House and Senate approve Rep. Taylor’s HB1096, preserving leave for Georgia public health employees

A newly enacted bill from State Rep. Darlene Taylor is set to allow employees of county boards of health to maintain their accumulated leave when moving to the Department of Public Health, thereby protecting their benefits, according to the Georgia State House.

The legislation was approved by both chambers as of Monday, March 23, passing the House unanimously at 165-0 and the Senate at 50-0.

Introduced as HB1096 on Thursday, Jan. 29 during the 2026 regular session of the 158th General Assembly, the bill is officially titled: ’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’.

The following summary is based on the official bill language and offers clarification of its key points.

This measure allows specific county health board employees who are enrolled in the state retirement system and transfer to roles with the Department of Public Health—without a lapse in service—to carry over all accumulated annual and sick leave instead of receiving a payout from the county. The intent appears to be to provide benefit continuity and eliminate the loss or payout of leave during the transition to state employment. The bill authorizes the State Personnel Board to adopt, amend or repeal any rules necessary for these provisions and repeals any inconsistent laws.

Within the House, 72 Democrats and 93 Republicans supported the legislation, and there were no votes against it.

In the Senate, 20 Democrats and 30 Republicans also voted in favor, with none opposed.

The bill received co-sponsorship from Rep. Sharon Cooper (Republican-45th), Rep. Matt Hatchett (Republican-155th), Rep. Angie O’Steen (Republican-169th), and two other colleagues.

Taylor, a Republican, has served in the Georgia State House representing the 173rd District since 2011, following former state representative Mike Keown.

Gov. Brian Kemp signed the bill into law on Monday, May 11.

As outlined in Georgia’s legislative process, a bill begins with its drafting, followed by committee review, further readings, and votes in both chambers before it proceeds to the governor, who can sign, veto, or allow it to become law without a signature. The General Assembly holds a 40-day session each year starting the second Monday of January.

The information in this article is sourced from the Georgia State House. Source data can be accessed here.