSTEM AND THE SOUTH CAROLINA POLICE OFFICERS
 RETIREMENT SYSTEM, SO AS TO ALLOW UP TO ONE HUNDRED EIGHTY DAYS OF UNUSED SICK
 LEAVE TO BE USED TO QUALIFY FOR THE CREDITED SERVICE REQUIREMENTS FOR SERVICE
 RETIREMENT; AND TO AMEND SECTION 59-1-400, AS AMENDED, RELATING TO SICK LEAVE
 FOR PUBLIC SCHOOL EMPLOYEES, SO AS TO INCREASE FROM NINETY TO ONE HUNDRED
 EIGHTY THE NUMBER OF SICK LEAVE DAYS THAT MAY BE ACCUMULATED.

   04/11/00  House  Introduced and read first time HJ-7
   04/11/00  House  Referred to Committee on Ways and Means HJ-7

TO AMEND SECTIONS 9-1-1140 AND 9-11-50, BOTH AS AMENDED, CODE OF LAWS OF SOUTH CAROLINA, 1976, RELATING TO ESTABLISHING SERVICE CREDIT FOR PURPOSES OF THE SOUTH CAROLINA RETIREMENT SYSTEM AND THE SOUTH CAROLINA POLICE OFFICERS RETIREMENT SYSTEM, SO AS TO ALLOW UP TO ONE HUNDRED EIGHTY DAYS OF UNUSED SICK LEAVE TO BE USED TO QUALIFY FOR THE CREDITED SERVICE REQUIREMENTS FOR SERVICE RETIREMENT; AND TO AMEND SECTION 59-1-400, AS AMENDED, RELATING TO SICK LEAVE FOR PUBLIC SCHOOL EMPLOYEES, SO AS TO INCREASE FROM NINETY TO ONE HUNDRED EIGHTY THE NUMBER OF SICK LEAVE DAYS THAT MAY BE ACCUMULATED.

Be it enacted by the General Assembly of the State of South Carolina:

SECTION 1. The last unnumbered paragraph of Section 9-1-1140 of the 1976 Code, as added by Act 87 of 1991, is amended to read:

"At retirement, after March 31, 1991, a member shall receive credit for not more than ninety one hundred eighty days of his unused sick leave at no cost to the member. The leave must be credited at a rate where twenty days of unused sick leave equals one month of service. This additional service credit may not be used to qualify for retirement."

SECTION 2. Section 9-11-50(7) of the 1976 Code, as added by Act 87 of 1991, is amended to read:

"(7) At retirement, after March 31, 1991, a member shall receive service credit for not more than ninety one hundred eighty days of his unused sick leave at no cost to the member. The leave must be credited at a rate where twenty days of unused sick leave equals one month of service. This additional service credit may not be used to qualify for retirement."

SECTION 3. Section 59-1-400(A) of the 1976 Code, as last amended by Act 388 of 1990, is further amended to read:

"(A) All full-time employees of public schools accrue sick leave on the basis of one and one-fourth days of sick leave for each month of active service or twelve days for nine months of active service. Sick leave accrued but not used may be accumulated up to ninety one hundred eighty days if the employees do not violate their respective contracts. Provisions for the additional benefits provided for in this section must be made on the same basis as existing sick leave benefits.

A school employee using sick leave as provided for in this section may not be terminated from employment nor during a continuing sick leave of less than ninety-one one hundred eighty-one days.

The provisions of this section do not apply to employees of a school district which provides more liberal sick leave benefits. Any benefits accrued under school district sick leave policies in effect prior to July 1, 1976, are not lost as a result of this section.

Sick leave accumulated in compliance with this section is transferable to any school district in the State or to the State Department of Education by the employee with the earned leave."

SECTION 4. This act takes effect upon approval by the Governor.